The Surrogate Husband Read online

  She glanced at Dex. “He will be. You’ll love him.”

  “I’m sure I will. And he’ll be at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night?”

  She raised her eyebrows at her mom. “No, he won’t. He has…a thing.”

  “He sings? Will he sing at the wedding?”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “No, Aunt Bev, he’s busy tomorrow night.”

  She was silent for several beats. “That won’t do, Lucy.”

  Dex scrolled through a calendar on his phone. “It’s fine,” he whispered. “I’m available. I’ll go to whatever you need me to.”

  No. She didn’t want to have to impose on him to play the role of his wife any longer than absolutely necessary. “It’s his job, you know? He’s pretty busy.”

  “Well tell him to get un-busy,” Bev said. “And that’s an order.”

  She started to argue, but Bev shut her down like she had when Lucy was a kid.

  “That’s all, Lucy. He’ll be there, right?”

  She bristled, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “Lucy?”

  “We’ll figure something out,” Lucy said. “Can’t wait to see you. Here’s my mother back.” She gritted her teeth as she handed her mother the phone. “I’m really sorry, Dex. I hate that this is going to take up so much of your time.”

  “I told you, it’s no problem.”

  But it was a problem. The more time she spent with him, the more nervous she grew that they’d somehow mess up, and her aunt would find them out. She wondered if Bev would ever forgive her if she learned of their charade.

  …

  Make sure you activate the alarm before you leave,” Lucy told Amy, one of her part-time clerks.

  Amy folded her arms across her chest. “That’s the third time you’ve mentioned it. Why are you so nervous today? Are you afraid to see your family?”

  Lucy smoothed on lip gloss. “A little, I guess.”

  Amy shrugged. “From what you’ve told me, Dex is up for the role.”

  She didn’t want to admit that the prospect of spending the evening with Dex—holding his hand, acting like his wife—had her almost as jittery as perpetrating the ruse on her aunt. “You don’t know Bev. If this doesn’t work, she might never speak to me again.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Lucy faced her. “My Uncle Steve and his wife Darcy had problems over the years. He’d made excuses why she wasn’t at Christmas dinner one year and assured Aunt Bev that they were working through their problems. But when Bev ran into Darcy at the grocery store months later, Darcy told her that they’d gotten divorced almost a year before. She barely speaks to Uncle Steve anymore.” The thought of Aunt Bev being upset with her, going to her grave being angry at her, sent a chill up her spine.

  When the door chimed, her pulse kicked up a notch.

  Dex came in and closed the distance between them, then pressed a kiss to her forehead that managed to feel anything but chaste. His lips lingered on her skin, and he slipped his hands around her waist. “Just practicing,” he said. “You look amazing.”

  She tried to convince herself the stirring between her legs was her imagination, but she knew better. Geez, what was wrong with her? No guy had ever turned on her pilot light so easily.

  Amy raised an auburn eyebrow then returned to the display she’d been working on.

  Damn, he smelled great. “So do you.” In classic navy chinos and a pale blue polo shirt, his body appeared even more muscular than usual. And sexy.

  She glanced down at her purple leather skirt and black halter top. They couldn’t be more different. The man looked as if he should be with some gorgeous, preppy sort of woman, one who’d give him two-point-three kids and throw parties for his coworkers at their house in the suburbs, not someone like her. But hopefully they’d convince Aunt Bev they were married. After all, sometimes opposites attracted. Hell, she’d almost married Richard, whose orderly, methodical personality bore a striking resemblance to Dex’s. But she’d learned her lesson. Richard had turned out to be just as controlling and mean as her dad.

  “Ready?” Dex asked.

  She shoved the memory to the back of her mind where it belonged and smiled up at him. “Yup. Thanks for agreeing to come to the rehearsal dinner tonight.”

  He waved away her gratitude. “I don’t mind at all. To tell you the truth, I’m glad to do it. Gave me an excuse to refuse a date with my neighbor’s daughter. My Granny’s been trying to set us up for a while. But set-ups aren’t my thing. I prefer to do my own choosing.”

