The Billionaire's Convenient Bride: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (11 page)

     She tilted her head and thought about it.  “No, I’m sure it will be fine if we are all in our own rooms. We’re adults, I’m positive that it won’t be an issue at all,” she stated very matter-of-factly. 

     He felt his heart sag a little bit, but kept discussing it with her. “Well, that’s good. That’s going to be a big help for us in getting this project completed. The Governor is really just giving me such a hard time that Tristan has decided he wants to try and do much of the work in his name so that we can get it all through. The problem with that is that this project has been my baby from the beginning, and he was only supposed to be involved in part of it, but his involvement has expanded to encompass a great deal more than he was ever supposed to be part of. If the Governor wasn’t blocking me at every turn, I could get almost the whole thing done myself. I could make the differences in this city that I want to make, and do them in my name, without feeling like my past is constantly being thrown in my face.”

     Emmaline bit her lip and looked at Peter with a gleam in her eye. “His re-election isn’t going very well. He hasn’t followed through on his campaign promises from the last election. There may be another excellent solution to this that’s a much better and possibly more viable option.”

     He lowered his brow at her, wondering what he could have missed. “I’ve been over this time and again in my mind. It’s kept me up on several nights. I just can’t figure a way out of it. What have I missed?” he asked her.

     She turned the corner of her mouth up in a sly smile at him and asked, “Well, what if you ran for governor?”

     Peter’s jaw fell open. She continued. “Think of it. No one wants to re-elect him, but he’s far more qualified than the guy he’s running against and no one wants him either, but Governor Collins is the better of two evils. Run against him. You have the monetary means to do it, you are more popular now since the wedding than you ever have been, and you can use your project to refurbish the city as a platform for local community development, and then if you win you won’t have any red tape at all.”

     She sat back in delightful satisfaction and he ran the idea through his mind. It was incredulous.

     “You know, that’s not a bad idea, but I’ve never thought of running for office. I’ve never had an interest in being in politics,” he mused.

     “You are interested in cleaning up and polishing the city you live in. This is just another way to do it,” she said with a smile.

     He nodded in deep thought. “I’ll talk to Nelson about it and see what he thinks. That’s a rather creative solution to the problems. Thank you, Emma.” He lifted his drink to hers and they toasted to a fresh start and new ideas.

     Their dinner was filled with conversations about what his options might be if he were to take the road she suggested, and they discussed her grandfather and his health. She was so grateful to him for what he had done, she was glad to do whatever she could to repay him for it, and she told him so. If he decided to run a campaign for the Governorship, then she would help him however she could. She pointed out that she was already involved in different community groups and committees, and that her work was being noted around town and published in the papers. She also noted that if he won, a divorce three years into his term wouldn’t look bad, especially if she was very clear with the public that it was an amicable divorce and they were going to remain close friends. She would continue to support him and his future endeavors. By the end of the evening, he was nearly talked into it.

Chapter6

Two weeks later, Nelson had jumped onto the Governor’s race wagon and their plan was put into action. It became official and Peter was running against the man whose wife he had been caught sleeping with, and who had subsequently stopped most of his business endeavors in the city. It was risky, but it was also incredibly smart.

     Thanks to his marriage to Emmaline, his reputation had seen such improvement that the public began to swing heavily to support him in his bid. Photos of him with the Governor’s wife were published all over again, and the story was dragged through the mud, but the public had seen it before and they were more interested in his plans for improving the city, and his beautiful new wife who was so involved with the people of New Orleans. After all, if he had improved himself so much, surely he could do the same with the city.

     Tristan moved into the house then, and was set up in the bedroom near Emmaline’s. He was humble and gracious upon his arrival, thanking them both and getting straight to work with Peter. The first night he was there, they had dinner together in the dining room, and Emmaline was a few minutes late walking in. She looked around and smiled.

     “Well this will be a nice change, it’s so lovely in here.” She sat down and Tristan looked at her with a subtly quizzical look. She saw it and smiled at him.

     “We’ve never eaten in here, or at least, I haven’t. I’m just enjoying the opportunity to be able to have a meal in here,” she said in an attempt to explain herself.

     Tristan looked at Peter and Peter laughed lightly. “Oh, well, usually we eat dinner out,” he explained further, wondering why he was explaining himself at all.

     They shared a wonderful meal together and afterward, they stood and bid each other good night. Emmaline nodded to both of the men and walked down the hallway to her room. Tristan followed her and she turned to look at him when he spoke to her.

     “Oh, Emmaline, please don’t feel like you need to take me to my room. It is a big house, but I can find my way.” He smiled at her.

     She looked at him for a moment and then realized what he must be thinking, and she laughed and smiled back. “I’m sorry, but I’m not walking you to your room, I’m going to my room.” She pointed to the door just down the hall. “That’s my room.” She smiled at him, waved and told him goodnight, and then walked to her room and closed the door as he watched her go.

