Crazy for You Page 14

  “I don’t want Charlotte to be—”

  “I understand, Jake. I do. But she needs to be at that meeting. We need to convince them that this pregnancy is a good thing.”

  “This is a good thing.”

  “Right. We can say that you are a family man. Show them how excited you are. How you’re a good guy that’s ready to settle down.” She nodded her head as if convincing herself. “I’ll call the brand director and set up an appointment. I won’t tell him the news over the phone. I think it’s best that we go to their office and have a conversation.” She leaned back. “You are so gonna pay out the ass for this overtime.”

  Jake noticed the bags under her eyes. She really needs some rest. “Sorry if I’m working you too hard. You should get some rest. Maybe take a vacation.”

  “Yeah, and then I’ll get a call on my cell with the news that you’re having quintuplets.” Shuddering, she typed something on her laptop. “No thanks. I’ll just wait until after the baby is born.”

  • • •

  Charlotte scanned her closet for something to wear. “What conveys that I’m just an average, normal girl who’s definitely not a gold digger?”

  Her eyes stopped on the green and black tunic that her sister had surprisingly shipped from some ritzy boutique in Alabama. She fingered the material. “I can pair this with leggings and boots. A cute scarf, maybe?”

  “You’ll look good in anything you wear. Stop overthinking it.” Jake’s strong arms gently wrapped around her middle. Although the bump was barely visible and looked more like the results from a junk food weekend, he still touched her stomach and spoke to Baby Bean.

  “I know, I know. But I just . . . I don’t want to screw this up for you.” She leaned against him. “I already messed things up by overestimating the birth control.”

  “I’m sorry but did you force me to touch and taste that sweet body of yours?”

  She turned to face him. “No, but I came to your place in a trench coat. Kinda hard for any guy to say no to that. And sure, we didn’t get pregnant then but it was the start of things.”

  “Hey!” His eyes darkened, and he cupped her cheek with both hands. “It’s not your fault. We created the beautiful bean that’s growing inside you together. I’m honored to have a child with you.”

  Smiling, she lifted on her toes to give him a kiss. “You’re a good man, Jacob Ross.” She kissed him again, deeply this time, and a burst of Columbian coffee and a hint of French vanilla creamer exploded on her taste buds. A glutton for his kisses, she stroked his tongue, and they kissed each other as if it were their last day on earth. Grabbing his shirt, she lowered her feet flat on the ground. “You’re also a dangerous man.”

  “I’m your dangerous man. And you’re my dangerous woman.” His eyes flashed with possession. “Go and get changed before I’m tempted to have my second breakfast.”

  • • •

  “Con . . . gratulations?” John Marshall, VP of Sponsorships, stared at a Jake and Charlotte from across the conference table. Skepticism covered his voice.

  Charlotte, Jake, and Gina sat on one side of the table while the VP and brand director sat opposite.

  The sandy-haired exec ran his fingers through his short, wavy hair. “I thought we had an understanding about our family brand? You’re acting as a role model to kids who want to wear your shoes.” He quickly flashed a look at Charlotte and then back at Jake. “Are you sure that—”

  “Very sure.” Jake’s voice was firm and serious, and her heart sped up. For once, she felt a part of a team. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

  Jake reached for her hand and gently tugged the pen away. She hadn’t realized the ink had popped and stained her fingers. Well, he’s the force on the team. I’m the benchwarmer. No longer. Charlotte needed to be strong for Jake and Bean. She would fight to keep his endorsement.

  She cleared her throat to grab everyone’s attention. “I assure you, gentlemen, this was a surprise—albeit a happy one—for both of us. I mean, look at me.” She did a Vanna White impression. “I’m not exactly a seductress.” She lifted her hand in the air and with the other pointed at the stain. “I’m so darn nervous about this meeting that I broke the pen you gave me. S-sorry about that, by the way.” She placed the broken pen on the table.

