“Since Adalynn’s birth, her mother and I have shared joint custody. Last month while I was in Hawaii, Naomi filed for sole custody. If the courts grant it, I’ll have almost no say in any aspect of her life and I’ll only get weekend visits.”
Unless the woman had an incredibly good reason, it sounded like a bitchy thing to do, especially after all this time.
“She claims my reputation and career make me an unfit father.”
Josh sounded past the point of frustrated, and she could understand why. “Josh, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, but I’m not sure how I can help. I know nothing about family law.”
“I can control what new projects I take on. At the moment, I have nothing planned, and if I have to give up acting to keep custody of Adalynn, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. My reputation is another matter. I can’t change the past. But...” Josh paused as if searching for the right words. “If I was married, it would go a long way to fixing it—especially if I’m married to you.”
A dancing bear in a pink tutu could walk in the room right now and she wouldn’t be any more surprised. “I must have missed something,” she said before he continued. She didn’t think she had, but a more appropriate response escaped her. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
Josh nodded.
Yep, this was by far turning into the most bizarre meeting she ever attended. “Putting aside all the other reasons this is a crazy idea, don’t you think it’ll appear odd if we suddenly get married? We spent all of two weeks together in December and haven’t seen each other since.”
“Josh hasn’t been seen in the company of anyone but you since early June, before he went on location in New Zealand. It would be easy to spin a story that you kept your relationship a secret leading up to your trip in December. And only the four of us here know that today is the first time you’ve seen each other in weeks,” Pauline said, joining the conversation for the first time.
If his publicist said he hadn’t been with any other woman but her in months, she couldn’t argue. If anyone in this room besides Josh would know, it would be her. It didn’t change the fact what he was proposing was a crazy idea.
“I know I’m asking a lot,” Josh said, cutting into her thoughts.
Talk about an understatement. “You think?” The words slipped out before she could stop them, because nutty idea or not, she needed to remain professional.
“We obviously don’t have to stay married indefinitely.”
If Josh was asking for any other favor from her, she’d tell him to sign her up. But this went as far beyond a favor as anyone could ask. At the same time, if she refused, would Josh and Evan withhold their donation? While they received some generous contributions from donors, they didn’t get two million dollars every day.
“I’m not sure, Josh. I need time to think about it.” Part of her, probably the part she should be ignoring, was telling her to go for it. They’d had a lot of fun together in Hawaii, and she had missed him the past few weeks. If she said no, she’d kill any chance she might have with him. Her logical side, the side she should listen to, was urging her to say “thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested.”
Unfortunately, she was interested. Despite her repeated reminders not to get emotionally involved while they were together in Hawaii, she had. And seeing Josh again today had those emotions surging toward the surface again.
“Understandable,” he said.
She’d expected an argument from him. After all, the sooner they got married, the better, considering the situation he’d explained. “I’ll call you no later than Thursday.” Perhaps thinking she’d have a decision anytime this decade was being optimistic, but she needed to tell him something.
“And just so you know, the donations are not contingent on your decision.”
Thank goodness.
Pauline appeared ready to speak. Perhaps she thought they needed an answer sooner. Whatever the publicist intended to say, she didn’t get the chance.
“Evan, now is probably a good time to discuss the proposal you have,” Josh said, rather than pressure her for an immediate answer.
For the next forty minutes, Evan shared his ideas for how Epic could partner with the foundation. Courtney did her best to follow along, but her mind repeatedly drifted away from the portfolio Evan handed her and to the man across the table. The man who wanted to marry her so he wouldn’t lose joint custody of his little girl. It truly was the craziest request she’d ever received, but one she was tempted to agree to. Being married to Josh certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
“Before you leave, I want to make sure you know your answer to what we discussed earlier will not effect this partnership,” Evan said once they finished reviewing the information he’d presented her with.
“I’ll need sometime to review this in more detail. I’ll be in touch soon about everything we discussed today.” She reached for the briefcase she’d set on the floor. Her meeting with Evan wasn’t her only one this afternoon. She had another one back at her office in an hour. She not only wanted but also needed some time alone to get her head back to where it needed to be before her appointment walked through the door.
After exchanging the appropriate goodbyes, she pushed in her chair and stepped toward the door. Before she could move any further, Josh stood and came around the table. “I’ll walk with you.”
Evidently, sorting her thoughts would have to wait another few minutes.
Neither of them spoke as they walked past Evan’s personal assistant and the other offices located on the floor. Despite the lack of conversation, she remained very aware that he stood less than an arm’s length away.
Josh waited until they were safely alone behind the elevator doors before facing her. “I’ve thought about calling you several times since last month.”
Her heart did a little dance. He sounded sincere. Maybe she hadn’t imagined the connection in Hawaii. Then again, it was possible he was trying to sway her decision.
“And not because of what we just discussed,” he continued.
The man was an actor, so at least for the moment she would take everything he said with a grain of salt.
“I wanted to explain the situation to you in private, but Pauline thought it would be best if we met here instead. I shouldn’t have listened to her though. I’m sorry.”
Whether he’d asked for her help in the privacy of her apartment or in his brother’s office wouldn’t have changed much. “It would have been an awkward conversation regardless, Josh.”
“You’re probably right.” He took a step closer, and her brain conjured up the memory of them embracing on her balcony while they watched the fireworks. “Are you busy tonight?” he asked.
Wednesday night she had book club. This month, her friend Meg, who also lived at the Mayfair, was hosting. Then on Thursday she tentatively had plans to get together with a college friend who might be in the area, but tonight her calendar was wide open. “No.”
“I’d like a chance to catch up. I’m having dinner with my dad and stepmom around six, but we should be done by eight.”
She wouldn’t mind more than a chance to catch up. But indulging in more of the fun they’d shared in Hawaii would only complicate the decision she needed to make. “I’ll be home if you want to stop by. I live at the Mayfair in the penthouse. I’ll let the doorman know I’m expecting you so he’ll let you in.”