“Have we got a deal or not?”

“It’s a deal. Congratulations, Tyler,” she said, holding out her hand to shake on their agreement. “You may now date your wife.”

He took her hand, shaking it for only a moment before pulling her knuckles to his mouth to kiss them. “What do you say we seal the deal with a real kiss?”

A smile lit Amelia’s eyes and curled her lips. She moved ever so much closer to him, causing him to lean in as well, but before he could reach for her, she stopped short.

“Sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’t kiss on the first date.”

* * *

Thirty Days to Win His Wife is part of the Brides and Belles series—Wedding planning is their business … and their pleasure.

Thirty Days to Win His Wife

Andrea Laurence

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANDREA LAURENCE is an award-winning contemporary romance author who has loved books and has been writing stories since she learned to read and write. She always dreamed of seeing her work in print and is thrilled to be able to share her books with the world. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she’s working on her own happily-ever-after with her boyfriend and five fur-babies. You can contact Andrea at her website, andrealaurence.com.

To the Dedicated Soldiers of My Street Team Andrea’s Army of Awesomeness—

I can’t list all of you individually, but know that this dedication is for you! Thank you for all the hard work you put in to help make each of my books a success. It may not seem like a lot, but every review you write, every bookmark you hand out, every post you share with friends … makes a difference. I am happy to reward all of you with books and goodies because it’s worth every penny to have you on my team. Thank you for your support and friendship. You’re awesome.

(Obviously!)

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Amelia Kennedy turned and looked up into the cool blue eyes of her best friend, Tyler Dixon. Of course he would be the one to save her. “Yes, please.” She got up from the banquet table and accepted his hand, happily following him out of the ballroom, through the casino and out to the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

Just breathing in the cool desert air made her feel better. Why had she thought her high school reunion would be fun? It was just a room filled with people she never liked, gloating about how great their lives were. Even though she couldn’t care less about what Tammy Richardson—cheerleader and all-around stuck-up brat—had done with her life, hearing Tammy brag had somehow made Amelia feel less enthusiastic about her own achievements.

It was ridiculous, really. She co-owned her own company and was very successful, but the lack of a ring on her hand and toddler photos on her phone made her the odd girl out tonight. This entire trip was a waste of her precious vacation time.

Well, not the whole thing. It was worth it to see Tyler. They had been best friends since the ninth grade, but recently they had both gotten so busy they were lucky to see each other once a year. The reunion was a good excuse.

They stumbled down the sidewalk hand in hand with no destination in mind. It didn’t matter where they ended up. Every step they put between them and the reunion improved Amelia’s mood. That, or—if her softening knees were any indication—the tequila was finally kicking in. A low rumble caught their attention, and they stopped outside the Mirage to watch the periodic eruption of the volcano out front.

They leaned against the railing, Amelia resting her head on Tyler’s shoulder and sighing with contentment. She really missed spending time with him. There was just something about being with Tyler that made the world seem better. There was a comfort and ease in his arms that she’d never found in another man. Although they’d never dated, Tyler had set the bar high for her future relationships. Maybe too high, considering she was still single.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you. I just couldn’t look at any more pictures of weddings and babies.”

Tyler wrapped his arm around her, chasing away the January desert chill. “That’s what happens at reunions, you know.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect it to make me feel like such a...”

“Successful, talented businesswoman in control of her own destiny?”

Amelia sighed. “I was thinking more along the lines of a relationship failure on the fast track to a house with too many cats.”

“Quit it,” he said in a stern voice. He turned toward her and tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. “You are amazing. You’re beautiful, talented, successful... Any man would be lucky to have you in his life. You just haven’t found one worthy of you yet.”

That was a nice thought, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d been on a fruitless quest for Mr. Right since she’d come of age. “Thanks, Ty,” she said anyway, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the lapel of his suit.

He held her tight, resting his chin on the top of her head. It was a simple hug. One they’d shared a hundred times before. But tonight, somehow, it was different. She was suddenly very aware of the movement of his hard muscles beneath his shirt. His cologne tickled her nose, so familiar and yet so enticing in the moment. It made her want to bury her face in his neck and inhale the warm scent of his skin. Run her palms across the rough stubble of his jaw...

A wave of heat licked at Amelia’s cheeks, and she realized it had nothing to do with the flames shooting across the water beside them. There was a warmth curling in her belly, a need building inside her. It was a familiar arousal, but one she’d never associated with Tyler. He was her best friend. Nothing more.

But in that moment, she wanted more. She wanted him to show her how beautiful and talented he thought she was with his hands and his mouth instead of his words. It was a dangerous thought, but she couldn’t shake it.

“Do you remember graduation night?”

“Of course,” she said, pulling away to put an end to the physical contact stirring the blood in her veins. She couldn’t forget that night. They had suffered through family parties, and then they’d snuck off together to camp in the desert. Amelia had driven them out to the edge of town, where they could finally see the stars. “We drank wine coolers and stayed up all night watching for shooting stars.”

“Do you remember the pact we made?”

Amelia thought back to that night, the details blurred by a combination of time and fuzzy navels. She remembered them pinky swearing something. “What was it about? I don’t remember.”

“We agreed that if we weren’t married by our ten-year reunion, we would marry each other.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, the moment flooding back into her mind. In their eighteen-year-old brains, twenty-eight was nearly ancient. If they weren’t married by then, all hope was obviously lost. They’d sworn they would save each other from a lonely middle-aged existence. “Twenty-eight sure doesn’t feel the way I expected it to. I still feel young, and yet sometimes I feel like the oldest, most boring person I know. All I do is work. I never have adventures like we used to have together.”

Tyler studied her face, his light brown eyebrows drawing together in thought. “Do you feel up for an adventure tonight? I guarantee it will cheer you up.”

That was exactly what she needed—the kind of night that would make for a great story. “I am definitely up for an adventure. What did you have in mind?”

Tyler smiled and took her hand in his. The touch sent a surge down her spine, and she knew she’d agree to anything when he smiled at her that way. Then he dropped to one knee, and she realized she was in for more than she’d bargained for.

“Amelia, will you marry me?”

One

“Amelia,” Gretchen pressed, “tell me you didn’t elope in a Las Vegas wedding chapel.”

Amelia took a deep breath and slowly nodded. Her stomach was turning somersaults, but she managed to get the words out anyway. “I did,” she admitted. “The details are a little blurry, but I woke up married to my best friend.”

“Wait.” Bree held up her hands in disbelief. “Did you just say you’re married? Married?”

Amelia looked at her two friends and coworkers, not entirely certain she could repeat the words. It had been hard enough to say them the first time. She actually hadn’t admitted it aloud until that very moment. The past few weeks it had all seemed like a fuzzy dream, but with Gretchen and Bree staring at her as though she’d grown a second head, it was suddenly very, very real.

“My high school reunion didn’t go the way I planned,” she explained. “I thought going back to Las Vegas would be fun, but it wasn’t. Everyone was passing around pictures of their wedding days and their kids...” Her voice trailed off.

