Page 22 of Bad Boy Husband

SADIE

J ameson spent half the morning on the phone, pacing like a caged lion and muttering about contractors, insurance adjusters, and historical integrity , like the townhouse was an elderly aunt in need of constant medical care.

He was worried about the roof caving in, horrified about the apparently ancient but terribly expensive building having sprung a leak like this, and steadfastly avoiding any mention of his precious vacuums.

I had the day off from the shelter. By the time Laney texted asking if I wanted to grab lunch, I jumped at the opportunity. Anything to get out of the splash zone of his anxiety.

“I’m going out,” I called to him halfway across his polished, cavernous foyer. Hooch was outside in the backyard, probably wreaking havoc, and my voice echoed a bit in a way that made me hyper aware of how sterile and minimalist his house really was. “I’ll see you later.”

Jameson’s head popped around the corner a moment later, those hazel eyes focused on mine as his dark eyebrows lifted. “Uh, okay, but how are you getting to wherever you’re going?”

“Excuse me?”

He held my gaze. “There are no cabs waiting in my driveway, Sades. No subway entrances or bus stops in too many miles.”

“Right.” I glanced out the window facing his front yard and realized that my days of simply running out the door were obviously over. “I’ll call an Uber.”

Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, typed out a quick message, and chuckled as he brought his gaze back to mine. “Steve’s on his way. He’ll take you. I would’ve gone to drop you off myself, but I’m just about to start filling out the paperwork I need to submit.”

“Okay, thanks.” I shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “As soon as I get my inheritance, I’ll buy a new car.”

He waved me off. “I have a few. You can pick whichever one you like. We’ll go by the garage this week, okay? I should’ve thought about it last night, but with so much going on?—”

“It was after midnight by the time we got here. No one blames you for not thinking about it then. I didn’t even think about it now. Not until you reminded me, anyway.”

He made a humming sound in the back of his throat but then inhaled deeply and nodded at the window. “Steve’s here. Have fun. Wherever you’re going.”

“Are you fishing to find out?” I teased, surprised by how easy it was to fall back into this rhythm with him whenever I wasn’t actively thinking about not doing it. “Lunch with Laney. I shouldn’t be back too late.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to tell me. I’m not your keeper.”

“No, but you might be my husband soon. It’s common courtesy, right? Letting the person who’s supposed to be your significant other know where you’re going so they don’t worry?”

He paused for a beat, head cocking slowly as if he honestly hadn’t thought about it that way. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll have to work on it, but I’m not going anywhere except the office today. I shouldn’t be home too late either. Not unless something comes up.”

I smiled. “See? We’re already learning.”

With that, I wiggled my fingers in a wave goodbye and left. My heart fluttered as I thought back to the glint he’d just had in his eyes. Somehow, Jameson Westwood was really serious about this, making our relationship work and becoming a good husband.

I genuinely hadn’t known what to expect from this trial month of ours, but so far, he had surprised me at every turn.

When I’d called him last night to let him know about the leak, I hadn’t meant for him to show up at midnight to fetch us.

I’d wanted to tell him about it because it was his property, and I’d been planning on sleeping on the couch with Hooch.

All the way to the restaurant where Laney had asked me to meet her, I contemplated just how different he’d turned out.

Watching him from a distance these last few years, I’d really thought he’d become an arrogant bad boy, a rebel without a cause who wore a smirk and a seven-thousand-dollar suit like armor and didn’t give a damn about the world around him.

“We’re here, Ms. Shepard,” Steve announced. When I looked up, I realized with a start that I’d gotten so lost in thought, I hadn’t even noticed that we’d arrived.

I cleared my throat and felt my cheeks growing hot. “Thanks, Steve.”

“No problem. Just text me when you’re ready and I’ll pick you up.”

Before I could reach for the door handle, he was out of the car and opening the door for me, and instead of arguing that he really didn’t need to, I just said thank you.

It was going to take some getting used to after all this time, but becoming a Westwood would mean accepting help from their employees with grace rather than resistance.

When I walked into the modest little cafe near her store, I shoved Jameson out of my mind. This afternoon was about spending time with my friend. I spotted Laney immediately but frowned when I realized she seemed slightly green as her gaze skimmed across the menu.