  His own choosing. That was kind of hot. Lucy resisted the urge to question him. She had absolutely no claim to him, yet the notion of him dating someone else suddenly stuck in her craw. Okay, she had to know. “Oh? Have you met the woman yet?” Could that be why he hadn’t called her all week?

  He lifted his chin and grinned. “I’m surprised you care. And flattered.”

  Her laugh sounded cheap as Frederick’s of Hollywood, even to her own ears. “Don’t be silly. I was just…making conversation.” He hadn’t answered the question, and she wondered if that was because he had, indeed, met the woman.

  Why should she care if he had someone else in his life? The notion that one of the guys she was seeing was also dating other women had never bothered her. Only with Dex, the very idea had her stomach twisting in knots. She cringed at the possibility that her feelings for him could morph into something more than she’d ever wanted.

  He reached into his pocket and produced two gold bands. After slipping the bigger one onto his finger, he handed her the other. “These belonged to my father’s parents. Dad gave them to me after they passed away.”

  Holding the ring to the light, she tried to read the characters inscribed on the inside, but they weren’t familiar. They looked slightly like Arabic letters. “What does it say?”

  “I don’t read Armenian, but my father told me it means true love.” He shifted from foot to foot.

  Her chest squeezed. “That’s sweet.” Sweeter still that it affected him. She took the ring and put it on then waved to Amy as they left. “For you and your future wife, I presume,” she said to Dex. Okay, so she was a tiny bit jealous.

  “I used to think so.” He let her into his car, a Volvo. Practical, yet luxurious. The choice fit him. Something her father would approve if he could have afforded it.

  She buckled herself in. “Used to?”

  A passing car lit his face, illuminating the new hardness around his eyes. “Years ago I was engaged.”

  For the second time that evening, Richard’s face came to mind, but she immediately banished it. “Me, too. But my fiancé was an asshole. I’ll never do that again.”

  He pulled onto the road. “Mine passed away.”

  She gulped. “Oh, Dex, had I known, I never would have asked you to—”

  He wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed, then let go. He smiled. “It’s okay. I’m fine. That was a long time ago.”

  Would this dredge up painful memories for him? Suddenly she regretted her decision to ask him to play her husband even more than before. She wondered what had happened to his fiancée, but thought better of asking. Rather, she changed the subject and reminded him of the names of family members he would have to pretend to know. “Uncle Alan is my mom’s older brother, and he’s marrying Trisha. His son is my cousin Jonathan, who’s married to Elena. Their son is Logan, who’s four years old. Mom’s husband is Jack. He’s a stockbroker. Then there’s my sister, Niki. She’s working on her degree in marketing.”

  He turned onto Collins Avenue. “Got it. I made a flowchart of all your relatives from the email you sent with all that information.”

  A memory of Richard making a flowchart of their household chores came to mind. As an engineer, her ex-fiancé had a rigid, left-brained approach to life that reminded her of how Dex’s brain seemed to function. Even so, she couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Of course you did.”

  They were the last to arrive at the restaurant,
a large steak house with dark paneled walls and oversize contemporary light fixtures. After quick hellos to a few of the relatives, Lucy found Aunt Bev speaking to her mom.

  Her chest tightened when she approached her aunt. She seemed so much frailer and more wrinkled than she’d been last time Lucy had seen her, and she was apparently using a cane to walk, judging by the wooden monstrosity next to her chair. Her white hair was thinner, but still looked like she’d just had her weekly wash and set.

  Bev’s blue eyes widened when she caught sight of them. “There’s my girl.” Her voice was shakier than it had been on the phone a few weeks earlier. She held out her arms, which seemed to take a great effort. Time had ravaged her papery skin with age spots, but there even seemed to be a few new ones.

  Lucy hugged her as tightly as she dared, afraid she’d break her. The familiar scent of Aquanet hairspray took her back to the few pleasant memories of her childhood. “It’s so great to see you.”

  She held Lucy at arms’ length and skimmed her gaze over her from head to toe. “Beautiful as ever. You resemble your grandmother at your age. Except for the pink hair and…” She sighed. “When did one earring on each side become not enough?”

