Chapter 5 #3
“My friends might test me as a way to make sure I know what I’m getting into.
” She stood where she was, knowing Mitch, in particular, would push to find out how it was possible she was marrying Jagger when it seemed they hardly knew each other.
Especially when just days before she’d denied anything was going on between then.
He turned his blazing blue eyes on her. “You’ll let them?”
“What’s the big deal, Jagger?”
“You want my family history?” He glanced back at Kaden then closed the steps between him and Chelsea again.
He leaned closer and talked in a low voice filled with bitterness.
“I come from a long line of playboys. Tanya was the last in a series of Mrs. G.W. Talbots. My father is working his way through several more Mrs. Talbots. Right now he’s on his fourth.
I was an unplanned baby, which is why my father married my mother, at the threat of disinheritance by my grandfather, who wouldn’t have any bastard children in his family. ”
Chelsea winced and wondered if that was why Jagger’s grandfather married Tanya; to legitimize Kaden.
“My mother took off a week after I was born with some rich baron or something. She’s working her way through men as fast as my father works through women.
My father was relieved my mother left. He got a vasectomy and resumed his womanizing.
Neither of my parents wanted me and each tried to pawn me off on the other. ”
Chelsea’s heart lurched in her chest and then broke for the little boy unwanted by his parents. “Who raised you?”
“Mrs. Stanton.”
Jagger stared at her with hard eyes and then turned away as if he couldn’t look at her. She suspected her face shone with pity and shock. Having been on the receiving end of such expressions, she knew it wasn’t a good feeling. She adjusted her expression and stepped up next to him.
“How’d you end up being Kaden’s guardian?”
He sighed, as he watched Kaden swing a stick and wield it like a sword.
“I told you about how she got involved in drugs and left. By that time, my grandfather was sick. That’s when I went to him and made the arrangements for Kaden’s trust, guardianship…
all of it. He’s worth a lot of money and I didn’t want Tanya and my father fighting over him and his money. ”
“So you got both?”
He nodded. “I’m just the executer of the trust. It’s separate from the guardianship. If she’s planning on getting at his money, she’ll be sorely surprised.”
He’d said Tanya initially had married for love, but eventually took money from Jagger’s father to leave the Talbot family.
Maybe she’d spent that money and after living without it, she saw Kaden as a source of income.
Chelsea’s first thought was how wrong it was.
Then she felt sick as she realized she wasn’t much different.
After all, she was marrying Jagger for money.
Wanting to lighten the mood a little, she moved on to a new series of questions. “So, where does the name Jagger come from?”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “My mother liked soap operas. I was named after some biker character.” He stared at her, as if he was daring her to laugh in response.
She bit her lip to stop the laugh. “And Kaden?”
“Who the hell knows?” He scanned the area again.
“Are you looking for something?”
“I’m watching for Tanya. I wouldn’t put it past her to show up here to try to see him.”
“Maybe she’s given up.” Which, of course, would make this marriage plot unneeded.
He shook his head. “No. If she’s clean, she’ll follow through.”
“Is it possible to arrange a joint custody?”
Jagger whirled on her. “No. She abandoned him. Being a parent isn’t something you do when you feel like it.”
“No, of course not.” Still, she was Kaden’s mother, and Chelsea wondered if maybe she should be allowed access, if not for Tanya, then for Kaden. Chelsea kept that thought to herself.
“You think I’m being a hard-ass about this? You agree with society that biology is more important than who’s been there?”
Chelsea shook her head. “No.”
“Are you sure? Because you don’t look sure.”
She sighed. “I just thought Kaden might want that relationship someday.”
“Well, someday, if he wants it, he can find it. Until then, she gave up her right to him.”
There was a mixture of resolve and sadness, that made Chelsea long to soothe him. She reached up and touched his face. “He’s lucky to have you.”
His eyes shone with surprise at her gesture. “I’m lucky to have him.”
