The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(33)

"Why don't you tell them?" Charlotte suggested. "You always tell it so well." She had told their fabricated story a hundred times to strangers, but she knew lying to her parents was something she'd rather avoid. Jack wasn't in much of a mood to lie to them either.

"If you insist," he said, "but I have to tell them the full version if I'm going to get this right."

"Of course," Ellen said.

"The truth is, it was a setup from the start, an ambush," Jack said.

"An ambush?" Pete asked.

"An ambush. As you probably know, your daughter was the maid of honor in her friend Callie's wedding this summer. I was the best man. I actually haven't told Charlotte this part yet, but I'm reasonably sure that Callie and Logan intended to set us up from the start. I think they saw how good we could be for each other." Jack looked at Charlotte to see her reaction, but her face gave away nothing.

"Really?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know if it was necessary. The truth is, I saw her across a crowded room, and time stopped. I saw her eyes and the way her hair fell over her shoulders, and everything around me froze. I think I froze too, to be honest, because she came over to me, and I didn't know what to say. I'm usually not at a loss for words, but when I first saw her…" Jack slowed and took a sip of wine. "I was."

"So what next?" Ellen asked as she stepped out from the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Naturally, I acted like a complete and utter ass," Jack said.

"Ah, so you'll fit right in," Pete said warmly.

"Charlotte, being a much better and more intelligent person than me, decided to keep her distance. Not literally, that is. She was stuck talking to me for most of the night, but I could tell she wasn't impressed by my name or my job or even my suit."

"If that's the case, how did you end up in our kitchen?" Pete asked.

"Persistence and luck," Jack said. "Charlotte only had to put up with my antics up until the wedding, but by that point, I had won her over enough to agree to a first date. Then I convinced her to go on a second and a third, and dozens more over a few months. Before she could realize how much better she could do, I brought her to her favorite restaurant, and I told her how much she meant to me, and that this was all happening fast, but I couldn't go another day without telling her how I felt. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes."

"A whirlwind romance, huh?" Pete asked Charlotte.

"Yeah," she said. "Something like that. I think Jack's being a little hard on himself in the retelling."

"We'll leave that for your sister, dear," Ellen said.

"Should I have prepared my remarks?" Jack asked.

"The world revolves around my sister," Charlotte said.

As if on cue, Emily walked through the front door. The rain had really picked up outside and pounded on the porch behind her, as if to announce her arrival.

Jack took a second to assess her. It was instinct at this point in his career. Whenever he met someone for the first time, he automatically ran through a checklist in his head of what he needed to know for future reference.

Emily was shorter than Charlotte, maybe a bit over five feet tall. Her hair was brown and straight, and she walked with an air of confidence, holding her shoulders back and trying to hide a slight grin as her eyes settled instantly on Jack.

"Well, hello," Emily said.

"Where's Steven?" Ellen asked.

"I came alone. Steven is stuck at work. You know how important he is there," Emily said. She turned to Charlotte. "When mom said you'd be home for dinner, she didn't mention you'd be bringing a boyfriend. He's too handsome to be a slam poet or whatever your last one was. Then again, he's dressed like one."

"Well, that's because he's wearing dad's clothes. Emily, this is Jack. He's in politics," Charlotte said, forcing a smile. The dig about her ex seemed to have gotten under her skin. Jack stood and shook Emily's hand. "It's great to finally meet you," he said.

"Boyfriend or?" Emily asked.

"Fiancée," Jack said. "We got engaged this past week."

"You're getting married?!" The shout rang through the room, and Emily's eyes lit up as she turned back to Charlotte. "And you're just telling us now?"

"We just got engaged this week," Charlotte said.

"Tell me everything," Emily replied.

"Why don't we all sit down first, Emily," Ellen suggested. "Pete, pour her a glass of wine for goodness sake. The roast should be finished by now, and I'm sure these two aren't sick of telling people the whole thing yet." She headed into the kitchen.

"We just went through it all with Mom and Dad," Charlotte protested.

"Well, then the condensed version," Emily insisted. She mouthed her thanks to her father as he passed her a glass of wine.

"We met at a friend's wedding. I wouldn't take no for an answer," Jack said. He looked at Charlotte, trying to gauge her reaction to everything.

"And now you're getting married?" Emily asked. "Have you set a date?"

"Not yet," Charlotte said.

"How long have you two been dating?"