The sad state of Amelia’s love life had hit her hard that night. She’d been in the dating scene for ten years with nothing to show for it but a string of almost-but-not-quite relationships. It wasn’t for lack of trying—she put herself out there time after time, but with no luck. She refused to settle for anything less than a timeless love, and it seemed just out of her reach.

Her hectic career hadn’t helped matters. She’d spent the past few years since college focusing on building the business she and her partners had founded, From This Moment. Running a wedding facility was a stressful job, and her area of expertise—catering—was no small task. Between menu tastings, prep work and wedding cakes, the wedding day itself was the least of her troubles. She loved her job, but it left little time to seriously dedicate herself to finding the love and family she’d always fantasized about.

She was only twenty-eight. Hardly old-maid material. But then she’d gone to the reunion and found that her schoolmates had left her in their familial dust. Even dorky Dave Simmons had come with his wife, and she’d been certain he’d never find a woman. Not even having Tyler there—equally single—helped. He was single by choice, too happy to play the globe-trotting CEO to have the burden of a serious relationship.

“I was feeling sorry for myself. My best friend, Tyler, kept bringing me drinks, and eventually we decided to blow off the party and go down to the Strip.”

“Skip to the part where you eloped,” Gretchen pressed, with an odd mix of wonder and glee on her cherubic face. She enjoyed living vicariously through others.

Amelia shook her head. “It’s kind of a blur, but Tyler reminded me about this stupid pact we made on graduation night. We swore that if we weren’t married by our ten-year reunion, we would marry each other.”

“You didn’t!” Bree said, her large blue eyes growing wider by the minute.

“We did.” She couldn’t believe it either, but they’d gone through with it. When Amelia woke up the next morning, the giant diamond ring on her hand and the naked man beside her in bed had confirmed her worst fears. The night before had not been just a vivid dream. It had really happened. She was married to her best friend.

“We did it for a laugh, you know? In high school, the two of us were always coming up with crazy ideas. I think Tyler was trying to cheer me up, offering to marry me so I wouldn’t feel like the single one at the reunion anymore. It seemed like a brilliant solution at the time.”

“It always does,” Gretchen noted, as though she’d had her share of impetuous experiences.

“What the hell kind of liquor were you drinking?” Bree asked at last, sliding away the bridal magazine she’d been reading to plan her own upcoming nuptials.

“Anyway,” Amelia continued, pointedly ignoring Bree, “the plan was to annul it as soon as we can. He lives in New York. I live here. It’s obviously not going to work long-term.”

Work? What was she even talking about? Of course it wasn’t going to work. She’d just married her best friend from high school! Tyler. She knew everything there was to know about him and she was certain Tyler was not husband material. He worked too much, he traveled constantly and he had a bad habit of falling off the face of the earth for weeks at a time. She loved him, but she couldn’t count on him. And yet, here she was. Married to him.

“So far the annulment plan isn’t panning out the way I’d like. Turns out you can’t annul a marriage in Tennessee just because it was done on a whim. New York may have better laws, but if not, that means a full-on divorce. Either way, Tyler has been traveling too much to start the process. I’ve only gotten a few texts from him in between stops in Belgium, Los Angeles, India... I haven’t even spoken to him on the phone since I left Las Vegas.”

“So do you think he’s really busy, or is he avoiding you?” Gretchen asked. “I would think that might be an awkward situation to deal with. I can’t even imagine sleeping with one of my guy friends from high school. If the sex was bad it would be hard to face him later. If the sex was good...that might be even worse.”

“The sex was amazing,” Amelia confessed, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth. Had she really said that out loud? She shook her head. The words had spilled out because they were true. Tyler had been the most talented and attentive lover she’d ever had. Their wedding night had easily left her top five encounters in its dust. She wasn’t entirely sure what to think about that.

“Well, then,” Bree noted with a smile twisting her lips. “Do tell.”

“Oh, no,” she said. “I’ve already said too much.”

“Maybe he’s dragging his feet in the hopes of getting some more of that sugar,” Gretchen suggested.

“There’s no more sugar to be had. That was a one-night thing and we both know it,” Amelia argued, even as she felt the untruth of her words. She wanted more, she just knew she shouldn’t. “He’s just busy. He’s always busy.”

Tyler obviously wasn’t that concerned with fixing this. In the few texts she’d received, he’d told her to relax. If annulment was off the table, there was no rush, so unless she was madly in love and needed to marry someone else right that minute, it wasn’t a big deal. He, of all people, knew about her relationship struggles and knew that the odds of that were extremely low.

But it was a big deal to her. Especially considering the extenuating circumstances. She couldn’t even wrap her brain around that, so she continued to ignore it. It wasn’t a pressing issue...yet.

“So you’re really just going to walk away from the man that gave you the greatest orgasms of your life?” Gretchen frowned. “I don’t think I could do that, even if I couldn’t stand the guy. You and Tyler love each other, though. It’s not much of a hop from friends to lovers, is it?”

“It is a huge hop over a massive chasm, I assure you.” Amelia knew for certain they shouldn’t go there again. Tyler had been her best friend since ninth grade, but she had never really allowed herself to consider anything between the two of them. For one thing, there was no way she wanted to risk their friendship in an attempt to take it to the next level. If it failed—and the odds were that it would—she’d lose the most important person in her life.

For another reason, there was a big difference between being friends and being lovers. Being friends was easy. She tolerated Tyler’s jet-setting, bossiness and extended radio silences just the same as he tolerated her romantic drama and pickiness. It wasn’t a big deal because as friends, it didn’t impact them directly. Dating someone magnified those personality quirks, and suddenly they were deal breakers.

Her raw emotional state at the reunion had apparently forced all those concerns out of her mind. The next thing she knew, she was on the verge of consummating her marriage. In that moment, nothing mattered more than peeling away Tyler’s clothes and getting a taste of the forbidden. His hard body and sure touch had been an unexpected surprise, and she hadn’t been able to get enough of him. Even now, the mere thought of touching him again sent a thrill through her body, awakening parts of her that should never, ever throb with need where Tyler was concerned.

Since she’d gotten home from the reunion, their night together had haunted her. The marriage could be undone. But the memories... Those couldn’t be erased. The way he’d touched her. The way he’d coaxed pleasure from her body as though he’d studied his whole life for that moment... She could never go back to the blissful ignorance they’d once had. They had eaten the forbidden fruit.

A chime like a kitchen timer went off on her phone, rousing her from the mental spiral she’d just dived into. It was a new text. She frowned down at her phone when she saw the name. Speak of the devil, she had finally gotten another text from Tyler. Unfortunately, it didn’t address her million questions or make up for the weeks of waiting he’d put her though since they’d married. All it said was, Are you at work?

He must be ready to talk about all this at last. Perhaps his jet-setting had abated for a few days and he was finally able to move forward.

