“I understand.” Amelia’s curiosity grew. What kind of job could this be?

  “Great.” Liam sat back and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Then I can tell you that⁠—”

  Just then, the door opened and the waiter entered. Liam fell abruptly silent. His firm gaze on Amelia told her in no uncertain terms that they needed to pause the conversation until they were alone. The waiter was carrying a large tray, on which Amelia spotted two endive salads spotted with cranberries and dressed with a green-colored vinaigrette. He set the salads on the table.

  “Your first course.” He smiled at Amelia and Liam, then exited.

  “What were you going to tell me?” Amelia asked. She was beyond curious.

  “All right.” Liam let out a puff of air. “I recently gained full custody of a little girl — a child I conceived with a woman I wasn’t in a relationship with. Anyway, her mother passed away, and care of the little girl has been passed on to me. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  Amelia froze. Liam had a daughter he hadn’t known about? He was talking about a daughter — right? — even though he hadn’t used those words. Amelia wasn’t sure how to react.

  “However, I am not… I am not able to be the parent she needs. And the fact that I am unmarried and have, well, an illegitimate child could create problems for my business.”

  Still, Amelia didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. The fact that Liam was currently a single father and that he’d had a child while unmarried didn’t bother her at all — she knew a lot of wonderful single parents. But the fact that he didn’t know what he was doing, even though he’d been a father for at least some time… and that he seemed mainly concerned with the impact on his business, not the welfare of his daughter… those facts made Amelia much less impressed with him.

  “So, you’re looking for a nanny.” Amelia finally found her voice.

  “Not exactly. As I mentioned, the care of the little girl isn’t the only issue at hand. Another matter is keeping my traditional investors happy. What I’m looking for is a woman who can become my wife, in name only, to help care for the child and to preserve my reputation. Ideally, that woman would be you.”

  Amelia’s mouth fell open. This was by far the strangest conversation she’d ever had. Was Liam really asking her to marry him? On their second meeting?

  Even though Amelia wasn’t much for romance, she’d always had a picture in her mind of how she might one day meet a great guy and get married. She’d imagined how he might get down on one knee on a cliff overlooking the ocean, take her hand, and ask her to be his forever. Now, Liam was actually proposing, and it was the farthest possible scenario from the one she’d imagined. They were overlooking an ocean, but that was where the similarities ended.

  Amelia was already shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Liam. I don’t know exactly how you thought this conversation was going to go, but I’m not going to agree to marry a man I just met, even if it’s just for show. Especially if it’s just for show!” She got to her feet. The salad course still sat untouched on the table, but wasting food was the least of her worries right now. “I wish you all the best with your situation.”

  “Amelia, wait.”

  She hesitated, then turned back to Liam.

  “I haven’t mentioned the pay.” Then he named a figure so astronomically high that Amelia’s mouth fell open once again. With that kind of money, she’d be able to take years off work — perhaps the rest of her life, if she were frugal.

  “That much?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Liam stood, too, and crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Amelia, I know this is a very unusual proposition. I know you must have misgivings. But please, hear me out.”

  With Liam standing so close to her, Amelia noticed how much taller he was than her. She noticed the definition of his muscles, the five-o’clock shadow on his high cheekbones, the line of tiredness beneath his blue eyes. She remembered the Cheerio on his slacks, which must have been from his daughter.

  “I’m sorry.” Amelia shook her head. “Even for that kind of money, it doesn’t feel right.”

  Yet, despite herself, Amelia didn’t walk away. She couldn’t bring herself to. Not yet.

  “I understand. But there’s one more thing that might change your mind.” Liam pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. After a few taps, he handed it to her. On it, Amelia saw a picture of a little girl. She was dressed in a pair of green leggings and a purple top. Her wispy blond hair was loose around her face. In one hand, she held a teddy bear. By Amelia’s estimation, she was around two years old, maybe a little older. She looked healthy enough, but her blue eyes, so like Liam’s, were unbelievably sad.

  “This is Grace.” Liam’s voice was low. “She needs your help. I need your help.”

  Amelia bit her lip. Then she let out a short sigh. “I still don’t love the idea of a fake marriage. Exactly how long would this last?”

  “No more than a year,” Liam said hurriedly. She could hear a change in his tone. He felt like he’d won — and he probably had. “We can draw up a contract. Whatever you need there to feel comfortable, we’ll add. A payment schedule, a specific end date — whatever is necessary.”

  Amelia looked down at the little girl in the picture and felt her heart ache. She’d agreed not to take another job that would take over her whole heart, but she needed to do this for the little girl.

  The money wouldn’t hurt, either.

  Nor would spending a little more time with Liam. Despite his strange approach to handling his sudden fatherhood, and his slightly abrupt nature, Amelia still found him intriguing.

  “Yes.” The word slipped out before she had time to fully consider it. She looked up from the picture of the child to meet Liam’s eyes. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  “You will?” The relief and hope on Liam’s face was overwhelming. It transformed his face from firm and businesslike to something else. “Thank you, Amelia.”

