Page 35 of Wed to You-
What she wasn’t sure about was how she’d be able to keep their plan from her friends. Not only would they be hurt if they found out she’d lied, but Chelsea wasn’t sure she could keep such a big secret. At the same time, she didn’t want to tell them because she was sure they wouldn’t take it well. First, it was a crazy idea, and second, they’d be offended she didn’t accept their help instead. “Would it be okay if I let Lexie and Mitch know about this?”
Jagger turned to her, adjusting his position so he could talk to her and still keep an eye on Kaden. “We can’t tell anyone, Chelsea.”
“Why?”
“Because if it got back to the judge, it would probably work against me.”
“I trust my friends.”
He studied her for a moment. “Then consider plausible deniability. It’s possible there will be an investigation into our fitness to care for Kaden. If your friends know the truth, you’ll be asking them to lie to a court-appointed investigator.”
He was right. Chelsea blew out a breath. “I don’t want to put them in that position.”
“I don’t want to put my staff in that position either. So it’s just between you and me. Okay?”
She nodded. “Yes. Okay.” They stood together for a moment. “Do you think we should go over our story? Maybe learn a little bit about each other?”
He gave her an amused smile, as if he thought she was over-thinking the situation. But Chelsea knew her friends. They’d grill her and if she didn’t have a good response, they’d be suspicious. She already knew they were going to be surprised and probably worried. Especially Mitch.
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, since Mitch told you to stay away and you ditched me at his wedding—”
Jagger had the decency to wince at that.
“How did we start dating?”
“That’s easy.” Jagger picked up a rock, studied it, and then dropped it. “We reconnected because Kaden was in your class. We kept it on the down-low because we didn’t want to get you in trouble at school.”
“And you in trouble with Mitch?”
“I can handle Mitch.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then why’d you ditch me?”
He took a deep breath. “At the time, I was respecting his wishes. I know he’s like a big brother to you and he takes that role seriously. Now it’s different. We’re getting married. I may not be what he wanted for you, but you could have done worse.”
Chelsea couldn’t imagine how she could do better, except, of course, by marrying someone who loved her and whom she loved back.
“What about your family?”
“What about them?”
There was a marked change in his tone, from light to dark.
“Well, what are they like? What was your childhood like?”
“People aren’t going to ask you twenty questions. Besides, I think I’ve already told you all you need to know.” He walked several steps away.
“My friends might test me as a way to make sure I know what I’m getting into.” She stood where she was, knowing Mitch, in particular,would push to find out how it was possible she was marrying Jagger when it seemed they hardly knew each other. Especially when just days before she’d denied anything was going on between then.
He turned his blazing blue eyes on her. “You’ll let them?”
“What’s the big deal, Jagger?”
“You want my family history?” He glanced back at Kaden then closed the steps between him and Chelsea again. He leaned closer and talked in a low voice filled with bitterness. “I come from a long line of playboys. Tanya was the last in a series of Mrs. G.W. Talbots. My father is working his way through several more Mrs. Talbots. Right now he’s on his fourth. I was an unplanned baby, which is why my father married my mother, at the threat of disinheritance by my grandfather, who wouldn’t have any bastard children in his family.”
Chelsea winced and wondered if that was why Jagger’s grandfather married Tanya; to legitimize Kaden.