  Lucy laughed then took a step back to make room for Dex. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about how much she hated to lie.

  Her mom hooked his arm and presented him for inspection. “This is Dexter, Aunt Bev. Lucy’s husband.”

  Lucy breathed a relieved sigh and threw her mother a silent thank-you nod.

  Bev narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not exactly what I expected for my Lucy, but I’m pleased to see that she’s caught such a handsome young man.”

  He hugged her, and she nearly disappeared in his arms. “I’m the lucky one.” He glanced at Lucy. “She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  Of course he was just saying that for her aunt’s benefit, but a thick clog formed in her throat. How would it feel to have a man say something like that and really mean it? But she’d never know, at least not with someone like Dex. As long as Aunt Bev bought Dex as her husband, everything would be fine.

  But did she? Lucy wondered when she caught her aunt staring at Dex with a puzzled expression. Or was it doubt?

  Lucy’s pulse kicked up a notch.

  “Lucy,” a high-pitched voice called.

  She scanned the room and found her cousin Jonathan’s son, Logan, racing toward her. Scooping the four year old into her arms, she kissed the top of his blond head. Since she’d been in the room when he was born, she’d had a special place in her heart for him ever since.

  The boy let go of her then pointed at Dex. “Who’s that?”

  Uh oh. Of course his parents hadn’t coached him about her and Dex being married, since that would be condoning a lie. She whisked him away from Aunt Bev and offered up thanks for the fact her aunt refused to get hearing aids. “That’s my very special friend, Dex.”

  Logan frowned. “I’m your special friend.”

  She picked him up and hugged him. “Of course you are. But he’s my grown-up friend.”

  “Everybody take a seat,” Uncle Alan said. “Dinner will be served in a minute.”

  Lucy took Logan to his mother, then sat down next to Dex. When he took her hand, she flinched. Sure, it lent some authenticity to the roles they were playing, but she wished it didn’t feel so good. She knew better. As soon as things began to get serious in relationships, the man would try to control her. Before long, he’d have her so wrapped around his finger that he could cheat or be mean to her, just as Richard had. Just as her father had done to her mother.

  Alan helped Aunt Bev into a chair across from them, and Lucy was again struck by her aunt’s pale appearance. And she was so thin. Would she ever see Bev again after the wedding? She made a mental note to move up her planned trip to Wisconsin for a visit.

  “Excuse me, everyone,” Bev said. But her weak voice got lost in the din.

  There were about twenty of them, and nearly everyone seemed to be talking at once.

  Bev tapped her spoon to her water glass until they all quieted down. “I have an announcement to make.” Lucy figured her great aunt was going to give Alan and Trisha some extravagant gift, as was her style.

  But when Dex draped his arm around her shoulder, all she could think about was the warmth of his touch. A necessary evil. After all, they had to appear to be in love, like newlyweds should be.

  If she spent much more time with Dex, she’d grow too fond of him. Trying to push thoughts of him from her mind, she tuned back in to her aunt’s voice.

  “As you all know, I had a brush with death not long ago,” Aunt Bev began.

  Lucy clenched her jaw to ward off tears.

  “I’m so thankful that I was able to recover and to be here today with all the people I love most in the world.” She looked at each of them one by one. “I believe there’s a reason the good Lord gave me a little more time, and that reason is my family. All of you.”

  Several people clapped.

  “You all know that my nephew, Alan, and his lovely fiancée, Trisha, are getting married on Sunday at an inn on a lake. It’s a lovely spot. Michelle took me over to see it before we came here tonight. As my gift to Alan and Trisha and to the rest of my family, I’ve rented out the entire inn for the weekend.”

  She clasped her gnarled hands and smiled big. “I’ve made arrangements for an extended family reunion. We’ve got the inn from Friday through Sunday, and I hope every one of you will stay.”

  The room erupted in applause and cheers, but Lucy was trembling at the thought of staying with Dex for all that time. She leaned toward him and kept her voice as low as she could. “We have to get you out of this.”

  The din of voices rose as the guests returned to chattering among themselves.

