Lying Love (Lazy Love Book 3) Page 6

  John smiled at her. “Maybe it’s best this way. If you’d known all my struggles, maybe you wouldn’t have agreed to date me again.”

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Lots of financial troubles. The kind that come with being a single father and starting a new business.”

  “Are you marrying me for the financial help I can give you?” she asked, needing to know. It was all right with her if he was, because she felt like they could overcome anything together, but she didn’t want to be blindsided.

  He shook his head. “I’d never use you that way. I’m marrying you because I never got over you. A small part of it is that you’ll be a good mother to Nicki, but not one ounce of it is financial. I’ll sign a prenup if you feel the need.”

  “No, I don’t. I never thought you were after money. People like that are pretty obvious usually.”

  “Why do I feel like we’re talking business instead of basking in our just-engagedness?”

  “Just-engagedness? You’re as bad as May!”

  “As bad as May?”

  Amber shook her head. “She says that because she’s a writer, she’s allowed to make up words whenever she wants to. She wants bobilicious to be a word in the Oxford English Dictionary. The woman is nuts.”

  “Maybe I’m a secret writer. Is that not possible?” John asked, winking at her.

  “If you were a writer, you certainly wouldn’t be writing about engagements. You’re more the non-fiction kind of guy.”

  “Are you calling me boring? Cuz I won’t put up with my future wife calling me boring.”

  She glanced over her shoulder to be sure Nicki was all right before turning back to him. “Just kiss me!”

  He pulled her toward him and kissed her softly, one hand going to the back of her neck beneath her braid, and the other resting at her waist. His fingers ached to touch her more intimately, but he was aware that Nicki could come back at any moment. It was going to be interesting to be a newlywed with a four-year-old girl in the house.

  After a moment, she sighed. “I’m going to need Nicki this week to buy her a flower girl dress. Can you make sure the preacher can be here on Saturday to marry us? I’ll arrange for flowers. Is Pastor Steve still the pastor of the little church in town?”

  “He is. He’s always been there and always will be.”

  She smiled at that, having fond memories of the kindly man. “What about the marriage license?”

  He thought about that for a moment. “We’ll need to be together to get that. And we need it by Wednesday. What is your schedule like this week?”

  “I’ve got scenes all day tomorrow. They’re introducing a love interest for me, so the whole episode is kind of focused on me and of me spreading my wings.”

  His eyes widened. “A love interest?”

  She nodded. “Does that bother you?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of you kissing someone else.”

  “It’s my job, John. If it doesn’t happen this week, it’ll be happening soon. I don’t have a lot of choice in the matter.”

  “You love what you do, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I really do. My mother used to tell me that a lady need never work. She didn’t need to know how to do anything but throw a good party. I—I couldn’t live that way. I like feeling useful!”

  “Who’s playing your love interest?”

  “Anthony Murrah. He’s supposed to arrive this evening. I’ll meet him in the morning.”

  John shook his head. “I’ve never heard of him.”

  “I haven’t either. They were going to screen test us together, but something happened. I’ll let you know what I think of him.” She thought a moment. “I have Tuesday afternoon free. My last scene will be finished before lunch. Could we go for our license then?”

  “Yeah, I can make that work. I need to pick Nicki up from my mom’s before six, so she can go bowl. She’s in a Tuesday night league.”

  Amber had always liked his mother, but at that moment, she couldn’t help wondering what her own mother would think of participating in a bowling league. She had to stifle a giggle as she thought about it. Her mother was always dressed perfectly and never did anything she considered common.

  “I didn’t get my dessert cookies!” Nicki called as she came running. “You didn’t eat them, did you, Daddy?”

  Amber started to move away from him, but he caught her arm, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t eat your cookies, princess. I wouldn’t do that to you!”

  Nicki looked into the picnic basket and pulled out the cellophane-wrapped package of cookies, baked in the grocery bakery. “Chocolate chip are my favorite. What’s your favorite, Amber?”

