Bad Boy's Kiss (Firemen in Love Book 2) (26 page)

“Mom, please... I don't think we should put so much pressure on the baby. And I can't breathe.”

She waved me off. “Don't be silly. The child will be fine. And as for you, sometimes we ladies must sacrifice comfort for beauty. You
do
want to look beautiful on your wedding day, yes?”

“Sure I do. But do I really need to wear those shoes? I can barely walk in high heels. I'm used to boots.”

She rammed my swollen foot into the silken shoe. I winced as my toes curled up at the pointed tip.

“It's only for one day. Goodness, Anna, when did you become such a complainer? Your sister and I have done so much to make this work for you, and all you do is whine.”

The wedding was to be less than a week away, yet it still felt surreal. I had no idea what to think anymore.

Max's legs were better, for the most part. He could have probably moved back to Waco and left me here to deal with my own problems, but he stayed.

I still couldn't figure out why he'd go along with this. Because he believed he owed me? Or could it be something more? He never talked about his feelings, or about us, so figuring him out was next to impossible.

And I was supposed to marry this man in six days. Wonderful.

A clerk from the dress store came into the fitting room and fretted over me along with mom.

“Isn't there anything you can do? My daughter has gotten quite big around the middle. I'm afraid the zipper will break.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's too short of notice to make any significant alterations.”

Mom groaned. “Anna, it's nothing but salads for you until after the big day.”

“The doctor said I was supposed to be eating more, not less.”

“Well, the doctor isn't the one trying to look pretty for the cameras, now is he?”

Finally, I was allowed to take off the dress and slip back into my comfy clothes. While I dressed, mom gave me a list of things I was to do and not do for the next week.

“Be sure you use that medicine I got you. It wouldn't do to have pimples showing, like you've got now. That one on your chin is awfully noticeable.” She sighed deeply. “And tell Max he needs to be completely clean-shaven. None of that stubble he's always got.”

I happened to think he looked sexy that way, especially when he was out working and sweating on the farm. That mental image of him alone made me want to rush home and rip his pants off.

Back at the house, dad was there filming a commercial for his campaign. He'd donned a cowboy hat, flannel shirt, and jeans – nothing like his usual dressy attire. Apparently, he was going for the “traditional Texan” look, as if that somehow would make him appear more trustworthy.

They had cameras set up all over. One cameraman followed him while he strolled past the garden, a smile plastered on his face.

“Family values. Southern hospitality.” He paused by the pond and looked into the camera. “I'm Daniel Southwell, and if you believe honoring tradition is as important as making progress, vote for me as your next California governor.”

“All right, that's great, Mr. Southwell.” The kid working the camera wiped his forehead from the heat. “Can you try to say it again with a bigger Texas drawl?”

Dad noticed me heading up the driveway and gestured for the boy to wait a moment. He came to me, beaming.

“There's my princess. Aren't you excited? Just six days to go.”

He was clearly more excited than me. I couldn't help but feel this discontent, as if what we were doing was wrong.

“Where is Max, anyway?”

“He's better now, so he drove back to Waco to take care of some things. I know his friends must miss him a lot.” I paused on the doorstep. “This whole thing doesn't feel right to me. Isn't there any other way?”

“Well, you can't call off the wedding now. We've already booked all the catering, the music, the bar. We got guests flying in from all over the country. My team will be there, taking shots of me walking you down the aisle. It'll be perfect.”

“But you're
forcing
us to get married. What if we don't want to?”

“You're pregnant now, and unfortunately, you have to accept the consequences of your actions.” His tone was curt. Business-like. “I simply can't abide my daughter running around pregnant without a husband. We're lucky the media hasn't gotten wind of your condition yet, or they'd have a field day.”

I rarely defied dad. Rachael was the one who got away with everything, not me. She could be a brat and they'd laugh at how cute she was. If I was too sarcastic, I'd get grounded as punishment. Now, even as an adult, I feared what would happen if I dared speak up.

“I'm not ready for this, dad. Max isn't either. It's not fair.”

He put an arm around me. “Anna, people go through arranged marriages all the time, and those seem to work out fine. I know you might not feel ready, but you're going to do okay.”

“But –”

“Fornication is a sin,” he continued. “You can't erase your mistakes, but you can help make it right. Think of this as your penance.”

“You're crazy.” I didn't mean to blurt it out, but there it was. “This is how people end up divorced, you know. They get married too soon, for horrible reasons. Pregnancy is
not
a good reason for marriage.”

For a moment I thought he was going to slap me. He'd done it before, up until the day I turned eighteen and fled to New York for school. His jaw clenched, and he bared his teeth like a dog about to bite.

“Listen here, missy. I will
not
have you humiliate me in front of everyone.”

“In front of who? Why are you so afraid what the church thinks about you?”

“I'm in the public eye now. I need everybody on my side I can get. A single word spoken ill about me, and whoever hears it just might turn to the competition with their vote.”

A car pulled into the driveway. It was Rachael, going so fast she almost skidded out of control.

“What if I don't show up to this wedding at all? What will you do about it?”

“Dang it, Anna. You're getting married to that baby's father on Saturday whether you like it or not. If you disobey me, then you're no daughter of mine.” He looked away. “It will be a shame to shut the farm down, but so be it.”

I gaped at him as Rachael jogged toward us. How could he be so cold and callous? He cared more about impressing others than what his own child wanted. If he wanted to disown me, then fine. I'd had about enough of this family anyway.

