Think  a title for :“Lucas!” Tina came into the kitchen and took his hand. She nervously glanced at Joseph Hale and then back at Lucas. “What are you doing out of bed, honey? Were you thirsty? Why didn’t you come and find me?” she asked. 
“Mr. Hale gave me some water,” said Lucas with a small smile.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Hale.”
“No problem.” Joseph looked at the little boy for one more moment and then back at this Tina girl and realized how utterly nervous she seemed to be. “He was no bother at all. But you should get back to bed.”
Lucas drank the rest of her water and eagerly handed the cup over to Joseph. “Come on sweetie,” said Tina, taking him by his shoulder and heading out of the kitchen. “Let’s get you back to bed.” 
Tina gave Joseph an uneasy smile. “Excuse me, Mr. Hale.” She then quickly rushed Lucas off to bed. 
Joseph watched the young woman leave with Rose’s son, and afterwards, took his phone out and called Henry. 
“How is she, Henry?” 
“She’s doing good, boss. She had a good walk after dinner, and now she’s resting. She still keeps hassling me about this unnamed woman that you seem to be distracted by.” 
Joseph heard the amusement in Henry’s voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
“I’m sure,” said Henry. “Although…gotta say, I’m surprised that you are as distracted as she claims you are.” 
“I am distracted, but not because of her.” 
“Of course,” said Henry with a small chuckle this time. “Anyways, if that’s all you needed.”
“For now.” Joseph looked at his watch and grew aggravated. “This is ridiculous!” he hissed.
“She’s not ready, I take it.”
“No! Can you believe that she had the audacity to arrive just as I had?!” Joseph snapped. 
“Surely, she’ll be worth the wait since you went out of your way to make this meeting with her. Not to mention the almost half-a dozen times you’ve called her over the last four days.”
Joseph Hale rolled his eyes. “You know sometimes it’s exhausting holding a conversation with you.”
“Only because I speak more truth in a day than you’ve been used to hearing in a lifetime.” 
“Whatever.” 
“Anything interesting happen while you’re there waiting for her?” 
“Yes,” said Joseph. “I met her son.”
“Wait…what?!” Henry exclaimed over the phone. “What do you mean a son?! I thought she had a daughter! Are you telling me that she has another kid!?”
“Yeah, she does,” he said. “And I can’t help but wonder where the hell their father is. Why is she alone in this?”
“Oh wow. I find it hard to believe that Sean Martin allowed his daughters to have children out of wedlock. The Martin family was rumored for their strict upbringing. So to have a daughter with bastard children…something’s fishy about that.” 
“Yeah, it is,” said Joseph. “The kid looks…familiar in some way.” 
“What do you mean?” asked Henry.
“I don’t know what I mean just yet. But I want you to look into the Bardot name and cross-reference it with Sean Martin’s lineage.”
“On it, boss.” Henry said. “Is that all?”
“Yeah, that’ll be all for-”
Joseph’s breath hitched as she came sauntering into the kitchen. Her hair was slicked back in a tight and neat bun, small soft hints of her hair laid in small curls near her ears and at her temples.
Makeup was light, eyes shadow the same rich brown as her skin, simple and yet glimmering enough to make her pure hazel eyes pop. She was gorgeous and the dress was a stunner on her.
It was hard not to notice the teasing cleavage at the intricately shaped cut-out at the chest of her dress. She wore it with a class and sensuality that he’d never before seen in a woman.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Her hushed voice said.
Joseph nodded, forgetting that his phone was still at his ears until Henry spoke. “Everything alright over there, boss?” asked his right hand.
“Uh, yeah, yeah, fine.” 
“That good, huh?” said Henry over the phone.
“Just do as I ask, Hen.” 
“Whatever you say, boss.” Joseph heard him say before he hung up the phone.
“Is…is everything alright?” asked Rose.
“Fine,” he said. “Are you ready?” 
“Yes,” she answered and started for the door.
Joseph hurried behind her. “It’s raining out. Do you not have a coat, or pashmina?” he asked. “An umbrella, at least?”
Rose went into the closet and grabbed a small sweater as well as an umbrella. “I’m not poor, Mr. Hale,” she hissed before she could catch herself.
He aggressively took the sweater from her and then held it open until she got the memo to put her arms in. 
Begrudgingly, she placed her arms in as he adjusted the sweater onto her shoulders. Then Joseph grabbed the door and snatched the umbrella out of her hand. 
“Is that why I was forced to bring a box of hand-me-downs to your small apartment?” he asked. “Let’s go.” 
She looked up at him as he held the umbrella open for her and she stepped outside. Rose half thought that the mean billionaire would leave her out in the rain but he didn’t to her surprise.
Joseph stayed in stride with Rose, making sure that she didn’t get wet under the small umbrella even if it meant that he’d get wet a time or two.
The driver stood outside with another umbrella, and held the door open for them both and after they slid in, took the extra umbrella and shut the door behind them. 
Rose sat across from Joseph in the SUV limo. Shortly after, the car pulled off and they headed for their destination. 

There was little said throughout the car ride. Rose sat there, staring out of the window while Joseph stared at her. The woman sitting across from him just did not match the one who was so eager to marry him before. She wanted hardly anything to do with him at all. Not only that, but the woman was obviously hiding secrets from him. 
“I have a lot of questions for you,” he said Rose. “Though I’d like to know the answers now, I am going to wait until we are seated in an even more intimate setting.”
“There is nothing more intimate than right here and right now.” She looked at him for a moment and then back out of the window again. “We can have the conversation now and then you can be rid of me immediately.”
“Don’t play with me, woman.” Joseph practically growled in his accented voice. 
“I…I am not trying…to…” she realized that finishing the sentence would only unhinge the gates to an argument. “I apologize, Mr. Hale.” 
Joseph sat back in his seat and simply continued to watch the woman sitting across from him. The most interesting woman that he’d ever met and still the most infuriating as well. What was he going to do about this one?
The rest of the car ride was ridden in silence. Both harboring thoughts that needed and wanted to be said and asked yet neither opening their mouths to do so. They just simply enjoyed the silence for the moment because both knew that once they got into the restaurant, things would get tricky.
Rose was not ready at all for the confrontation that would follow this night, but she was also ready to just get the night over and done with.
Joseph Hale, however, was more curious about what had to be said. There was an intrigue that excited him deep down. He’d officially be alone with her and see what she was really about. Maybe, he’d be able to at least break part of the wall that she had so thickly built to keep everyone else out and all of her secrets in. It was a challenge, and admittedly, one that he was too curious not to take on.
Crossing his arms with a small smirk on his face, he couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like with the woman sitting across from him. The woman who was soon to be his wife.