     The next day, Emmaline walked into the kitchen and found Tristan in jeans and a button down shirt. She had never seen him out of a suit, and it surprised her that he was dressed so casually. He was reaching over the stove, which was covered in pans and pots, out of which puffs of steam and delicious scents billowed into the air.

     She laughed a little and looked at him. “What are you up to in here?”

     He waved at her. “Come see! I’ve got all kinds of things going on.”

     Emmaline walked over and stood next to him, looking down at a huge mix of cooking creations. He pointed to the pans and pots as he went along. “This is a fruit compote that I made of fresh fruit I picked from the garden, we have traditional buttermilk biscuits and white gravy to go with them, sausage, bacon, this is my own special crepe mix which is what the fruit compote is for, and this sea salt caramel glaze goes with that. Here. Have a taste.” He held out a spoon, his eyes twinkling.

     Her eyes were wide, but she opened her mouth as he dipped a spoon into the caramel and filled it, and then lifted it to her waiting lips. The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes closed and she moaned in delight. She smiled and looked up into his sky blue eyes. He laughed a little and reached his fingertip up to her chin, wiping a drip of the caramel off of it and then pausing a moment before slipping his fingertip into his mouth and sucking the sweetness off of it.

     “That was my fault,” he said. “I spilled a drop on you. It’s good though, isn’t it?” he asked with a grin.

     She felt her breath catch when he touched her, and that, coupled with the sweet caramel she had just swallowed, put an enormous smile on her face. “It’s incredible! What are you making all of this for?” she asked.

     He shrugged and looked down at all of it. “Well, it’s just my way of saying thank you for dinner and for having me here while we work out the business. Besides, I like to cook. Don’t you like it when people cook for you?” he asked, with his eyebrows raised.

     She nodded. “It’s one of my favorite things,” she said, thinking that it was also one of the things on her perfect man checklist. She had even shared that one with Peter. She wanted a man who would cook for her without being asked to do it, but she didn’t say anything about it to Tristan.

     Instead, she looked around and asked, “When will it be ready?”

     He turned in a circle, found the stack of plates and handed one to her. “Here you go. It’s ready now, so please feel free to dig in!” He watched her as she laughed and loaded her plate with all the delicious food he made, and then she sat at the small table in the kitchen.

     He took a step toward her and asked, “Isn’t everyone having breakfast together in the dining room?”

     She stopped short for a moment and then looked up and him and shook her head. “Oh, I guess one of us should have mentioned something about it to you. We don’t really eat together, unless we eat out. Last night was sort of a welcome dinner, I think. We’ve never eaten together in there. You’re welcome to eat anytime you want to and anywhere you want to, but we don’t really have sit-down meals with each other.”

     He stared at her for a moment and then sat down opposite her at the small table, “Well, I like to eat with other people, so if you would do me the honor, I would very much enjoy your company at least at breakfast and dinner here, unless you have other plans. Can I arrange that with you?” he asked with a smile.

     She blinked at him for a moment and then smiled back at him. “I’d love that! My grandfather and I used to share all our meals together if we were both home, and I miss it so much! Count me in for sure!”

     He smiled and stood up to get himself a plate. She stood up as well and walked over to the electric kettle, turned it on and then pulled her French press from the cupboard.

     “Do you like coffee?” she asked.

     He smacked his forehead and smiled. “How could I have forgotten that? Yes, I love it! Bit of a necessary evil in my line of work,” he said. By the time he was sitting at the table, the coffee was ready and she took it to him.

     They enjoyed a delicious breakfast together and as she was helping him clear the dishes away and put the left-over food into the refrigerator, he looked at her and said, “I haven’t really seen much of the house. Maybe later today you could give me a tour. What do you think?”

     She nodded. “I’d be glad to, although, I think there are places in this house that I haven’t even seen yet, and many that I haven’t used, so it will be an expedition for both of us!”

     He seemed surprised, but he smiled and thanked her, and they went their separate ways. Emmaline went into Peter’s office and saw Nelson and Peter looking over the paperwork.

     “Good morning!” she said to them. “You just missed an amazing breakfast. Tristan cooked for everyone. I wasn’t sure where the both of you were, but there’s still some food in the refrigerator if you’d like it.”

     They both smiled and nodded. “Nelson ate before he came and I had coffee. We’re good. We’re elbow deep in work here. Is there anything else that you need?” Peter asked with a courteous albeit busy smile.

     She walked toward them and said, “I wanted to ask you both something. Our contract for this marriage is for three years, and at the end of the three years I get the money that you’re paying me for being married to you. I just wanted to know if we can take Henri’s medical costs out of that payment.”