Yes, she replied to his text. She would be able to call him back after the staff meeting was over. At that point, she could go into her office, shut the door and have the much-needed discussion to put this behind them. Natalie, the wedding planner and office manager, would arrive any moment with coffee, as she did every Monday morning. Not even Amelia’s latest life catastrophe would throw off Nat’s schedule.

On cue, Natalie pushed open the door of the conference room and stopped in the doorway. She had the cup holder clutched in her hands, four paper cups held tightly in place, as usual. But there was a strange look on her face. Her normally calm expression was pinched, her mouth tight. Something was wrong.

“What’s the matter, Natalie?” Bree asked.

Natalie turned from Bree to look at Amelia, her long dark ponytail sweeping over one shoulder. “There’s an incredibly hot guy here to see you, Amelia. He says that he’s your, uh...husband.”

Someone gasped. Amelia wasn’t sure which of them it was. Probably her. She launched up out of her chair, her expression no doubt panic-stricken. He couldn’t possibly be here. He’d just texted her and hadn’t made any mention of being in Nashville. Natalie was surely mistaken. “What does he look like?”

Natalie’s brow shot up. “Five minutes ago, I didn’t think you had a husband, period, much less so many that you wouldn’t know who he was immediately when I mentioned him.”

“Tall, dark blond hair, bushy eyebrows, icy blue eyes?”

Natalie nodded slowly. “That would be him. He’s waiting in the lobby with a shiny wedding ring on his hand. Have I missed something?”

“Oh, yeah.” Gretchen snorted.

Moving into the room, Natalie set the drinks on the table and then crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re married? To the guy in the lobby?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Amelia—the one who’s had her wedding planned since she was five? Amelia—the one who just a few weeks ago was complaining that there was no one special in her life? I mean, you are the same person, right? You’re not a pod person that just looks like Amelia?”

She wished she could blame her rash behavior on alien influences, but it was all her doing. Natalie was right to be surprised. Amelia quite literally had had a wedding planned for twenty-three years. Her files of cartoon drawings and magazine cutout collages had evolved into Pinterest boards and spreadsheets, but the content was basically the same. And considering she had never been engaged, it was an excessive level of detail. She occasionally updated the color palette, but the rest was the same. She’d always fantasized about a big wedding with hundreds of guests, tons of good food, dancing and all the elegant touches she adored. All she needed was the love of her life to slip into that Armani tuxedo and make her dreams a reality.

To throw all that away so she could get walked down the aisle by Elvis and marry her best friend was...unthinkable. But Vegas seemed to have that power over people. “It’s a long story. They can fill you in.” Amelia started toward the door.

“Do you at least want your coffee?” Natalie asked, holding up the paper cup with her white chocolate–caramel macchiato.

Amelia started to reach for it, and then she caught a whiff of the strong aroma. Her stomach immediately started to turn, making her wince and step back. “Ugh—no, thanks. Maybe later. I just can’t face it right now.”

Turning quickly, she disappeared down the hallway. Natalie’s voice easily carried the distance. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

* * *

Tyler Dixon waited longer in the lobby than he expected to. When the dark-haired woman disappeared down the hallway to deliver his message, he was certain Amelia would come rushing out to him immediately. She would run and jump into his arms, greeting him with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek the way she always did.

Glancing down at his Rolex, he started to wonder if he’d miscalculated. He’d known she was here, even before she’d texted him back—he’d recognized her car in the parking lot. That meant she was either angry and making him wait for ignoring her, or she was avoiding him because she was embarrassed by the whole sex thing.

He didn’t know what she had to be embarrassed about. With a body like hers, walking around naked could be considered a public service. Sure, they’d crossed a line, but they could work through that. They’d weathered rough patches in their friendship before.

It probably had more to do with him not calling her back. His schedule had been pretty hectic since the reunion, but it had to be. He’d bought some raw diamonds and taken them to India to be cut. He’d hit an auction in Belgium and picked up an antique sapphire brooch formerly owned by French royalty before the revolution. He’d closed a huge deal with a Beverly Hills jewelry designer to provide diamonds for their pieces. Whenever he’d thought to call her, the time zones were off. She wouldn’t have appreciated getting those calls at 2:00 a.m.

This was why he didn’t get in serious relationships anymore. He’d gotten burned with Christine and learned his lesson. He knew that most women didn’t appreciate his schedule, even if they appreciated the money that resulted from it. At first, his diamond airline status and exotic travels seemed exciting, but it didn’t take most women long to realize that meant he was always on the go. No, he wouldn’t be able to go to that work thing with you. No, he couldn’t talk about your crappy day when he was ten times zones behind and busy working.

Amelia had never minded his schedule before. Had that changed along with their marital status?

What was the rush anyway? She hadn’t found Prince Charming in the ten years leading up to now. Certainly she hadn’t found him in the past month while he’d been gone. He loved Amelia, but she wasn’t known for her successful relationships. He’d only met one woman in his whole life who was as high maintenance as she was, and that was his ex. He’d known that about Amelia going into this, but she was his best friend and he would do anything to make her happy. Apparently.

They’d take care of the divorce. That was why he was here at his first opportunity. Despite what Amelia might think, Tyler wasn’t deliberately dragging his feet. Although, if he was honest with himself, there was a part of him that was sad that he’d never get to touch those soft curves again. He’d always been happy to be Amelia’s friend, but he wouldn’t mind spending a little more time exploring her body before they went back to being just friends. He’d only had one brief taste, and that wasn’t nearly enough for a woman like her.

But in the end, he knew their friendship would outweigh his erection. Amelia was the most important person in his life and he wouldn’t risk that, even to make love to her again. She wasn’t just his best friend; she was a driving force in his life. As a kid, he’d been a nobody lost in the chaos of his large family. At school, he’d been just as invisible. Amelia had seen him when no one else did. She’d seen his potential and lit a fire in him to make something of himself. Over the past ten years he had built up his own company, dealing in precious gems and antiquities. He lived a lifestyle he never could’ve imagined as a poor kid growing up in Vegas. Amelia had made him believe he could do all those things.

No, he wouldn’t risk his friendship with her for the greatest sex ever had in the whole universe.

Tyler looked up to see Amelia watching him from the doorway. She didn’t run and leap into his arms, but at this point, he was no longer expecting an enthusiastic greeting. He was just happy she hadn’t left him standing out here indefinitely.

She took a few hesitant steps into the room, not speaking at all. She looked amazing today. There was a glow about her that lured his gaze to travel over her body, admiring the fit of her sweater dress. The dark purple tunic was gathered beneath her ample breasts and flowed to her knee. She was wearing black leggings and boots with it that enhanced her shapely legs.

The deep V of the dress’s neckline displayed an amethyst pendant he’d sent her for her birthday. The fat teardrop gemstone fell just at her cleavage, drawing his eyes to her breasts. Amelia was petite in many ways, but the Lord had blessed her with enough assets for three women.

