Page 32 of Pretend Wife (Angels of the Secret Order #4)

TWENTY-THREE

Hayden

“Are you ready to go?” Danielle asked from the doorway of the living room.

We were going to dinner at Sierra’s house to celebrate her birthday—apparently an event I had to attend every year if I wanted her to stay my assistant—and I was going to have to face Danielle’s brothers for the first time as her husband. In short, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the event.

“Only if I have to be,” I said.

Danielle shook her head and crossed the room to where I was sitting on one of her beanbag chairs. “Come on. The sooner we get there, the more brownie points you win with Sierra.”

She held out a slender hand to help me up, and my gaze zeroed in on the silver watch on her wrist. It wasn’t a cheap brand and looked like something I would have bought her if I thought she’d accept it .

Did she have that kind of money, or was she less opposed to receiving gifts from people who weren’t me?

The expensive accessory looked out of place with her turquoise sundress and white canvas sneakers, making me think it wasn’t something she’d bought for herself.

“Everything okay?” A frown carved furrows in her forehead. She was still waiting for me to take her hand.

I looked away from the watch, knowing the question of its origins was going to bug me for the rest of the day, and let Danielle pull me up.

After the hour-plus drive out of the city to the countryside of southern New Hampshire, we pulled up to Sierra’s house. The party was being held in the backyard, taking advantage of the nice spring evening.

A soft breeze blew Danielle’s hair back from her face, and I pulled her in close.

“Are you cold?”

Her dress had her signature slit up one side and short off-the-shoulder sleeves that left most of her arms and a good portion of her upper body exposed. It was a sharp contrast to the other women’s pants and sweaters.

“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “The cold doesn’t bother me.”

“You were supposed to say yes so I have an excuse to keep hugging you all evening.”

She laughed. “Like you need an excuse.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” I grasped her chin between my thumb and forefinger and pressed my lips to hers.

“You might want to keep it clean,” Danielle murmured. “My brothers are here. ”

I felt my brows climbing toward my hairline. “Your brothers are the kings of PDA.”

“True,” she said with a shrug. “But that doesn’t mean they want to see it from other people.”

“That’s their problem. I want to kiss my wife.”

She smirked up at me. “You’re only saying that because you know I’ll protect you.”

I laughed. “Damn straight I am.”

I would have kissed her again, but before I could, she was being pulled out of my arms by Sierra’s husband.

Nathaniel hugged her and whispered something in her ear, ignoring my presence completely.

“He’ll give her back, I promise,” Sierra said from beside me. “You can stop glaring.”

“I’m not glaring.”

“Yeah, you are.”

I turned my glare on her.

She only smirked in return. “I take it things are going well in paradise?”

“My love life is still not any of your business.” Sometimes I wondered if the only reason Sierra had taken the job as my head PA was to live out some fantasy she’d read about in a romance novel where she would be in charge of running my personal and dating life instead of my work schedule.

“Worth a shot,” she said with a shrug.

“Isn’t your own love life enough drama for you?”

“Nope. I am happily married and living in drama-free bliss.”

“And how did you manage that? ”

“A lot of drama in the beginning,” she said with a laugh.

“Great.”

“It’s worth it, I promise. Now be a good boss and wish me a happy birthday. If you hug me, Nate’ll probably give you your wife back.”

“Happy Birthday, Sierra.”

“Good job. That even sounded genuine.”

“It was genuine.” I might act like I didn’t enjoy being dragged to her birthday celebrations, but I did care about her and wanted her to have a good birthday.

“Now hug me.”

“I’d rather not die today.”

She laughed. “Stop being a baby and hug me.” A second later, she grabbed my hands and pulled them around her waist, leaving me with no choice in the matter.

Nathaniel made a low sound in his throat that sounded suspiciously like a growl, and then he was pulling Sierra away from me.

“See?” she said with a grin.

I shook my head, pulling Danielle back into my arms and holding her close.

Sierra dragged her husband away before he could say anything about me daring to hug his wife, and I let out a breath of relief.

“What did your brother want?” I asked Danielle as I watched them disappear around the side of the house to where the party was taking place.

“He was just checking in, making sure I was still happy with our marriage, offering to threaten your life, that kind of thing.”

“That’s very comforting.”

She placed a hand on my cheek. “Hey, it’s fine. I know they act overbearing and protective, but they don’t have anything against you. This is just how they show love.”