  “But we have to set some ground rules,” Amelia added firmly. “If we’re going to be… married… we should lay down the guidelines.”

  “Of course. I couldn’t agree more.” In one quick motion, Liam turned away from Amelia and returned to the table. “Please, sit.”

  Amelia followed him and sat back down. It felt a bit strange to be sitting across the table from Liam, their salads untouched in front of them, after the intensity of the conversation they’d just had. Amelia found herself picking up her fork and spearing a piece of lettuce. Liam followed suit.

  “We should establish who will need to be told that we’re married,” Amelia began.

  Liam held up a hand. “I’ve thought about this. Everyone. Rumors are the biggest thing that could endanger my career and reputation, so even one person knowing that we aren’t really together is too much.”

  “Even my family?” Amelia asked.

  “I suppose you can tell your close family members about our arrangement, if you can be sure they won’t speak to anyone. But your friends, everyone at my office — they need to believe that we’re really married.”

  “And just to be clear, are you asking me to pose as Grace’s biological mother?”

  “No, of course not. I don’t imagine anyone will ask, but if they do, we’ll tell them that Grace came from a previous relationship and that the two of us married relatively recently. If it doesn’t come up, we can let people believe that you are Grace’s biological mother, but I’m not asking you to lie about that.”

  Amelia took another bite of salad and chewed slowly, trying to give herself time to think. It seemed like a reasonable plan, although she struggled with the lie of omission — as well as the actual lying.

  “Okay. And when would you like me to start, as it were?”

  Now Liam looked a little sheepish. It was another pivot from the confidence she’d seen on his face before. “Well… today?”

  “Today?” Amelia couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “I really need help with Grace. She needs stability as soon as possible. And the longer we wait without you becoming my wife, the more chance there is for negative rumors to begin.”

  Amelia would have liked to say that she needed to give notice at a job or tie up loose ends in her personal life, but the truth was that she could start right away. And some part of her wanted to. With a sigh, she nodded. “All right.”

  “Really?” Liam leaned forward, those intense blue eyes focusing on her once again. His gaze made Amelia feel slightly tingly and very… visible.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s wonderful. After lunch, you can go pack up, and I’ll prepare your room.”

  “My room?”

  “Of course. People won’t believe you’re my wife if we aren’t living together. You’ll move into my apartment for the length of our agreement.”

  “Right.” Amelia’s head spun. This was all too real.

  Over the rest of lunch (which consisted of beautiful locally sourced dishes, just as Liam had said), they discussed the details. Amelia and Liam agreed on a timeframe, how she would be paid, and what would be expected of her. Yet Amelia didn’t really taste the lunch, nor did she process what they were agreeing on. One thought repeated in her mind, over and over. She was getting married and becoming a mother — in the strangest way possible.

  After lunch, Liam gave Amelia a card with his address on it.

  “Shall I send a car for you in a few hours?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll come on my own.” Amelia wanted a little extra time to process everything that had just changed in her life.

  “All right. Say around four?”

  “Okay.”

  They said their goodbyes, then Amelia set off towards home. She could have taken the bus, or even grabbed a cab (she usually shied away from the expense, but today was nothing if not a special occasion). Instead, though, she walked, enjoying the fresh air and calming her thoughts.

  By the time she was home, Amelia had made up her mind. This was going to be okay. It was a lot of money, and it was a good thing to do for little Grace. She just needed to be careful. She needed to keep an emotional distance between herself and her fake husband. She found him attractive, but she had to set that aside. She had to focus on the little girl.

  She could do this.

  CHAPTER 7

  AMELIA

  Amelia had always lived minimally, so she didn’t have a lot to pack. She swept a few changes of clothes and her toiletries into a carry-on-sized suitcase, added her laptop and a box of her favorite tea, and was ready to go. She would come back later to get more things, after she saw what was available at Liam’s house and what was needed.

  At the last minute, she grabbed a small stuffed polar bear that she’d purchased as a gift for one of her nieces. It would be a good ice breaker with Grace. Since her suitcase was already full, she tucked the bear under her arm.

  On her way out, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was dressed in the same professional attire she’d chosen for the lunch she’d thought was a date. It didn’t feel right anymore. So, she left the suitcase by the door, hurried back to her bedroom, and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt — her childcare-appropriate clothes.

  Liam’s address was a bus ride away from Amelia’s redbrick apartment building. She rode into the city, watching the buildings change from cute apartments and row houses to giant steel and glass behemoths. It seemed like Liam lived in the heart of the downtown business district. The bus chugged up a large hill, then came to Amelia’s stop. She disembarked, carrying her suitcase with her.

  Following the directions on her phone, she headed down the block, took a left, and stopped in front of a large, modern skyscraper. She checked the address, then checked it again. It didn’t seem possible that Liam really lived here, but the address told a different story.

  Amelia stepped into the lobby, where a doorman smiled at her.

  “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”

  “Um, yes. Thank you. I’m here to see Liam Bradshaw?”

  “Wonderful. I’ll just call him so he’ll send the elevator.”

  Send the elevator? That didn’t sound right. Did he have a private elevator?

