The Christmas Wife (5 page)

“Mrs. Stone can I get you a coffee?”  She asked.

The old woman shook her head and Claire turned her attention
to Brandon.  “What about you, Brandon?”

“Who the hell are you?”  He repeated.

“I told you, I’m Claire,” she said.  “And you’re kind of
right in that I cost your cousin an arm and a leg.”

Brandon gave his grandmother a look of triumph that slowly
faded as Claire winked at him and said, “I was Deacon’s maid.”

“You’re fucking the goddamn maid?”  Brandon said.

“He is,” Claire said cheerfully.  “For nearly a year now.”

She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down beside
Rosa.  “It was actually love at first sight for Deacon but it took a while for
him to convince me.  Naturally I didn’t want to lose my job, and I was worried
that my boss would fire me for sleeping with a client but the heart wants what
the heart wants, right?”

Rosa grinned at her.  “Yes.”

“So, I finally let Deacon sweep me off my feet but I did
make the poor man keep it under wraps.  He’s been a real sweetheart about it,
meeting me for secret dates and not telling a soul about us,” Claire said. 
“Can I tell you a little secret?”

“Please do,” Rosa said.

“I actually sort of liked the forbidden love aspect of it. 
It had a bit of a clandestine and dangerous feel to it and you can imagine as a
maid, I don’t get a lot of danger in my life,” Claire said.

Rosa laughed and Claire smiled delightedly at her.  “I bet
you know exactly what I’m talking about, Mrs. Stone.”

“Perhaps,” Rosa agreed.

“Anyway, after a year it started to feel less ‘dangerous’
and just annoying to hide how I felt about your grandson so I said to myself, ‘Self? 
Why are you hiding your love for this man?  Why shouldn’t you tell your friends
and your daughter how much you love him?’ and I quit my job so I could be with
him.”

“Daughter?”  Brandon said.  “You have a kid?”

“I do,” Claire said.  “Her name is Hattie.”

“So you quit your job,” Rosa prompted.

“I did and that very night, Deacon proposed to me.”

She held her hand out and showed Rosa the ring.  “He gave me
his mother’s ring.”  Her bottom lip trembled and she blinked back the tears. 
“I cried like a fool and even now, I get a bit teary-eyed thinking about it.”

Rosa studied her closely and Claire waited patiently. 

“When are you getting married?” The old woman finally asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Claire said.  “We’re just going to
city hall.  I’m a pretty low-key girl and – “

Brandon barked harsh laughter.  “You have no idea the way my
cousin has snowed you.”

“I’m sorry?”  Claire raised her eyebrow at him.

“The love of your life,” Brandon sneered, “happens to need a
wife by tomorrow.  And you – “

“I know all about that,” Claire interrupted.  “Deacon told
me about it, let’s see – was it two weeks or three weeks after we started
dating, honey?”

Deacon smiled at her.  “Three weeks.”

“That’s right.”  She grinned at Rosa.  “I must confess I’m a
little impressed by the lengths you’ll go to make sure your grandson finds
love.”

“Thank you,” Rosa said.  “You’re the only one who sees it
like that.  This one thinks I’m just trying to punish him.” She pointed at
Deacon.  “He doesn’t seem to understand that the public wants to see a man who
is the head of a toy company with a wife and a family.”

“Oh, I completely agree,” Claire said.  “I think it’s much
better for business.”

“So you know about his burning need to find a wife by
tomorrow and naturally you’re going to just marry him,” Brandon said
sarcastically.

Claire gave him an odd look before moving to Deacon.  She
sat on his lap, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pressing a soft kiss
against his cheek.  “Well, of course I am.  I mean, we were going to get
married anyway, why wouldn’t I help the man I love save the company he’s worked
so hard for?  Not every woman needs a big, fancy wedding.”

Deacon smiled at her and put his arm around her waist.  He
stroked her hip and nuzzled her neck affectionately.  “And I love you for it,
sweetheart.”

“I know.”  She rubbed his chest playfully.

