AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She didn’t want anything other than to build a life with someone.
And I hadn’t shared that I was walking into this marriage with an end date in mind.
Come April, I’d file for divorce, give her a healthy settlement. I felt like a dick. I should have been honest, but there was something about Sunny, if that was her real name, that drew me in. I was more interested than I wanted to admit. As irritating as it was, there was a protective side of me that flared to life when it came to her.
Me: No need, Sunny, I’ll be at the airport.
I typed out and sent. Originally, her renting a car had been my stupid idea. I’d wanted her to have a way to leave if I wasn’t what she expected, and if I was being honest, a way for me to send her off if I needed her to leave. It’d been a dick move, but she hadn’t questioned it.
A moment later, the text bubbles popped up letting me know she was responding.
Sunny: Okay, thank you. Plane is about to take off. I’m going to shut off my phone now. See you in a couple hours.
A couple of hours until I would be meeting my future wife. Fuck.
Then it hit me.
I hadn’t asked her how I would know who she was.
Sunny Castro
Istood at the baggage claim with my eyes trained on the carousel in front of me, waiting for my bright yellow luggage to pop up. I didn’t want to turn and look around the airport. Not when I had seen the most beautiful man in the world standing off to the side watching me like I was the most interesting creature he had ever laid eyes on.
When I’d come down the escalator, for a moment, our eyes connected, and I’d felt something inside of me come awake.
A recognition of some sort.
Just my luck. Never in my life had I had anything more than a crush on a man. But I would feel that when I was about to marry a complete stranger. The man of my dreams popped up out of nowhere, wearing a denim jacket with what looked like a black tee underneath and dark jeans with tears at the knees, while holding a black cowboy hat in one hand and a bouquet of pretty wildflowers in another.
Maybe that was him? My hopeful heart wondered. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, right! A man like that didn’t need a mail-order bride. A man like that would have women throwing themselves at him hoping and wishing for just the smallest attention.
My willpower broke, and I glanced over my shoulder, shocked to see his eyes locked on me. Quickly, I turned around and wondered what that was about. Maybe I looked a little more out of place than I had thought?
Born and raised in Southern California, I probably stood out like a sore thumb.
That had to be it.
He was holding flowers in his hand. It was obvious that he was waiting on someone. I wondered what it would be like to have someone like that all for myself. I shook the thought away and forced myself to think about the man I’d been speaking to for the last couple of days.
March West had sounded nice enough in our messages. Nice enough was good enough for me.
My bright yellow luggage caught my attention, and I moved toward the edge of the carousel when I felt someone move in behind me. Suddenly, their hand rested on my hip, and I turned to see who the hell was touching me from over my shoulder. My mouth hung open at who was there.
“Let me guess, the bright yellow one, right?” the beautiful stranger asked. All I could do was nod. He moved me out of the way and reached for it.
“Oh! Wait, it’s heavy!” I started to warn, but it was obvious by the easy way he picked it up that he didn’t seem to have a problem with it. He turned and nodded.
“Any more bags?” he asked, and I blinked.
“Umm, no. That’s all of it.”
“Sunny, right?” The man was a mask of indifference. I couldn’t get a read on him, and I had a feeling that’s exactly how he wanted it.
“Right,” I whispered. My heartrate kicked up as I looked up at the handsome man. “You must be March? Maybe?”
“I am.” He nodded as he stared at me for a moment.
The airport was somewhat full, people coming and going, but for me, in that moment, it was just the two of us.
