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And now, to his own surprise, he’d thrown another ingredient into the mix. Melanie had made her initial proposal because that was who she was – practical. And now he’d thrown marriage into the deal because that was who he was – surprising to admit but maybe, deep inside, he was a romantic at heart.
“Get married?” Melanie looked like he’d suddenly grown a third eye. Her expression was a mixture of shock and horror. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious. I’m from a traditional family with traditional values and starting a family is something I do not take lightly.” He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "No marriage, no deal.”
“B…but you hardly even know me. Why would you want to marry me?”
Sloane almost laughed. “This, from the woman who asked me to give her a child. So it’s okay for virtual strangers to have a kid but weird for them to get married?”
That shut her up. Her face fell visibly as his point sank in. “But marriage…”
“Think of it as an arranged marriage. A marriage of convenience, if you will.” He shrugged.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” And she really did look flabbergasted, like the thought had never even crossed her mind. “But what about your lady…friends? I mean-” She stopped abruptly and her face reddened.
“I told you, Melanie, I’m a traditional man. Once I exchange vows, all of that ends.” His voice was firm as he spoke because he meant every word.
“But what about love?” she asked, her face pale.
“What’s love got to do with it? You’re an attractive woman and I hope you don’t find me repulsive. Many arranged marriages last a whole lot longer than ones where the players come together because of love.”
“But…what if you find someone and then…you fall in love?” Her voice grew faint as she spoke.
“And what about you?” he asked. “It’s a risk we’ll have to take. That is, if you think getting this child by me is worth that risk.” He raised an eyebrow as he watched the emotions flit across her face. “It’s totally up to you.”
She went from pale to pink then she drew in her breath and let it out slowly. He could almost see her business mind, her practical side, ticking away.
“Okay,” she said and this time her voice was firm. “I’ll do it.”
***
“You sneaky girl.” Emily Parker beamed as Melanie broke the news to her. “So all this time you were telling me you wanted a baby you had this up your sleeve and didn’t tell me? You naughty thing.” She reached over and pinched her daughter’s cheek.
“Well, not really,” Melanie began but she didn’t get a chance to go much farther.
“How did you both hide it? How long have you been seeing each other? He’s the first son in the Quest clan, isn’t he? Isn’t he the one with the reputation?”
The questions flew so fast Melanie couldn’t answer them all so she didn’t even bother to try. Instead, she leaned over in the sofa and put her arm up around her mother’s shoulder. “Mom, I just need your help on this. It won’t be big but I have no idea where to start. You’re the expert on these kinds of things.”
It was her mother who had organized her younger sister’s wedding, and Kayla had been so pleased that she’d convinced Emily to take on her best friend’s wedding, too. And their mother had loved it.
“The wedding planner will report to you, okay? Sloane says he wants nothing to do with it, outside of showing up on the appointed day. And me,” she raised her shoulders, “I’m hopeless with these things.”
“I know, dear.” Emily patted her leg. “You’re a corporate executive. You’ve got a lot on your plate. Just leave everything to me.”
“And Mom,” Melanie looked at her intently, “you don’t mind that I’m marrying the ‘enemy’?”
“Please.” Her mother rolled her eyes. “You can’t fight love, Melanie. You fell in love and that’s all that matters to me.”
‘Fell’ was right. In love was another matter. Of course, Melanie didn’t go there.
“Now how your father will react, that’s another story. But don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.”
They’d set the date of the wedding for the week after her thirty-fourth birthday, three months down the road, and had deliberately planned small so that everything could be ready in time. There was no way Melanie was going into her thirty-fourth year without being in the position to start working on the biggest assignment of her life, her baby project. And Sloane had agreed, thank goodness. She’d thought he would have objected to the rush, maybe even change his mind about the whole thing, but no, he behaved like the kind of man who, once he’d made up his mind, would go all the way.
The next few months went by with the speed of a flashflood and before Melanie knew it, she was walking up the aisle to stand by the side of her husband-to-be. This was all so surreal. Only months earlier she hadn’t so much as exchanged a word with Sloane Quest and now she was about to become his wife.
As they stood before the minister Melanie stole a glance at Sloane, so tall and handsome standing there beside her, and she could not believe her good fortune. A baby in her future and a desirable man to go along with it. Was she dreaming the whole thing?
And then the minister turned his attention to her and she knew it was all true. She, Melanie Parker, committed bachelorette and spinster, was about to become Mrs. Sloane Quest. “Do you, Melanie Parker, take Sloane Quest to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do,” she squeaked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation. This was forever. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?
“And do you, Sloane Quest, take Melanie Parker to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do.” There was no hesitation in Sloane’s voice and Melanie almost sagged with relief. At least he didn’t sound like he was regretting his rash move.
“I now pronounce you, man and wife.”
And then, just like that, it was over and the minister was telling Sloane he could ‘kiss the bride’.
As he turned toward her, Melanie drew in her breath and held it. Goodness. This would be their first kiss. And they’d have to do it in front of an audience. Was she that good an actress?
Quickly, before her nervousness became obvious to everyone watching, she closed her eyes and willed herself to relax as Sloane pulled her into his arms. His lips descended on hers and then he captured her lips in a kiss that was bold and masterful, one that left her in no doubt that he was in charge. This was not the chaste kiss she’d expected, a kiss just to satisfy a curious audience. He was kissing her like he meant it, like this was for real.
And to her chagrin, right there in front of the small gathering of well-wishers, her body began to respond to his domination. Instantly, her nipples hardened and her legs grew weak, and all Melanie could do was cling to the arms that were like steel bands around her.
When Sloane finally released her lips and lifted his head her eyes flew open and she found herself staring into his smoldering gray ones. With that kiss he’d rocked the ground she’d been standing on, but now she could see that he’d felt it, too. He wouldn’t be looking at her this way if he hadn’t.
And then the minister cleared his throat and the spell was broken.
The organist struck the chord for Mendelssohn's Wedding March and as she walked down the aisle and out of the church, her new husband holding her hand, she saw her family beaming at her and her mother had tears in her eyes.
And so it was that she came to the end of step one in her baby-making plan. Now it was on to step two.
But with all her past hang-ups, she just prayed she wouldn’t make a darned fool of herself in bed.
CHAPTER SIX
“It’s…beautiful.” Melanie stood in the middle of the huge and airy living room and turned around and around, taking in the rustic charm of Ian Fleming Villa with its furniture made of bamboo and reddish brown mahogany beams. An entire wall seemed to have been removed as the room opened out onto a lush and colorful tropical garden.
Sloane shoved his hands into his pockets but he was smiling at her. “I knew you would. That’s why I chose this place. Exotic, comfortable, and best of all, private.”
“But…it’s so lovely and yet I’ve never heard of it before.” Melanie crossed the room and went to stare past the palm fronds and green leaves of the almond trees to the brilliant blue sea stretching out before them. “This is a part of Jamaica I’ve never seen.”