“Grandmother, tell me you’re not falling for this,” Brandon
said desperately.  “You can’t really believe that Deacon has been secretly
dating his goddamn maid for the last year.  There’s no way – “

“Hello,” Hattie wandered into the kitchen, her truck planted
firmly under her arm, and leaned against Claire’s legs. 

“Hattie, this is Deacon’s grandmother, Mrs. Stone, and his
cousin, Brandon.  This is my daughter Hattie.”

“Hello, Hattie.”

“Hello, Mrs. Stone,” Hattie said. 

Rosa held her hand out.  “Come here, my darling.”

Hattie set her truck down before standing in front of her. 
Rosa took her hands.  “Aren’t you the prettiest little girl?”

“Thank you,” Hattie said.  “Why do you have that stick?”

She pointed to the cane that was resting against the table
and Rosa smiled at her.  “My legs don’t work as well as they used to, I’m
afraid.”

“Oh.”

“Now, I bet when you grow up you want to be a ballerina. 
Don’t you?”  Rosa said.

“No,” Hattie said.  “I’m going to be a firefighter and a
rock climber.”

“A firefighter?  That’s awfully dangerous,” Rosa said.

Hattie shrugged.  “I’m not afraid.”

“You do look very brave.  Are you happy that your mama is
marrying my grandson?”

Hattie shrugged again.  “I guess so.  He said that he would
talk to Santa about bringing me a remote control truck.  He knows him
personally.  Do you know Santa?”

Rosa smiled at her.  “I’ve met him a time or two.”

“Really?”  Hattie gave her a delighted look.  “I’ve met him
too!  Mama took me to the mall last year and we waited in line forever to see
him.  He was really nice and I told him I wanted a bicycle.  He said he would
bring me one but he didn’t.”

She glanced at her mother.  “Mama said that he probably
didn’t have enough room on his sleigh for it but that maybe next year I would
get one.  I did get that truck though.”  She pointed to the truck that was
sitting on the floor.

“I like it but I hope I get a bike and a remote control
truck this year.  Mama says that there are so many kids in the world that Santa
only gives one toy to each kid but I’ve been really good this year so maybe
he’ll bring me both.”

“I’m sure he will,” Rosa said warmly.

“What did you ask him for?”  Hattie leaned against Rosa’s
leg.

“Honey, you shouldn’t lean on Mrs. Stone like that,” Claire
said.

“I don’t mind at all,” Rosa said.  “In fact, why don’t you
sit on my lap, my darling?”

“Sure.”  Hattie climbed into her lap and smiled at the old woman. 
“What did you ask Santa for?”

“Well, I asked him to bring my grandson a wife and a sweet
little daughter.”

“That’s weird,” Hattie said.

Rosa laughed.  “Perhaps but it looks like Santa heard me. 
He has you and your mama, doesn’t he?”

“I guess,” Hattie said.  “But he’s not my daddy.  He’s my
step-daddy.  I already have a daddy, don’t I, mama?”

“Yes, honey.”

“Do you see him often?”  Rosa asked.

“No,” Hattie said.  “He’s a very busy man and when I was
just a baby he had to leave mama and me.”

“That’s very sad.”

“It is,” Hattie agreed.  “Mama says he doesn’t know what
he’s missing.  She says I’m wonderful.”

“I think you’re wonderful too.”  Rosa hugged her and Hattie
patted her wrinkled cheek before sliding off her lap.

“Mama, I’m hungry.  Can I have pancakes for breakfast?”

“Yes.”  Claire stood and Deacon frowned at the odd twinge
that went through his stomach at her sudden absence.  It had felt good to have
her sitting on his lap.

“Mrs. Stone, Brandon, would you like to join us for
breakfast?”  Claire asked.

“Oh, I’ve already eaten.”  Rosa stood and grabbed her cane. 
“Brandon, we should get going.”

“Grandmother, I’m not – “

“Brandon, enough,” she said sharply.  “It’s time to go.”

Claire took her hand and squeezed it lightly.  “It’s so
wonderful to finally meet you, Mrs. Stone.  I was wondering if you would join
us at city hall tomorrow for the ceremony.  It won’t be long and we’re keeping
it small – just Hattie, my friend Ellen and Deacon’s friend Jude, but both
Deacon and I would love it if you would be there.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Rosa said.