  Amber pretended to think about it for a long time. “I think I like chocolate chip best too!”

  “Yay! We’re cookie twins.” Nicki plopped down on the quilt beside Amber. “Were you and Daddy kissing?”

  Amber choked for a moment, before nodding. “We were. But I told him to stop kissing me, because that’s disgusting.”

  Nicki giggled. “It’s not disgusting! Married people are supposed to kiss, so you’d better start practicing.” She watched Amber intently.

  “What?” Amber asked, feeling a bit unnerved.

  “You’re supposed to practice kissing with Daddy, so you know you’re doing it right when you get married.”

  Amber laughed, shaking her head. “I think we practiced enough when we were younger that we got it absolutely perfect.”

  “You mean you kissed when you went to prob together?”

  Amber briefly considered correcting Nicki’s mispronunciation of the word prom, but thought better of it. It was so cute the way she said it that Amber didn’t want to change it. “Yeah, we kissed at prom. And before that!”

  “You did? Did your daddy know you were kissing him?”

  Amber laughed at the question. “You know, he caught us kissing once, and he was not happy with me!”

  “Why not?”

  “My parents didn’t like your daddy very much,” Amber admitted. “They’re not going to be very happy when we get married, but they don’t need to be, because they won’t be married to us.”

  “No, they won’t. Did Daddy like your parents?”

  Amber grinned at the question. “You’ll have to ask him that.”

  John thought for a moment. “I didn’t like them very much at the time, but now that I have a little girl, I can understand how they felt. I wouldn’t want some boy that I didn’t think was good enough to come along and kiss you. It would make me very angry.”

  “So do you like them now?” Nicki persisted.

  “I haven’t seen them in a long time.” If her parents had been normal, he’d have seen them in the grocery store or around town on occasion. They were wealthy enough that the maids did the shopping for them, though, so they were more isolated from town than most.

  “You’ll get to meet them at the wedding, Nicki,” Amber said. She couldn’t not invite her parents if his parents were coming. If he’d said he wasn’t going to invite his parents, that would have given her a perfect excuse.

  “Will they hate me?”

  The question made Amber sad. “No, they won’t hate you. They’ll be very kind to you.” She’d call them and make sure they’d be kind. It would be part of the wedding invitation.

  John squeezed her hand, letting her know that he understood. Her relationship with her parents couldn’t get in the way of their marriage or her new relationship with Nicki. Neither of them would let it happen.

  Nicki gave them each one of the cookies, and they talked softly while they ate them. Amber was thinking about all the little details that needed to be taken care of before Saturday. “Maybe we should wait four weeks until the next week off before we marry.”

  John shook his head. “Absolutely not.” He was afraid she’d back out before they even had a chance to marry if he gave her that much time. No, Amber was going to finally be his wife, and
nothing was going to keep it from happening. Not her parents, not her work schedule, and especially not Anthony Murrah, whoever he was.

  He couldn’t believe how jealous he felt of her new coworker. The two of them hadn’t even met yet, and already he was freaking out a little. “I’m going to come by tomorrow evening with a ring.”

  Amber frowned, thinking about how busy her schedule would be the next day. “I’m going to have a long, hard day tomorrow. Tuesday would be better.”

  “They’re going to give you breaks to eat though, right? You’ll have some time.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be eating between six and seven. I guess you could come by then.”

  “I’ll be there with a ring. What’s your size?”

  After she gave it to him, he nodded. “I’ll find something pretty.”

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. “It’s getting late. We should probably head back. I have to be up really early, and I’m not a huge fan of mornings.” She was better at mornings than May, of course, because everyone in the world was. Valerie wasn’t a morning person either, and was very grumpy before her first two cups of coffee.

  She was sure May’s problem with mornings stemmed from the fact that she didn’t drink coffee. If she’d just drink a cup or two in the morning, she’d be energized and ready to go. Instead, she slept weird hours.