  “But this isn’t about me. It’s about Jake. He’s still the stand-up guy you chose to endorse your shoes and athletic wear. He’s the guy that talks to his nieces and nephews on the phone because they want him to do the grumpy-bear voice and no one does it like their Uncle Jake. He’s the guy that volunteers with the youth to make sure they stay off the streets. He’s the big brother to up-and-coming athletes that need a firm, yet gentle hand. He’s the . . . ”

  She chanced a look at his eyes, now swirling with emotion. She lowered her voice as she stared at him. “He’s the guy that sneaks off to help build the manger for the church play. Or sends an anonymous donation he thinks I don’t know about to the church when the heating unit went out.” She chuckled when Jake raised his brow, obviously surprised by her level of intel.

  She directed her attention to the VP and director and then took a deep breath. “You won’t find a finer man than Jacob Ross, and I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be the mother of his child. You want someone to represent your family brand and he’s perfect. Mark my words, Jake is going to be a wonderful father.”

  Jake smiled and squeezed her hand. “Do you see why I’m crazy about her?”

  John gave them both a relieved smile and then leaned over to shake her hand. He hesitated, scanning her hand.

  “Don’t worry. This is the ink-free one.” She smiled and held out her right hand.

  “I’m sorry for misjudging you.” He released her hand and offered a shake to Jake. “For misjudging both of you. I’ll have to speak to our CEO and maybe even the board for final approval, but I think I should be able to convince them.”

  Jake nodded and gave him a smile. The brand director nodded his consent and focused on Gina. “Why don’t you and I get together and brainstorm the new direction?”

  Gina nodded pulled out a notepad. “I’ve got a few ideas already. I can meet now if you want?”

  “Perfect. Jake and Charlotte? It’s been a pleasure and congratulations.”

  They stood.

  Jake cleared his throat. “Thank you for hearing us out.” He shifted his attention to his agent. “Gina, I’ll be in touch later.”

  Grabbing Charlotte’s hand, he rushed them outside of the building.

  Charlotte tilted her head up as they walked to the parking deck. “Do you think they’ll keep you on?”

  Jake smiled and nodded. “For a minute there, I didn’t think they would. But you were so convincing.” Clicking the button to his car alarm, he walked her to the passenger side and opened the door. Once he was settled into the driver’s seat, she grabbed his hand and leaned in to whisper, “I meant every word.”

  Jake’s strong, calloused hand gripped the back of her neck. His fingers lightly scraped her scalp, sending delicious tingles down her spine. “You and me, angel. We’re a team, and we can handle anything life throws our way.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Charlotte pulled a variety of direct mailers, bills, and coupons from her mail cubby. A large, plain white envelope caught her attention. Hmm . . . no address. Weird. She opened it.

  STAY AWAY FROM JAKE OR YOU AND YOUR BABY WILL DIE!

  A chill wrapped itself around her spine. Her fingers shook as she held the note made from cut-out magazine letters.

  Baby. Jake. Die? A white-hot ball of fear swelled in her chest and slithered up her throat. She glanced around. Who knew about her pregnancy?

  The noises from the center faded away. She could only hear the desperate and shallow gasps of breath that far too quickly escaped her lungs. Her head swam. Dizzy. Need to sit. Instead of following her advice, she scanned the room from left to right, trying to figure out the culprit. Only teens and a fe
w volunteers were scattered on the green turf, playing indoor soccer.

  Self-preservation finally kicked in, and she stuffed the letter into the envelope. Rushing to her office, her first instincts were to call the police, but the pregnancy hadn’t been announced to the world yet. She could still hide the baby bump.

  Closing the door behind her, she tossed the letter on the desk and then grabbed her phone. Her trembling fingers pressed Jake’s name.

  “Pick up, please . . . pick up.”

  “Hey, angel.” His deep-voiced greeting immediately lessened her erratic heartbeat.