“Good,” Claire replied.  “The ceremony is at two.”

“Grandmother, I’ll send a car for you, alright?”  Deacon
said.

“Thank you.  And afterward, you and Claire and Hattie will
come to the house.  We’ll have a small reception.”

“No, grandmother, you don’t have to – “

“Hush, Deacon,” she said.  “We’ll invite a few friends and Claire
and Hattie can meet the rest of the family.”

“That sounds great, Mrs. Stone.  Thank you.” Claire said. 

“Please, dear, call me Rosa.”  The old woman stopped in
front of Hattie.  “It was lovely to meet you, Hattie.”

“It was nice to meet you too, Mrs. Stone,” Hattie said.

Rosa smiled at her.  “My darling, you must call me nana from
now on.  Alright?”

“Okay,” Hattie said agreeably.

Claire rubbed Deacon’s arm when he snaked it around her
waist, and leaned against his hard warmth as Rosa and Brandon headed for the
door of the kitchen.  “Good bye, Brandon.  It was so nice to meet you.”

He glared at her and her grin widened as he followed Rosa
out of the kitchen.  The front door closed and Claire smiled at Hattie.  “Why
don’t you take your truck upstairs to your room and wash your hands while I
start on the pancakes.”

“My hands are already clean.”  Hattie showed them to her.

“Go on, Hattie,” Claire said.  “No arguing.”

“Fine.”  A small pout on her face, Hattie picked up her
truck and trudged from the room.

There was silence for a moment and then Claire said, “That
went well, I think.”

“Went well?”  Deacon still had his arm around her, his hand
resting on her hip, and she craned her head to stare up at him.

“You don’t think it did?”

“Claire, that was – I mean – you were fucking brilliant,” he
said softly.

She laughed.  “I told you I was a good actress.”

“Good?  You deserve a fucking Oscar for that performance,”
he said.

“That’s maybe going a little overboard,” she laughed again
and he grinned down at her.

She didn’t think he realized that his hand was caressing her
hip as he said, “Hell, Claire, by the end of it even
I
was believing we
were in love.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth and she wet her lips nervously
as his eyes darkened to jade.  His hand squeezed her hip and she parted her
mouth encouragingly as he leaned toward her.

Abruptly he pushed away from her and stared at the floor. 
“Listen, I’m sorry about earlier this morning.  I know I was a bit, uh,
inappropriate with my hands and I promise that won’t happen again.”

“It’s fine,” she said as her cheeks reddened.  “It actually
worked out pretty well in terms of convincing your grandmother that we’re, you
know, in love.”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“How did she get into your house, by the way?”

“She has a key.”

“Should we be expecting her to just walk in on us all the
time?”  She asked.  “Because if so, sleeping in separate bedrooms isn’t going
to work.”

He shook his head.  “No, she’s never done that before.  But
I’ll speak to her about just walking into the house.”

“Okay,” she said.  “Are you going to have breakfast with
us?  I didn’t see pancakes on your favourite foods list but they weren’t on
your dislike list either.”

“No, I’ve got some work to do so I’m going to shower and go
to the office.  I’ll be gone all day.”

“Do you need me to make you a lunch?”

He stared at her and she shrugged.  “I make one for Hattie
every day for school.”

“No, I’ll just grab something.  And don’t wait for me for
dinner.  I’ll probably still be working.”

“Right, okay.  Well, have a nice day, Deacon.”

“Thanks, you too.”  He left the kitchen and she slapped
herself lightly on the forehead.

God, Claire.  Get it together.  Just because the man has
a smoking hot body and is about to become your fake husband doesn’t mean you
need to throw yourself at him.  He’s not interested.

With a soft sigh she reached into the pantry for the pancake
ingredients, trying to ignore the lingering heat from Deacon’s touch.

“You look beautiful, Claire.”

“It’s too tight.”

“It’s not too tight,” Ellen said.  “It fits perfectly.”

Claire studied herself in the mirror before turning and
examining her ass.  “It makes my ass look huge.”

“Oh please,” Ellen scoffed.  “Don’t talk to me about big
asses.”