He knew he shouldn’t look, but the memories of their wedding night rushed into his brain, and he couldn’t turn away. In an instant, he could see her naked body sprawled across the hotel bed. His palms tingled with the memory of running his hands over every inch of her flawless porcelain skin. Tasting those breasts. Hearing her cries echo through the room.

The lobby was suddenly very warm. It was a cruel trick of the fates to give him a woman so desirable for a wife, then not let him keep her. And he couldn’t keep her. He had to remind himself of that. They’d only disappoint one another and ruin their friendship.

“Hey, Ames,” he said, finally meeting her gaze.

She swallowed hard, watching him warily. With her big dark brown eyes, she almost looked like a doe, easily spooked by any sudden movements. He hated that. She’d never looked at him with anything other than adoration and love before. He supposed getting married had ruined that. This was just his first taste of what it would be like to be in a real relationship with his demanding, high-maintenance best friend. The honeymoon was barely over and he was already in trouble. He definitely shouldn’t have waited this long to talk to her.

“What are you doing here, Tyler?”

Apparently they were skipping the pleasantries. “I came to talk to you.”

Her arms crossed over her chest, her breasts nearly spilling from the dress with the movement. “Now you want to talk? What about the past few weeks when I’ve tried to get hold of you and you just blew me off? When I wanted to talk to you, all this didn’t seem to matter. Am I just supposed to drop everything to talk to you now because you’ve decided you’re ready to deal with this mess?”

Tyler’s lips twisted in thought, his hand rubbing over the rough stubble on his chin. Now did not seem like the time to try to convince her it wasn’t a big deal. She had always been a very emotional person, her temper as easily lit as the flames of her red hair. He’d seen her unleash that fury on past boyfriends and he didn’t ever want to be the recipient. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back with you. I needed to take care of a few things.”

“And I needed you to talk to me!” She took several steps toward him, a strand of auburn hair falling from its clip to frame her face. A red flush rushed to her cheeks and décolletage, marring her pale, creamy skin. “We’re married, Tyler. Married! You can’t just keep ignoring this. As much as I’d like to pretend this never happened, we’ve got to deal with it. Talk about it. Of all the times to ignore me for business, this is the wrong time.”

“I know.” He held out his hands in an appeasing gesture. It hurt him to hear how distraught she was over their situation, but there was nothing to be done. Business was a priority over a fake marriage, even with his best friend. “I should’ve called, I know. I’m sorry. I hopped a flight out here as soon as I could so we could deal with this in person.”

That seemed to calm her down. Her hands fell to her sides, the tension in her shoulders relaxing. Even then, there was a concern lining her eyes. Something was wrong. More than just her irritation with him. He knew Amelia better than anyone else on the planet. A thousand miles apart, he could detect that she was upset over the phone. In person, it was hard to ignore that something wasn’t right.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and he noticed she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. He could feel his own wedding band encircling his finger. He didn’t know why, but he’d worn it faithfully since the ceremony. Somehow it felt tighter and more irritating when he knew he was the only one wearing it. “Where’s your ring?” he asked.

“It’s at home in my jewelry box. Until five minutes ago, no one knew I was married, Tyler. I can’t strut around here with that giant rock on my hand and not get a million questions.”

She was right about that. Subtlety was thrown out the window after you moved past a couple carats. Her ring was a flawless eight-carat D-color cushion-cut diamond. He’d purchased it a few weeks before the reunion and had been taking it, and a selection of other jewels, with him to LA for a potential buyer. The reunion had only been possible because he could fit it in on his way. When they’d scrambled for last-minute wedding rings, he’d pulled it from the hotel vault. They’d agreed that when the prank was done, she’d return it.

“I’ve wanted to keep this whole situation pretty quiet,” she continued. “The fewer people that know, the better. What’s an adventure to us is a ridiculous mistake to others.”

That was probably true. He slipped his own ring off and dropped it into his lapel pocket, noting how his finger suddenly felt naked. It was amazing how easily he’d adjusted to wearing that ring. He’d only gotten close to putting one on the one time, years ago, and since then he hadn’t given much thought to it. “Is there any way we can go somewhere to talk?” He glanced down at his watch. “It’s still early. I’ll take you out for pancakes, my treat.”

Her face fell into another frown, this time with her delicate brow furrowing. “I can’t right now, Tyler. I’m supposed to be in a staff meeting. You may be able to work whenever and wherever you want, but I’m not a jewel dealer that zips around the country whenever I please. I run a business with partners that count on me. And on Mondays, we have a standing meeting.”

“I’m sure they’d understand. Come on, Ames. It will be like senior ditch day all over again. We can have eggs and sausage and pancakes. Maple syrup. I caught a dawn flight from LaGuardia and came straight here without eating anything. I’m starving.”

Amelia’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then widened with a touch of concern. Her free hand flew to her mouth. “Shut up about the food,” she said.

“What?” What did he say that was so offensive? Breakfast was hardly an unpleasant concept.

“I said, shut up, please.” Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, her muscles tense as she fought for control. It concerned him. He wanted to run to her, do something, but he didn’t think the gesture would be welcome.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and seemed to recover. “I can’t talk to you right now, Tyler. You just show up out of the blue with no thought to my schedule. I’m not fifteen anymore. I will meet with you, but you’ve got to respect the plans I have. I can meet you for lunch if you want.”

He nodded, knowing she was right. His schedule was flexible, but to assume the same of hers was inconsiderate. “Whatever you need to do, Ames. I’ll take you for barbecue, if you want. I haven’t had some good ribs in a long time.”

She started to nod, then froze as a look of panic spread across her face. “I—” she began, then turned on her heel and dashed around the corner.

Tyler started to follow her but stopped when he heard the unpleasant sound of retching. Apparently barbecue was not terribly appealing to her.

She returned a moment later, her face flushed and her eyes watery. “I’m sorry about that.”

Why was she apologizing? “Are you okay? Did you eat something bad?”

She shook her head, a somber expression in her eyes. “No,” she said. “I’m fine. I’m just...pregnant.”

Two

This was a bad dream.

This was not how her life was supposed to go. Not how this moment was supposed to be. Her first child was supposed to be a blessed occasion. She was supposed to be joyous, not nauseous. Telling her husband the news should be a gloriously happy moment.

Gloriously happy were not the words she would use to describe the look on Tyler’s face. His square jaw was slack, his pale blue eyes wide with panic. Not even his expensive suit could keep her superconfident, successful best friend from instantly transforming back into the startled, unsure teen on his first day at a new school.

She still remembered the day her father, the principal at El Dorado High School, had walked into her freshman English class with a new student in tow. She’d pointed out an empty seat beside her and befriended the new boy. It was the best decision she’d ever made. Tyler was the best friend a girl could have.

Today, looking at that same lost expression on his face, she didn’t know what to do. Hugging him seemed awkward considering the state of their physical relationship and the legal ramifications of their marriage. She didn’t have any words of comfort or wisdom to offer. If she did, she’d say them to herself. She was still reeling from the morning’s dose of unexpected news.