  “J-Jake,” she whispered. “Someone knows about the baby. They sent a note with cut-out letters, you know, like the stuff in the movies where they cut out magazines to send messages, and I—”

  “Slow down, baby. You aren’t making sense.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’m in the office, at Refurbished Dreams. There was a plain white envelope in my mailbox. I opened it up, and it said . . .” She stared at the envelope and squeezed her eyes shut. “That I have to stay away from you, or they’ll hurt our baby.” She gasped for breath as an onslaught of emotions attacked her. She put a protective hand over her stomach. “They threatened Bean’s life, Jake.” She hiccupped and gulped down hot tears ripping their way up her throat.

  “Go to Damien’s office and wait there. Do not stop to speak to anyone. I’ll be there in, shit, a half-hour if I can help it. Stay strong, baby. It’ll be okay.”

  After hanging up, Charlotte rushed into Damien’s office, stopping short after stumbling on him and Melanie in a passionate embrace.

  “Charlotte?” Damien said over his wife’s mop of curls.

  Charlotte shook as she plopped into one of his visitor chairs. “Jake told me to come here. I . . . we’re in trouble, and he doesn’t want me to be alone.” I don’t want to be alone.

  Wringing clammy hands in her lap, she continued. “I’m pregnant. Melanie and Tiana already know.”

  Damien furrowed a brow and swung his attention to Melanie, giving her a look that conveyed, “We’ll be talking about this later.”

  “Don’t be mad. I asked her not to tell you yet.” Raising her head, Charlotte locked eyes with her boss. “But there’s more.” She recounted the entire story, minus the fake relationship—the pregnancy surprise, the high-risk danger for her and Baby Bean, and the Threx decision, and now, the threat.

  Damien cracked his neck and folded his arms across his chest. “A stalker . . . dammit. We’ll take care of you, Charlotte. You aren’t alone.”

  Of course, I’m not alone. I have Jake.

  Melanie slid into the seat beside her and massaged her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Charlotte shifted her attention back to Damien, now pacing behind the desk. “We’ll need to hire security.”

  “No, Damien.” Charlotte shook her head. “We don’t have it in the budget, and besides—”

  “Not an option. I’ve been thinking of getting security anyway for our celebrity volunteers.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, Charlotte.” Melanie squeezed her hand. “We need to keep you safe, and this is non-negotiable. Now, let’s wait for your handsome boyfriend and come up with a plan.”

  “Handsome boyfriend?” Damien’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “You’re not supposed to notice anyone but me.”

  “Sure I don’t.” Melanie rolled her eyes. “You’re the only man who is attractive to me,” she said in a dull, robotic voice.

  Charlotte surprised herself with a giggle, and then her giggles turned into hysterical laughter. I’m cracking up.

  Melanie’s smile dropped. “We’ve got you. You’ll be safe here. I’m sure we can figure out a solid plan for when you’re at home.”

  “You’re moving in with me.” Jake’s voice boomed from the doorway.

  • • •

  Charlotte shot out of her seat and ran into his arms. He breathed a sigh of relief, and the grip around his heart eased. Stroking her hair, he whispered, “You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you or Bean.”

  Nodding, she stepped back. “I know.”

  He sat in the vacant seat beside Melanie and pulled Charlotte onto his lap. “Thanks for looking after my girl.”

  “Of course. Charlotte is family,” Damien replied gruffly. “I guess congratulations are in order.” He gave Jake a pointed look, much like a scary dad who found out someone knocked up his little princess.

  “Thanks.” Jake’s voice was flat and invited no further questions.

  Damien apparently hadn’t gotten the memo because he questioned further. “So what are your intentions with our Charlotte?”

  Jake’s temperature spiked. “Charlotte isn’t your anything. She’s mine. And I protect what’s mine. But to give you peace of mind, because she cares about what you think, I intend on protecting her and our child.”

  Melanie, ever the peacemaker, smiled at them. “We know you’ll take care of each other. We were just discussing security here, but the bigger issue is Charlotte’s protection outside of work. Thank God the season just ended, but I’m sure you guys will start pitch practice soon.

  “I’ll change my schedule to train around Charlotte’s work.” He rubbed her thigh. “How about I pick you up here every day?”

  She sighed.

