Whatever the Price Read Free Page A

focus solely on the innocent baby, maybe she wouldn’t have to deal with how just one look, one brief touch from Anthony still had her tingling inside.
    Charlotte moved down the wide hallway, breaking free of Anthony’s strong grasp. She walked into the room where the designer had quickly transformed a guest room into a nursery. The pale pink walls made the new white furniture and crisp eyelet curtains pop with a fresh, calming ambience. A lump of sorrow consumed her. This was the room she’d always hoped would be a nursery for their child. The size was perfect and the crib by the window would let in the morning sun, welcoming any child to a new day.
    It was one year ago she’d miscarried, and holding on to Lily brought all of those painful memories to the surface.
    Charlotte stared down at the baby as tears gathered in her eyes. The thought that Rachel would never see Lily take her first steps, never see her off to school or marry one day really hit home. Charlotte had wanted all those things and more with the baby she’d lost. But fate had brought her and Lily together for a reason.
    “You okay?”
    Anthony moved in behind her, placing a warm hand on the small of her back. It would be so easy to lean on him right now, but where would that get her? For now she was alone with her emotions.
    “It’s just a lot to take in,” she whispered. “Being back here, Lily, Rachel’s death.”
    “I know.”
    His voice, thick with his own emotion, pulled at her. She’d never once, in all their nine years of marriage, seen him show this kind of emotion. Other than expressing his love for her, he’d never opened up, shown her anything deeper that would make him appear vulnerable. Anthony Price was too proud, too strong to let anyone, including his wife, think he was less than perfect at all times.
    Like the time his world was flipped upside down nearly a year ago when he’d discovered the truth about his adoption. He’d been thrown into a family just as famous as he, and he hadn’t sought her out for guidance, comfort or even to talk. He’d shut her down once again and slid just one more thing between the two of them, sending her back one more slot on his priority list.
    And then his sister had died. Now was not the time to go into all the reasons working on this marriage was a bad idea.
    “I’m sorry about Rachel.” She turned, looked at him through teary eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for the funeral, but I just…I couldn’t be.”
    Anthony nodded. “I understand. It’s more important that you’re here now. For Lily.”
    For Lily? Charlotte doubted that was the main reason he wanted her here, but helping with the baby was all he was getting from her. Her heart couldn’t afford any more emotional beatings.
    “She sleeps a lot.” Anthony smiled down at his niece. “Is that normal?”
    “For her age it is. They generally nap about twice a day, so she’s fine. Her world has been disrupted and I’m sure she’s noticed that things aren’t the same. We just have to try to keep her life on some type of regular schedule. That’s best for babies.”
    “You’re good for her,” Anthony said, looking back up into her eyes. “And me.”
    No comment was necessary. What could she say? A baby didn’t change a thing. He’d warned her that he would try to get her back during these next few months, which meant she had to totally steel herself against his charms. And since she’d been married to him for the past nine years, she pretty much knew every angle he would work.
    Charlotte took in the room’s soft, delicate toile decor and laid Lily in her sleigh crib. The chandelier mobile overhead would be a beautiful sight for her to wake up to. Charlotte only hoped the child got used to the strange surroundings and adjusted quickly.
    She also hadn’t missed the fact that one of her paintings of little girls playing in a field hung just over the rocking chair. She wondered if Anthony had asked the designers to