“I know. And I’m happy you have them in your corner.” It was the truth. Danielle’s brothers were scary as fuck, but I trusted that they’d always have her back, and the more people she had protecting her, the better.

“Come on, let’s join the party.”

Sierra’s backyard had been turned into a beautiful haven.

A canopy of lights were strung between the second-floor balcony and the trees that lined the perimeter of the yard, casting a soft glow over the space.

There were picnic tables and camp chairs set up in the grass and around a roaring campfire.

A blond boy who couldn’t have been more than five or six stood by the fire, glaring at it like it had offended him, while a younger girl with bright red hair held a marshmallow over the flames.

Samuel Torres, one of Danielle’s other brothers, stood with them, holding a blond girl in his arms and helping her roast her own marshmallow.

The scene was far more domestic than the birthday party at the club two years ago when I’d first kissed Danielle.

“Do you want a drink?” Danielle asked, pulling me toward the deck where coolers were lined up against the wall.

“On a scale of one to ten, what are the chances I can get through the entire night without being interrogated by your brothers?”

“Zero?”

“Lovely. In that case, I’ll definitely need that drink.”

She fished a beer out of a cooler for me and grabbed a can of seltzer for herself. “Relax, Hayden. This is my family. They just want me to be happy, and they’ll see that you make me happy.”

“Do I?”

“Is that a serious question? Of course you do.” She laced her fingers with mine and dragged me toward the campfire.

“Aunt Dani!” The redheaded girl, who had to be Sierra and Nathaniel’s daughter, shoved her marshmallow stick into the little boy’s hand and hugged Danielle’s legs.

“Hey, beautiful. How are you doing?”

“Good. We’re making s’mores.”

Danielle smiled. “You are?”

“Uh-huh. Dion’s helping me.”

The boy currently roasting her marshmallow looked over and narrowed his eyes at us. I narrowed mine right back at him.

“Hayden,” Danielle hissed.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Do not glare at my nephew.”

Of course the kid was related to one of her brothers.

“He started it,” I muttered under my breath.

“Really, Hayden? He’s five. Please try to be the adult here. ”

Trying to ignore the glaring kid, I focused on Danielle and the little girl who looked so at home in her arms.

“Nova, can you say hi to my husband?” Danielle turned so the girl could see me better. “This is Hayden.”

Nova stared at me with big green eyes, and I felt something tug in my gut. There was something about her innocence that made me want to protect her from the world.

“New uncle?” Nova asked in a whisper.

The tugging feeling increased. Oh shit. I didn’t know the first thing about kids or being someone’s uncle. It hadn’t once occurred to me that by marrying Danielle I would technically become an uncle to her brothers’ kids.

“Yep,” Danielle said. “Just like Aunt Piper.”

She nodded, then looked between Danielle and me and dropped another bomb. “You having a baby?”

“No.” Danielle shook her head.

“Why?” Nova asked.

“Because we haven’t decided if we want to have a baby.”

Did Danielle want kids? We hadn’t talked about it. I guess when you propose a temporary arrangement instead of a real marriage, there are some conversations that get missed.

I’d never wanted children. After I’d learned that Jacqueline’s son wasn’t mine, the idea of ever putting myself in a position where there was a possibility of losing a child again wasn’t appealing.

Actually, it was downright terrifying. Even letting myself love Danielle was a big step.

The idea of adding a child into that mix… I wasn’t sure how to do that .

But Danielle looked so at ease and natural with Nova in her arms. She would make an amazing mom.

“Hey.” Danielle broke me out of my thoughts. She reached over and squeezed my hand. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said with a smile I hoped was convincing.

She put Nova back down so the little girl could reclaim her marshmallow from Dion. And then she was putting her hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at her. “What’s going on?”

“Do you want kids?”

She blinked. “Um. Maybe we should have this conversation somewhere else.”

“Forget it.”

“No, I’m not going to forget it.” She led me to the sliding glass door that opened into Sierra’s kitchen. The whole bottom floor was an open concept with only a half wall separating the kitchen, dining room, and living room. It was beautiful, but not ideal for privacy.

Danielle pulled me through the kitchen to a large bathroom with a marble tub and double sinks. She shut the door behind us and flicked the lock.

When she turned to face me, she looked almost… guilty.