  John nodded, getting to his feet and helping Amber to hers. “Let’s pack this up and head back.”

  They were silent during the drive back to the set, and once they got there, he told Nicki to wait in the truck. He’d be able to see her from the trailer, now that he knew which one it was. “I’ll be right back! I can see you from Amber’s trailer,” he told her reassuringly. Nicki was obsessed with being safe.

  “Wait, let’s let her come! I want you two to meet Jesse and Valerie tonight. It would be nice if you knew the people I love before the wedding.”

  John nodded reluctantly. “I met Jesse when I came to pick you up.” He wasn’t in a hurry to see the older man again.

  “Yes, and Jesse’s my friend, but you didn’t meet Valerie. Valerie is my best friend in the entire world. I need you to meet her.”

  “Okay, let’s get this over with.” He opened Nicki’s door for her. “Let’s go meet Amber’s friends.”

  Chapter 6

  John held one of Amber’s hands with his right hand and one of Nicki’s hands with his left. The three of them approached Jesse and Valerie’s trailer together, and John was surprised at how nervous he felt. He wanted her friends to like him and not to worry about her.

  Amber knocked on the door, and Valerie came to it, opening it wide. “Amber!” She looked at John and then down at Nicki. “You must be John and Nicki. Come in!”

  She moved aside and the three of them climbed the stairs into the double-wide trailer the two stars of the show shared during filming. Valerie then walked over to a couch and invited everyone to sit. “Is anyone thirsty? We have soft drinks and water.”

  “Water’s fine for me,” Amber said, sitting close to John on the couch, so that Valerie would see that they were all right with each other.

  “I’d like water if you don’t mind,” John added.

  “I’m not thirsty,” Nicki said, “but I need to go potty. Do you have a potty?”

  Amber grinned. “I’ll show you where the potty is.”

  “Thank you. You’re going to be a good mama. I’m glad you and Daddy are getting married.”

  “Me too,” Amber said, glancing over at the grin on Valerie’s face. She turned on the light for the girl and then shut the door behind her.

  Walking over to the counter, she helped Valerie with the glasses. “Where’s Jesse?”

  “He’s out meeting Tony and helping him get settled in.”

  “He’s here?” Amber asked, wondering what her new co-star would be like.

  “Yeah, he came about an hour ago. He wanted to meet you right away.” Valerie gave her a look that told Amber there was more to be said, but not with John listening. “We’ll talk,” she whispered softly.

  Amber nodded, carrying John’s glass to him and sitting beside him. “So do you want to be my matron of honor?”

  Valerie nodded. “When’s the wedding? And if you tell me you’re waiting until the spring, I’ll be the first to tell you that’s a crazy idea, and you should marry tomorrow instead.”

  Amber laughed. “Glad to know you don’t regret your quick wedding to Jesse. We’re planning to marry on Saturday. That gives me a few days to plan something small, and then we’ll have a week off before we start filming again.”

  “I approve.” She looked over at John. “What do you do? I know your history with Amber, but I don’t know what you’ve done for the past five years, other than have a kid, so tell me about John.”

  He looked down at his water, wondering just how much she knew. On the one hand, he was embarrassed that she was familiar with their past, but on the other, he was glad he’d made enough of an impact on Amber that she’d talked about him. “I’m a horse trainer. Two of the horses you use for the show were trained by me.”

  “Really? I had no idea.”

  He nodded. “The gelding you ride and the mare they have Jesse ride were mine.”

  “How old is Nicki? She’s a pretty little thing.”

  Nicki came out of the bathroom in time to hear the question. “I’m four, and I’m not pretty. I’m beautiful!”

  Valerie laughed, nodding. “You are absolutely right! I’m so sorry I misspoke that way.”

  “Amber’s going to be my new mama. Her picture from prob is hanging in Daddy’s bedroom.”