     Peter stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

     Emmaline lifted her chin a bit. “I want to take care of his expenses. It’s my responsibility, not anyone else’s. So I just wanted to say that at the end of three years, instead of giving me three million dollars like we agreed on, just take out all the costs for Henri’s care and give me the difference.”

     Peter walked around the table to her, feeling like he had been standing on a rug that she yanked out from beneath him. “Emma, I did that for you both as a gift, please don’t say that you want to pay for it. Let me do that for you, for him, for you both. You have done so much for me, letting me hire you to be my wife and sacrificing your own life to live here and pretend that you’re married to me just so we can try to fix my public image, that taking care of that for you and your grandfather would be my honor and privilege. Please, let me do that for you to repay you for all that you’ve done for me. If you want to, think of it as a perk for being an employee of mine, just let me help you with it, though. I still want to pay you the full sum of money that you’ll be earning over the next three years.” Peter was nearly pleading with her by the end.

      She could see that it meant a great deal to him, and she knew that their original arrangement had changed when he decided to take her advice and run for office. If he won, he would be the Governor and her duties would be significantly increased. “Alright. I’ll accept it. Thank you, Peter,” she said quietly.

     He smiled and nodded and she walked to the door, reaching for the handle, when she realized she hadn’t closed it, and when she pulled it open, Tristan was standing in the doorway looking at her in stunned silence. She felt panic rise up in her, and her eyes widened, but he smiled at her and nodded.

     “Thanks again for having breakfast with me. I enjoyed it,” was all he said, and then he moved aside to let her walk past him before entering the room and closing the door.

     She wondered if he had heard anything and decided that he must not have, but that afternoon, she was sitting on the garden bench when he walked out and sat beside her. He approached somewhat slowly, as if he would scare her off.

     “Hello!” she said, smiling at him as he handed her a glass of lemonade.

     “I took a chance that you like this sweet and sour stuff.” He smiled and she took the glass from him.

     “I love it,” she said with a shy grin, looking into his light blue eyes.

     He leaned back into the swing and said, “Nelson and Peter started working on campaign things and I had some free time, since I’m not working on the campaign things, so I came to see if you have a few minutes to talk. I wanted to solve a mystery. See, last night at dinner, you said you hadn’t eaten in the dining room together, and I was surprised. Then, when you said good night, you just kind of looked at us both, you didn’t touch Peter. You sleep alone in a room on the other end of the house, and then this morning you said you didn’t eat any meals together. I was so confused, but then as I was walking into the office this morning, I heard what Peter was saying to you and thought I had better stay outside the office and give you some privacy. I didn’t mean to overhear anything, and I didn’t know there was anything to be overheard, but…” He looked away and paused a beat, and then looked back at her. “Did I hear him correctly? Did he hire you to be his wife for three years to fix his reputation after that scandal with the Governor’s wife?”

     She set her book in her lap and sighed. “I’m so sorry you heard all of that.”

     He nodded. “Well, I saw more of it than I heard. You seem so alone in this big house, like you are trying to fit in and you don’t know how to do it. Everything makes sense now, if that’s the case and he hired you.”

     Emmaline covered her mouth to hold back the emotion in her. She felt as if he had stripped her naked in a single glance and she couldn’t hide anything at all, most of all her feelings, from him. “You’re pretty much right,” she said, pressing her fingers to her lips.

     She closed her eyes and held back tears as best she could. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and said quietly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I just wondered, after seeing everything, and I felt like I had to ask you. I wouldn’t have guessed it. You’ve really put a good face out there for the public, but where does that leave you here?” he asked placing his finger beneath her chin and lifting her face to see his. “I believed it, when you walked down that aisle looking like the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I believed you were marrying him, and I wished so hard with all my heart that someday I would find a woman as beautiful and intelligent as you, as sweet and kind, as funny and thoughtful and brilliant as you, to walk down the aisle to me as I waited for her, and I wanted to be so happy for him, for you both, but I was looking at what I wanted. Now I can see that it wasn’t true, at least, the tale that was told to the public wasn’t true. Now I see that you are more amazing than I ever could have imagined, and you are here in this place, giving your time to him for a price. I have to ask you, is the price of your sacrifice worth what you are giving?”

     She stared at him as his words wrapped themselves around her like soft warm petals, covering her in their meanings. Emmaline couldn’t even think of a response to what he had said to her, and he saw it. He smiled at her and chuckled.

     “I’m sorry, please don’t answer that. None of it is my business, really, I just have a bad habit of speaking my mind, no matter what’s on my mind. I have been holding a lot of that back, but after what I discovered this morning, it’s really been pushing its way to the front of my mind. Please pretend I didn’t say any of it.” He looked deeply into her eyes and for a moment, she thought he might kiss her, and she drew in her breath trying to steady the butterflies that were spinning in a blizzard inside of her, but he smiled and let go of her chin.