Surrogate and Wife by Emily McKay Page B

he let her go. Because his new wife was the one woman he couldn’t have.

Six
    â€œT his isn’t what we talked about,” Kate muttered through clenched teeth forty minutes later as they stood in the private dining room of the 7 th Street Bistro. The bistro was one of the trendy new restaurants that had opened on the square across from the courthouse.
    Tonight the private room was filled with the guests who had come to help them celebrate. Champagne toasts were being made to their happiness. Large platters of appetizers were being passed around.
    Jake held a glass of champagne in one hand but kept his other arm draped over Kate’s shoulder, partly for appearance’s sake and partly to keep her by his side. The minute he let go, he knew she’d pull away from him.
    â€œI hope this wasn’t your idea,” she said under her breath.
    He’d guided her to the back of the room by a table laden with a two-tier cake and a dozen or so packages wrapped in shades of white paper. They stood slightlyapart from the crowd, so there was no chance of being overheard. But they were being closely watched.
    â€œNot a chance.” He leaned in to brush a kiss on her temple and caught the scent of her shampoo. Something sweet and fruity. Damn, she smelled good.
    She nudged her shoulder against his chest. “Stop doing that,” she hissed.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œBeing all lovey-dovey. It’s ridiculous.”
    â€œThis is our wedding reception,” he pointed out. “It’d be ridiculous if we weren’t affectionate.”
    She made a disgruntled noise. “So, if this wasn’t your idea, then whose was it?”
    â€œYour friend Kevin. He’s the one responsible.” Just then Kevin caught his eye from across the room and smiled broadly. Not wanting to spoil the guy’s fun, Jake raised his glass in salute before downing a healthy gulp.
    â€œI’m going to kill him,” she muttered. “When this is over, I’m definitely going to kill him.”
    â€œHe just wanted to do something nice for you. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”
    He studied her, genuinely curious about her reaction
    â€œNice?” Kate scoffed. “Nice would have been arranging for me to have the afternoon off. This is torture.”
    â€œAh, it’s not so bad.”
    â€œNot so bad? Half the town is here.”
    â€œThirty people is hardly half the town.” She merely glared at him, so he added, “Try to look on the bright side—”
    â€œThe bright side?” she asked sarcastically before he could finish.
    He ignored her. “At least now everyone knows about the wedding. That was the idea, wasn’t it?”
    Turning to face him, she said, “Speaking of thingspeople know about. All of this might not have been your idea, but you knew about it, didn’t you?”
    He could lie, but what would be the point? “As soon as Kevin found out we were getting married, he started planning this. I found out on…oh, about Tuesday, I guess.”
    â€œAnd you didn’t put a stop to it?”
    â€œDon’t you think that would have seemed strange? Besides, what’s the harm?”
    â€œWhat’s the harm?” she asked incredulously. “If we’re not careful—if we slip up at all, any one of these people could put two and two together and figure out that we barely know each other. And that we’re certainly not in love.”
    â€œThat’s not going to happen.”
    â€œHow can you be so sure?”
    He nodded toward the room. “Look at them. Do any of them look suspicious? Even a little bit?”
    She twisted to study the crowd, carefully examining each face. He allowed her a few seconds of paranoia before nudging her chin with his knuckle so she looked back at him. “The only thing that might make people suspicious is if we don’t act like happy newlyweds.”
    Her mouth opened and