The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(52)

"Let them sleep," Jack said. "Will you be able to make it to the wedding? You don't have much of a say in the matter."

"Your mother was discussing caterers," Greta said.

"As a guest," Jack said. "You Amos, everyone who's worked here over the years. Our family really isn't a family without all of you. You know how much you mean to my mother."

"Oh, of course we'll be there. Your mother was telling me all about her plans for transforming the gardens for the wedding in the summer."

"Actually, we have different plans," Jack said. "But let's grab some coffee and catch up while we wait."

Two hours later, when Caroline and Whit finally made their way down for breakfast, joining their mother in the dining room, Jack told Charlotte he was going to make an announcement. Charlotte stood by his side as he stood at the head of the table and said he had big news.

"So you are having a baby," Caroline said, cutting him off before he could actually say what the news was.

Jack scowled and squeezed Charlotte's hand. "No, we're getting married, and we're moving up the date."

"We are?" Charlotte whispered.

"We're getting married in one month. I don't want to turn this into a circus. We've already picked the venue. It's in DC. We didn't say anything last night because we didn't want to steal Mom's thunder." He turned to his mother. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already invited Greta and the rest of the gang."

"You told the help before you told us?" Caroline said.

"I'm going to forget you said that," Jack said. He placed his hand on the table and leaned forward, like he was getting ready to leap across if Caroline said one more thing.

After seeing how relaxed he had been talking with Greta, Charlotte couldn't help but notice how tense Jack was with his family. He stared across the table as Caroline stared back at him.

Finally, he stood up. "I have an emergency meeting in DC this afternoon. I'm afraid we'll have to head out as soon as possible in order to make it in time."

"Nonsense," Angela said. "Just take the jet. You can stay for the rest of the morning, and we'll have someone drive your car down later this week."

"You know my stance on the jet," Jack said.

"If you think for a second that you're making some statement by flying commercial, you're dead wrong," Caroline said. "Daddy bought the jet for a reason."

"He bought the jet because he was self-indulgent and wasteful," Jack said.

"John Andrew Coburn!" Angela exclaimed. "I will not have you speak like that in this house."


Jack looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Charlotte watched him clench his fists behind his back.

"We really have to go," he said.

"Jack," Angela started, but Jack was already turning away.

"Let him go," Caroline said.

Charlotte followed Jack's lead as he left the breakfast table and walked up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Jack, what's going on?" she asked.

"One month," he said. "It will work better for everyone this way."

"You didn't think I should be included in a decision like this?"

Jack didn't turn back at her immediately, too busy stuffing his suitcase in preparation to leave.

"Jack," Charlotte said, "I know I said we could do whatever you wanted to do, but please don't surprise me like that. I wanted from the beginning to be partners, remember?"

He finally paused and looked back at her.

"I remember," he said. "Do you not want to get married so soon?"

As he asked, she realized that she wanted to get married to Jack as quickly as she could. She moved in to hug him, resting her head against his chest.

"I'm starting to think, despite the contract and all that talk about love, you want to marry me as much as I want to marry you, Jack Coburn."

"Come on, Charlotte," he said. He ran his fingers through her hair as he stroked her head. "We have to get going if we're going to make it in time. We've got a wedding to plan."





Chapter 20



Charlotte drifted off in thought as she watched the way the bright midday sun illuminated the dust hanging in the air of the flower shop, giving a certain weight to the air itself. The day had been unseasonably warm and bright for December in DC, and Charlotte desperately wanted to head outside and forget about wedding plans for a while.

After everything she had been through with Jack over the past few months, she just didn't know if she could go through with a fake marriage. There was too much between them, and she feared that if she settled for their original agreement, she might never find out what she and Jack could truly have together.

An unfamiliar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Have you reached a decision?" the shop owner asked.

Charlotte turned to face the florist, a balding old man with a warm smile. In truth, she had no opinion of the flowers, because she hadn't really been able to think about them.

Over the past several hours, Callie Haven had already ushered her through a half dozen flower shops, and Charlotte couldn't distinguish any of them in her memory, all she could recall was an endless stream of unearthly flowers, bursting with color and life. They reminded her of birds taking flight.