Foolish Expectations (11 page)

“No, I…well, I guess, but I don’t consider Doug my husband.” Bailey’s cheeks reddened and she lowered her head. “The day of our wedding, I caught him…with another woman.”

Doug stepped forward defensively. “She doesn’t have any proof. It’s just her word against—”

“Oh, shut up, Doug!” Bailey lifted her head and her nostrils flared with anger. “There were over fifty guests at our wedding reception who saw me slap you and walk out while you were still trying to pull up your pants.”

Nash blinked. So
that’s
why she was a married virgin.

A bead of sweat broke out on Doug’s forehead and he flapped his arms. “If you keep spouting this nonsense, I’ll sue you for slander. I’ve got a reputation to uphold and—”

 “Save it,” Judge Barclay told him. “Tammy with the county clerk’s office already let it slip that you two have been porking each other for months. When it comes to gossip, this damn courthouse is worse than a women’s bathroom.”

“But, Your Honor—”

“Counselor, I’m warning you. Sit down somewhere and shut up unless you want to find yourself held in contempt.” Doug found the nearest seat and sank into it. Nash would’ve smiled if Judge Barclay hadn’t given him the evil eye. “So, Mr. Sutherland,” the judge asked. “Where exactly do you fit into this picture?”

Nash cleared his throat. “I met Ms. Hobbs on the night in question. She entered the venue at around—”

“Son, I don’t need to hear a long-winded opening statement. Just spit it out already.”

“I picked her up in a bar on her wedding night and then drove her back to my place where we…uh…”

“Consummated the marriage?” the judge asked, finishing Nash’s sentence with a grin on his face. “And that was the start of your relationship, I take it?”

“Yes,” Nash said, catching a glimpse of Doug shaking his head and eyeing Bailey with disgust. That guy was really asking for it. “Except that was the
only
relationship we’ve had for the past six weeks. It was just days ago when I found out her real name and made contact with her once again. That’s when I…er,
we
realized she was pregnant.”

The judge blew out a disapproving breath. “Ms. Hobbs, would you care to explain all of this nonsense?”

Bailey hesitated, but then spoke softly. “Yes.”

She prattled out the details, blushing and stuttering her way through all of it. Every pair of eyes in the room was on her, all of them hanging on her every word, wanting to hear the juicy details about their relationship.

When she reached the part where Nash offered to marry her, the women in the room sighed. Even the bailiff gave him a nod of approval for being a stand-up guy. But Nash didn’t care about any of that.

He only wanted to save Bailey from the embarrassment of prying eyes and tuned-up ears, yet there was nothing he could do. The judge wanted a clear-cut picture of the events as they unfolded, no matter how private they were. Even when she purposely left something out, the judge asked questions until he got at the truth. Now Judge Barclay knew everything about their situation. And so did everyone else in the room, including Bailey’s dumbfuck husband.

“Okay, Mr. Smith,” the judge said. “Do you have medical insurance that would cover your spouse during the length of her pregnancy?”

Doug stood up. “Yes, but I’m not sure what that has to do with—”

“That’s all I need to know. Sit back down.” As soon as Doug took his seat, Barclay turned to Bailey. “I get that your circumstances are unusual, but I have to do what I feel is in the best interest of you and your child. Come see me after the baby is born. Divorce denied.”

Nash heard her intake of breath from several feet away. “Wait, Judge Barclay!” She stepped toward the bench. “Please. I need this divorce. I can’t stay married to Doug.”

“Believe it or not, Ms. Hobbs, I’m doing you a favor. You need medical care for you and your child and, as his spouse, you are entitled to it under his insurance. I won’t grant a divorce just to watch a young pregnant woman end up without medical coverage.”

“But it’s not Doug’s child!”

“Doesn’t matter. Unless the child’s biological father has medical insurance and still wants to marry you, then there’s nothing else I can do.” The judge looked directly at Nash, as if offering him a cue, and then snickered. “Seems to me, you’re more
his
wife than Mr. Smith’s anyway…in every sense of the word.”

Nash grinned. “And I
do
have insurance.”

