The next evening, he, Tess, and his mom had gone out to dinner at one of Annmarie’s favorite restaurants. Tess had just been herself, and Annmarie loved her immediately. The little things Tess had thrown in—touching his arm or hand here, dropping a quick kiss on his cheek there—had helped sell the premise. By the end of dinner, Annmarie was convinced they were a happy new couple, and her obvious joy filled him with relief. Yes, it was a lie. And he hated lying to anyone about anything, most of all his mother. But was it harming her, or anyone else? Dammit, she was happy. His dying mother was happy. Some white lies were worth it.
Now, as Tess answered questions about the Holiday Ball, he gazed at her. God, she was great. She was cool as could be, not overselling them as a couple, just being her fantastic self with the right additional amount of random gestures of affection. And she was so goddamn gorgeous, just looking at her made his blood heat. Dressed simply in an emerald green sweater, jeans, and knee-high tan riding boots, she was relaxed and chatty and exuded light. She didn’t seem like a haughty head of a huge New York City company or the precious sweetheart of a powerful billionaire family. She was just . . . normal. Both pleasant and enchanting in every way.
Playing the smitten boyfriend to her was easy as could be, because the fact was, he was crushing on her, he could admit that. But that was it. A little crush, a lot of lust, but mostly easy camaraderie. There was no pressure here; she was his friend now. It was amazing, all the way around.
She glanced over at him from beneath her lashes and smiled. “You’re staring,” she said flirtatiously.
“Can’t help it,” he replied. “You’re gorgeous.” Being able to say things like that was more fun than he’d ever cop to.
“Awww.” Tess’s smile bloomed as she said, “Back at you, Thor.”
He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Remind me to kick Ford’s ass for telling you that stupid nickname.”
“If the huge Norse-god shoe fits . . .” Tess let her voice trail off and winked.
Annmarie sighed a little. “You two are adorable. I love it.”
“Well,” Tess said to her, “thanks for making such an incredibly handsome son. I do enjoy looking at him. It’s a nice bonus, since he’s such a great guy.”
Damn, she was good at this. Logan warmed inside at her words; yeah, they were fake, but they were perfect, exactly the kind of thing his mom would like to hear. Flirting with her was fun. He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze of approval. She winked at him again, then pulled her hand free to take another bite of her pasta salad.
Earlier that day, they’d had their second visit to the clinic. The test results were all in. His sperm were totally viable, passing all the markers. The whole package combined, apparently, made him a good candidate. It was a go, if they both agreed to it. The look of pure elation that washed over Tess’s face . . . her face flushed and her eyes shone with tears of joy. He’d been so happy for her happiness, he’d reached out and hugged her.
Then Tess and Dr. Fuller had an extensive conversation, which Logan sat and listened to without a word. It was Tess’s decision. However she wanted this to play out, he’d abide by it without question. Tess asked Dr. Fuller about their getting her pregnant the old-fashioned way, and the doctor was fine with it. She explained to both of them about the timeline; how having sex a few times before, during, and after the ovulation period would certainly tip the odds of conceiving in Tess’s favor. They could try it that way for a few months, and if Tess still wasn’t pregnant, they could embark on more direct, clinical methods. By the end of the appointment, Tess had made her decision. Logan would be her known donor, and they’d go about conceiving the natural way.
Then they’d gone back to his house to have lunch with his mom. And all he could think about was getting started. He knew that was a little weird; it’s not like they were dating and he couldn’t wait to get his new lover into bed for a romp. They’d be having sex for one reason only, a very set agenda and goal. But . . . yeah, getting to take this lovely woman to bed, and all the fun, erotic ways he could try to get her pregnant . . . it was mind-boggling to think about, actually. He was a little scattered . . . and eager, excited, nervous, all of that.