  He squeezed her hips. “I know this isn’t ideal, but please do this for me. For Bean.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t ideal, but this isn’t just about me. It’s for the safety of Bean.”

  He kissed her cheek. “That’s my girl.”

  She gave his hand a squeeze.

  “I had to call Gina and Mark to let them know what was up.”

  Charlotte groaned. Ever since Gina’s blowup about the pregnancy, Charlotte wasn’t a fan of his agent.

  “Sorry, baby, but it’s important. We’re gonna have to call the police. The news will leak soon, so I’ll probably need to do a quickie press conference.”

  “I don’t want to announce it just yet, Jake. Women already hate me, especially this stalker.”

  “I’m going to announce this by myself. You will be safely tucked away in our apartment with security detail.”

  “It’s okay. We’re a team. I’ll go with you.”

  “No, you won’t.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “No more stress for you. We have to contain this as best as we can. I’ll make the announcement and ask for privacy—”

  “Which the paparazzi will totally ignore.”

  “Yes, but we’ll keep you under the radar. Now let’s call the cops.”

  • • •

  Charlotte moaned as Jake massaged the soles of her feet. Nearly four hours and hundreds of questions later, she’d finally finished her statement to the police.

  Tomorrow was going to be a long day, too. Jake would be announcing their pregnancy, and she would be working from home. He’d quickly hired a security detail based on Gina’s recommendation. They’d be arriving bright and early at six a.m. to discuss procedures. Pressure built and settled in the middle of her forehead. When did life get so crazy? And now Jake wanted her to move in with him.

  “Let’s get you to bed. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

  Charlotte wiggled her toes when he stopped the massage. “No, you’ve got a big day. I’m just going to sit in your apartment surrounded by big dudes I don’t know while the media slaughters you with uncomfortable questions.”

  Jake shrugged. “They aren’t so bad. They’ve got a job to do. And to be honest, I’m more concerned about the stalker. Maybe the media following us isn’t such a bad thing. That’ll leave less opportunity for the stalker to get to you.”

  Charlotte shook her head. No matter what he said, she would never be a fan of the spotlight and downright rude questions. She pivoted the conversation instead of getting into a winless debate. “Have you heard back from Threx?”

  “No final decision yet.” He scooped her into his arms. “I’ll leave t
hat worry for another day. Right now, my focus is on you and Bean.” He carried her to his room. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  • • •

  She was shacking up with a man. Charlotte stared at herself in the vanity mirror, waiting for lightning to strike. Big Mama rising from the grave to whoop her granddaughter’s tail wasn’t out of the question.

  “I have no choice,” she whispered before brushing her teeth. Would Big Mama understand? Charlotte wasn’t so sure. Her grandmother had loved her dearly, but the God-fearing woman would’ve been disappointed to learn her granddaughter was “living in sin.”

  Pregnant, and now living with my lover. Shame seeped into her body, and her shoulders drooped. Big Mama’s feelings should be the least of her worries. A stalker was on the loose. That and a now curious-and-determined media hounded her every move. Oh, not to mention heartbroken fans, both women and men, who predicted she would be Jake’s downfall. Some commenter even compared her and Jake to Sampson and Delilah.

  “I think your teeth are clean by now.” Jake’s panty-melting voice distracted her.

  Leaning over, she turned on the faucet and rinsed out her mouth.

  Jake stared at her in the mirror. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” she lied and wiped her mouth. “Just got lost in thought.”

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her against his bare chest. His chin rested on her head, and she grew warm from the intimacy. His cool eyes were still focused on her, inspecting her, trying to read her. “I know I’m not the best roommate. I promise to pick up after myself on the days my cleaning lady is off. I’m happy to split cooking duties. And I—”

  “You’re fine. The best roommate I’ve ever had.”

  Jake gave her a quick grin. “You’re just saying that.”

  Charlotte twisted to face him. “Scout’s honor. My first roommate in college, Nympho Nancy, had loud sex at all times of the day. Sophomore year, my roommate played acoustic guitar and practiced nonstop. I called her Coffeehouse Carly.”