“Sunday School? What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath and gripped the counter behind her tight enough to turn her knuckles white. “I probably should have told you this before.”

“Told me what?” A spark of fear lit in my chest, and I braced myself for her words to shatter my life.

“I’m not opposed to having kids, but there’s a very good chance I won’t be able to. ”

“What?” I blinked. Of all the things I’d been expecting her to say, that wasn’t it.

She bit her lip and lowered her eyes to the tile floor between us. “It’s not that I can’t have them. It’s just that my chances of getting pregnant are significantly lower than the average person’s.”

I closed the distance between us and lifted her chin so she had to look at me. “Baby, I don’t care if we never have kids. I want you. And if all I have is you, that’s more than enough.”

“But do you want kids?”

“Not particularly. Up until a few months ago, I was one hundred percent against marriage. Kids were out of the question.”

“But what if you change your mind?”

“You really think hypothetical children I’ve never wanted are going to become more important to me than you? Do you think so little of me, Sunday School?”

“But—”

“No. There are no buts. I. Love. You. End of story.”

“Hayden…”

“Shh. Do you trust me?”

She let out a shuddering breath. “Yes.”

“Then trust me on this.” I released her chin and tucked a lock of her copper hair behind her ear.

My palm cupped her cheek gently as I brought my lips to hers in a searing kiss.

I poured everything I felt for her into it, trying to tell her without words that I was hers, that nothing could come between us.

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door .

“Danielle?” Nathaniel’s voice called through the wood.

She dropped her forehead onto my chest with a groan. “What?”

“Nova’s worried she upset you.”

“She didn’t upset me.”

“Open the door and tell me that to my face.”

“For goodness’ sake, Nate. You are so extra sometimes.”

“Not sure what that means, and I don’t really care. Open the door.”

She laid a hand on my chest. “Let me go. He’s not above taking the door off its hinges if we ignore him for too long.”

And people called me controlling.

With reluctance, I let go of her and stepped back so she was no longer wedged between my body and the bathroom counter.

Nathaniel stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, and his green eyes moved past Danielle to me almost instantly.

“See?” Danielle said. “I’m fine.”

“Then why are you hiding in my bathroom?”

“The idea was to be able to talk without being interrupted.”

“About what?”

“Nate. Stop it. This is my life, and I don’t need your help living it.”

His gaze snapped back to her face. “Do you remember when I told you to tell me if anything changed? ”

Danielle nodded.

“Has something changed?”

She nodded again. “I won’t be using the escape plan.”

“I figured.” He glared at me again. “You hurt her, and I’m going to kill you slowly and painfully.”

“Nate!” Danielle protested.

“It’s okay,” I said, not breaking eye contact with her brother. “If I hurt her, you have my permission.”

Nathaniel nodded once, and I thought I might have seen a hint of respect in his eyes. Then he turned and left without another word.

“Well, that was fun,” Danielle muttered.

“Did I pass the test?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her waist.

She let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, but Nate’s the easy one.”

“Really? I always thought he hated me the most.”

“He hates everyone. It’s not personal. Sam on the other hand… His dislike is personal.”

“And what did I do to offend him?” I’d first met Sam at a party Orlando threw in my penthouse nearly four years ago. He’d come as Piper’s date, and the two of them had left early. Since then, I’d only seen him at family things with the Amatos.

She ticked them off on her fingers. “You married me. You’re friends with Freddie, whom he’s never really forgiven for having a crush on Piper. I’m living with you. I’m sure I could come up with more if you give me a minute to think about it.”

“Wonderful. And how do I win him over?”

“You let Nate and the wives wear him down. Or you could get Micah’s blessing, but I have no idea when he’s going to visit again.”

“Is Micah the brother who comes for holidays or the one I haven’t met?”

“The one who comes for holidays. We should probably get back to the party before anyone else comes looking for us.” I had a feeling she was deliberately avoiding continuing the conversation about her brothers, but if she didn’t want to talk, I wasn’t going to push.

“Okay.”

We spent the rest of the night chatting, making s’mores, and trying not to trip on any of the kids who always seemed to be under our feet. Danielle smiled and laughed a lot, and her brothers didn’t actively threaten me again, so I figured that was a win.

I slid an arm around Danielle’s shoulders, and she leaned back against my chest like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like she belonged there and always would.