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“Because of all this.” She gestured to encompass the cabin, and she used that term sparingly because it was at least four thousand square feet. “You have money and can be careless when most of us can’t. Most of us have to be careful with every penny we spend and everything we do, because the consequences are too dire. And when you have a child, that becomes compounded exponentially.”
“Do you think I don’t have responsibilities?” he scowled.
“No, I do…it’s just we don’t really know each other, and we’re both making assumptions about the other.”
“I agree. For this to work, lass, we’re going to have to spend some time getting to know each other.”
“Yay!” Maddie clapped.
They grinned at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “Let me get her cleaned up and grab her playpen, then we can eat.”
“I’ll grab the playpen. You take care of her.” He set his coffee mug on the counter and strode away before she could argue.
She inhaled a deep breath. The man was potent. His presence made her forget herself and speak up. She closed her eyes. Not all men hit. Just because Ian had doesn’t mean Jasper will.
Freya cleaned Maddie’s face and hands, which, with a toddler who wants to be active, could be problematic. Jasper returned, hefting the playpen, and lord alive, but seeing all those chest and arm muscles in action, the way they rippled and flexed with his movements, left her wanting to fan her face.
She stood there frozen, lusting after him. She didn’t know what was more shocking, not being able to move or the fact that she was experiencing lust.
He glanced with a wry grin. “Problem?”
She flushed under his penetrating stare. “Uh, no, just thinking of everything we need to get done.” Even though they hadn’t really talked about the steps that came next.
“Why don’t I put on Sesame Street for Maddie so we can talk without being interrupted.”
“Fine by me. I’ll get the food out of the oven,” she said, hating how much she used the television to babysit her kid. But sometimes as a single parent, it was the only option when she wanted to get things done.
She pulled everything out of the oven, hoping the eggs weren’t too dried out, and got out two plates. She dished up the food onto her plate. But given she didn’t know how much Jasper would eat, she left the rest out for him to make his own plate.
Once they were both seated at the table, he said, “It’s good. Thank you for fixing breakfast.”
“Well, you are marrying me and giving us a nice place to live.”
“It’s not a requirement of our arrangement. But you should know we’ve got a delivery coming today with a bed, changing table, and highchair for Maddie, along with some other things.”
She opened her mouth to tell him he didn’t need to do that.
“Before you object, you need to understand that, as my wife, there will be certain expectations. My family would think it’s strange if they came to visit and your daughter didn’t have her own bed to sleep in. It’s just not practical to have her sleeping in the playpen all the time. She needs a bed, and I’m providing one. In fact, we’ll be setting up a room specifically for Maddie here, at the house in Denver, and then at the manor in Scotland down the road. I’ll be outfitting them with the things she needs. No arguments.”
She sighed, swallowing any objections she had, because they wouldn’t make a bit of difference. Not when his stance was as immovable as the mountains outside the windows. “Thank you. I don’t think you have to do that, but thank you just the same.”
“Good. As for you, I’ll be making a hair and nail appointment for you tomorrow morning in Denver. We’ve got an appointment after that at Bloomingdales because you need to be outfitted.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I have my own clothes.” She didn’t want to take money from him for clothes. She had far more important things to use her money on. Nor did she want to spend a boatload on clothing and have it deducted from the amount they’d agreed upon.
“I do. As my wife, you will be expected to look a certain way. Although I like your hair and don’t want that changed, so we’ll just have them trim it up a bit.”
“But I don’t want to spend money on that stuff.”
“It’s my money to spend.”
She opened her mouth to argue. He cut her off before she could begin. “Look, if you’re worried I will take it off what you will receive once the year is up, I won’t. I’ll even have my attorney add to the contract that any clothes, jewelry, and accessories you acquire during our marriage will be yours and won’t be deducted from the payout. But you must understand, if we attend functions or are spotted out, my wife will be expected to be wearing designer clothing. There will be functions for us to attend that are black-tie affairs, and you will have gowns custom made. It’s all part of the gig.”
Freya couldn’t believe her life. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was worried about whether they would still have a roof over their head today. And now she was being told she would be wearing designer couture. What a head trip.
“Fine. We can do all that.”
“Good. I’ve got some phone calls to make today. The delivery should be here about three.”
