The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(6)

"Open my own small press, write a book, end up homeless in the gutter — I have options."

"Well, that would be a shame," Jack said.

"I'm not actually going to end up sleeping in a gutter. My best friend owns a mansion in the middle of Georgetown. My parents would welcome me back home in a heartbeat. Sure, it's nothing compared to the life of the Jack Coburn, but I have options. Alright, enough about me, why don't you tell me something about yourself that no one else knows."

Jack looked around. He spoke as if he was telling her the scoop of the century, a boyish grin on his face. "There are things about my past you can't know, parts of my personal life that are off limits. It's something that wouldn't be a fair thing to ask in a traditional marriage, which is why I'm not asking for one. I'm asking you to spend time with me, and in return, I'll help you do whatever you want afterward."

"Well, Mr. Mysterious, that's the opposite of telling me something no one else knows."

"Fine," Jack said, his hands up almost in defense, "I'm a terrible liar. I hate lying. I hate holding back any little bit of information. It eats me up inside. I hate the grind of DC, and I hate asking you to do this, but yet, here I am." He ended with another grin, but this one more hesitant, as if waiting to see what her reaction would be.

She laughed, "You've got to be kidding! You lie for a living. You're asking me to help you lie so you can win an election. She smiled and looked up at him, her eyes narrowing, her lips pursed, "and you're not being very persuasive, by the way."

"See?" Jack said, throwing his hands in the air, "I'm terrible at it. If I were good, we'd already be planning our honeymoon and picking out baby names." He grinned and looked into Charlotte's eyes.


"Emma," Charlotte said.

"What?" Jack asked.

"My first child will be named Emma." She looked down at the cobblestone path, as if to carefully watch her steps, trying to figure out what it was that had made her reveal that personal bit of information.

"What if he's a boy?"

She laughed. "My first child will be a girl, and she will be named Emma."

"How about Zelda?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Like Zelda Fitzgerald? Nonstarter."

"It was my grandmother's name," Jack said. "She hated Zelda Fitzgerald, too, if it makes you feel any better. I think she looked at my grandmother the wrong way at a dinner party or something."

"I don't care whose name it was," Charlotte said. She stopped walking for a second. Why was she even bothering to discuss this? Callie would be happy that she was talking to him. Wasn't that enough? "I'm not arguing about this with you. I'm pretty sure I'm not the one you're looking to marry."

"I need someone who doesn't want to marry me," Jack said. He took a few steps forward and Charlotte followed him.

"Ahh, is that why I'm the perfect match? "

"The polls say I need a wife. My consultants say I need a wife. My opponent, who, by the way, has no morals or ethics of any kind, is going to run ads of his beautiful, smiling children playing with his goddamned perfectly groomed golden retriever while he and his wife hold hands in the background. Then he's going to run ads calling me a frat boy and a dilettante. I need a wife, one who will go with the program, one who isn't some Washington insider, and one who understands that I'm not looking to fall in love."

"Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Jack." Charlotte looked up and realized that they had reached the riverfront. Jack grew quiet and walked over to the edge of the water. The reflections of the lights across the river shimmered on the surface of the black water, and the sounds of the city had faded away some. For the first time that night, Charlotte felt like she and Jack were truly alone. He had that grin on his face again. Why did he have that look on his face? "What, did I say?" she asked.

"You answered that baby name question in an instant," Jack said. "How long have you had your daughter's name picked out?" He motioned to the only clean park bench that faced the water.

"Long time," Charlotte said, taking a seat. "Who doesn't dream about what their kids will be like?"

Jack settled in next to her. "I don't." He looked out over the water. "I don't want kids ever. Full stop."

"Oh no. What if this is our first big fight as newlyweds? What happens if you're such a catch that I can't bear to spend another day without having your babies?" Charlotte nudged Jack playfully, but he seemed lost in his head.

"Moot point," Jack said. "One of the things in life I'm sure of is that I will never let myself have kids."

"Think they'll tie you down?" Charlotte looked out at the water, too, wondering what Jack was looking for out there, if anything.

"No, I just don't think I could be the kind of father they'd deserve. I don't think people give much thought to it. I'd be a terrible husband and father, Charlotte. I'm always working. I never have down time, and I'm constantly pulled in a hundred directions at once. Kids need their parents to be there, and I know I couldn't be. So even if I wanted kids, I wouldn't have them."

"Something tells me you'd do just fine at both," Charlotte said.