April Fool Bride by Joan Reeves Page B

or even need my support?"
    Jake gave a short laugh. "Maddie, don't be
naive. People in the income stratosphere never need money.
They want it. No matter how much they have, it's never enough. It's
just like you. You're not satisfied with the amount you get every
month even though it's probably substantial. You want that eighty
million. Money is just a way of keeping score. The more you have;
the more points you score in the game."
    "Exactly what game would that be?" Maddie
asked sarcastically.
    "You've been around rich people all your life
so you know what I'm talking about."
    "My dad wasn't like that," she said
wistfully. "He was happy and content with the house we lived in
when Mom was alive. Then he married Constance, and our old house in
West University wasn't good enough. She wanted one in River Oaks.
I've often wondered, if he had lived, if they'd have stayed
together. They had nothing in common."
    "Men and women generally don't need much in
common at first. There's never much talking going on at that
stage."
    That startled a laugh from Maddie. "It's
weird to think of my dad and Constance that way, but you're
probably right. She was so beautiful when he married her. She still
is. Beautiful and perfect like a porcelain doll. I guess that's why
she disliked me on sight. I've never had an ounce of
perfection."
    "That's where you're wrong. I've seen you
without clothes, remember? You're perfect in just about every way."
Jake said softly, his breath grazed her temple and stirred the soft
tendrils of hair.
    Maddie stumbled and stepped on his foot.
"Sorry. I haven't had to field such unadulterated crap in a long
time."
    Jake laughed softly. "Good save, but you
forget the way you blush when you get turned on."
    When she tried to pull free, he whispered,
"Don't forget you're playing the part of my blushing bride. Be a
good girl, and I'll shut up. For now."
    They danced in silence for a minute. Then
Jake said, "A good parent doesn't look for perfection before giving
love. The failing is hers, not yours, Maddie."
    "If I ever have a child," she said fiercely,
"I'll love her or him and make sure that love is apparent every
single day."
    An image of Maddie, pregnant with his baby,
seared his consciousness. There was such appeal to the idea that it
took his breath away.
    Would their baby be a little girl with
Maddie's green eyes and maybe his dark hair?

Chapter 7
     
    Dinner wasn't as difficult as Maddie had
expected, and the rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Jake's
mother left first. When the last guest departed, Constance led them
all to the solarium. Maddie was surprised to see how tired her
stepmother looked.
    Constance rubbed the spot between her
eyebrows. "Maddie, would you tell me how you and Jake met after all
these years?"
    Instead of the sharp retort that trembled on
her tongue, Maddie replied mildly and gazed at Jake, letting her
genuine adoration shine through, knowing that she would look like a
woman in love, as she told the story of shopping in New York and
running into Jake on the street. She concluded with, "It was love
at first sight."
    Jake took both her hands in his, pulling her
close. "I told Maddie I was happy to be her kept man, but she
insisted on marriage. What's a guy to do when the most beautiful
woman in the world wants to marry him?"
    "What indeed?" Constance asked.
    Since her stepmother didn't smile, Maddie
couldn't decide if she was being sarcastic or amused.
    Strack appeared with a coffee service and a
decanter of brandy and glasses on a large silver tray. Constance
waved a hand at the round linen-upholstered ottoman.
    "Madam, the matter you asked me to handle has
been attended to."
    "Thank you, Strack, you may retire for the
evening."
    After he'd left the room, Constance said,
"Madeline, I've had your suite made ready for you and your
husband."
    Maddie clamped down on the sudden panic she
felt. "What do you mean?"
    "You and Jake can hardly be expected to share
your tiny townhome, and staying in a