Wow, this conversation sounded similar to the one between her and Scott Saturday night. “You know better than most you can’t believe everything you read about a person.”
“I’ve known him for years, so trust me, I know what parts of his reputation are true and which are not. He’s never stayed with anyone long except for Naomi, and he’s been with probably as many women as me. When guys like him get married, it rarely lasts.”
“Should I be warning Addie then?”
“Hell no. You know that.”
“And thanks to you and Jake, I know people can change. So even if he’s been with over two hundred women and participated in orgies, it doesn’t mean we won’t be happy together.”
“Damn, I can’t argue with you there.” Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his thighs and laced his fingers together. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
During their private conversation at their parents’ house, Scott had said the same thing. And tonight she’d give Trent the same answer she’d given her brother. “It won’t happen. No marriage is perfect, but we love each other. We’ll be fine.”
“Orgies, huh? Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. If he’d ever taken part in one, he would have told me.”
Josh tucked an arm behind his head while he waited for Courtney to come to bed. He knew Trent had talked to her. He hadn’t been in the room, but he knew the topic of their conversation. Him.
After they returned, he’d waited for Trent to pull him aside too. And when Courtney took Addie to the bedroom to see her wedding dress, he’d expected his friend to jump on the opportunity. And he had.
He’d started with wanting to know why Josh never told him they were together. Before Trent could get any further, Josh took control and assured him that he’d never do anything to make Courtney unhappy.
Even as he said it, he’d known it was true. In a short amount of time, Courtney’s happiness had become important to him. Josh then went on to tell Trent how much he loved Courtney, because he knew Trent needed to hear it. But it wasn’t a complete lie either. Too many emotions hit him when he thought about Courtney and their current situation. And he had a feeling love would soon be one of them.
“For your first time playing Pitch, you did well.” Getting into bed, Courtney snuggled up next to him. “Did Trent interrogate you when Addie and I left?”
“Nah. He only asked why I didn’t tell him we were together.” Since he hadn’t given Trent a chance to ask anything else, it wasn’t a lie. “What did Trent want with you?”
“Playing the role of surrogate big brother. I guess he didn’t get the memo that Scott already talked to me. They think we’re rushing.”
He doubted that was the extent of the conversation. But if she didn’t want to share more, he wouldn’t push.
She leaned up on her elbow. “I told them whether we get married in a few weeks or a few months, it won’t change anything.”
Yeah, he didn’t agree with her there. In a few more months, a lot of things might have changed.
Twelve
Thursday night, Courtney pulled into her parking spot, glad to see Josh’s car parked right next door. In the almost three weeks he’d been living with her, she’d grown accustomed to coming home and him being there. The handful of occasions she’d arrived home before him, the penthouse had seemed empty and too big—things it had never felt before Josh moved in. If living with him for only a few weeks could do that, what would living with him for possibly a year do? Most of the time she tried not to think about it. Every once in a while, the thought snuck up and bit her in the butt. Like it was now.
It wasn’t the only thing that popped its head up from time to time. More times than she’d like to admit, her conscience poked her hard. Each time, it hinted that her heart was becoming fully invested in the relationship. Considering the way she’d felt over the weekend, she suspected it might be true.
Per the temporary custody agreement in place, Adalynn stayed with Josh for the weekend every three weeks. The previous Friday, she’d left work early so they could drive to Brookline to pick Adalynn up and bring her back to Josh’s condo in Boston. A condo she’d learned he’d purchased back in April for no other reason than to have a place closer to his daughter after Josh’s ex moved in with her boyfriend, a man who became her fiancé right before Thanksgiving.
From the moment they picked her up, it’d been clear father and daughter adored each other. Their first night together, they’d eaten pizza and made ice cream sundaes before playing Candy Land, his daughter’s favorite game, not once but twice. When Josh tucked Adalynn into bed, in a room clearly decorated with the little girl in mind, she’d watched from the doorway as he read her a story. Her conscience took the opportunity to stand up, wave, and shout, “You’re in deeper than you intended!”
The following morning, Adalynn made the only two requests Josh denied her all weekend. She’d wanted to go skiing, something her mom didn’t do. With their visit so limited though, Josh decided against it but promised to take her soon. He’d also put his foot down when Adalynn asked to eat ice cream for breakfast. Instead, they’d enjoyed pancakes and French toast at a nearby restaurant before spending the day at the Boston Children’s Museum, followed by the aquarium—two places Courtney had been to as a child, but hadn’t visited in years. For much of the day, Adalynn had walked between them holding their hands. To anyone watching them, they would’ve appeared like a family enjoying a day in the city. At the same time, it pulled at the loose thread that led back to the fact someday she wanted a family like her brother and so many of her cousins had. Later, when she’d been in bed, she convinced herself the feelings had nothing to do with Josh specifically. Rather, they were associated with the fact her brother had recently gotten married and his wife was pregnant.
Her conclusion lost much of its validity late Sunday afternoon after they dropped Adalynn off with her mom. Gone was the smiling Josh, replaced by a sober, less talkative version. In fact, she didn’t think he said a word during the ride back to Providence. And more than anything she’d wanted to wrap her arms around him, promise him everything would work out, and then snap her fingers and reinstate the original custody agreement that had been in place since shortly after Adalynn was born. Unable to change anything, she’d done her best to get his mind on something else, if only for a short time, when they got home. Thankfully, as the week progressed, the Josh she’d grown to know slowly returned.
As she approached the entrance to the building, Courtney retrieved her cell phone from her purse. She’d heard it ring while turning onto West Exchange Street. A glance at the screen had confirmed it was Cliff House’s long-time chef, Henri Renault. Finalizing the menu for the reception was the last thing she wanted to do tonight, but with the wedding just around the corner, she didn’t have much of a choice. All week she’d been dealing with wedding preparations. Every time she got a call pertaining to it, she wished they’d taken Jake’s advice and had a secret wedding, because trying to plan one on such short notice wasn’t for her.
“Excuse me, Ms. Belmont.”
The woman’s voice reached her as she redialed Henri’s number. Glancing up, she spotted Aimee Trainor, a reporter and the host of the Star Insider, a popular entertainment talk show. A photographer stood alongside her as well as a cameraperson, although at the moment the video camera wasn’t pointed in her direction. Courtney wasn’t surprised to see the two individuals standing with the woman. Aimee loved to use both videos and photos on her show. The woman had been calling the office almost every day since they announced their engagement. Most reporters did almost anything to get a story, but Aimee stepped over lines others wouldn’t cross. So while she’d taken calls from Marcy Blake and Daniella Naulta, two reporters for well-known magazines, she’d dodged all of Aimee’s calls. Given Aimee’s reputation, she should have known the woman would stop at nothing to get a story, even if it meant traveling from Manhattan to Providence and staking out the Mayfair.
Before Henri answered the phone, Courtney disconnected the call. Finalizing the menu would have to wait a little longer.
“Aimee Trainor, we’ve been playing telephone tag,” she