She was pregnant with Tyler’s baby. She just couldn’t figure out how something like that could be possible. From the moment she’d seen the two pink lines on the pregnancy test this morning until she’d announced it to him, it had felt surreal. She loved Tyler more than anyone else. She’d known him since she was fourteen. But having his baby had never been a part of her plan. And Amelia had big plans.

Apparently, it wasn’t part of his plans, either. Before she made her announcement, his gaze had drifted over her body, bringing a flush to her cheeks. It didn’t take much to realize that he was mentally reliving their night together. She understood. Seeing him standing there in his tailored suit with that charming smile had made it hard for her to remember she was supposed to be irritated with him.

Now all he could do was stare at her midsection, looking desperately for some kind of evidence that she was wrong. She wished she were wrong, but she hadn’t needed that test to know the truth. It had only confirmed what the past few days’ misery had made abundantly clear.

“Say something,” she pressed at last.

Tyler cleared his throat and nodded, her words snapping him back into the moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting...” His voice trailed off.

“I don’t think either of us was expecting any of this. Especially me being pregnant.” Or her throwing up into the lobby trash can. “But what’s done is done. As much as I’d like to go back in time and change things, we can’t. Now we have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

She needed his input desperately because she didn’t know what to do. In any other scenario, Tyler would’ve been the one Amelia ran to for support and advice. If she’d found herself pregnant by another man, he’d be the first person she called in a panic. He would be the one to talk her down and tell her everything was okay. But it was his baby, and somehow that made everything more difficult.

“So do you still need to go to your meeting?” he asked.

Now that the baby was out of the bag, so to speak, the meeting didn’t seem as critical. Her stubbornness had really been more from irritation about his disregard for her plans than anything else. She loved Tyler, but sometimes he forgot he wasn’t the CEO of everything and everyone. He’d steamroll people if they let him. Amelia was one person who never let him.

The meeting wasn’t her number one priority at the moment. She could catch up on the high points later. It was more important to talk to Tyler about what they were going to do. She needed a story, a plan, before she faced her friends again and had to tell them what was going on in any depth whatsoever. They’d be like a firing squad, lobbing questions at her that she didn’t have any answers for. Yet.

“No, let’s just...” She eyed her office, and her gaze strayed to the open doors of the wedding chapel just beyond it.

The white-and-gray chapel was so elegant. Beautifully detailed, yet understated enough not to upstage the bride or her chosen decor. Since the day construction was completed, Amelia had envisioned herself getting married in that same chapel wearing a strapless ivory Pnina Tornai gown. She could easily picture sprays of white and pink roses filling the room with their delicate fragrance. The rows of friends and family crying happy tears.

That was the way her big day was supposed to be. Not at 1:00 a.m. in the Li’l Chapel of Love with the pink bismuth–colored upholstery and dusty silk flower arrangements. She’d been wearing a black cocktail dress, for chrissake. Married in black! No old, no new, no borrowed, no blue. It was blasphemous. And obviously very bad luck. The whole thing made her want to curl into a ball and cry the tears of a five-year-old who’d had her dreams destroyed.

Her office was a convenient place to talk, but the sudden urge to get as far away from the chapel as possible nearly overwhelmed her. “Just get me out of here,” she said.

“You got it.”

She moved quickly, slipping into the coat she’d hung nearby. She should tell the others she was leaving, but she didn’t dare stick her head back in the conference room. She’d text Gretchen once they were on the road and let them know she’d be back later.

They walked out of From This Moment together, Tyler holding the door for her like he always did. He led her through the parking lot to a black BMW parked out front.

“Nice rental,” she said. Whenever she flew somewhere, she usually ended up with some tiny compact car, not a luxury car. That was the difference between her and Tyler, with his jet-set lifestyle and wealthy business associates.

“It’s okay,” he said, opening the door to the passenger side. “I wanted an Audi, but they didn’t have any available.”

“Aw, you poor thing,” she muttered as she climbed inside. Such a hardship. The leather interior was soft, and the car smelled brand-new. Fresh from the factory. She hadn’t experienced that in a long time. She was still driving the little crossover she’d saved up for after graduation. It was ideal for hauling catering supplies, but it was more practical than posh.

It must be nice to have money. She’d never really had a lot. Her father was a math teacher turned high school principal and the sole breadwinner in the family. He did okay, but she’d never considered her family to be more than middle class. As an adult, every penny of her own had gone into making From This Moment a success. Tyler had had even less when they were kids. He was one of six kids in a family that could barely feed two despite his parents’ best efforts.

Driving a brand-new BMW around had been a pipe dream when they were kids. Tyler had done well for himself over the years. No one was prouder than she was of everything he’d accomplished. If he could get his eyes off his smartphone and stay in the country for more than a day at a time, he would make some woman a great husband one day. She just couldn’t fathom that person being her.

“Where are we headed?” he asked.

“There’s a coffee shop a few blocks up, if that’s okay.”

“Sure.” Tyler started the car, pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction she’d pointed. A nearby commercial district had restaurants and coffee shops where they could sit down and talk. Considering the state of her stomach, she would pass on the food, but she could get some hot tea. And maybe, if that went okay, a scone.

They didn’t speak in the car on the way there, which was odd for them. They always had a million things to catch up on. They could talk for hours about anything and everything. Now, as she feared, there was tension between them. Sex changed things, as she’d known it would. She’d never wanted their relationship to cross that line for that very reason.

She sighed and looked out the window instead. There would be plenty of things to say, but she could tell neither of them was ready to say them. He’d just found out he was going to be a father. That needed time to sink in. Tyler had never mentioned having an interest in a family—at least, not since he’d broken up with Christine. After that, he’d focused 100 percent on business. This had to be an unexpected blow for him. Amelia had always known she wanted children, but it had still been a shock for her.

Eventually, they arrived at the small independent coffee shop. He opened her door, helped her out and then followed her inside. Tyler bought them both drinks and got himself a giant cinnamon roll while Amelia found a plush couch in the corner away from the others in the shop.

Tyler came over a few minutes later with their things on a tray. He put the drinks on the coffee table and sat beside her. His knee barely grazed hers as he did, but even that simple touch was enough to awaken her nervous system. It was the first time they’d touched since that night. Being in such close proximity to him again was confusing. Her body remembered his touch, aching to lean closer to him and feel his hands on her again. Her brain knew it was a bad idea, but she didn’t want to act childish. It was a simple touch, an innocent one. Just because her libido lit up like the skies on the Fourth of July didn’t mean it meant anything.

Amelia busied herself preparing her tea and distracting herself from Tyler’s nearness. She added a pack of raw sugar and stirred it, waiting for him to say something. She’d already said enough. Now it was his turn.

“So,” he began, after a few bites of cinnamon roll and a sip of his coffee, “do you want to tell your parents first, or mine?”

She tried not to choke on her tea. That was not where she’d expected him to go with this. “Tell them what, exactly?”

“That we’ve gotten married and we’re expecting a baby.”

