“The happiest. Such a great little girl. But that’s to be expected.” I nudge her. “She’s got a great mom.”
She pinches her lips into a tight line, and her chin quivers. “I try to be, Parker. I really do. It’s not easy. It’s not that I’m ungrateful,” she adds quickly. “I’m blessed to have you and Grandma Estelle ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice and help with her.” She laughs under her breath. “Especially Grandma Estelle. I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t call up and drop Maggie with her whenever I get called to work an extra shift at the casino.”
“And you know Grandma Estelle loves to do it. She adores that little girl. We all do.”
“Still, sometimes I feel so alone.”
She turns her attention back to Maggie, admiring her daughter for several long moments before breaking the silence.
“I talked to him.”
“Who?”
“Beckham. Asked about renting one of his units.”
“What did he say?”
I’d be surprised if Beckham refused. He may be a bit rough around the edges, preferring the company of wine barrels to people. But he’s always had a soft spot for Haley. And particularly for her little girl. Even if Haley can’t see it.
“He asked me to marry him.”
“He…what?”
Of all the things that could have come out of her mouth, this was the last thing I expected.
“Took me by surprise, too.”
“Aren’t people supposed to date before a proposal? At the very least, they have a hot and heavy one-night stand, then plan to never see each other again until those two little lines appear on a pregnancy test, at which point he decides to do the right thing and proposes.” My eyes widen as I suck in a gasp. “Oh my god. Did you sleep together? Are you pregnant?”
“What? No! Of course not!”
I lean toward her. “Did you sleep with Beckham?”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Haley insists, but it doesn’t escape my notice that she doesn’t deny it. Nor does she look directly into my eyes.
Which only increases my curiosity.
“Apparently, Mr. Belanger is considering handing the vineyard over to Beckham. But he’ll only do so if he’s married. He’s sort of old school and traditional like that.”
“So you’d...what? Elope?”
She shakes her head. “We’ll pretend to date openly for a month, telling people we’ve been together for much longer, but kept it quiet because of Maggie. Right before I have to vacate my current apartment, he’ll propose, preferably somewhere extremely public. We’ll move in together, decide we don’t want to wait to get married and aim for a spring wedding. He’ll pay for utilities, groceries, and even preschool and childcare for Maggie. That way, I can save all the money I make in the hopes of finally opening my own bakery.”
“And then?” I arch a brow. “How long would this fake marriage last?”
“He hopes only a year or two. Long enough for Mr. Belanger to be satisfied it’s legit. Obviously, we can’t break up the day after he signs the vineyard over to Beckham. That would be a bit too obvious.”
“And what are your thoughts?”
She pushes out a long sigh. “On one hand, it’s free rent, utilities, groceries, and childcare.” She laughs under her breath. “I can’t remember the last time I haven’t lived paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes not even making it at that. So not having to worry about making ends meet? It would be huge.”
“But…,” I prod, sensing there’s more.
“But how do I explain this to Maggie? I can’t tell her the truth. She’d blab it all over the county. I probably shouldn’t even be telling you, since this only works if the entire town believes we’re madly in love.”
“That won’t be a problem.” I snort. “The entire town already thinks you’re meant to be together, but you’re both too stubborn to admit it.”
She rolls her eyes. “Regardless, I can’t have my four-year-old telling everyone that mommy’s only married so her fake husband can gain control of the winery. Which means she needs to believe it’s real. Which also means—”