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  The doorman dialed a number on his cell phone. A moment later, she heard Liam’s faint voice on the other end. Then the doorman nodded and hung up.

  “Thank you for your patience. Follow me.” The doorman led Amelia to the bank of elevators at the back of the building. They didn’t enter one of the elevators in the long row, but instead walked to the end, to a slightly smaller elevator. The doorman swiped a keycard, and the doors opened. “Step right in.”

  Amelia entered the elevator, then turned back to the doorman.

  “Thank you. Which floor?”

  “There’s only the one.” The doorman smiled kindly, and the doors whooshed shut. Sure enough, there was only one button inside the elevator, for the thirty-eighth floor. Amelia felt the elevator shift and begin to climb. It seemed that Liam did have a private elevator.

  Moments later, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors whooshed open once again. Amelia stepped out, expecting to see a hallway, and instead came face-to-face with Liam.

  “Oh! Hi!”

  “Hello, Amelia. Thank you again for coming.” Liam stepped aside and gestured for her to exit the elevator. Amelia stepped out, right into an entryway. It was neatly lined with a shoe rack and a few jackets on a hook. Amidst a sea of black and brown loafers and black jackets, Amelia spotted one pair of tiny pink sneakers. Those must belong to little Grace.

  She removed her shoes and set down her bag.

  “I’ll just take you on a quick tour, if that’s all right.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Amelia followed Liam out of the entryway. There were in a large, light-filled hallway, illuminated by a series of skylights. This must be the top floor of the building. As they walked, Liam pointed out other rooms — the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the study, his office, and a bathroom. When they turned a corner, he pointed out a series of bedrooms, including his own and Grace’s, before leading Amelia to another bedroom.

  “And this one will be yours.”

  Amelia stepped inside. The room was well-lit, but it was also starkly bare. The walls were gray concrete, as was the floor. The bed, which stood in the center of the room, was neatly made with a set of white sheets. There were no curtains, but Liam showed her how to press a button to bring down the blinds.

  “And that’s the tour.” Liam stepped back and smiled at her. “What do you think?”

  Amelia took a moment to gather her thoughts. What she really thought was that this place was opulent, elaborate, and a little sad. If she hadn’t known that Liam lived here, she would have thought this whole place was just a set on a TV show about rich bachelors. There were no homey touches at all — not a single colorful pillow or curtain or rug. The few pieces of art she’d seen on the walls were just abstract gray shapes.

  “It’s nice.”

  Liam chuckled. “All right. Well, since you’ll be living here, feel free to decorate your room as you see fit.”

  “Thanks.”

  Amelia left her suitcase in the room, and they stepped back into the hallway. Liam led her into the kitchen.

  “Let’s see, what else do you need to know… June comes on Tuesdays and Fridays to keep the place tidy. I also have a chef, but only on the weekends — since I’m mostly at work through the week, it doesn’t make sense to have her in every day. Would you like me to have her come in more often now that you’re here?”

  Amelia quickly shook her head. “That’s all right. I can handle some cooking.” Just how rich was this man? When he’d offered her a huge sum for the fake marriage she’d had a clue, but seeing this penthouse and hearing about his range of household staff really brought his wealth into focus. Amelia glanced down at her jeans and T-shirt. Maybe she should have stayed in her professional clothes, after all.

  “Of course, I also have our rings.” Liam reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet ring box, which he handed to Amelia. Amelia took it, feeling a little strange. Men didn’t often buy her jewelry. Inside the box was a gold band, set with a series of small diamonds that sparkled in the kitchen light. It was ornate and beautiful, exactly the kind of thing Amelia would have picked for herself.

  “Wow, Liam. This is gorgeous.”

  “I can’t take all the credit. The jeweler suggested which ring to buy.” Liam lifted his left hand to show a matching golden band, though a little wider and without the diamonds, on his own finger. “I have one, too.”

  Amelia bit her lip as she slid the ring onto her finger. “So, we’re married, then.”

  “Yes. There’s also some paperwork to sign, but I’ll bring in my lawyer tomorrow to handle all that.”

  “Okay.” Amelia couldn’t stop staring at the ring on her finger. Her words failed her for what felt like the hundredth time that day. But then, with a deep breath, she remembered what she’d decided on the walk to her apartment. She couldn’t let herself be personally affected by anything that was happening — not the beautiful ring, not the rush of warmth she felt when Liam was near her. None of it. What mattered was the child.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you, where’s Grace?”

  As if on cue, Amelia heard a sound from down the hall.

  “She was napping, but it sounds like she’s awake now.” Liam turned to Amelia. “Is she supposed to nap at this age?”

  “Yes, definitely yes.” Amelia stepped into the hallway. At the other end stood a little girl, impossibly small. She was wearing what looked like an overlarge man’s T-shirt and her hair was mussed.

  “Yes, the clothes,” Liam said from behind Amelia. “The social worker promised she’d send over some of Grace’s things, and they arrived this morning. But she refused to wear any of them, apart from the outfit she came in and these ‘pajamas.’ I’ll get you set up with a credit card, and you can pick out some new things for her.”