CHAPTER SIX

THE BUSTLING TERMINAL did nothing to soothe Raina’s nerves as they waited for their flight to board. Nick had woken her at the ungodly hour of four a.m. so they could catch the first flight to Vegas leaving from Norfolk International.

The past two hours had been a flurry of excitement. He’d loaned her a small suitcase and they’d stopped at the store so she could buy a few weekend outfits. He’d been able to get tickets in first class so at least she would have enough room on the flight to stretch out a little and rest her head. She typed out a text to Sam and then sent it before switching off her phone.

She could already feel the beginning of a migraine swimming around the back of her skull.

She glanced over at Nick, surprised to find he looked almost as nervous as she felt. She couldn’t help wondering if he was having second thoughts about this whole crazy plan. After all, the majority of the benefits to this alliance were on her side. She was going to get the baby she’d always wanted, an extended family and support system, and a doting father to help her care for the child.

What was he getting? A wife who acted like she could barely tolerate him.

“I’m sorry.”

He looked up from the magazine he was reading, some kind of business journal with a picture of a stack of coins on the front.

“Sorry? For what?”

Raina shrugged. “I’ve been nothing but bitchy to you this whole time. What you’re doing is really sweet. I can’t pretend I understand all this yet, but I do appreciate it. A lot.”

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling slightly at the edges. Her stomach did that weird drop-and-roll thing again. She coughed and sat up straighter, hoping to get her equilibrium back.

“I told you. I’m getting something pretty huge out of this deal, too. I get to be married to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. There are tons of men who’d pay good money to be in my shoes right now, believe me.”

She smiled at his joke because she knew he’d been trying to amuse her. But inside, she couldn’t help wondering about the women in Nick’s past. Had he ever wanted to marry any of them? Surely his family was used to seeing a different woman on his arm every year. They probably wouldn’t even try to get to know her since she was more than likely just the flavor of the month, anyway.

But then why would he want to make this permanent?

Nothing about this proposal made any sense to her.

Pushing these negative thoughts to the back of her mind, she hurriedly gathered her belongings when the voice on the PA system announced that their flight was boarding. Nick reached over and picked up her small carry-on suitcase.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

He gave her a look like she was crazy. “Raina, it’s not a problem. Chivalry may be considered dead to most people, but not in my family. I can’t stand back and watch a woman lugging a bag. If that’s antifeminist, then so be it.”

“No, I think it’s nice.” Raina stepped back and allowed him to carry her bag up to the gate. They showed their tickets to the agent and then walked down a long hallway to board the plane.

Once on board, she stretched out her legs and gratefully accepted the orange juice the flight attendants were handing out. She waved away the offer of champagne, knowing the frothy drink would only make her headache worse. Settling back, she closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again they would have reached their destination.

When Raina woke up, she found she wasn’t in Sin City but instead still on the plane. Her right hand was encased in Nick’s large grip and she could feel the slight calluses on his palm. Turning her head, she found him staring right at her.

“We’re almost there.” He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. Unsure of how to respond to the tenderness in his gaze, she nodded mutely and turned to face the front.

Thirty minutes later, the captain announced that they were approaching McCarran International Airport. As the flight attendants walked down the rows checking seatbelts, Raina noticed for the first time that Nick had a death grip on the armrest.

“You’re scared of flying?”

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I’m not scared of flying. I just don’t enjoy flying. There is a difference.”

Despite how conflicted she still felt, Raina couldn’t help smiling. “Right. I’ve noticed you’re big on rephrasing things. But it still comes down to the same thing.”

“Actually, I think words do matter. Words have power. That’s why I say exactly what I mean.” He turned to look at her, their faces so close she could feel the soft puff of his breath against her lips. “For example, some men think it’s okay to promise marriage to a woman and then back out without any warning. But I would never do that. When I say I’m going to do something, I do it. When I make a promise, I keep it. And when I tell a woman I want her to be my wife, I mean forever.”

Raina sucked in a breath. They stayed like that, staring at each other, until a flight attendant stopped next to their row.

“Sir, we need your seat in a full upright position.”

Nick looked away, breaking the spell. “Of course,” he replied.

They touched down without incident and then the next half hour was filled with the hustle of deplaning. Once they finally cleared the secure area, they stood in the middle of the airport, their bags at their feet.

Nick turned to her. “Did you want to go to the hotel first? You could rest a little. Put your feet up.”