Page 4 of Hired Husband

Almost as annoying as the man himself. Despite there only being a three-year age difference between us, Isaac had this habit of speaking to me like I was a kid cousin who often licked batteries just to see what happened.

He was forever acting like he was so much older, wiser, and smarter. It didn’t help that I kept staring at that infuriating face until Dad finally snapped the magazine shut when our wheels gently touched the ground.

“Isaac is building an excellent reputation for himself, Jasmine,” he said as we zoomed across the runway before finally starting to slow down. “That’s something to seriously consider.”

“My dentist is building an excellent reputation for himself too,” I retorted, unbuckling my seatbelt with a loud click when we rolled to stop. “That doesn’t mean I should marry him.”

“Your dentist is a happily married forty-five-year-old with six children,” Dad said, smiling as he stood up. “I don’t think he’s in the running for you, sweetheart.”

“No one is in the running for me,” I said firmly, but it was like talking to a brick wall.

Dad knew I wasn’t interested in an arranged marriage. What I wanted was a love match. So far, I had been managing to make my parents see reason before any hands had been shaken, but it was like Dad just didn’t understand that I wasn’t simply going to change my mind.

He kept shoving options at me, talking like it was a foregone conclusion one of them would stick. Frustration twisted my gut into a dozen little knots, but Dad just grabbed his stupid magazine and strode off the plane like the argument had already been won.

I huffed out a breath before finally following after him, not saying another word. We crossed the tarmac in the bright Chicago sunshine together, both of us sliding into the backseat of a waiting SUV once we reached it. Thankfully, he quickly busied himself catching up with our regular driver in Illinois while ground staff loaded our luggage into the car behind us.

Since I had some catching up of my own to do—and plans to make for tonight—I slid my phone out of my purse and texted Nicole, my best American friend, a fellow heiress, model, influencer, and passport-stamp collector. We were like the same people, just based on different continents. I adored her and we had become fast friends when I’d visited here for a few months.

Me: I’M BACK!

Nicole: FINALLY! I’ve been waiting hours. What took you so long?

Nicole: We’re going out tonight. New club opening. You HAVE to come.

Nicole: If you don’t, I’ll literally scream so loud that you’ll hear me all the way to your brother’s house.

Me: Colin is my brother-in-law. Trust me, if my own brothers were here, I wouldn’t be able to hear you scream, but you’d be able to hear them all the way from your house.

Nicole: LOL. I’ll pick you up at 9. Wear something naughty.

I rolled my eyes, biting back a laugh. If I followed that particular instruction, there was no way my family would let me leave the house, but a few ideas were already taking shape in my mind. Over the years, I’d become pretty good at getting away with things they would never even know about.

This was one of the reasons I loved Nicole, though. No matter what was going on in my life, she always managed to make me smile because she, like me, understood that if people insisted on putting us on a pedestal, we might as well dance on it.

When Dad and I reached the modest little townhouse where my sister and her husband lived, the door swung open before our driver had even killed the engine and Deja came racing out. I would never understand why she’d chosen to live here instead of the luxury condo Colin had bought her as part of her dowry, but I grinned anyway, flying out of the car to greet her.

She launched herself at me, wrapping me up in her arms for a tight, half-swaying, half-jumping hug. “Oh, I’ve missed having you around. Hi. How was the flight?”

I laughed, murmuring against her ear as I let my eyes drift shut. “The flight was fine. Dad was tiring.”

“Who’s he marrying you off to now?”

“You don’t want to know.” I pulled away from her and let out a deep, relieved breath through my nose as I looked into her eyes. “God, it’s good to see you. Home isn’t the same with only the boys there.”

“Where’s Mom?” Deja asked, looping her arm around mine and leading me into the townhouse.

“She’s thrown me to the wolves,” I lamented, waving at Colin, who’d been standing right behind her. He gave me a friendly wave in return, but he was already deep in conversation with our father.

I didn’t even feel bad about leaving them to it. Those two were thick as thieves these days.

My sister and I strode directly to their kitchen and she finally let go of my arm to put on the tea kettle, waving me into a stool at their center island.

“I was thinking we could do Rob’s diner for dinner tonight,” she said, smiling over her shoulder. “I know how much you grew to love their fries while you were here.”

“That sounds good. As long as I’m home by eight and ready by nine.”

She sighed. “How do you already have plans?”