Marrying the Billionaire - Macie St. James Page 0,38

even had a real conversation.”

“Whoa. She does the same thing to me.”

“What?” Nicholas shook his head. He wasn’t following. “Who does what to you?”

“Mom. She’s always talking about you and how successful you are and how amazing your house and car and boat and plane are.”

Nicholas frowned. “I don’t have a boat or a plane.”

Nate cocked a brow. “Tell her that. Your business is the most successful anything anywhere. I should start my own business. Working for someone else will never help me get my own boat, plane, and million-dollar house and car. Even if I’m working as a doctor.”

All of this blew Nicholas’s mind. “So when she’s talking to me, she’s comparing me to you and vice versa when she’s talking to you?”

“Pretty much. I suspected that. You know people do that. They never tell you to your face how great you are. They just talk about you behind your back.”

“Mom’s proud of me, I guess.” Nicholas looked over at his mother, who just happened to be pointing to the two of them at that very moment. She, indeed, had a look of pride on her face. “Mom’s proud of both of us. Who would have thought?”

“Yeah, you deal with that. I need to go mingle. See you in a few.”

With a clap on Nicholas’s shoulder, Nate stood and headed down the aisle toward their mom. She held out her arms, hands extended, in a true mom-in-social-mode gesture. As Nate approached, they joined hands, then his mom pivoted to the right slightly to brag about Nate to her friends.

How was it possible that Nicholas hadn’t seen any of this until now? Of course, his mother bragged to her friends about the two of them. He’d seen her do it countless times growing up. Why would he think she wouldn’t play up Nate when she was talking to Nicholas? It fit perfectly.

While Nicholas stared at his mother, Charlie slipped in behind the group gathered at the back of the church. She said something to one of the groomsmen, who pointed toward the front. As Charlie followed the guy’s directions, her gaze happened to land on Nicholas. His heart sped up briefly, then sank as he remembered she didn’t have feelings for him. She was just returning a favor.

“Charlene!” his mom called out after Charlie long after she’d stepped past her. She used Charlie’s formal name—the name Charlie had clearly said she didn’t use. Nicholas took a deep breath. Yep. That was the name his mother would insist on using for the rest of the time she knew Charlie.

Which, sadly, wouldn’t be much longer.

Charlie glanced at Nicholas with an uh-oh expression before pivoting to return to where Nicholas’s mother stood. He smiled at the glance, briefly caught up in the fact that they’d shared a moment. Then he remembered that this was all just an act for her. She wanted him to tell his mother the truth as soon as possible, rather than pursuing where this might go after the wedding.

Still, despite his feelings, he needed to help Charlie out here. He’d gotten her into all this. He needed to stay by her side throughout it.

He stood and walked to where the group was gathered. His mother had her hand on Charlie’s arm and was introducing her as Charlene to all her friends.

“She’ll be joining our family very soon,” his mother gushed. “She works for Nicholas’s best friend. He’s a billionaire, too.”

Nicholas grimaced. He didn’t like that word, even when his mom said it in the context of being proud of him. The part of him that liked hearing his mother was proud of him didn’t like the fact that she used this to impress her friends. He wished she’d live her life for herself rather than what everyone else thought of her, but he knew that would never change.

“Nice to meet you,” Charlie said.

“I can escort you to your seat.” Nicholas stepped up next to Charlie. “It looks like we’re about to get started.”

In very fortunate timing, he saw one of the groomsmen standing next to the bride’s grandmother, ready to walk her to her seat. He knew from the rehearsal that this kicked off the entire ceremony.

Nicholas’s mom gasped. “Oh, my. Yes. I didn’t realize it was that late. I’ll catch up with you all at the reception.”

Eager to get away from the entire scene, Nicholas turned and held out his arm to Charlie, offering to officially escort her. She took the offer, snuggling up next to him as