Forever With The CEO: A marriage of convenience romance (The Whitley Brothers)

Friday came around much faster than I wanted. Bob and Sophie were coming to dinner at the house. They’d scoffed when I told them that we were eating at six o’clock, but I didn’t back down. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time for the twins to get to bed, and I wasn’t going to change their schedule just because their grandparents didn’t like to eat early.

Nick arrived at five thirty with takeout. I’d had a hellish day at work and had zero motivation to cook. He brought Italian because the twins loved spaghetti with meatballs. From the second he arrived, I was on pins and needles.

I was in the yard, keeping an eye on the twins. I’d already put plates and cutlery on the table. Nick came up behind me, putting both hands on my waist.

“You’re nervous,” he whispered in my ear.

“Very.” Feeling his body close to mine seemed to take that edge off. Of course, it also put me on edge in an entirely different way, so I wasn’t sure if it was too productive. But I preferred being on fire because of a gorgeous man rather than full of anxiety because of Bob and Sophie.

“We’ve got this. Trust me.” He kept saying that, but somehow, I didn’t believe it. “By the way, I’ve got something for you.”

He shoved one hand into his pocket, bringing out a gorgeous ring. My jaw dropped. It was a large rectangular diamond.

“You’re going to need this, fiancée.”

“Nick! This must have cost a fortune. Can you take it back… later?”

“Don’t you worry about any of that.”

“But I—”

“We’re here. How do we get in?” Bob’s voice came from the front yard.

“Quick, put it on,” I whispered, and Nick immediately slid the ring on. It was a strange feeling to see an engagement ring on my finger and know it wasn’t real.

Clearing my throat, I yelled, “The gate’s open. Just walk through and then unlock the baby gate, and you can come straight into the backyard.” The yard went around the house, but I’d wanted to separate the front from the back. That way, the twins could roam around freely when we were out here and wouldn’t disappear from my sight.

This is it. Showtime.

Bob and Sophie came into view a few seconds later. The twins stopped chasing each other, glancing at the newcomers, but there was no flicker of recognition on their faces. I explained to them that their grandparents were visiting, but… yeah. I didn’t blame the poor kids. The last time they’d seen them had been at the funeral, and they hadn’t held the twins or tried to comfort them even once. It made my blood boil that they now thought they should take them when they were practically strangers. After the accident, I’d commuted with the kids from my sister’s house before I brought them to my place permanently. Fortunately, they’d adjusted quite well.

“Bob, Sophie, you know Nick.”

The two of them looked like they were about to go to the opera or something. Bob was wearing a suit, and Sophie had on an elegant gown. Yes, practically a floor-length dress.

“We’ve met a few times when Jim and I were in college,” Nick reminded them.

“Yes, Nick Whitley,” Bob said appreciatively.

I barely held back a snort. Of course he was impressed by the Whitley name. Bob was a bit of a snob, from what Nora had told me.

“Are we keeping you from an event?” Nick asked.

“What do you mean?” Sophie replied.

Nick pointed at their clothing before I could warn him that they probably dressed like that thinking they’d have the upper hand. It was all a psychological game was my guess.

“Oh, no. We just like to be put together,” Sophie said.

Nick whistled. “Babe, we’re severely underdressed. Then again, this is just eating Italian in the backyard.” He put an arm around my shoulders. The contact warmed me immediately.

Sophie kept looking between us.

“Annie, Jack,” I called the twins. “Come here, you two.” Turning to Bob and Sophie, I said, “You’ll need something more comfortable if you want to play around with these two. Want me to bring you something to change into?”

“Goodness, no. I was hoping the nanny could take care of them while we talk.”

I frowned. “The nanny?”

“Yes. Who’s taking care of them?”

“I am.”

Sophie snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. The full-time nanny.”

“There is no full-time nanny,” Nick said in a cutting voice. Sophie flinched.

“They go to daycare in the morning, and I spend the evening and weekends with them,” I explained.

Sophie cocked a brow. “Really? You think a daycare is better than a nanny?”

So, this is how it’s going to go, huh? I wanted to follow Hugo’s advice and keep things calm, not be argumentative. Even though I was tempted to do just that… with a baseball bat if possible. Keep things simple.

“They enjoy their daycare. It’s good for their development. Interaction with other kids is healthy for them, and they’re learning new skills. It’s far better than staying cooped up in here all day.”

“Hmm,” Sophie said. “You could at least have someone look after them in the evenings. What are we supposed to do now? How should we talk?”

“We’ll manage. Don’t you worry,” I said dryly. “We can say anything we want in front of them.” I almost chuckled at my last comment, knowing that wasn’t what Sophie meant at all.

Annie and Jack approached us shyly. Jack held his hands up for Nick to take him in his arms. It was endearing how much these two liked him. Without hesitating, Nick bent at the waist and lifted Jack.

Be still my heart. They were so cute that I wanted to take a picture of them right now.

“Kids, do you want to say hi to your grandparents?” I encouraged.

Annie didn’t say anything for a few beats. Then she said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Bob replied. Sophie just nodded.

“Jack doesn’t talk much yet.”

“But he talks to you, right? They both do?” Sophie asked.

“Of course.” I stroked Annie’s hair and patted Jack’s cheek so they could feel my love for them. “But they’re shy when they meet new people.”

“We’re not new,” Sophie said briskly. “We’re their grandparents.”

I truly couldn’t believe any judge would give them custody, but whatever.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to change topics. “I hope you like spaghetti and meatballs.”

“We should have met at a restaurant,” Sophie said. “Just the four of us.”

Clearly it was time to set some boundaries. I rolled my shoulders back and said, “No, Sophie. You informed me a few days ago that you wanted to visit. You’re lucky we had time.”