  “Aunt Bev,” Lucy said. “I wish Dex could be there but he…he has an accounting convention. Out of town. So there’s no way he can make it.”

  Lucy’s heart broke at her frown, but it was for the best.

  Dex grinned at Lucy, then he went around the table to hug Aunt Bev. Lucy was sure he was going to apologize to her for not being able to be at the reunion.

  Taking both Bev’s hands, he gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Lucy told me what a lovely, generous woman you were, and this proves it. I’ll get out of that silly accounting convention. I promise. We wouldn’t dream of missing a moment of the reunion.”

  What?

  Dex winked at Lucy, and she gasped.

  Aunt Bev’s face lit up. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ll both be there. This could be the last time I…”

  Lucy couldn’t bear to take that away from her.

  Dex kissed her cheek. “I’m sure we’ll have more holidays with you.”

  Panic drummed through her. The prospect of spending all that time with Dex terrified her on so many levels. Merely holding hands with him had stirred up a taste of so many emotions she’d banished from her life. She didn’t want this. She couldn’t.

  Emotions aside, they’d never be able to maintain their ruse for three days and nights. Chomping down on a fingernail, she glanced at her mother and knew she was thinking the same thing. This was going to end badly.

  …

  Dex sat behind the wheel and started his car. Even though it was a warm, muggy evening, the chill coming from the passenger seat was apparent. Muscles around Lucy’s jaw ticked, and her hands were fisted in her lap.

  Surely her irritation with him was temporary. After all, he was doing her a favor by playing her husband in front of her aunt. “Bev seems very sweet. And she’s obviously crazy about you.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Okay, so maybe she was more than a little pissed off.

  She rubbed the bridge of her nose, then turned to face him. “Look, I appreciate what you’re doing for me and my mother, I really do. But there’s no need for you to come to the inn for the entire weekend. It’s a family reunion. You’ll…be bored out of your
mind.”

  “I could never be bored around you, Lucy. Besides, I am family, remember? At least for the next few days. It might raise suspicions if I didn’t go.”

  She huffed. “It’s not going to be much fun, seriously. Aunt Bev probably has things planned like shuffleboard and checkers and other activities old people like. My relatives are pretty dull. Uncle Alan is an eminent domain lawyer, and Trisha’s an executive assistant at a roofing contractor’s office. Doesn’t get much drier than that.”

  He laughed. “CPAs are known to be a barrel of monkeys.”

  “It would be really better if you came up to Lake Okeechobee on Sunday for the wedding. I can explain to Aunt Bev that your boss wouldn’t let you out of your accounting conference like you thought he would. She’ll understand.”

  “I am the boss.” He brushed a strand of her hair off her face. “What is it you’re afraid of? Do you think I’ll embarrass you or that I’ll let our secret slip?”

  “No, of course not.” She leaned her chin on her hand.

  “Look,” he said. “Bev doesn’t merely want to know that you’re married. Last thing she wants is for you to spend the rest of your life with some jerk who’s willing to put everything else before you, including his job.”

  She sliced a glance at him, a slight fissure in the ice around her.

  “Maybe you didn’t see the disappointment on her face,” he said. “But I sure did. How was I supposed to break that sweet old lady’s heart?”

  Her shoulder sank, and he knew he’d broken through, but she remained silent, so he went on. “Bev reminds me of my grandmother. And if she were in your aunt’s position, it would kill her if her granddaughter’s husband who she’d just met threw her over for a work event. So if you want to stay mad at me, well, so be it.”

  Lucy fidgeted in the seat, then she drew a heavy sigh. “Fine, I suppose I’m not mad at you.” She folded her arms hard against her chest. “Thanks. I guess.”

  “You’re welcome.” When he stopped for a red light in the art deco district, he thought he glimpsed Johnny’s secretary, Sue, in line to get into one of the Latin nightclubs. Sliding down in his seat a little, he tried as best as he could to conceal his face. Then realized he was being paranoid. Sue wouldn’t recognize Lucy as his client. And it wasn’t as if he was doing anything wrong. His salacious thoughts didn’t count.