She shook her head furiously. He must still be in shock. “Neither.”

Tyler frowned at her. “We have to tell them eventually. We can’t just show up at their house with an infant and say, ‘Here’s your grandchild.’”

“I know that,” she argued. “We will have to tell them about the baby eventually. I meant about the wedding. I don’t see why anyone needs to know about it if we’re just going to file for divorce anyway. I’d rather my father not know what we did, to be honest. You know how he is. The only reason he let me go to college in Tennessee was because my grandparents live here. He’s just waiting for me to get into some kind of trouble so he can point out he was right.”

Tyler nodded thoughtfully. “I understand your concerns. I wasn’t planning on telling my family about the wedding, either. I mean, I came to Nashville so we could get the ball rolling on the divorce. But...everything is different now.”

She flinched. “How? How is everything different now?”

“We’re going to have a baby together,” he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I know we’ve got to work out the logistics, but starting a family is a complicated thing.”

“A f-family?” she stuttered, a feeling of dread pooling in her stomach.

“Well, yeah. I mean, obviously, since you’re pregnant with my child, the divorce is off the table.”

* * *

Amelia’s face flushed as red as her hair, and Tyler knew immediately that he’d said the wrong thing. Or at least, he’d said it in the wrong way. He knew he was right about what they needed to do. Convincing her would take more finessing than just blurting it out the way he had. Amelia didn’t take well to being told what to do. Good job, Dixon.

“Divorce is off the table,” she mimicked with a bitter tone. “You act as though you’re the only one with any say in the matter. I know you’re Mr. Big Shot and you’re used to your word being law, but you aren’t the boss of me, Tyler. You can’t bully me into staying married to you.”

“Of course I’m not the only one with a say,” he soothed. “And I’m not bullying you. As if I even could. You’re the most stubborn woman I know. But we have a child to consider now. What about the baby?”

The baby. Tyler could barely believe he was saying those words out loud. After his engagement with Christine had ended, he’d told himself that he wasn’t going through all that again. The joy and high of love weren’t worth the inevitable crash and destruction at the end. He’d shelved the idea of anything more complicated than sex and focused on his work. Business came a lot easier to him than romance.

That meant that any idea of marriage or family had been put to bed, as well. He’d been okay with that. How were a wife and a family even possible when he was jetting from one place to another and working long hours? He had five siblings to carry on the family name and give his parents the grandchildren they craved. No one would miss his genetic contribution to the world.

And yet, faced with the eventuality of a family, he found the idea didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. The image of a rambunctious toddler with wild red curls running through the coffee shop formed in his mind. It was so real, he could almost reach out and snatch the giggling child up into his arms. He suddenly wanted that, down to the depths of his soul. When Amelia had told him, he’d been startled, of course, but now he knew what had to be done.

Tyler had been given the chance to have the family he hadn’t realized he wanted, and perhaps he could keep his heart from being destroyed a second time. He was having a child with his best friend. That child needed a stable, loving home, and he and Amelia could provide that. Why would they divorce now?

Amelia’s gaze fixed on his. “What about the baby?” she asked. “You know I’m not the kind of woman that would insist on getting married to someone I didn’t love just because I got pregnant. Why would I insist on staying married to someone I didn’t love just because I got pregnant?”

Tyler tried not to be offended. This wasn’t about him, and he knew that. And he knew that she loved him. She just wasn’t in love with him. He wasn’t in love with her, either. But they could make this work. They had affection, mutual respect and history. Some shotgun marriages started with less. “I know that our marriage and our child are not what you have down in your big notebook of life plans. But don’t you think it’s at least worth giving our relationship a try, for our baby’s sake?”

“Why can’t we just be friends with a baby? We can raise it together. If you’re in Nashville, it makes things easier, but we can do it. We don’t have to be married to have this baby. We don’t have to pretend that our wedding night meant more than it did just because I got pregnant.”

She made it sound as though they’d just had a random hookup. It might not have been love, but it certainly ranked higher in importance than picking up some girl at the bar and taking her home. It had been an amazing night, one that had haunted him the past few weeks as he’d traveled the globe.

As much as they might want to forget it, they’d made love. And it had meant something. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but he knew he didn’t want to just be friends with a baby. He wanted the benefits, too.

“Okay, fine. Let’s set the issue of the baby aside for a moment. I just want us to sit down and seriously talk all this through. It’s too important to make a rash decision.”

“You mean like eloping in Vegas in the middle of the night?” she snapped.

“Another rash decision,” he corrected. “Let’s not compound the issue. We have time to figure this out, so let’s do it right. What’s so horrible about the idea of us staying together?”

“I know that the concept of failure is something you’re not comfortable with, but I don’t think you understand what you’re asking of me. Of us. This is about a hell of a lot more than just creating a happy home for our baby. You’re asking me to choose you as the man I want to be with for the rest of my life and potentially compromise my ability to find my real soul mate. I love you, Tyler, but we’re not in love. There’s a difference.”

Tyler couldn’t help flinching with the sting of her sharp words this time. He was asking her to settle for him. He hadn’t thought of it that way, but when she said it like that, it was painfully obvious that he didn’t meet her sky-high standards. That was okay, though. He was used to being the underdog in any fight; he actually preferred it. That was just a detail. His parents had struggled his whole life, but they’d always put their kids’ needs first. Not loving Amelia wasn’t a good enough reason for him not to make the sacrifice and provide a stable home for their child. “People have married for reasons other than love for hundreds of years and it’s worked out fine.”

“Well, I don’t want to be one of those people. I want love and romance. I want a husband who comes home every night and holds me in his arms, not one that texts me every other day from his latest hotel room.”

Tyler sighed and took a sip of his coffee. This was bringing back uncomfortable memories of his last fight with Christine. Nothing he did was ever good enough for her. She’d wanted him to be successful and make lots of money, but she’d also placed all these demands on his time. He couldn’t win, at least not playing by her rules. Maybe with Amelia it could be different. If they both made the effort, he was certain they could find something that worked for them. If that meant she had to fall in love with him, he would work to make that happen.

Staring into the polished wood of the coffee table, he asked, “Do you think loving me is a total impossibility?”

She scoffed. “That’s a ridiculous question, Tyler.”

His head snapped back to look at her. “No, it’s not. Tell me—do you find me physically repulsive?”

“Of course not. You’re very handsome, obviously, or we wouldn’t have made this baby to begin with.”

“Okay. Am I obnoxious? Pretentious? A jerk?”

Amelia sighed and leaned back against the cushions. “No. You’re none of those things. You’re wonderful.”

Sometimes Tyler didn’t understand women. And Amelia in particular. But he’d decided they were staying together for this baby. If he knew nothing else, he knew how to sell something. He was going to market himself like one of his finest gemstones until she couldn’t resist saying yes.

“So I’m good-looking. I own my own business and make good money. I’m fun to be around. You’ve trusted me with all your secrets. You enjoy spending time with me. The sex was pretty awesome, if I may say so myself... I must be missing something, Amelia. Is there a crimson F stitched to the front of my shirt, because you refuse to see me as anything but a friend? If there was another person on the planet exactly like me, you’d date him.”