She slapped her curvy ass with one hand.  “I could rest a
plate on this thing.”

Claire laughed, “Shut up, Ellen.  Your ass looks great.”

“I know,” Ellen grinned at her.  “Seriously though, Claire,
you really do look beautiful.”

“Thank you, honey.”  She ran her hands down the front of the
simple white dress.  She had bought it on impulse two years ago, despite
knowing she would probably never wear it but unable to resist the sale price. 
Now, she was thankful she did.  It was the nicest dress she owned and she
thought the way the silk clung to her breasts and hips was a rather nice
effect.  Maybe not so much across her tummy and ass but a girl couldn’t have
everything she wanted.

“So where is this groom of yours anyway?”  Ellen asked.

“He’s meeting me at city hall.  He had a few things to take
care of at work this morning,” Claire said.

“Claire?”

“Hmm?”  She was picking through her costume jewelry, trying
to find something that didn’t look too cheap.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

She sighed inwardly and plastered a smile on her face before
facing Ellen.  “Of course I’m sure.  I told you, El, I love him.”

“Do you?”  Ellen stared intently at her and Claire’s stomach
churned.

Fuck, she hated lying to Ellen.  Lying to Deacon’s family
was one thing, she barely knew them and after a month would never see them
again, but this was Ellen.  The woman had been by her side through thick and
thin and Claire had never lied to her before.  For a moment she was tempted to
tell Ellen the truth but she held it back grimly.  If she told Ellen she’d lose
the hundred grand and she and Hattie would be living out of her car.  She
needed that money desperately.

“I do.  Listen, I know this is weird and, again, I wish I
would have told you from the start but I love him.  I’ve been with him for nearly
a year now and he’s a good man.  He loves me and he’ll be good to Hattie.  I’m
happy, Ellen.  For the first time in years, I’m really happy.”

That wasn’t a complete lie.  She was happy.

“Alright,” Ellen said quietly.  “Let’s do this then.  Do you
think your shitheap of a car will get us to the church on time?”

Claire laughed.  “Deacon has arranged for a car to pick us
up.”

There was a knock on the bedroom door and a blonde woman,
she was in her early twenties and stunning, stuck her head into the room.  “Ms.
Brooks?”

“Yes?”

“Hi, my name’s Tabitha.  I’m Mr. Stone’s assistant at Stone
Toys.”

“Hello, Tabitha.  It’s nice to meet you.”  Claire shook the
woman’s hand before introducing her to Ellen.

“Nice to meet you both.  Mr. Stone asked me to deliver
something to you.”

“He did?”

“Yes.”  Tabitha held out a white velvet box.  “He wants you
to wear this for the ceremony.”

Claire opened the box as Ellen peered over her shoulder.

“Holy shit, Claire,” Ellen breathed.  “That’s gorgeous.”

“You’re telling me,” Claire replied.  She stared at the
diamond necklace nestled in blue velvet.

“If that cost less than twenty-five grand, I’ll eat my
control top panty-hose,” Ellen muttered.

Tabitha laughed.  “Mr. Stone does have expensive taste.”

“I can’t wear this,” Claire said.  “What if I lose it?”

“You won’t,” Tabitha said.  She scooped the necklace from
the box with a carelessness that made Claire shudder.  “It has a very sturdy
clasp.  Turn around.”

She draped the necklace around Claire’s neck and fastened it
securely.  “There you go.”

“Thank you, Tabitha.”

“You’re welcome.”  The young blonde smiled at her.  “Well, I
should get back to the office.”

“Thanks again for bringing the necklace over.  That’s very
kind of you,” Claire said warmly.

Tabitha hesitated.  “You’re a lot different from Mr. Stone’s
usual type.”

“Am I?”  Claire said.

“Yes.  You’re, um, nice.”

Claire laughed.  “Thank you?”

Tabitha grinned and gave her a small wave as she walked
toward the door.  “Congratulations, Ms. Brooks.  I hope you and Mr. Stone are
very happy.”

She left and Ellen stared at the necklace.  “You know I’m
going to ask to borrow that, right?  And you have to let me because I let you
borrow my diamond earrings.”