“Are you okay?” I asked when I reached her. “You don’t look so great. Morning sickness?”

She lifted her eyes to mine. “Try morning, noon, and night sickness. It never ends. Sterling says he’s sure it’ll be over soon, but I don’t know. It seems to have settled in for the long haul.”

“Should we just get out of here?” I offered. “We don’t need to be in a restaurant to spend time together, and frankly, I’m sure the staff would appreciate it if you leave before you hurl all over the table.”

She let out a bark of laughter but quickly snapped her mouth shut and shot me a pained grimace. After swallowing hard, she sighed and pushed her chair back. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go. I need ginger tea and my couch. This wasn’t a great idea. I’m sorry.”

“Why?” I chuckled. “I like your penthouse and I wasn’t hungry anyway.”

Sympathy rolled through me. Laney mumbled an apology to our server next.

I looped my arm around hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, half-dragging her out into the bright afternoon light.

As we spilled out on the sidewalk, I took the keys to Sterling’s prized jaguar and ushered Laney into the passenger seat.

Then I drove her back to their penthouse as quickly but smoothly as I could.

Once we were there, I took her purse and hung it up, fetched her some water and turned on the kettle for that ginger tea she’d mentioned. She collapsed on the couch with a groan, clutching her stomach like it was plotting her demise.

“Can I get you anything else?” I asked, feeling so desperately bad for her that I would have broken into a spontaneous dance routine if it would’ve distracted her enough to help her feel better. “When is Sterling getting home?”

“Tonight. Thank God.” She cracked a weak smile. “I never thought it was possible to miss a man so much, but I really can’t wait until he gets back.”

I laughed. “So it’s not true what they say about living with men, then? It’s not all ball-scratching, TV-hogging misery?”

“Not all of it.” She chuckled and leaned back, soft gray eyes studying me for a moment before she took a sip of her water.

Our companionable silence lasted only another beat after she’d swallowed.

To her credit, she hadn’t brought it up until now, but with the kind of careful curiosity only a true friend could pull off, she finally steered the conversation to my engagement.

“Shouldn’t you know that by now? You’ve been living with Jamie, haven’t you? ”

“Not really,” I admitted after a slow inhale.

“I moved into his townhouse, but he didn’t.

For some reason, he’s been insisting on sleeping at his main house.

Hooch and I slept there for the first time last night, and that was only because the townhouse sprung a pretty impressive leak.

We’ll be back there as soon as it’s fixed, I’m sure. ”

“Why?” she asked. “Why not just move into his main house?”

“I don’t think he really likes having people there,” I mused. “At least, that’s the feeling I got, but we’ll see.”

Laney frowned but seemed to realize I didn’t have answers about this. “How’s it been going otherwise? Full disclosure, Callum told me you and Jamie used to date.”

“Tattle tale,” I grumbled, but then I sighed and moved my gaze slowly back to hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I guess I got so used to keeping the secret that?—”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she said with a soft smile on her lips. “It must be making all this pretty difficult for you, though. I’m here if you need to talk.”

I hesitated, but I’d been desperate to talk to someone about this. Since Laney apparently knew the truth now, that meant I finally had someone to talk to who would understand. The next thing I knew, the words were just streaming out.

“It sure hasn’t been easy. I can tell you that much, but I don’t really know what else to say. Some days, I think all those old feelings are still there, but then I wonder what the hell I’m doing and why I’m putting my heart squarely back on the chopping block.”

“That’s fair,” she said. “Callum couldn’t tell me why it ended between you two back in the day, and we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I just thought I’d offer to listen if you do. I think it’s okay to be confused, though.”

Relief swept through me, so intense that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. “Yeah? Do you really think so? Because he seems so sure and so… not afraid.”

She chuckled. “Do you want to go look through my closet while we talk? I heard you guys were coming to dinner tomorrow night and you kind of look like you need something to keep you distracted while we’re talking about this.”

I shot up, feeling a bit like red ants were crawling underneath my skin. “That’s a great idea. I haven’t even thought about what I’ll wear. Most of my wardrobe consists of jeans that smell like wet dog and shirts that look like they’ve survived a nuclear apocalypse.”