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“You did. Until you didn’t, that was. I thought he ghosted you in high school?”
“He did.” I frowned, rolling onto my stomach. “He did. But…”
“But?” Alex prompted.
“But, well… Things are… different now.”
“Different, how?”
Should I tell him the full story? Or gloss over it and hope he didn’t notice the ring on my left hand next time he saw me? If I wasn’t going to tell my parents, would I be able to keep the whole thing to myself?
Nope. Hell no.
“Different in that I need help, and so does he. I’m getting evicted, and he’s trying to claim his inheritance.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
“I might be an idiot, but I’m totally not following how these two things are related. But wait—you’re getting evicted? Macken—”
“I’m marrying him,” I blurted out. “I’m marrying him so he can get his inheritance. It’s some weird-ass stipulation his father put in his will. Walker can’t claim controlling share of the company without being married. Once it’s all signed over to him, we get a divorce, I get a cushy settlement…”
I trailed off, running out of steam and needing some kind of feedback from my best friend.
Alex said nothing. I bit my lip, worrying it between my teeth. After saying all this out loud, it was starting to sound a lot more nuts than it had when I’d rationalized it in the café.
Maybe Alex was about to tell me that. To tell me I was making the biggest mistake of my life, that I needed to take it back, that this was wrong—
“Wow, honey,” he said with a laugh. “That is… damn! Are you doing this ’cause I told you my favorite soap is getting canceled? Because you know I can’t wait to see how this turns out.”
4
Walker
“All right. I gotta ask one more time. You’re totally sure you want to do this? Perpetual monogamy? Marriage for workaholic Walker Prince?”
Grant and I sat in my BMW, just outside the run-down apartment complex where Mackenzie lived. It was about a half hour before the ceremony—if that was even the right word for what was about to happen.
When I’d called Grant two weeks ago to tell him about seeing Mackenzie—and then, subsequently asking her to marry me, and her saying yes—he’d been amused beyond belief and hadn’t shut up since. Knowing the ins and outs of our ‘marriage,’ that it was predominantly for show, one would think this fuckhead would have something better to do than relentlessly give me shit about the fact that it was happening. But that would be giving Grant way too much damn credit.
“Maybe you’re not doing it just because you want your inheritance, hmm?” he suggested, his smug grin mocking me.
“It’s just a friend thing. A favor. Between friends,” I finally answered, strumming my fingers against the steering wheel to the low beat of music playing through the speakers.
“Does she know that?”
“She only agreed once I explained the details. Once I told her it wouldn’t be anything more than a business arrangement.”
“Hm. And do you know that?”
I cut a look to him, making him laugh as he pulled out a cigar and started to smoke. At least he gave my window a courtesy roll down. Of course I knew there was nothing romantic about the situation but I hadn’t been able to shake the too-warm feeling in my gut since Mackenzie told me she’d help me out with this.
It had stayed with me even as Mackenzie and I had finished out our lunch, bubbled and boiled low as we set in motion the process of moving her things to my place.
This was really fucking happening.
The movers would pack up the contents of her apartment and cart everything across the city while we were at the courthouse. Over the past few days, I’d told a few people at the company about my impending nuptials, usually to the tune of “No way!” and “I didn’t even know you were dating!”
Let’s just say that my history of keeping my personal life separate from my professional life had served me well in this situation. No one was incredibly shocked to hear that I’d been dating someone in secret for months.
