Whatever the Price (10 page)

“Are you saying I can? I’m here for you, Charlie. You and Lily. I’m not going anywhere and, more than that, I’m sticking closer than I ever have. I know I’m going to have to earn back your trust, but I swear I’ll always be there when you need me. My priorities are shifting back into the right order.”

Charlotte gazed into his eyes, wanting to believe every word he said. Wanting
him
to believe them, too.

“I would’ve given you a baby at any time,” she whispered. “I would’ve given you a family.”

“I never thought I would be ready,” he admitted, glancing down to Lily, then back to Charlotte. “I didn’t know how this would change my life, our marriage. I guess I always had a fear of the unknown. That’s no excuse, but I’m being honest.”

Which she appreciated.

“And now?” she asked. “Are you ready now?”

“I love Lily as if she were my own.”

He stared at her a moment longer, then came to his full height. He leaned over, kissed Lily on the head before moving his lips to land on Charlotte’s cheek.

The whisper-soft touch had her rippling with delight and lowering her lids as if to savor the moment.

“We can talk after you lay her down,” he whispered against her skin. “I’ll be in our bedroom.”

She didn’t even bother correcting him. That spacious master bedroom overlooking the lake wasn’t “their” room anymore, but arguing with him was pointless. He was dead set on getting this marriage back on track, and if he devoted as much time to making it work as he did to just talking about it, they’d certainly have no problem reconciling.

Is that what he wanted to discuss? Did he expect her to remain in their Hollywood Hills home after the ninety days were up?

There was no way she could make any promises or plans that far ahead. She’d always been a planner, but there was so much uncertainty in her life right now. She hated not having that stability she’d grown so accustomed to.

He hadn’t exactly answered her question—that didn’t slip by her. Was he ready to be a fully devoted father, husband? Could he really balance that very fine line between career and personal life and be happy? Because as much as she wanted him to be a husband and father, she also didn’t want him to be miserable.

There had to be a happy medium somewhere. They just had to find it.

In no time Lily was asleep. Charlotte sat her up for a minute or two to make sure the formula settled and wouldn’t cause reflux. Quietly, she laid her down in the crib and smiled at the sleeping bundle. There was nothing more precious.

After closing the door, Charlotte took the bottle downstairs to the kitchen to rinse it in the sink. She went ahead and fully washed it, placing it in the drying rack because she needed the extra few minutes to gear up her strength to face her husband.

That was a low trick he’d pulled earlier in the pool, and she wasn’t the least bit amused.

She dried her hands on the towel and headed back up the stairs to the master suite. Anthony wasn’t in the room but out on the balcony. He’d left the doors open, and the soft, late summer breeze from the lake blew in the sheers.

The scene was set as if Anthony the director had worked one-on-one with Mother Nature to create the perfect setting to entice her. And like the moth drawn to the flame, Charlotte followed the gentle lake winds and stepped onto the balcony.

“I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable,” he told her the second she came to stand beside him and rest her back against the concrete rail.

Okay, not what she’d expected to hear, but she’d see where he went with this.

“My original intention in having you here in Tahoe was to seduce you, to make you see what amazing chemistry we have so you couldn’t walk away. But that was shallow and wrong. You need so much more.
We
need so much more than sex to make this work.” He sighed and hung his head between his shoulders before looking back out into the night. “I didn’t know how much before we came here.”

Charlotte swallowed, lacing her fingers over her abdomen, moving her head to the side to allow the wind to blow her hair out of her face so she could focus on the man who was attempting to bare his soul. “But what do we have?”

With his forearms resting on the rail, he turned and looked up at her. “We have a broken past, but I hope we have a loving, solid future.”

She took a deep breath before broaching the topic that had been a bone of contention with them for years. “Will you go to counseling with me?”

He bit the inside of his cheek. He knew she’d ask. What did it matter how many times a week they had sex? Did he leave the seat up or down? And did he ever do spontaneous things to surprise her?

That’s how the first, and only, session had gone. But if answering private questions would help him keep his wife, he’d answer each one of them with pleasure.

“Charlie.” He sighed. “I don’t think—”

“Forget it.” She held up a hand and let out a wry laugh. “I knew you wouldn’t want to do it. I was hoping that since you decided to come here, to really spend time together and work things out, that you might work with me on this.”

The hurt in her voice sent a shooting pain through him.

He wasn’t going to lie to himself and pretend that he was ready to be put under the microscope again. He wanted time alone with his wife and he wanted to build this marriage from the ground up, if needed. Then they could speak to a counselor.

“Okay,” he told her. “I’ll do anything to keep you, Charlie. Anything. And if opening up and sharing everything will make this marriage stronger, then I’ll do it. I actually have asked a few friends who they would recommend, and I have a couple names of reputable therapists.”

