Nine Months Part 2. BEVERLY BARTON

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СКАЧАТЬ she stared at the diamond, totally mesmerized, Jared removed it from its velvet bed. “Let’s make it official, honey.” He lifted her hand, slipped the ring on the third finger of her left hand and brought her hand to his lips.

      Paige tugged on her hand, trying to remove it from his grasp. He tightened his hold, then kissed the knuckle on her ring finger. She bit down on her bottom lip, whether in an effort not to cry or not to spit in his eye, she wasn’t sure.

      “Let’s open that bottle of wine Jared brought and make a toast to the happy couple,” Walt said.

      * * *

      Three-and-a-half hours later, Paige unlocked her apartment, opened the door and flipped on the light switch. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to spend the entire evening at her parents’ home and endure the drive back into town alone with Jared, without strangling the man. She had counted to ten a least a dozen times.

      God, he was such a manipulator. She could hear him now.

      “Austen, whenever you or Bryant want to take a few friends to Aspen, you’re welcome to use my condo.”

      “Wow, man, thanks!” Austen had been duly impressed.

      “And, Walt, I’d really appreciate your including me in your plans the next time you and your boys go hunting,” Jared had said.

      After dinner he’d raved to her mother. “Mrs. Summers, that was the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. And the peach cobbler was delicious.”

      The minute they’d gotten into her car, she’d warned him not to say one word to her. “I can’t drive and chew your ass out at the same time.”

      “Tsk-tsk, honey,” he’d said. “Your mother wouldn’t approve of your being mean to me, would she?”

      Paige had given him an evil glare. He’d grinned, but he had shut up and remained silent all the way into Grand Springs.

      Jared walked into Paige’s apartment behind her, closed the door and casually crossed his arms over his chest. “I like your family,” he said. “They’re good people.”

      “Yes, you’re right, they are good people. And I don’t appreciate the way you manipulated them tonight.”

      “And just exactly how did I manipulate them?”

      “You know damn well how.” Paige laid her shoulder bag on the coffee table. “You invited yourself to dinner when you knew I didn’t want you there. You told my parents that you’re the father of my child and that we’re going to get married.”

      “I am the father of your child. And sooner or later, you are going to marry me.”

      Crinkling her face into a disgusted frown, Paige threw up her hands and screeched. “I am not going to marry you. I thought I made that perfectly clear this morning. And I thought you agreed.” Paige removed her jacket and flung it on a nearby chair.

      “What you made perfectly clear this morning was that I had to take some drastic measures to persuade you that marrying me is the best thing for you and our child.”

      “It isn’t going to work, you know.” She kicked off her heels and slumped down onto the sofa. “Just because you charmed my family and put this—” she held up her right hand “—expensive ring on my finger, does not mean you’ve won.” She jerked off the ring and held it out to him. “Here, take this thing to the jeweler’s and get your money back. A ring like this isn’t my style, anyway.”

      Glancing down at the ring lying in her palm, Jared shrugged. “Well, that ring—” he nodded to the perfect six-carat diamond “—is my style, and it’s exactly what my fiancée would wear. So, you’re going to keep it. Besides, if you don’t keep the ring, you’re going to find it difficult to explain to your parents why you gave it back to me. After all, I’m their grandchild’s father, and I’m more than willing to make an honest woman of you.”

      “I understand now why you’re so successful.” Paige glared at him. He grinned. Damn the man! Damn him for making her stomach do evil flip-flops every time he smiled at her. “You’re manipulative and underhanded and conniving and deceitful and ruthless.” She laid the ring on a brass coaster on the end table.

      Uncrossing his arms, Jared strolled across the room toward the sofa. “You forgot to mention ‘determined.’ I never give up until I get what I want.” He sat down beside her, trapping her between him and the sofa arm.

      She tried to get up; he held her down. “You can’t force me to marry you,” she said.

      He pulled her into his arms. “No, but I think I can persuade you.” When he tried to kiss her, she thrashed around, twisting her head from side to side.

      Laughing, Jared released her and leaned his head back against the sofa. “You don’t want to disappoint your parents, Paige. They’re the kind of people who expect their daughter to be married when she has a child.”

      “I know what my parents expect,” she said. “But they wouldn’t think I was going to marry you if you hadn’t lied to them.”

      “Look, I like your parents. I wouldn’t intentionally hurt them. They’re warm, loving people and I envy you the life you must have had growing up in such a caring, supportive environment.”

      “I’m very lucky.”

      “Yes, you are. My parents were always too busy for me when I was a kid. My father didn’t have time for anything except working and chasing women. And my mother didn’t have time for anything except her social obligations.”

      “I’m sorry, Jared, you must have been a lonely little boy. Were you an only child?”

      “Yep, I was the only heir to the throne. But don’t feel sorry for me. I had everything money could buy.”

      Paige glanced over at her purse lying on the coffee table and thought about the sonogram pictures and video. Her family had been so excited about her “engagement,” she’d never had a chance to bring out the sonogram results. How would he feel if she told him about his child? If she did, maybe he wouldn’t be so eager to marry her. “You want a son, don’t you? An heir for all your millions.”

      “Of course that’s what I want. It’s what every man wants.”

      “You won’t get what you want if you marry me. I’m totally unsuitable to be L. J. Montgomery’s wife. You said so yourself. You need to follow through with your five-year plan and find another woman to give you a son. You see—” she looked him straight in the eye “—the baby I’m carrying is a girl.”

      “A girl?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

      “Yes. I had the sonogram today. Remember? I’m going to have a daughter, not a son.”

      “Well, I’ll be damned.”

      Jared had never for one minute considered the possibility that he might have fathered a girl. Hell, he’d never even thought about having a daughter. He had planned for a son. He had also planned to wait another five years to marry and produce an heir. But Paige Summers had changed his plan. He was going to marry now, instead of in five years. He was going to have to mold Paige into the СКАЧАТЬ