Page 23 of Loving Her Enemy

Being an only child and then being raised by a single parent for much of her life, Halayna had always wanted a big family. But not like this. She wanted to fall in love, get married, and then have a family.

However, Sloane had captured her attention with this proposal.

Halayna stumbled out of the chair, dropped the papers onto the table in front of the sofa, and darted over to the nightstand where she’d left her cell phone. She needed to talk to someone, and Bristol was the only person she could confide in regarding this.

“Hey, girl. What’s up?” Bristol said, sounding out of breath.

“Your brother wants me to have his baby!” Halayna said in a rush, the words tumbling together.

Silence filled the phone line, and Halayna dropped onto the edge of the bed when realization dawned on her. Her friend was too quiet.

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

Bristol sighed. “Yeah, but… Actually, where are you?”

“In my bedroom.”

“Good. I just got home. Give me ten minutes to change clothes, and I’ll come see you.”

Bristol hung up before Halayna could respond.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. When Halayna opened it, her friend strolled in carrying a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.

“Oh, so it’s going to be that kind of conversation,” Halayna mumbled and followed Bristol into the sitting area.

“I can explain,” she said as she filled the glasses and handed one to Halayna. They tapped them together before slamming back the liquor.

Halayna cringed at the sharp, intense flavor, and the heat going down her throat. She wasn’t a big drinker and couldn’t remember the last time she had taken a shot. It did the job, though. It mellowed her out some.

They set the empty glasses on the coffee table, and Bristol sat on the sofa with her legs folded under her while Halayna reclaimed the recliner.

“Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?” she asked.

“Because I don’t want anything to do with this. Not that I don’t think you’d be perfect for Sloane. I understand his reasoning, but I don’t know if getting into a marriage of convenience is a good idea for either of you.” She sighed loudly and silence settled between them before she said, “So what did you tell him?”

“I told him no,” Halayna said vehemently, then released her own sigh. “But that was before I read the contract.”

And it was before she realized just how much she had enjoyed spending time with him, but she kept that thought to herself. She also didn’t bother mentioning she had said no, even though her body was still vibrating from that delicious lip-lock they’d shared.

Bristol gestured at the papers on the table. “I take it that’s the contract. May I?” Halayna nodded.

As her friend skimmed the document, Halayna stared out the window overlooking the flower garden. Her day had started with worrying about getting to a job interview on time, and now, if she agreed to Sloane’s proposal, she’d never have to worry about finding a job again.

“Wow, this is a lot,” Bristol said, snagging Halayna’s attention.

“Yeah, it is, and you know your brother never does anything half-ass. He proposed with this.” Halayna stuck out her hand, and Bristol’s eyes doubled in size.

“Whoa. That’s gorgeous, and it’s gotta be at least five carats.” She glanced up at Halayna, her eyes still wide. “He’s really serious.”

Halayna nodded.

She gave the ring one more admiring look before she slipped it off and stuck it back in the envelope.

“Well, you could do a lot worse,” her friend said and set the papers back down. “He’s wealthy, kindhearted, he’ll treat you like a queen—even if the marriage is for a limited time—and he’s offering everything you’ve ever wanted in a relationship.”

“Except for the one thing I need—love,” Halayna said quietly.

“Yeah, but Owen promised to love you forever, and look how that turned out. He dumped you via text.”