“Anna!” Rachael waved a stack of papers at me. “I really gotta talk to you.”

Dad glared as he stepped off the porch. “I'll leave you girls to it. Remember what I said, Anna, and choose wisely.”

I could barely stand to look at him as he put on a new fake smile for the camera. That whole cheery, bubbly side that he showed he world? It was just a show. Always had been. If only they saw him how he really was. Wonder how many people would vote for him then, the jerk!

Rachael didn't seem to notice the iciness between us. She shoved the papers in my face.

“Hey, c'mon.” I nudged her back. “What are you freaking out over? Calm down.”

“I've been worried about you and Max. I don't think you're right for each other.”

I laughed. “Try telling that to dad. He doesn't care who's right for me, only that I don't make him look stupid.”

She frowned. “If you marry Max, he
is
going to look stupid. This guy is trouble incarnate, and everyone knows it. Heck, it's even public record.”

I checked out the papers she'd handed me. At the top, it said “Waco Police Department.” Uh-oh.

“We always wondered how he got so much time off his job to visit Bastrop. Turns out he doesn't even
have
a job there anymore. He was fired.”

“What? How do you know this?”

“Detective work. I knew something was up with him, but couldn't put my finger on it. I just didn't want you getting into a mess.”

The report said he'd been arrested days before he arrived in Bastrop. It included a long list of charges, including driving while intoxicated, property damage, endangerment...

“Evidently, he was drinking on the job. He had some women riding in his truck who distracted him, causing the vehicle to go out of control. Went off road, hit some other car, messed a guy up bad.”

I turned the papers with trembling hands. “This can't be real. Max isn't like this.”

She rolled her eyes. “How do
you
know what he's like? You've only been with him for several months. If he's such a good guy, why didn't he tell you he'd been fired?”

I didn't have an answer. Okay, so this looked pretty bad.

She had a point; I didn't know him
that
well, despite living with him twenty-four seven these past few months. But he'd been so good to me – not to mention the amazing sex – that I chose to ignore his sordid history.

But what if that history was more than I could handle? I needed the truth. I needed to know he had changed, that he wasn't that irresponsible man-child anymore. Otherwise, no way could I marry him.

Even if it meant losing the farm. Even if it meant pissing off the family.

“That's not all. According to some guys from the bars he frequents, he would come in and leave with a new girl a few nights a week. Sometimes two of them.” She stuck out her tongue in disgust. “This happened right up until he met you. Do you really think he'll be happy settling down with you, one woman, for even a little while? I'd give it a week before he's out hunting for something new.”

Rachael's tirade filled me with doubt. I cared deeply for Max, and it was clear he had feelings of some sort for me. But he never talked about them. Never talked about our future, or what his plans were five years down the line. He always had been secretive, and that worried me.

“Oh, and this wasn't the first time he'd gotten tossed in the slammer. He's been in trouble for fighting multiple times, and there's one for possession of drugs.”

I didn't want to believe it. The sweet, thoughtful Max I thought I knew wasn't like that at all.

Was he?

“What's this I heard about drugs?”

Dad stood right behind me, looking mighty unhappy. Before I could tell Rachael to shut her mouth, she blabbed everything to him.

When dad had heard it all, he looked me over with a scowl. “How could you do this to me, Anna? You chose an alcoholic, druggie, criminal womanizer to be your baby's father?”

I grabbed the papers out of Rachael's hands and crumpled them up. “How could I do it to
you?
How do you think I feel? I had no idea about any of these things. I'm just as shocked as all of you.”

And once again, he was more interested in what this meant for himself than his daughter.

“I don't know what's worse: letting you run about pregnant with no husband, or dragging that boy into the public spotlight. If it comes out he's done these awful things after he's married you, it'll be bad for the family. Plus, he seems like the kind of guy who'll end up in the news sooner or later.”

“This is the sort of man you want her to marry, dad?” Rachael huffed. “We don't need this kind of scandal. I bet he'll be a deadbeat dad, too. He'll bail on you, Anna, and you'll never see a dime of child support.”

The pregnancy hormones had made me extra emotional lately, and I burst into tears right in front of them. Neither made a move to console me.

“Stop saying that. You haven't given him a chance.”

“He's had plenty of chances. You just want to believe he's changed into a new man for you, don't you? Like you're so special, like
you're
the one to tame him when no other woman could.”

I stopped crying. She was jealous! Was that the reason she'd done all this?

“The wedding can't be called off, like I said. There's just too much invested at this point.” He paced, his hands behind his back. “But to have you marry a loser like him could be bad for us all.”

“He's not a loser.”

“Then what do you call this?”

Dad held up his hand. “Perhaps there's a solution. You can marry someone else.”

I cried again – this time from laughter. Had he lost his marbles?

“Oh, yeah? Who would that someone be?”

“There's a wonderful young man who works in my law office back in California. His name is Henry Lane. He's handsome, hard-working, good head on his shoulders. Comes from a very prominent family with a respectable name. And best of all, he's Catholic. You won't see him running around getting drunk and sleeping with prostitutes.”

It took a moment for it to sink in. When it finally did, I was horrified.

“You're suggesting I get married to a guy I've never even met?”

“I know him quite well, and he would be a fine husband. He's told me he's looking to settle down, and I've mentioned you to him many times.” He drummed his fingers on the porch railing. “With a bit of compensation, perhaps he'd agree to marry you in spite of your having another man's child.”