I LOOKED at my wristwatch. It was already thirty minutes before five.
It was Friday. Tonight, Adam and I were going to have dinner with my parents at home. I am going to formally introduce Adam to them.
And Adam hasn't arrived yet. We had decided to meet in a restaurant near my office. I needed to brief him first. We couldn't make any mistakes tonight.
Damn. I told him not to be late.
I took out my cell phone and decided to call him. Last night, we exchanged contacts.
I was about to dial his number when I saw him at the entrance of the restaurant.
My lips automatically parted as I watched him walk towards me.
He was wearing a white polo shirt, black slacks and black leather shoes. His hair was neatly pushed back.
I blinked a few times. Adam looked different from his usual getup. But damn. He looked more gorgeous with his look right now.
"Hi," Adam greeted me with a smile. "I'm sorry I took so much time. I got stuck in the traffic."
He glanced at his leather watch. "Shall we go?"
I continued to stare at him. "What's with the new look?" I asked him, curious.
He shrugged at me. "I'll be meeting your parents, right? I wanted to make a good impression."
"Oh." I muttered, finally standing up from my seat. "But you didn't have to do this Adam."
He just smiled at me. "But I want to, Claire. I know how important your parents are to you. You even said that you didn't want to disappoint them, right? That's why you're doing this scheme?"
I cleared my throat. Then smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Adam. I appreciate this."
We left the coffee shop and went to the parking area.
"By the way, I brought a car," Adam said as he pointed out a black Aston Martin.
Oh. That's the reason he got stuck in the traffic. He brought a car and not his big bike. I looked at him. "Is this yours?"
He pursed his lips. "Nah. Just rented it. Figured this look isn't suitable for big bikes."
I blinked. He really did make an effort, huh.
He opened the car door for me.
"Thank you."
"About our deal, Claire," Adam said to me while we were on the road. I was sitting in the front seat.
"Yes, I still have some things I need to clarify with you." She glanced at him.
"Okay. You first."
"I have another set of conditions.” She turned to him. “First of all, you can't tell anyone about our setup. No one can know that we're not really in a relationship.”
He nodded. "You can count on me, Claire."
“Let’s make everyone believe we’re in a real relationship. And none of this was fake." I cleared my throat. “That means we need to act like a real couple.”
He pursed his lips. "Sure. I can do that. We're going to live together, right? I mean, after the wedding?" He glanced at me. "You still live with your parents, don't you? Am I going to move in with you in your parent's house?"
I shook my head. "No."
He frowned. "No?"
"We can't live with my parents. They will surely discover us. I have a unit here in the city."
"You had already planned this out, huh," he commented, there was an amused smile on his face.
I cleared my throat. "As I was saying, we're going to move into my unit after the wedding. I'll tell my parents that it's yours."
"I'm curious. Did you buy that unit just for this scheme?"
I frowned. "No. I bought that unit two years ago. I just… can't leave my parents at home."
He nodded. "I have my own conditions, as well."
"What are they?"
He cleared his throat. “About the baby, I want us to share custody. I know you're loaded and you can raise our kid on your own without asking for anyone's help. But I still want to provide for him."
"Him?" I raised my brow at him.
He grinned at me. "I wanted our baby to be a boy."
I felt like something touched my heart with what he said. Just the other day, I still remembered the horrified look on his face when I'd told him he got me pregnant.
But now, he looks different from Adam days ago. I could feel that he wanted the baby just as much as I wanted it. And that makes me happy.
“Alright. There’s no problem with that. You have to trust me, Adam,” I assured him. "We'll share custody of the baby. Anything else?”
"I want our child to bear my name.”
I nodded. "Of course, I'll give him or her your name."
He cleared his throat. "About our marriage. Am I not allowed to date another woman while we're married, right?"
My lips parted. I haven't thought of that. Of course, Adam was a playboy. He was used to women by his side.
I can't expect him to stay celibate for the next few months!
"Well, uh… of course, I won't prohibit you from dating. Just make it discreet. You can't be seen with women in the public."
"How about you?"
"What about me?"
"Will you be seeing another man during our marriage?"
I turned to him and frowned. "Of course not. How could you expect me to date when I'm pregnant?"
He pursed his lips. "Alright. Since you won't go out with another man, I'll also refrain myself from dating."
My lips parted. "Huh? Are you serious?"
He lazily looked at me. "That's only fair, right?"
I blinked. "But… what about your needs? I know what kind of lifestyle you have, Adam."
He raised his brow. "And what kind of lifestyle is that?"
I slightly rolled my eyes. "You're used to having women by your side."
He chuckled. "I can't believe you think of me that way. Believe me, Claire. I can survive without a woman for months. But if you're really concerned about my needs, then maybe you can provide for me?"
This time, I felt like my jaw left my face. "What?"