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I rarely get to see Sidney since moving to Boston. She’s married to Jaxton Ryder, leading goal scorer in the league. He, Piper, and Lucas grew up together and kind of scooped Sidney and me up into their family, whether we wanted to be or not. Jax managed to get himself traded to the Ottawa Senators when she’d landed her position in parliament.
Me: Temporarily married. More like a marriage of convenience.
Sidney: I know, Piper told me but I thought you were keeping it a secret. The story’s all over Canadian news. Canadian girl moves to the U.S and marries a billionaire. Has a nice ring to it.
My hand trembles holding the phone as dread sinks low in my stomach. If she knows, my family knows. Thomas knows. The room grows dark, and blackness takes over my peripheral vision, and I have to force myself to breathe to stop from fainting. There’s no way they’re going to let this slide.
Me: It was supposed to be a secret. The asshole just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Am I the asshole?” Damon’s low, rumbly voice comes from directly beside my ear, and my entire body jerks.
“Jesus, you scared me.” I hold a hand to my chest, trying to regain some semblance of calm.
His eyes narrow on the ring he gave me, hanging an inch below my palm.
“Do you enjoy disobeying me?” He raises a perfectly arched brow.
I bite my lip to hide my smile, because yeah…I do. “I’m technically wearing it.”
He cups the back of my neck before rubbing his thumb over the tight tendon there.
“Tell me, wife. Since you’re obviously not bothered by me”—his grip tightens, and his voice turns dark, edged with a warning I don’t think is for me—“what made you look so scared?”
“Nothing.”
The stubble on his chin scrapes against my temple. “You’re a horrible liar.”
I huff out a laugh because he’s wrong. I’m an excellent liar. I’ve been hiding every single dark part of me for nearly seven years.
“I received an email from your mother.” Deflect, deflect, deflect.
His brows pull together as if he knows exactly what I’m doing. He shifts so that he’s leaning against my desk. Damon looks wrong here in his perfectly tailored navy suit, showing off just a hint of stretch across his shoulders.
The contrast between him and the fake wood paneling is a perfect representation of the two of us. We can be in the same space, but we’ll never belong. Yet another lesson Thomas’s family taught me.
He leans back, watching me. “What did she want?”
I shudder. “She’s coming over tomorrow to help me get ready.”
His lips twitch into a smile.
“Do you want me to call her off?” His voice is low, serious.
“Hardly. I can handle her.”
He eyes me for a long time. “I spoke with her, and she won’t speak to you like she did again.”
My chest tightens, but I push through it. “Thank you.”
“I won’t be there tonight. I have to go out of town for a meeting.”
I’m curious but don’t bother asking. It has nothing to do with me.
As if reading me like an open book, he continues. “The Mercer acquisition has hit a stalemate. If it was anything else, I’d have one of the other reps take care of it.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
His head tilts to the side. “Don’t I?”