Amelia frowned. “You’re talking nonsense.”

“No, I’m not. Tell me your top five must-haves for a man you could love. Seriously.” He knew the list was probably closer to a hundred must-haves. After each of her relationships ended, she’d add a new thing or two to the list.

She thought about it for a moment, holding up one hand to count off on her fingers. “Smart, a good sense of humor, compassionate, ambitious and honest.”

He twisted his lips in irritation. If he’d asked her to name the five things she liked best about him, she might have recited the same list. “And what on that list do I not have? I’m all of those things and more.”

“Maybe, but you’re not around. I’m not going to sit at home alone with this baby while you hopscotch around the planet.”

“What if I said I could be better about that? Maybe having a wife and a family will give me something to come home to.”

“We’re still not in love,” she argued.

“Love is overrated. Look what it got Christine and me—a bunch of heartbreak. I’m not saying it will work. We might end up being totally incompatible, and if we are, we end it and you can go back to your quest for the White Buffalo. But why can’t we at least try? Pandora’s box is open. There’s no going back to where we were.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, Tyler. I can’t...lose you. You’ve been the person in my life I can always count on. You’re my rock.”

“You’re not going to lose me, no matter what.” A wicked smile curled his lips as a thought came to mind. “We’ve slept together and the world hasn’t ended. I’m still here. And since I’ve seen you naked, I’ve got even more incentive to stick around. I’ve touched and tasted every inch of your body, and if there’s the potential I’ll get to do it again, I’m not going anywhere.”

Amelia’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing. “Tyler...” she chastised, but he wasn’t hearing it.

“I know you’re attracted to me. You just have to admit it to yourself.”

“Wh-what?” she sputtered. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, come on, Amelia. You can’t blame that whole night on tequila. You were wildly passionate. You couldn’t get enough of me, as though you’d finally let the floodgates open and allowed yourself to have something forbidden. It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” he added, and it was true. He hadn’t lusted over his best friend in the past, but since that night, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

He placed a hand on her knee and leaned in close. “If that night was any indication, we might have a chance. So why not see what could happen if you opened your mind to the possibility of us? Forget about Tyler the friend and think of me as the hot new guy you’re dating.”

That, finally, made Amelia smile, and relief washed over him all at once.

Her eyes narrowed at him, her lips twisting in deep thought. “Okay, fine,” she said at last. “We’ll give this relationship a trial run. I will date you, Tyler, but there are some ground rules I want to lay down first. Number one, no one is to know we’re married, or that I’m pregnant. Especially not your family. Did you tell anyone?”

“No,” he said quickly. He’d never thought their marriage would last as long as it had. His family loved Amelia, but he wouldn’t get their hopes up for nothing.

“Okay. My three coworkers found out this morning, but they’re the only ones and that’s how I want it to stay. Number two, I’m putting a time limit on this so it doesn’t drag on too long. You’ve got thirty days to win me over. And I mean it. I want to be wooed, Tyler. I want romance and passion and excitement. You’re not going to get off easy because we’re friends. I’m going to be harder on you because you should know what I want and need.”

A wide grin broke out across his face. Tyler never backed down from a challenge, and this wouldn’t be any different. He could win her over in thirty days, no problem. He knew her better than he knew himself. She just had to let him try. “That’s fair.”

Amelia turned to look across the coffee shop and survey her surroundings. She sighed heavily and shook her head. She seemed disappointed by everything that had happened. Worn down. He didn’t like seeing her that way. If there was one thing he loved the most about her, it was her optimism when it came to love. She believed—really, truly believed—in the power of love. But she didn’t believe in them. He would change that. To make it happen, he would lift her up, make her smile, make her believe this was the right choice for them both, even if he wasn’t entirely sure of it himself.

“All I’ve ever wanted,” she said softly, “was a marriage like my grandparents have. They’ve been happily married for fifty-seven years, and they’re just as in love today as they were the day they got married. That’s what I want, and I’m not going to compromise that for anything or anyone.”

Tyler took a deep breath, wondering if she was on the verge of changing her mind. He knew all that about her. She’d always talked about her grandparents and how she wanted a love like theirs. That was a high bar to set, but he was up to the challenge. If she didn’t fall in love with him, it wouldn’t be for lack of effort on his part.

No, he wouldn’t even allow the negative thought. Amelia would fall in love with him. There could be no doubt of his success.

“At the end of thirty days,” she continued, “we’ll decide how we feel about each other. If we’re in love, you’ll propose again—properly—and we’ll announce our engagement to the world. I want to get remarried with the big ceremony and all our family and friends there. And if one of us doesn’t want to continue, we quietly agree to end it.”

“And then what? Are we just supposed to go back to how things were and pretend it never happened? That will be pretty hard with a child.”

“If we divorce, we make the best of things. I hope there won’t be any animosity between us. We stay friends, okay?”

“Okay.” Tyler knew failure wasn’t an option, but he was comforted by the idea that he would have her friendship no matter what. She was notoriously picky when it came to men. He refused to become just another guy thrown onto the reject pile with the rest. “Anything else?”

“I think that’s it,” she said with a smile that betrayed she already knew it was too much.

“Okay, then, I have one demand of my own.” If she was only going to give him thirty days, he needed to make them count and get every advantage he could. That meant proximity. There was no way this was going to work if they went to dinner a couple times a week and went to their separate corners when it was done. He couldn’t disappear to Antwerp or work eighteen-hour days. If they wanted to figure out whether they could cut it being married, they needed to go all the way. “I want us to live together the whole time.”

He watched Amelia frown into her lap with dismay. “My apartment isn’t really big enough for two people. It’s just a one bedroom, and my closet is already overflowing.”

Tyler had zero intention of living in her tiny little apartment with her. There was a difference between proximity and being locked in a cage together for thirty days. He was certain only one of them would make it out alive. “I’ll get us a new place,” he said simply.

“I have a lease.”

“I’ll pay the fee to break it.”

She sighed, obviously irritated with his ability to shoot down her every concern. “And what if at the end of thirty days, we’re not in love? I’ll be pregnant and homeless.”

He sighed. “You will be nothing of the sort. If we don’t work out, I’ll help you find a new place that’s big enough for you and the baby. I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

“You don’t have to buy me a house, Tyler. I’ll just keep my apartment for the month, stay with you, and we’ll figure out what to do about it when we’ve made a decision about us.”

He chuckled, knowing there wasn’t much sense in continuing to argue about this when that wasn’t how it was going to end. “Fine, but you’ve got to get used to the idea of someone else helping out. You’re having my child and I’m taking care of you. That point is nonnegotiable. Have we got a deal or not?”

“It’s a deal. Congratulations, Tyler,” she said, holding out her delicate manicured hand to shake on their agreement. “You may now date your wife.”

Game on.

