He frowned like he didn’t understand.
I took a deep breath and grasped at the only thing that was left between us. “I wasn’t expecting to find true love here,” I admitted. “All I wanted was companionship.”
“I see.”
I licked my lips. Companionship. That was achievable, wasn’t it? If true love was a silly fantasy, then mutual respect was the real-life equivalent. “Maybe we can have that. We cancome to an understanding,” I said, then straightened, nodding, my own words convincing myself. “We both need this for our own reasons. It doesn’t have to be a—a regular marriage. And then your grandmother’s leverage would be gone, so you’d be free. And I…I like it here. You know?”
His eye twitched. “Right.”
“Last night was messy,” I continued, “so how about we just?—”
“Pretend it never happened?”
“You need to keep your grandma off your back. I need a fresh start. We’ve got six weeks to see if we can live with each other. Like…friends. Or business associates.”
His jaw ticked. “And after that?”
“If we’re happy with how things are going, we file the certificate. Stay married on paper. Live our best lives.” I gave him an uncertain smile. “And if we decide we’re better off apart, then we go our separate ways.”
It made sense. We couldn’t just walk away from each other. I had nowhere to go, and Gideon would be at his grandmother’s mercy. We could use this time as a test. I could stay in Marswood Harbor, see if it was really where I wanted to stay.
What happened last night wouldn’t happen again.
His eyes bore holes into me. I couldn’t tell if he was furious about my suggestion or relieved. Then it was his turn to smile without humor. “See if you still want to stick around after family lunch, and then we can talk about forever. We’ll leave in an hour.”
Without another word, he got up, turned around, and disappeared outside.
GIDEON
She would never be mine—not in truth—but the edge of panic that had ridden me hard when I noticed her packed bags had eased.
She was staying. For now.
I inhaled the loamy scent of the forest and cursed myself for wanting her so badly. The only way this plan would work would be to keep my distance. Build up my walls. Never, ever kiss her again.
SEVEN
SADIE
The drive to Etta’s house was silent, giving me ample time to work myself up into a tizzy. Would they like me? Would I make a fool of myself? Would I remember anyone’s name?
Finally, we arrived. Tall, wrought-iron gates were open to allow us entrance onto a long, tree-lined drive that opened onto a perfectly manicured lawn. A gigantic house stood guard over the land. The colonial mansion had a dramatic white colonnade framing the brick structure, with wide white window sashes. It was gorgeous. And huge.
Gideon turned off to the side and parked in one of the massive garages. He got out of the car and opened my door, then stalked beside me like a silent, looming bodyguard as we headed for the front entrance. This time, there was no hand on my back. No touch at all. He didn’t knock when we got there; he just pressed the lever on the handle and walked in.
The foyer was grand, with two sweeping staircases coveredin plush red Turkish rugs. A round table bearing a vase of flowers gave the entryway a burst of fresh scent and color. The sound of chatter and peals of laughter guided us to a big living room at the back of the house.
The room had various sofas and chairs arranged in two conversation areas, with French doors thrown open to reveal a plant-filled solarium beyond.
All along our walk to the big living room, I gaped, suddenly realizing just how much money Etta Mars must’ve had. Her house was gorgeous.
Two dozen or more people sat on various sofas, chairs, or on the floor, and all of them turned to look when we walked in. A cheer went up.
“The newlyweds!” one of Gideon’s brothers said—the youngest, whose name I’d learned was Bennett. “We weren’t sure if you’d show up today.”
“It was touch and go for a minute there,” I admitted, then flushed when loud hooting sounded in response. Gideon threw me a dark look as one of his cousins clapped him on the back, congratulating him on a successful wedding night.
When my embarrassment faded, I realized that meant none of them knew where he’d been last night, either. They all thought he’d been with me.