“Hey, Miss Beemer, watch!” She turned as Kaden threw a rock into the water, where it appeared twice before disappearing.
“Hey, two skips. You did it.” She forced excitement into her voice.
Kaden grinned.
“Your turn,” Jagger said. “What’s your story?”
“You know my story. I was born and raised here. My brother was killed in the war. My mother died a year later. Lexie and Mitch are my family.”
“What about your dad? I don’t ever remember Brian mentioning him and I’m sure you haven’t.”
Chelsea shrugged. “I never met him. When I was a baby, he went fishing with friends one day and never came back.”
“What happened?”
“My parents were young, and apparently my father wasn’t ready to settle down. Later I learned how disappointed and angry my grandparents, his parents, were. But they had me, Brian, and mom move in with them, into the house I have now. We were happy. I have no complaints about my childhood.”
“So you don’t wonder about your dad? Where he might be?”
She shook her head. “I did a little when I was younger. My grandmother thought maybe he’d died because she was sure he’d eventually make contact.”
“No one looked for him?”
“I think maybe my grandfather might have tried when my grandmother had her first stroke. But my mom didn’t. Her opinion was that if he didn’t want to be with us, she didn’t want him with us.”
Jagger studied her for a moment. “What if he showed up on your doorstep now?”
“He’d have to introduce himself because I wouldn’t recognize him.”
“Would you let him in?”
“My house. Probably. My life, no.”
“You say that so matter -of-factly.”
She sighed. “I gave up caring about it a long time ago.”
“Really?” He didn’t look convinced.
“My mom raised Brian and me to always look for the silver lining. So, I didn’t have my father. I had Paw Paw—”
“Paw Paw?” Jagger’s lips twitched upward.
“Yes. Paw Paw and Mema, and Brian and my mom. I didn’t need a dad.”
Jagger’s features drew more serious. “Are you always able to find the silver lining?”
Chelsea shook her head. “Sometimes it’s harder than others. Losing Brian and my mom...that’s been hard. But I have Lexie and Mitch. I have my students.” She glanced over at Kaden. “I know Brian and mom would want me to make the most of life, so I focus on that. And I have some good moments.”
“Like what?”
“Like now. Skipping stones with the two cutest men in the county.”
“Cute.” One dark brow rose.
Chelsea laughed as she nodded.
Jagger accepted the compliment with a shrug and turned to walk back toward where Kaden was poking the riverbank with a stick. “I want to get married soon. Next week.”
Her head whipped around to him. “People will think I’m expecting.”
“They’ll be wrong.”
“I know northerners, or maybe it’s because you’re rich, don’t care what people think about them, but down here, what people think is important.”
“What people think isn’t important anywhere. But if you’re worried, we’ll just say we’ve been together nearly a year and engaged since...I don’t know...Valentine’s day, but only now that school is out are we saying anything.”
“I guess I just didn’t think it would be so quick.”
“Tanya says she’s getting a lawyer and I believe her. It’s only a matter of time before I’m served papers.”
“You don’t think people will be suspicious?”
“They might, but if we stick to the story and act like it’s true, we’ll be fine.”
“Do you do this a lot?”
“Get married? No. I’ve never done it.”
She rolled her eyes. “No. I mean lie. Put on elaborate shams?”
“Everyone lies. But I’ve never done anything like this.” He rested his hands on her arms. “I can’t tell you how important it is that he stay with me.”
“I know.” His commitment to Kaden and dedication to keeping him were the only things she was completely sure of.
His eyes softened in understanding. “Look, I get that this isn’t what you imagined when you thought about getting married. I’m probably not the kind of man you saw yourself with.”
She frowned, wondering what he meant by that.
“I know that even though you’re getting the financial security you want, you’re uneasy about all the potential ramifications.”
That about summed it up.
“But it doesn’t have to be awkward or uncomfortable. I like you, Chelsea.” His hand rose to palm her cheek. “If Mitch hadn’t intervened, maybe this wouldn’t be so out of left field.”
