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“What my wife wants, my wife gets.”
He’s teasing, but damn if hearing him say wife doesn’t get my lady bits fired up for him. I need to get myself under control. This is all for show. This is to help Legend get his inheritance. It will help all the guys of Everlasting Ink, my best friend, her brother, who is so much like my brother as well, our friends, Legend’s parents. This is the right thing to do. He shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get an inheritance. Either they wanted him to have the money or they didn’t. It should be that simple.
“We can talk about what comes next.”
“Not a bad idea. We need to decide when to tell our parents,” I agree as he leads us back to the living room.
“Sit tight.” He motions to the couch and rushes off to the kitchen.
I take a seat, grab the remote, and manage to pull up the streaming app and start scrolling through the movie options.
“Water okay to drink? I have beer as well, but I know you’re driving home. Unless… you wanted to stay?”
“I have to work tomorrow, so I’ll need clean scrubs. Water is perfect.” I take the offered bottle and place it next to me on the end table. “So, this is the absolute best popcorn, huh?” I ask, as he places a large bowl between us on the couch.
“You know it.” He nods, and I grab a handful, tossing a few pieces into my mouth.
“Not bad.”
“Why, thank you.” He reaches over and pats himself on the back, and we both laugh at his antics.
“All right, so the parents. What are you thinking?”
“Well, the sooner we tell them, the better. How long do you think we need to date before announcing the wedding?”
“I think there is no timeline for love. We’ve known each other for years. We hang out a lot, so it’s believable. There shouldn’t be any red flags from your grandparents’ attorney.”
“I was thinking the same thing. I don’t think this would have worked with anyone but you. Thank you for doing this, Monroe.” He pauses, then releases a heavy sigh. “It still feels wrong in a way. Getting married to get the money.”
“You can’t think about it that way. Think about what you can do for your family with that money. For the business. Besides, it was a shitty way to make amends. I get what they were trying to say. Marry who you want. But to put the stipulation that you have to be married within a year and for a year to get your inheritance….” I shake my head. “They should have given you that money, or hell, given it to your mom with no strings attached.”
“Yeah. That’s why I agreed to all of this. And to help you too. You’ll be set for life after this. We both will be.”
“I don’t want any of it, Legend.” Reaching over, I place my hand on his shoulder. “We’re friends, and that’s what friends are for. Time is going to pass us by in the blink of an eye, and the days where you once referred to me as your wife will be a distant memory.” A look I can’t name crosses his face. “Now, we need a game plan.”
We spend the next hour hashing out our plan and eating the entire bowl of popcorn. The movie we planned to watch is long since forgotten.
“Okay, so I’ll call my parents and tell them I want to bring someone for them to meet. I know you’ve met them multiple times, but this way we get to play it up.” I grin.
“And I’ll tell mine the same. I’ll set something up for Sunday at my parents’, and you said you’re going to try for Saturday?”
“Yep. My parents are going on a cruise next week, so we’ll catch them before they leave.”
“Then we date?”
“Yep. Dinners, hanging out with the group. We’ll let it ride for a few weeks, and then we can announce our engagement.”
“I have to ask you.”
“You don’t technically have to. I mean, I did volunteer for the position.”
“You said that was important to you. I’m going to ask you. Are you okay with me taking care of all of those details?”
“Yep.” I ignore the flutter in my belly. “That’s all you, Mr. Raines.”
“Monroe Raines,” he says softly. “I like it.”
“Yeah, I like it too.” I stand and pick up the now empty bowl. “I should get going. I have to be up early tomorrow.”