  “I think Amber’s going to be a wonderful mama to you. Are you excited?”

  “I’m going to be the flower girl!” Nicki announced excitedly. “I get to throw flowers at everyone, and no one can yell if I hit them in the head with them.”

  Valerie covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. “That sounds like a very important job.”

  “It is. I’m sorry there’s only one flower girl, because I’d let you be my flower girl friend if you wanted.”

  Amber shook her head, trying to picture the flower petals after the little girl had thrown them everywhere. “Miss Valerie is going to be my matron of honor at the wedding. That means she’ll stand up front with me and poke me if I get nervous.”

  “Will you get nervous?” Nicki asked.

  “Probably. It’s kind of scary to marry someone, because you’re agreeing to love that person forever and ever.” Of course, she’d known for years she would love him forever. Nicki didn’t need to know that, though.

  The door opened and Jesse came in. “I thought I’d bring Tony in, welcome him to the Lazy Love family. I called Bob, and he and May are on their way.”

  Tony was a handsome man, a little older than Amber and John. John was immediately threatened. He got to his feet, holding out his hand to shake. “I’m John Baynard, Amber’s fiancé.”

  The man nodded, his eyes shuttered. “I’m Tony Murrah, new actor on the show.” His eyes traveled to Amber’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Amber.”

  Amber smiled, getting up to shake his hand. “I didn’t expect to meet you before tomorrow morning.” She could tell that John wasn’t thrilled that she’d have a love interest in the show, and he seemed even more annoyed now that he was meeting the man playing that love interest.

  Tony smiled. “Jesse was kind enough to invite me over to get to know everyone this evening. It’s hard coming into a show that’s as well-established as this one. You’ve had the same four main stars since the first day.”

  Amber nodded. “We have, and we’re all very close.” She resumed her seat on the couch, and John sat beside her, even closer than he’d been before. Amber gave him a look, wondering if he was going to let everyone see just how jealous he was.

  The door opened again, and Bob and May came in. May’s eyes widened as she saw there were two men she didn’t know and a little girl. Amber s
miled at her friend. “I want you to meet John and Nicki, May. John and I just decided we’re going to get married on Saturday.”

  May let out a squeal and hurried over to hug Amber. “I’m so happy for you!” She looked at John and smiled. “Be good to her.”

  “I don’t know any other way to be,” he said softly. “Nicki, say hi to Miss May. She’s one of Amber’s best friends.”

  “Hi, Miss May.”

  “Hi, Nicki.”

  May sat down on the other side of Nicki, while Bob introduced himself to Tony.

  “I ordered pizzas,” Jesse said to Valerie. “I ordered from the little place in town that does the taco pizzas, so you and May can get your taco cravings satisfied.”

  Amber shook her head, looking at John. “No one should have let these two be pregnant at the same time. They’re both talking about tacos non-stop and have been for a while. If I have to eat another taco, they’re going to start growing out of my ears.”

  Valerie made a face. “Baby boy wants tacos. Not me! It’s not my fault!” She rubbed her belly with a grin.

  May shrugged. “Baby Bobby wants tacos too.”

  John looked at May. “You already know you’re having a boy?”

  “Nope. But Bob has declared we’re naming him Robert if it’s a boy and Bobbette if it’s a girl. Either way it will end up being Bobby.”

  “Bobbette?” John asked. He couldn’t imagine a loving parent naming their baby Bobbette.

  “Just don’t even go there,” Amber whispered.

  Bob and Jesse were still talking to Tony, but after a minute, Bob turned to look at John. He walked over and held his hand out to shake. John immediately jumped to his feet to greet the older man. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Bob nodded. “You too. I saw you at the signing yesterday. Amber has obviously known you for a very long time.”

  “We were high school sweethearts,” John said. “I have regretted the day we split up for over five years. I’m not letting her go again.” He knew he was being sized up by the two most important men in her life, and he needed to make a good impression.