“That was in high school and the diamonds were microscopic,”
Claire said.

“The point is I let you borrow them so you have to let me
borrow this.”  Ellen grinned at her as Hattie stomped into the room.

“I look stupid,” she announced.

“You don’t,” Claire said. “You look very pretty, Hattie.”

Hattie pulled at the collar of her dress.  “It itches and my
panty hose keeps falling down.”  She yanked at the nylons as Claire hurried
over to her and lifted the dress.

“Here, you’ve got the waistband all twisted.”  She
straightened the nylons and pulled them into a more comfortable position as
Hattie stared morosely at Ellen.

“Hi, Ellen.”

“Hey, kid.  You look great.”

“I look great in my Hulk shirt but mama said I can’t wear it
today,” Hattie replied.

“You can change after the ceremony,” Claire said.  “I need
you to be slightly girlish for just an hour or so, Hattie.  Can you do that for
me?”

“I guess.”  Hattie scratched at her head before tugging on a
curl.  “Mama curled my hair with the curling iron.”

“I see that.  It’s very pretty,” Ellen said.

“Thanks,” Hattie said.  She suddenly stared at her mother. 
“You look really pretty, mama.”

“Thank you, honey.  Now, we’d better get downstairs.  We’ll
be late if we don’t leave soon.”  Claire took Hattie’s hand and the three of
them left the bedroom.

* * *

“How do you feel?”

“Fine,” Deacon grunted.  He tightened his tie and shifted
impatiently as he looked down the street.

“You look nervous.”

“I’m not.  Why would I be nervous?”  Deacon asked.

“Because you’re about to marry some woman you barely know,”
Jude suggested.

“Keep your voice down.”  Deacon glanced nervously around
them.  The sidewalk wasn’t exactly crowded with people but he wouldn’t put it
past his cousin to suddenly show up for the ceremony.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”  Jude suddenly asked.

“What?  Of course I am,” Deacon said.  “It’s better than
hiring a goddamn escort to be my wife.”

“True but still, you really don’t know this woman.  What if
she’s some kind of gold digger?  Or what if she takes the story to the media
once the month is over?”

“She signed the prenup agreement and the confidentiality
contract.  If she breathes a word of this to anyone, even after the thirty days
is over, she’ll lose all rights to the money.  She’s not going to say anything,
Jude.  Trust me.  She needs the money.”

“Okay,” Jude said.

“Listen, she doesn’t know that you know the truth.  I’ll
probably tell her later but for now, act as shocked as everyone else, okay?”

“No problem,” Jude clapped him on the back and Deacon nearly
fell over.

“Easy, man.”  He frowned at his best friend. 

Jude shrugged.  “Aww, did poor wittle Deacon get hurt by the
manly man?”

A grin crossed Deacon’s face.  “You’re such a dick, Jude.”

“I know.  Hey, isn’t that James?”  He pointed to the dark
Lincoln that was driving toward them.

Deacon sighed.  “My driver’s name is Peter not James and, I
swear to God, if you make one more “Home, James” joke to his face, I’m going to
ban you from using him in the future.  He hates it when you do that.  And yes,
that’s Peter.”

He waited impatiently as Peter pulled up beside them.  He opened
the door and smiled at the chubby dark-haired woman who stepped out of the
car.  She was wearing a dark green dress and she had both a nose piercing and a
lip piercing.  She gave him a cool, assessing look as Hattie slid out behind
her.

“Hello, Mr. Stone.”

“Hello, Hattie.  You look very pretty.”

The little girl was also wearing a green dress and her dark
hair had been curled. 

“My dress itches,” she said before scratching at her
abdomen.  “I brought my Hulk t-shirt to change into.”

Deacon didn’t reply.  Claire had stepped gracefully out of
the car and his pulse was pounding in his head so loudly he could barely hear
Hattie.  He looked Claire up and down, his gaze lingering on the silk material
that hugged her firm breasts.  He had never seen her in anything but jeans and
a t-shirt before, and the way that silky white dress was clinging to her curves
was making his heart race.