“We could still go to a restaurant. Where we’ll be served some proper food.”

This woman! It wasn’t as though I hadn’t met them before. Nora used to tell me horror stories of how they could be toward her, but after all that happened, you’d think they’d be a little kinder. Obviously not.

I guess a zebra really can’t change its stripes.

“No, Sophie, we’ll eat here. I told you that the twins’ bedtime routine starts at seven. There’s no time to get to a restaurant, be served, and get back home by then.”

“Well, that’s why you should have planned ahead for our visit,” Sophie pressed on.

“This is outrageous,” Bob said, and that pissed me off.

Annie went right to her chair, and I helped her into it. Jack was still in Nick’s arms.

“It’s really not. You came here uninvited. So, you’ll have dinner with us or go by yourselves to a restaurant, and we can plan another time to meet in advance when it works for everyone involved.” My tone was final.

Sophie opened her mouth, but Nick interrupted her. “I suggest we start dinner. We won’t be able to entertain you for long. Allison already told you that, but we’d appreciate more of a heads-up.”

Sophie grunted but didn’t say anything.

Oh, so she’s only mouthy with me, huh? That’s interesting.

Nick lowered Jack into his chair before he came over and put an arm around my shoulders. “Need me to get anything from the kitchen, babe?” he whispered in my ear, loud enough for everyone to hear. The skin on my whole body simmered when he called me babe. Why did I like it so much?

I shook my head. “We’ve got everything we need. Thank you.”

Bob and Sophie looked absolutely ridiculous in their outfits as they sat on my chairs and tried to eat spaghetti without splashing themselves with sauce. As a result, they took a long-ass time to actually eat. We didn’t manage to make much conversation because Annie and Jack both needed my assistance with their food. Even so, they made a mess of themselves and of my shirt, of course. I looked like I’d been in a crime scene.

Nick laughed. “Want to trade spots so you can eat?” he asked when we were halfway through the meal.

Looking down, I realized I’d barely touched my plate. I smiled at him because I knew it was a genuine question, not for Bob and Sophie’s sake.

“I’m good. I’ll eat once these two are in bed.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us to come afterward?” Sophie said, sounding exasperated.

I swallowed hard, looking straight at her. “Considering the reason you contacted me in the first place, I thought you wanted to spend time with them.” I didn’t want to say custody in front of the kids or even insinuate that she might want to take them away because they’d understand that, and it would stress them out.

Sophie pressed her lips together. Bob gave her a sharp look.

The rest of the evening went by awkwardly. No one was saying anything, but that was probably because Annie and Jack were making enough noise on their own. I was used to it, and to some extent, so was Nick. Bob and Sophie looked as if they wanted to bolt out of here. That also gave me a little hope. Maybe after tonight, they’d abandon their stupid idea altogether. Then maybe Nick and I wouldn’t have to go through with the marriage.

“I’m going to get these two to bed,” I said at seven. “And then I’ll come right back down. It shouldn’t take me long.” I threw Nick an apologetic glance. He gave me a half smirk, and I knew exactly what it meant: “I’ve got this.”

And I was certain he did.

The twins were actually excited for their bedtime routine, which rarely happened. They usually liked to stay up for as long as possible. It wasn’t even eight by the time they were both in their beds.

“We love you,” Annie said, and my heart grew twice its size in a split second. I was sitting at the edge of her bed. Jack got out of his and came to us as well, lying down next to his sister. They both cuddled me.

“I love you both so much,” I said and leaned forward, kissing Jack’s cheek, then Annie’s before sitting up again.

It was so strange that Sophie had no interest in joining me when I offered for her to help put her grandchildren to bed. It was obvious they weren’t your typical grandparents.

“To the moon?” Annie asked because I often told them that.

“Yes. To the moon and back.”

“So, if you love us to the sun and back, it’s more?”

“That’s right. I love you to the sun and back,” I corrected, tapping her little nose with my finger, and she giggled.

Annie yawned, and so did Jack. They were usually less tired on Fridays, but this time they went out like a light before I even left the room. I’d been afraid that Sophie was going to say something to upset them while we were having dinner. I could finally relax. Sort of.

Now it was time to face the music.

I rolled my shoulders as I went down the staircase. I stopped on the top step to glance at the ring Nick purchased and admired it. It was beautiful. If this were a real engagement, I would have been thrilled with this ring. But it wasn’t, and I needed to keep that in mind. One day, with someone else, it would be, but not today.

As I hit the bottom steps, I caught wind of the conversation.

“The fitness branch is quite popular,” Bob was saying.

“And you plan to grow it even more?” Sophie asked.

“Exactly. I want to open five more locations throughout the country,” Nick replied.

“And you have shares in the other companies belonging to Whitley Industries?” Bob inquired.

I stepped out and said, “I’m back. The twins are asleep.”

The mood changed instantly. Bob looked at Sophie, clearly giving her the lead. She narrowed her eyes as I sat next to Nick.

“Come on, babe, sit on my lap. We don’t have to keep the PDA to a minimum now that the kids are in bed.” He gave Bob and Sophie a lazy smile. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Sophie bristled. She looked very much like she did mind. So I did exactly what Nick suggested and sat on his lap instead.

I immediately realized it wasn’t the best idea. Especially when Nick put an arm around my waist and pulled me even closer to him. My back was flat against his chest. Could he tell that my body temperature was going up? That my pulse was racing like mad? I had to get used to this. I needed to put a wall between us, but right now, I couldn’t.

“How long has this been going on?” Sophie asked. “Because we didn’t hear a word from Jim and Nora about it.”

“Ah, well,” Nick said, sounding thoroughly relaxed, “they wouldn’t have had much to say about us because we barely knew each other.”