The look on Charlotte’s face was more than worth the embarrassment or discomfort he might experience by talking out his problems with a stranger. He wasn’t lying when he said he’d do anything for her.

“Anthony, you don’t know how much this means to me,” she told him, then kissed him on the cheek.

A warm, hopeful peace settled over him, and Anthony prayed this was the track that they were supposed to be on.

Ten

“G
ood morning.”

Charlotte rolled over, the satin sheets swishing around her bare legs, and squinted her eyes at the intruder.

“You slept a little late this morning, so Lily and I decided to surprise you.”

Charlotte looked beyond the bright sun streaming into the guest bedroom at the man who juggled a baby on his left hip and held a small tray of food in his right hand. He set the tray down on her bedside table, then shifted Lily and smiled.

“Surprise,” he said with a big, sexy grin. “We made your favorite breakfast.”

To think just a week ago he’d been unable to even hold Lily without her crying, and here he’d managed to make breakfast with the little one in tow.

Intrigued, Charlotte peeked over and, sure enough, a plate full of French toast, complete with maple syrup and powdered sugar, stared back at her. A single red rose lay along the edge of the tray. He was changing. Each day he was becoming more and more the man she needed. And last night he’d not only agreed to therapy, he’d looked into it already.

They were moving forward and for the first time in longer than she could remember, they’d stayed up late and actually talked…with their clothes on. After she’d told him about the miscarriage, he’d been so genuinely concerned with her emotions, her feelings. She’d never seen that side of him before.

And now he stood before her looking so sexy with a goofy apron around his waist, a baby on his hip and a full-fledged smile on his face. Yeah, this was a level of love she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

If only the tabloids could see Mr. Hotshot Director now.

“It smells great.” She sat up in bed, adjusting her gown over her breasts. “What made you do this?”

Lily started reaching for Charlotte and Anthony sat her on the bed next to his wife. “I wanted to,” he told her.

She glanced his way curiously, hoping he’d elaborate, but obviously the answer was that simple. He was working extra hard to showcase a new side. And she loved this new Mr. Mom angle. She only prayed he wouldn’t tire of this life of family and domestic bliss.

“Thanks.” Charlotte looked down at Lily and kissed her on the nose. “Thanks to you, too, Lily Bug.”

“Do I get a kiss? I did all the cooking, after all.”

She glanced up at him and rolled her eyes. “Is that why you did this? To get affection?”

His devious smile widened. “No, but I’ll still take it.”

Loving this sweet, playful side, Charlotte shrugged. “Let me see how it tastes first, then we’ll see how much affection you deserve.”

He leaned down close to her ear and whispered, “It’s so good, you’ll have to show me your thanks in private.”

As he eased up, Charlotte caught his gaze roaming down the gap in her silk gown. Her nipples pebbled as his eyes grew darker with desire.

She loved this man. There was no off button to protect her from his charms and passion. She just wished she knew how exactly this would end up for her, for them. Could they really be this happy, fun-loving family once Anthony’s career intervened again?

“I’ll let you eat while it’s hot.” He scooped up Lily, who instantly began to cry. “Oh, come on,” he begged. “We’ve made such progress.”

Charlotte smiled. “Just leave her with me. We’re fine.”

Easing Lily back onto the bed amid a pile of pillows, Charlotte scooted over and took the tray Anthony handed her.

“Did she already have something to eat?” Charlotte asked.

“I fed her some apricots and she had half a bottle. I’ll go clean up the kitchen because it seems she wasn’t a fan of the apricots, and the mess under the high chair is horrendous. It looks like the jar of baby food was massacred.”

Charlotte laughed. “Lily, you have to eat your fruits and veggies. You want to get big and strong like Uncle Anthony, don’t you?”

Lily smiled and squealed, crawling over the pillows to reach for a piece of French toast.

“No, no,” Charlotte said, moving the plate aside.

“I can take her,” Anthony offered, reaching forward.

Charlotte held up a hand. “No, really. Go clean up the mess.”

Anthony left her alone with her breakfast and a very chatty, grabby baby.

“How can I resist him?” Charlotte asked Lily. “He made breakfast in bed, fed you and is now cleaning. And he is making arrangements so I’m part of his new family. What woman wouldn’t want that for a husband?”

Charlotte’s tears spilled over and trickled down her cheeks. What woman indeed?

* * *

Charlotte was relaxing in the window seat, discreetly reading a book on pregnancy she’d packed for the trip and now had hidden inside a magazine when the doorbell rang.

Before she could get up, Anthony came sprinting through the kitchen, past the living area and yelled, “I got it.”

Intrigued, Charlotte closed the magazine over the book and set it on the seat beside her, watching as Anthony opened the door. His body blocked the guest, so Charlotte got up and moved closer.

