“You wouldn’t really have to have babies with Sydney,” said Kyle. “You’d just have to let Katie think you’ll have babies with Sydney.”

“That’s insane.” And even if it wasn’t, Katie knew why Sydney was here. There’s no way they’d ever convince her they were having babies together.

“No.” Kyle shook his head. “It’s brilliant. You pretend to fall in love with her, pretend to marry her for real. She gets the brooch and Katie relaxes enough to get pregnant.”

“And I get a wife I don’t know, who doesn’t love me, won’t sleep with me but takes my jewelry?”

Kyle took another swig of his wine. “I’m sure you’re not the first guy that’s happened to.”

Cole snorted.

Kyle clapped him on the shoulder. “You get the satisfaction of knowing you put your foot down and made a decision that was best for your family.”

“Somehow I don’t think this is me putting my foot down.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“I never said that.” How could Cole justify getting married on the off chance it would help Katie get pregnant? Then again, how could he justify not getting married if there was a chance it could help Katie get pregnant?

“We’d be lying to your wife,” he pointed out to Kyle, looking for some loophole that didn’t make him the bad guy.

“No, we wouldn’t. We wouldn’t have to say a thing. Katie’s a hopeless romantic. Trust me, she’s going to throw you and Sydney together no matter what you and I decide. All you’d have to do is hang around and look besotted.”

“I don’t do besotted.”

“Just look at Sydney the way you were looking at her before dinner.”

“I haven’t-”

“That was more aroused than besotted, I’ll admit. But it should work.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“She’s a babe, Cole. It’s not like it would be this huge hardship.”

Alarm crept into Cole’s system as Kyle’s words started to make some kind of bizarre sense. He couldn’t consider this. Then again, he couldn’t not consider this.