Chapter Eleven

Bailey knew the chance of the judge granting her divorce was slim to none the moment Nash opened his big mouth. By law, she was legally bound to disclose her pregnancy in a divorce case, but she wasn’t showing yet, and most likely the judge wouldn’t have asked her if she was pregnant. The divorce would’ve been finalized, and she would’ve been free from Doug forever.

But no. Nash ruined it by barging into the courtroom and demanding rights to a baby no one knew anything about. Not only did he have bad timing, but he also had home turf advantage, which hardly seemed fair.

She looked at his smiling face and narrowed her eyes. He was calm, too cool for her comfort. Whether he did this on purpose or not, Nash obviously knew he had her cornered. And once again, he was entertaining this stupid idea of marrying her to stay close to the baby.

The last thing she wanted was to rehash their previous argument or have a frank conversation about their iffy future in front of a group of strangers. There had to be a way to finesse her way out of the complicated dilemma she’d gotten herself into. But the smile he wore pissed her off.

“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” she asked Nash, not bothering to hide her irritation.

“Hey, this hasn’t been a walk in the park for me, either. But like I said, I think we could make it work. I want to try.”

She crossed her arms and shook her head. “It’s not going to happen.”

Judge Barclay grinned, clearly amused by their unique circumstances. “Come on, Sutherland. You can do better than that. I’ve seen you debate your way out of a paper bag. Why don’t you state your case to Ms. Hobbs and see if you can’t change her mind?”

“This is an outrage,” Doug shouted. “I’m Bailey’s husband. I think I should have a say as to—”

“Put a sock in it, Doug,” the judge said, then motioned for Nash to go ahead.

Nash straightened his back, making himself look larger than he already was. His eyes zeroed in on her, and his lips formed a firm line. A muscle twitched in his cheek and his jaw tightened. He was serious. Dead serious. This was apparently his game face, one he probably used in court hundreds of times.

“Ms. Hobbs,” Nash began, keeping a straight face and a professional tone. “Is there any question as to the paternity of your unborn baby?”

Bailey crossed her arms and tried not to laugh at his courtroom persona. “No,” she said, playing along even though she thought it was pointless.

“For the record, can you please state who the biological father is of the child in question.”

She rolled her eyes. “You.”

“Let it be known that the witness has indicated Nash Sutherland as the father. Now, Ms. Hobbs…” He sauntered around the floor, pausing for dramatic effect. “What findings have led you to believe, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Sutherland would pose as a poor example of a husband?”

The question caught her off guard and she blinked. “Uh, nothing. It’s just that—”

“So all parties agree that Mr. Sutherland would undoubtedly exercise all of his support obligations?”

“Well, yes…I guess, but—”

“Is it true that you are contemplating a move to a remote area of Alaska, a change in custodial setting that would deprive Mr. Sutherland of contact with his own child, a profound impact that surely would be in neither of their best interests?”

Several women in the room gasped and the bailiff shook his head in disapproval. Even Doug looked a little put out, which surprised her since that cheating dick obviously never gave a shit about anybody but himself. Bailey refused to answer Nash, figuring it was within her rights to plead the fifth.
Damn him. He’s making me look like a jerk.

Nash didn’t wait for her response before he moved on with his questioning. “Is it true that you asked Mr. Sutherland to transfer custody to you, leaving the father with no parental rights whatsoever?”

Bailey sighed. This was getting out of hand. “Nash, that’s enough.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t agree and continued. “Is it your position that Mr. Sutherland would not be a suitable father to your child and are suggesting to the court that he would be an unfit parent?”

Her eyes widened. “What? No! I didn’t say that.”

“So there’s no question that Mr. Sutherland—”

“I object!” Bailey yelled. “And quit talking about yourself in third person. It’s stupid.”

Nash wore a proud grin, knowing damn well he had just won over everyone in the courtroom with his little speech. “Apparently, Ms. Hobbs would like the floor. I’d like to turn it over to her now…if it pleases the court.”

“Oh, it does,” Judge Barclay said with a chuckle. Then he caught the annoyed look Bailey gave him and cleared his throat. “Thank you, counselor. Ms. Hobbs? Is there anything you’d like to say in rebuttal?”

As all eyes turned to her, Bailey shifted nervously. She tried to think of an eloquent way to put her thoughts into words, but nothing would outdo Nash’s stellar performance at making her look bad. After a long, thoughtful pause, she blurted out the only thing she could think of. “I cheat at board games.”