What was he up to? The way he’d run through the house made her realize he knew exactly who this mystery guest was. Another surprise?

She looked down at her leggings and off-the-shoulder T-shirt. Not exactly the perfect ensemble for company, but she’d felt a bit nauseous earlier and hadn’t had the energy to put on anything fancier. Added to that, she was mentally exhausted from the phone calls and emails she’d worked on for the past few hours regarding the dedication of the new wing at the hospital. She’d forgotten how many details there were to finalize before such an extravagant event. The last major event she’d coordinated for the hospital took place nearly two years ago.

“Please come in,” Anthony said to the guest after a minute of low murmuring.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Price.”

Charlotte smiled at Margaret, one of their loyal staff they used when they visited this property. “Hello, Margaret. Good to see you again.”

The middle-aged lady smiled, darting a glance to Anthony. “Is Lily ready to go?”

Lily?

“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked. “Where is Lily going?”

Like any obedient employee, Margaret kept her mouth shut and allowed Anthony to answer.

“Lily is going to spend the afternoon at the park playing with Margaret’s grandchildren. I have a surprise for you.”

Charlotte’s mind went into overdrive. “But I’m not dressed and Lily’s bag isn’t packed.”

“That’s what I was doing while you were working on emails for the hospital.” Anthony smiled. “Lily woke from her nap and I kept her entertained with toys while I packed a bag for Margaret. Everything’s all taken care of, so why don’t you go put on a nice dress.”

Stunned, Charlotte stood there before answering. “But I didn’t pack a nice dress.”

That signature grin that had gotten him through many interviews on the red carpet spread across his face. “I think you’ll find something on your bed.”

“But what about—”

Anthony stepped closer and placed a finger over her lips, sending sensations shooting through her that were completely inappropriate with Margaret standing so close.

“I’ve got it all taken care of,” he whispered. “Go look on your bed.”

Because his smile melted her heart, because his touch never failed to make her insides quiver like a teenager fresh in love, and because she wanted to see what he had in store for her, she smiled and all but ran to her room. Suddenly she wasn’t exhausted, but anxious and excited.

How had he done this without her knowledge? She’d caught him in a private conversation earlier on the phone in the den, but she assumed it was business as usual. Even though he’d told her he wouldn’t conduct business while on vacation, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t done that before. He’d also been gone for a couple hours earlier, but she’d been busy herself when she’d first laid Lily down for a nap and she hadn’t questioned him.

Obviously, this is what he’d been so secretive about.

Charlotte froze in the doorway to her room. Spread across her bed was an emerald-green ball gown with thin straps at the top, an empire waist and a full, chiffon skirt. At the foot of the bed sat a pair of silver, strappy heels.

Were they going somewhere? Where on earth would you go wearing a ball gown in the late afternoon in Tahoe? They were surrounded by mountains, evergreens and water.

More than intrigued and even more excited to put on such a remarkable dress, Charlotte didn’t waste time in changing. Anthony had obviously gone to great lengths to plan a surprise for her. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be, but she did allow herself to play Cinderella for a moment. What woman wouldn’t?

Before she slid into the dress, Charlotte went into the restroom and pulled her hair up into a quick twist, securing it with some bobby pins. A little blush, mascara and pink lip gloss and she was presentable. At least she’d showered this morning while Lily was taking her first nap and when the nausea had worn off.

The silk, chiffon gown slid over her body and Charlotte turned one direction then the other in her floor-length mirror. The skirt swished about as she swayed and Charlotte couldn’t stop the giddiness from bubbling out.

She smoothed the material over her abdomen and wondered how she’d look with a baby bump. Other than the occasional nausea, she loved being pregnant and now feeling like the belle of the ball was more excitement than she’d experienced in a long time. She eased one foot, then the other, into the heels and secured the straps around her ankles.

She wanted to tell Anthony about the baby. He was being so good with Lily, and deserved to know exactly what was going on so he could prepare himself. But that fear of a miscarriage kept niggling at her.

All the more reason to open up to Anthony. God forbid, if anything should happen, she’d need his support more than ever. And she knew he was a different man now than he’d been last year, when she’d kept the baby from him. Now he seemed to be devoted, ready to be the strong man she so needed.

Unable to stop from looking in the mirror one more time at the magnificent gown, Charlotte smiled. Could this marriage work? Could they get back what they’d once had? Anthony was obviously trying to please her, trying to go out of his way to make her happy. First the charcoals and then the way he wanted to learn how to do basic things for Lily and be a great father figure to her. And now this. She didn’t care what lay ahead today—whatever it was came from his heart.

With the odds in their favor of making this marriage work now more than in the past, Charlotte headed back downstairs to see just what Anthony’s plans were.

Though she still couldn’t commit to anything beyond the ninety days, she hoped by then she’d have all the answers.