He took her hand, shaking it for only a moment before pulling her knuckles to his mouth to kiss them. She was soft and warm against his lips, reminding him of how he’d spent an entire night kissing every sensitive curve. His skin prickled where it touched her, the sudden rush of need to have her again rocketing through his veins like a shot of adrenaline.

Amelia’s reaction was just as potent. Her lips parted softly and she sucked a soft gasp into her lungs. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as his lips pressed to her skin and she leaned in to him.

He was going to enjoy this challenge. Pulling her hand to his chest, he leaned close. The air was warm and charged between them, her eyes widening and her pupils enlarging as he neared her. Her breaths were short and rapid, and her tongue moistened her lips on reflex. She wanted him to kiss her. Winning her over might be easier than he thought if she reacted to him so easily.

He pressed his lips to the outer shell of her ear and whispered in a low, seductive tone, “What do you say we seal the deal with a real kiss?”

When he pulled back, he noticed that a smile had lit Amelia’s eyes and curled her lips. She moved ever so slightly closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek.

“Sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’t kiss on the first date.”

Three

Amelia watched a flicker of emotion cross Tyler’s face before he leaned back and sighed. He seemed tired. The familiar blue eyes she’d looked into a million times were lined with fatigue, and the muscles in his neck and shoulders were tense. She didn’t know if it was the early flight, the stress of their marriage or the pressing worry of impending fatherhood that had him tied in knots.

She wanted to reach out and rub his shoulders to loosen him up, but she realized that probably wouldn’t help. She might be the reason he was exhausted, as she was refusing to play by his rules and making everything harder than he probably thought it needed to be.

“If you won’t let me kiss you,” he said at last, “will you at least let me buy you another cup of tea?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. She didn’t want anything else in her stomach. Right now, she felt okay, but she didn’t know how quickly the balance could tip. “I could actually use some air. This coffee shop is a little stuffy.” The combination of the heater and the smell of roast coffee were verging on overwhelming. Amelia loved the scent of coffee, but her tolerance was limited today.

She could also use a little breathing room from Tyler. She should’ve known he would shoot out from the starting gate at the proverbial sound of the gun, but she hadn’t prepared herself for the sudden assault. Nor had she been prepared for her body’s response to him.

“How about a walk?” Tyler suggested. “I know it’s a little chilly today, but the sun is out.”

That worked for her. Amelia always thought better when she moved anyway. Of course, that meant she might take three steps and realize she was a fool. If she was honest with herself, she already knew that. As she watched Tyler devour the last of his cinnamon roll and toss their empty cups into the trash, she felt the worry pooling in her already tumultuous stomach.

She had very nearly kissed her best friend just a moment ago. She’d covered her weakness with a joke, but for a second, it had been a very real impulse. The skin of her knuckles burned where he’d seared her with his mouth. Her heart was still thumping at double the speed. The goose bumps continued to stand tall across her arms. Fortunately, she was able to hide all that beneath her blouse and the jacket he was currently helping her into.

Kissing Tyler shouldn’t be a big deal considering she’d let him do a hell of a lot more only a few short weeks ago. But this time she was stone-cold sober, and she still wanted him. She supposed she should be happy about that fact. That was the path they were on now. She’d agreed to date him. Move in with him. They were having a baby—the best thing she could do was fall in love with Tyler. That would make everything easier.

But if she knew anything about relationships, it was that none of it was easy. Amelia wasn’t the kind to slip and fall in love. She was too analytical, too driven to find just the right guy. With over seven billion people in the world, the odds of running across the one who was meant for her were astronomical. Yet every day, happy couples came into From This Moment, ready to get married. Were they settling, or had fate really brought them together?

Fate had certainly thrust her and Tyler together. Did that mean he was the one she was meant to be with? She didn’t know. But whether dating him was a good idea or a bad one, she’d given her word to try. And almost immediately, she’d found her body was on board with the plan, even if her mind was resistant.

It was official—her life had spun out of control. Could she blame her reaction to him on pregnancy hormones?

Tyler opened the door of the coffee shop and they stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a brilliant robin’s-egg blue with no clouds to be seen. There was a cool breeze, but the warmth of the sun on her face made it worth the chill. Winter had been rough this year, pounding them with uncharacteristic snow and ice storms. Her coworker Bree had even been trapped in a Gatlinburg mountain cabin by a wicked winter storm just a few weeks before Amelia went to Las Vegas.

The weather in Nashville was usually pretty mild, but she was certain today was the first time she’d seen the sun since November. Having a taste of it made her look forward to the summer. She couldn’t wait for flowers, ice cream trucks, sandals, cute pedicures and spending a little time cooling off in her bikini at the pool of her apartment complex.

Wait, she thought. Summer might be very different this year. For one thing, she’d be four or five months pregnant, so the bikini was probably out. And based on their discussions, she wouldn’t be living at her apartment much longer. She was moving into a place with Tyler. At least for thirty days. After that, who knew?

Tyler tugged his leather jacket over his navy blazer. They were barely half a block down the road when she felt his fingers reach for hers.

They held hands a lot—in a goofy, best friend sort of manner. She and Tyler had always been physically affectionate in a nonthreatening way. At least, nonthreatening to her. The guys she’d dated had never cared too much for the male best friend she talked about all the time. They’d never believed her when she insisted they were only friends. Perhaps they’d seen something in the two of them that even she couldn’t see.

Amelia laced her fingers though his until they were palm to palm. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, holding his hand felt different somehow. Maybe it was the soft shudder that ran through her when his warm skin pressed against hers. Perhaps it was the occasional whiffs of his cologne that drifted past her nose. Or her sudden awareness of his body so close to hers. It was most likely that all three were combining to remind her of that night together—the one when she’d realized what he was hiding under those expensive suits, and that she couldn’t wait to explore every hard, muscular angle of it.

“This area has built up a lot since I was here last,” Tyler said, oblivious to where her thoughts had strayed.

“Yes. None of this was here when we first bought the land to start building From This Moment. Fortunately, it filled in with a nice residential area and some higher-end shopping centers. I wish I could afford to live closer to work, but we found a good spot between two really expensive residential areas, so it’s not happening. There’s not even an apartment complex anywhere around.”

“It’s nice. I like it. Close to the interstate, but not too close. Nearby shopping and restaurants. Not too congested. What do you think about looking for a place around here?”

Amelia turned to look up at him with a frown. “Did you miss the part where I said it’s really expensive?”

“Did you miss the part where I auctioned off a thirty-one-carat canary diamond at Christie’s auction house last month?”

He had mentioned it, but she hadn’t thought much of it. He was constantly buying and selling stones. “But it’s not like you made pure profit. You’ve got what you paid for it originally, company overhead, insurance, fees to Christie’s... If you got it recut, there’s that expense, too.” There had been a time in Amelia’s life when she’d known nothing about the world of jewels and gemstones. There had also been a time where she hadn’t owned any jewelry worth more than fifty dollars. Tyler had changed all that.

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