AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes.”
“That’s wonderful. After lunch, you can go pack up, and I’ll prepare your room.”
“My room?”
“Of course. People won’t believe you’re my wife if we aren’t living together. You’ll move into my apartment for the length of our agreement.”
“Right.” Amelia’s head spun. This was all too real.
Over the rest of lunch (which consisted of beautiful locally sourced dishes, just as Liam had said), they discussed the details. Amelia and Liam agreed on a timeframe, how she would be paid, and what would be expected of her. Yet Amelia didn’t really taste the lunch, nor did she process what they were agreeing on. One thought repeated in her mind, over and over. She was getting married and becoming a mother — in the strangest way possible.
After lunch, Liam gave Amelia a card with his address on it.
“Shall I send a car for you in a few hours?”
“No, thank you. I’ll come on my own.” Amelia wanted a little extra time to process everything that had just changed in her life.
“All right. Say around four?”
“Okay.”
They said their goodbyes, then Amelia set off towards home. She could have taken the bus, or even grabbed a cab (she usually shied away from the expense, but today was nothing if not a special occasion). Instead, though, she walked, enjoying the fresh air and calming her thoughts.
By the time she was home, Amelia had made up her mind. This was going to be okay. It was a lot of money, and it was a good thing to do for little Grace. She just needed to be careful. She needed to keep an emotional distance between herself and her fake husband. She found him attractive, but she had to set that aside. She had to focus on the little girl.
She could do this.
CHAPTER 7
AMELIA
Amelia had always lived minimally, so she didn’t have a lot to pack. She swept a few changes of clothes and her toiletries into a carry-on-sized suitcase, added her laptop and a box of her favorite tea, and was ready to go. She would come back later to get more things, after she saw what was available at Liam’s house and what was needed.
At the last minute, she grabbed a small stuffed polar bear that she’d purchased as a gift for one of her nieces. It would be a good ice breaker with Grace. Since her suitcase was already full, she tucked the bear under her arm.
On her way out, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was dressed in the same professional attire she’d chosen for the lunch she’d thought was a date. It didn’t feel right anymore. So, she left the suitcase by the door, hurried back to her bedroom, and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt — her childcare-appropriate clothes.
Liam’s address was a bus ride away from Amelia’s redbrick apartment building. She rode into the city, watching the buildings change from cute apartments and row houses to giant steel and glass behemoths. It seemed like Liam lived in the heart of the downtown business district. The bus chugged up a large hill, then came to Amelia’s stop. She disembarked, carrying her suitcase with her.
Following the directions on her phone, she headed down the block, took a left, and stopped in front of a large, modern skyscraper. She checked the address, then checked it again. It didn’t seem possible that Liam really lived here, but the address told a different story.
Amelia stepped into the lobby, where a doorman smiled at her.
“Good afternoon. Can I help you?”
“Um, yes. Thank you. I’m here to see Liam Bradshaw?”
“Wonderful. I’ll just call him so he’ll send the elevator.”
Send the elevator? That didn’t sound right. Did he have a private elevator?
“Okay. Thank you.”
The doorman dialed a number on his cell phone. A moment later, she heard Liam’s faint voice on the other end. Then the doorman nodded and hung up.
“Thank you for your patience. Follow me.” The doorman led Amelia to the bank of elevators at the back of the building. They didn’t enter one of the elevators in the long row, but instead walked to the end, to a slightly smaller elevator. The doorman swiped a keycard, and the doors opened. “Step right in.”
Amelia entered the elevator, then turned back to the doorman.
