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“Sure.” Caden smiled, and when he did, Maggie’s heart skipped a beat.
There was something about the sound of his voice, his Southern drawl that put her at ease. When her and Caden’s kiss was interrupted by her mother’s summons earlier today, Maggie had had to assure her parents she wasn’t engaged to Caden for his money. She couldn’t believe they’d think that about her. To prove their concern they’d shared a recently recorded episode of MET’s tabloid show, Gossip with Gigi, on Spike and Heath Archibald. A footnote on the segment mentioned Caden and Maggie’s engagement. A few comments from the gossip hostess belittled Maggie’s vlogs as nothing more than a diversion for an independent socialite who was now going to marry one of the richest and most eligible bachelors in the nation. This charade was contributing to a picture of her as a do-nothing rich girl who needed a man to support her. Maggie needed the president’s position more than ever to prove everyone wrong.
They talked about the bus ride and who was who from what side of the family over fresh-baked bread brought by a young waitress before everyone got up to get in line for the buffet.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Caden asked after the room cleared as partiers went to the buffet. “You seemed a little distracted after talking to your par
ents. Did they say something to upset you? I’ll see if your father wants to talk after dinner.”
Maggie shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.” They needed to clear the air about a few things. “How are you enjoying yourself? I thought I saw you talking to Corie and Hawk before I came down.”
“Your cousin is very protective of you,” Caden said with a chuckle.
“She has her moments,” Maggie agreed in her own way. “When my cousins decided to break from their father’s business and start their own sports agency, I helped them promote it.”
“That’s kind of you.”
“Family looks out for one another,” said Maggie, watching a scowl across Caden’s face. “We haven’t really talked about it, but is there a reason you’re not close with your family?” Did she delve too deep? Maggie bit her bottom lip, wondering if she’d crossed the line. Caden’s smile lacked the warmth she was used to. “You don’t have to answer that.”
“Let’s just say it’s complicated,” he finally answered. “We’re not like you guys.”
“Oh, don’t let Auntie Bren’s look of love fool you,” Maggie said cheerfully. “That woman is as ornery as they come. Mean too.”
Caden shook his head in disbelief. Others began to return from the line. “That woman? She’s as sweet as cane syrup.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing my aunt this happy. But she wasn’t before finding Oscar again. And she never appreciated my lifestyle.”
“Because you were the social media queen?”
A stab made Maggie’s heart ache. Was that what he thought of her as well? “Maybe,” Maggie answered with a short shrug of her shoulders. “She’s usually grumpy and mean, and since becoming a senior citizen she doesn’t mind speaking her mind. I just speak mine back to her.”
Caden’s perfect, kissable mouth dropped open in disbelief. “What? She’s so sweet. She’s been introducing me as your fiancé all afternoon.”
“That’s because Auntie Bren knows this is a charade.”
“How?”
“She was in the dining area at the bakery that Saturday you showed up to help me. She knows there’s nothing between us.”
Though a few family members trickled in, being alone at the table with Caden felt as if they were the only ones in the room. The air between them changed. It was thick with a tension she’d never felt before. It became quiet, just a pounding between her ears as Caden reached across the white cloth and took Maggie’s hand. Shivers of delight sprinkled down her spine. Why was he affecting her like this?
“There’s something between us,” he said softly. A faint trumpet joined the serenade from the grand piano in the other room. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling it, especially today. I can’t explain it, Maggie, but I enjoy you being by my side, and when you’re not...” His shoulders gave a slight shake. “I don’t know. I just like being with you. I’m not really good at this. I just need you all the time.”
The breath left her body. In her past she’d been wooed by men, been called beautiful before by other men, even wined and dined, had had sweet nothings whispered in her ear in French, Swahili, Spanish, and in Italian, but with just a mere look from Caden, she felt a deep desire in her bones. Not knowing what to say, Maggie gulped. At her silence, he continued.
“Look, I know you are a former beauty queen and celebrity in your own right, but I’m talking about the beauty I’ve gotten to know over the last week, the internal beauty.”
“You really don’t have to say this,” Maggie said. She started to pull her hand away, but he held on. There was already a smitten look in Caden’s dark eyes. This was not what she needed. They were working together. This was a charade. But damn, it felt good.
“But I do.” His fingers traced the ring he’d placed on her finger earlier. “I messed up what I was trying to say on the bus. Being here, with you, has me out of sorts. I don’t do this.” He waved his hand around the room.
“Do what?” Curiosity got the best of her.
“I never go to weddings.”
The server came over with more bread. Maggie felt her surprised smile freeze on her face, frozen like the glorious paintings on the wall. The fresh bakery smell wafted her senses back. “When you say never, you mean you don’t like them.”
“I’ve been to them as a kid and teenager,” he started, “but as a rule, I don’t go to them.”