Her eyes narrowed, partly because she didn’t believe him, and partly because she thought it was mean of him to tease her like that. A man like Jagger didn’t fall for a woman like her. He’d already said so when he proposed. “You don’t believe that.”
His head jerked back slightly. She stepped away from him and began walking along the bank.
“The point is,” He caught up with her, walking beside her, “this doesn’t have to be hard. At least it’s not for me.” He took her hand and pulled her to a stop.
“I said I’ll do it and I will.” She pulled her hand from his grip, not liking that his touch muddled her mind.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, thrusting it at her. She looked at the ring, sitting in the palm of her hand, and her chest tightened. This engagement wasn’t real, but still. “It’s pretty.”
“If you’d rather we make a big deal by shopping for one together, we can.”
Gee, thank you, hung on her lips, but she bit her tongue. Of course, this wasn’t going to be a romantic proposal. But it was barely civil. Tears threatened, and she turned to look over to the river where Kaden was making lightsaber noises while swinging a stick.
“It’s my grandmother’s.”
Her head whipped back to look at him. This was a fake marriage. She shouldn’t taint an heirloom with that. “Jagger, we can’t use this.” She held her hand out for him to take the ring back. “I don’t need a ring. Many women don’t have engagement rings.”
“We need this to look real. This will do it. It’s the only ring I have right now. If you don’t like it, we can shop—”
“It’s beautiful but it should go to someone you love.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I have this ring instead of my father because my grandfather knew he’d never really love anyone or give it to someone worthy.
At this point, I’m not certain I’ll never find someone to love, but I’m sure you and this situation, keeping Kaden, makes you worthy.
” He plucked the ring from her hand and slipped it on her left ring finger.
She looked at it, her heart hammering in her chest even as her head told her it was fake.
Jagger held her hand in both of his and brought them over his heart. “I’d like to tell Kaden too.”
A little dazed, she nodded.
“You okay?”
She looked into his crystalline blue eyes and mustered a smile. “Yes.”
“Can we go on the rides now?” Kaden ran up to them.
“Sure thing, champ. Just one thing before we go get sick on the rides.”
“I won’t get sick.”
“Here. Come sit with us.” Jagger took Kaden’s hand and led him to a fallen tree. He lifted Kaden to sit on it, while he stood in front of him. He turned his head back, his brows lifting in a “join us” expression.
Shaking the surrealness of the situation from her brain, she stood alongside Jagger, wondering how he was going to explain this to Kaden.
“What would you think if Miss Beemer came to live with us?”
“Really?” Kaden’s eyes widened with joy.
Jagger nodded. “Yes. She says she’ll marry me and we can be like a family.”
Kaden looked from Jagger to Chelsea and back again. His blank expression suggested he didn’t quite understand.
“Will she be my mom?”
Chelsea’s breath hitched, feeling pleased and yet guilty at the idea. Kaden had a mom. A mom who wanted him back.
“Well, no. She’d be your niece. She’d be with us. Like a family.”
Kaden nodded. “Okay.”
Jagger studied Kaden a moment and apparently decided that was all that needed to be said. He lifted his hand for a high-five, and said, “Let’s go ride some coasters.”
“Yay!” Kaden jumped off the stump.
“What about you?” Jagger turned his attention back to her. “Are you okay with this?”
She knew he was letting her know it was time to play their parts. Going to the rides meant being in public; they’d need to act like a couple. An engaged couple.
She swallowed the lump of worry in her throat and nodded.
“Come on.” Kaden took Jagger’s hand on his left and Chelsea’s on his right.
“By the way, can you come to dinner tonight? I’d like you to be there when I tell Mrs. Stanton and the rest of my staff,” Jagger whispered over Kaden’s head as they walked back toward the fair.
“Can you come to dinner?” Kaden’s blue eyes shone at her.
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Yay!”