She had put her hair up in a simple twist with a few curls
to frame her face, and she was wearing dark shadow that made her eyes look even
more blue than usual.  He studied her mouth.  Her lips looked shiny and soft
and utterly kissable, and he wondered for a brief moment how she would taste
against his mouth.

The necklace he had bought for her rested against her upper
chest and he had a fleeting image of her lying in his bed wearing nothing but
the diamonds.  His dick twitched in his pants and he closed his eyes.

“Deacon?  Are you okay?”  Claire’s voice was worried and he
pushed the image of her naked out of his head and opened his eyes.

“Deacon?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said hoarsely.  “You look stunning, Claire.”

She gave him a breathtaking smile.  “Do you really think
so?”

“Yes,” he said.  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever
seen.”

Her smile widened and he hoped she didn’t think he was just
acting for their friends’ benefit.  She really was beautiful.

“Thank you, Deacon.  You look very handsome.”

He held his arm out to her and she tucked her hand into the
crook of his elbow. 

“We should go in.  Grandmother is waiting inside.”

“Alright.  First though, this is my best friend, Ellen
Stanwick.  Ellen, this is Deacon Stone and,” she smiled at Jude, “you must be
Jude.”

“I am.”  Jude, he was a large man with thick black hair and
dark brown eyes, took her hand and kissed the top of it.  “It’s nice to meet
you, Claire.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Jude turned to Ellen and gave her a wolfish grin.  “Hello,
gorgeous.  I’m Jude.”

Ellen looked him up and down before smiling up at him. 
“Hello, big guy.  Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.  May I escort you into the building?”  He held
his arm out and Ellen took it with a small grin as Deacon rolled his eyes and
Claire held her hand out to Hattie.

They walked toward the building and Claire smiled at him. 
“Thank you for the necklace, Deacon.  It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.  “I thought I should get you a
gift for the wedding.”

She frowned.  “I didn’t get you a gift.”

“You didn’t need to.”

Ellen and Jude had entered the building and he paused for a
moment and lowered his voice.  “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this,
Claire?”

She gave him a puzzled look.  “Yes.  Are you?”

He nodded and she squeezed his arm.  “Great.  Let’s get
married.”

* * *

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the
bride,” the justice of peace said.

Deacon hesitated but Claire immediately wrapped one cool
hand around the back of his neck and tugged him downward.  She pressed her lips
against his and his nerve endings exploded in a burst of sudden lust.  She
started to pull away and he put his arm around her waist and drew her up
against him.

Vanilla
, he thought,
she tastes like vanilla
. 

He took control of the kiss, nibbling at her lower lip, as
she made a soft moan only he could hear and melted against him.  He rubbed the
small of her back as his other hand gripped her hip tightly.  He sucked on her
upper lip before licking at the seam of her mouth, silently urging her to open
her lips.  She parted them immediately and he thrust his tongue inside, tasting
the sweetness of her mouth as she moaned again.

He had forgotten completely about the people watching them,
about the fact that the kiss was only for show.  He was sliding his hand down
to cup her firm ass when an elbow poked him in the back.

He grunted and released Claire’s mouth.  She gave him a
dazed look as he glared at Jude standing behind him.

“Save some of it for the bedroom, buddy.”  Jude grinned at
him and he flushed bright red before stepping away from Claire.  She swayed a
little on her feet, and he held her right hand in a tight grip as she touched
her swollen mouth with her left one.

His grandmother was grinning broadly at them as Jude stepped
forward.  “What do you say we get out of here and go celebrate?”

* * *

“That was one hell of a kiss.”

Claire ignored Ellen and continued to stare at herself in
the bathroom mirror.  As soon as they had arrived at Rosa’s home, she had left
Hattie with Ellen and excused herself to the bathroom.  She was still a little
off-balance from the kiss she had shared with Deacon.  Hell, off-balance?  She
was reeling from it and she needed a moment - or a fucking lifetime - to
recover.

“I can see why you married the guy if he kisses you like
that every damn time,” Ellen said.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Claire lied.

“Are you kidding me, Claire?  He kissed you like he was a
man dying of thirst and you were a nice, cold glass of water.  It got me hot
just watching it.”