The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(75)

Jack looked at his wife one more time. More than anything, he wanted to crawl back into bed and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to tell her that he'd been waiting his entire life for her, that he had needed her for longer than he had known, that deep down there had always been a part of him that needed her, a part that always would.

Jack stepped carefully across the maple floor and headed for the bathroom, doing his best not to make a sound. Once inside, he shut the door and turned on the shower. He powered the phone on and stared down at it for a minute. The rubberized numbers on the dial pad seemed so ancient to him. He raked his mind to remember the last time he had used this phone, the last time he had made this call. It had been months at least. He wondered if it was too early to call. It was a little after six.


They're probably already up, he told himself. They're probably eating breakfast and getting ready for school. He pictured them at the dining table, a little family of two, watching the sunlight reach down toward the dunes. As he thought about it, he could almost hear the sound of the surf in the distance.

They'll be happy to hear from you. They always are.

Even so, he felt his chest tighten with anticipation of having to make the call.

I'll do it after my shower, he thought, but instead of getting his mind off the situation while he cleaned, he was trapped with his own thoughts. When he was finished, he toweled off and stood in the center of the bathroom with the phone in his hand. He left the shower running.

Jack's heart raced as he dialed the number. His thumb hovered over the little green button that would divide his life into the half he lived for other people and the half he lived for himself. The phone rang long enough that Jack's thumb moved to disconnect. He had gotten off lucky. Then he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" she said.

Jack looked at himself in the mirror and realized he was chewing on his fingernail.

"Hi, Maria. It's Jack. It's about you and little Jack. I need to come down and talk with you today. I'll take the first flight down."

"What's this about?" she asked.

"Family," he said. "What else?"

Jack hung up and placed the phone down on the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror.

"This is the right thing to do," he whispered to his reflection.

As soon as he took care of the situation, he'd tell Charlotte everything. He had been carrying this secret for years, and in a few hours, he would finally be able to tell someone else. He hoped Charlotte would react well. Either way, she deserved the truth. She deserved more than he had been able to give her.

If he wanted any chance at a real relationship, he knew he had to come clean. As Jack reached down to pick the phone back up, he heard a cry from the bedroom.





Chapter 28

Charlotte jolted awake to the creaking of a door, and for a moment, she didn't know where she was.

"Jack?" she called out.

She looked around and saw the half-light filtering through the bedroom windows. A beam of brighter light broke through the crack of the opening door.

Boston, she reminded herself. You're in Boston with Jack, and everything's going to be fine.

After the night before, Charlotte felt confident for the first time since the honeymoon that everything would work out between her and Jack. As the door opened wider, Jack came into view.

"Hey, did I wake you?" he said as he walked over to the bed. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist, and Charlotte could make out the beads of water on his shoulders in the light that poured through the bathroom door.

"I don't know," Charlotte said. "If you did, it's alright by me." She rolled over to his side of the bed and smiled up at him.

Jack leaned in, and she pushed herself up to meet his kiss. His lips were warm and comforting, and, with his tender kiss, she felt like she could melt right back to sleep.

"That was quite the night," she said. She let her lips wander over his face, feeling the scrape of the unshaven stubble on his chin. Jack almost always shaved when he showered, and she wondered if there was some reason he hadn't done so this morning. She didn't mind though, the light tingle of her cheeks felt good, and just made her want to kiss him more. "Is this another one of your early morning surprises? Where are you taking me today?"

"No," Jack replied. "Last night was wonderful, you're right about that, and I wish I could spend the entire morning with you, but this morning isn't a surprise. At least it's not one I planned. Something came up, and I have to hop on a flight for an emergency meeting as soon as possible. I'm sorry I woke you, but I'll be back tonight."

"Oh," Charlotte said. "Do you want me to come? It would be nice to get back to DC for the day. I've been meaning to catch up with Callie for a while now."

Jack sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've only got the one ticket," he said. He looked down at her for a moment before brushing his hand against her face. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm just glad I have you." He kissed her with a hard, slow force that left her breathless.

"I'm glad I have you, too," Charlotte finally managed to say. "Just try to get back as soon as possible. I still feel a bit strange being alone in your family's massive house."

"They're your family now, too. And this house is as much your house as it is mine. It's our house."