Judge Barclay leaned toward the bailiff. “Well, hell, get the executioner on the line. We’ve got a stone-cold felon here.”

Laughter rumbled throughout the courtroom.

“What I mean is…” She looked directly at Nash as the rumblings dissipated. “You don’t know a thing about me. We’re probably complete opposites and not the least bit compatible.”

“Oh, I’d say we were plenty compatible...” Nash shrugged his eyebrows. Others in the room snickered, but he ignored them. He stepped closer and ran one strong finger down her cheekbone, then stroked her chin with his thumb. “I know it’s not enough, but it’s a damn good place to start, Bailey.” His voice lowered considerably, as if he were speaking privately to her and a dozen other people weren’t present. “You may not know me very well now, but you will.”

Her breath hitched as a warm sensation coursed through her veins. It was the unspoken promise gleaming in his eyes that made his offer even more attractive. His bed would be the one place where they would get to know each other—really know each other—inside and out. Hell, it was more than Doug had ever offered her.

“But there’s a minor glitch in your plan, Nash. We don’t even like each other half the time. If you marry me, you’ll only end up miserable.”

The corners of his mouth lifted. “Haven’t had a peaceful moment since I met you, anyway.”

“I’m serious, Nash. We’ll end up fighting like mortal enemies.”

“Good. It’ll give us a reason to have lots of make-up sex,” Nash said with a serious, I’m-not-even-remotely-joking face.

Nash leaned on the judge’s bench with one hand, waiting for her answer. He wore his sexy smirk, the one that could melt the panties off any woman within a five-mile radius. But that wasn’t all Bailey saw in him. He was smart, funny, and cocky. And he looked hot. Really hot. God, no wonder he made her body want to ovulate. But she couldn’t base her decision off her confused sensory glands.

She turned and addressed Judge Barclay. “Can I have a moment to myself, please?”

He nodded. “We’ll adjourn for a short recess. Court will resume in fifteen minutes.”

Bailey stepped out of the courtroom and looked for the nearest bathroom. She noted one at the end of the hallway and rushed inside, gasping in large breaths of fresh, Nash-free air.
Jesus. I was actually going to say yes. Am I fucking insane? This will never work.
The door opened behind her, but she didn’t look up. Instead, she gripped the sink to keep her hands from shaking.

“Bailey?”

The sound of his voice startled her and she whirled around too fast, making herself dizzy. She braced herself against the paper towel dispenser. In a flash, Nash was there, holding her up, with one arm wrapped firmly around her waist as his concerned eyes stared into hers.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

She righted herself and wiggled out of his grip. “I-I’m fine. I was just a little dizzy, that’s all. It’s the morning sickness.”

He wet a paper towel under the faucet and handed it to her. “If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should sit down for a few minutes.”

“No, really, I’m okay,” she said, patting her forehead with the damp paper towel.

He rubbed at the back of her neck. “Well, as soon as I become your husband, you can let me focus on taking care of you and the baby for a while.”

Her body stiffened. “Nash, about that…”

A coolness took over his face. “Don’t do it. Don’t back out on me now. You were going to say yes before you came in here and talked yourself out of it. I know you were. You were going to marry me.”

She lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. “Not for the right reasons.”

“Who gives a shit about the right reasons? Just marry me. All you have to do is say yes. We’ve already broken all the rules of dating, anyway. What’s one more? The baby wants his parents to be together.”

“There you go again, calling him a boy,” she said, raising her voice. Nash quirked an eyebrow.
Shit. He’s still got me doing it, too.
“Damn it, you know what I mean. And quit using our baby as a pawn. These tactics of yours aren’t going to work.”

“Well, if you weren’t being so selfish, you’d see that—”

“Selfish? Are you fucking kidding me? I’m trying to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life.” She marched over to the trashcan and tossed her paper towel inside. “Damn it, Nash. Somewhere in this world, there is a woman you’re meant to be with.
That
is the person you should want to marry.”

Nash’s eyes flared with anger. “And what makes you so goddamn sure that you’re not her?” Then, without waiting for a response, he walked out the bathroom door, slamming it with an alarming amount of frustration.