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Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Mate, have you thought about what happens if either of you get feelings for the other one?”
“Not going to happen.”
“That’s what I thought when Adelaide moved in. That’s not exactly how it ended.”
“Yes, but you wanted to get married. It wasn’t in your immediate plans, but you were open to the possibility. I am not.”
“You are getting married, my man.”
“Not really. It’s not real.”
“It’s still marriage, no matter how you look at it.”
“Maybe so, but it’s little more than a convenience, Alex. The hotel is about to go under, and I’ve already spoken to her dad about buying a majority share. He’s on board with it, and they think our relationship is real.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how you have everyone believing it’s real.”
“Neither of us have seen other people, but we have been seen together at events. We’d often meet up on a weekend and not tell anyone where we were going. I think people suspected there was something going on between us, so it wasn’t as tough as you’d think to convince them we’ve been secretly in a relationship.”
“Well, however you’re pulling this off, it’s impressive.” He sipped his whiskey. “I suppose I just see what happened with me and Adelaide and that was only six weeks of living together. You’re proposing five years and children, Matt. If you can guarantee that neither one of you will get feelings, then fine. But I’m not quite sure either one of you could say that with one hundred percent certainty.”
I couldn’t speak for Eva, of course, but I could for myself.
The answer was no, I couldn’t. I could not say with one hundred percent certainty that I’d never get any feelings for Eva.
I hadn’t asked her to marry me because I hated being around her. I enjoyed her company very much—in and out of the bedroom. She was funny and witty and had the sharpest mind, and it was always a pleasure to pick her brains over the most mundane of things while she rolled her eyes at me with impatience.
However, that was my cross to bear. If at any point during our arrangement I found myself with feelings I had no business feeling, I would have to suck it up and deal with it.
No matter what happened or how strong they were.
“Mm,” Alex said, eyeing me. “I thought as much.”
“Look,” I replied, meeting his gaze. “You’re right. I can’t guarantee it, but that’s my problem. At the end of the day, I need to do something, and if I must marry someone, I’d rather it be someone whose company I enjoy. The other option is whoever my mother deems is a good decision. She could be a wonderful choice, or she could bore me to tears because we have nothing in common. At least this way, I have full control of the situation, and so does Eva.”
“That’s an excellent point. Have you signed the contract?”
“Not yet, no. I told her we don’t need to sign it until the night before the wedding. She’s giving up a lot more than I am, and I want her to be able to change her mind if she chooses to. Plus, there’s always a chance one of us will want to add something, so it’s easier to wait until the last minute.”
Alex slowly nodded his head. “There’s no talking you out of this, is there? She’s the only one who could put an end to this.”
“Yes.”
“All right, then. Can I make one suggestion?”
“Of course.”
He leaned forwards on the table. “Put in a break clause, Matt. You are taking a catastrophic risk—both of you are—and the last thing I want is to see two people I care about finding themselves in a horrific situation they can’t get out of. There are so many things that could go wrong. You might find living together intolerable, or you may meet someone you want to pursue a relationship with. You could end up in a real relationship that breaks down or, God forbid, the pregnancies don’t work out the way you both hope they will. You both need to be able to easily remove yourselves from the agreement in extenuating circumstances.”
“I have been considering it,” I said slowly, sighing. “There is a chance that the best laid plans will go awry, but I wasn’t sure how to phrase it.”
“Well, I would begin by considering all the situations you could find yourselves in that would make a regular relationship untenable. You meet someone else, you cheat, irreconcilable differences, situations that would cause severe mental or emotional distress should the relationship continue. The latter is, of course, open to some interpretation, but in the effort of inclusivity, you must be sure that you’re not closing the door entirely on situations you never considered.”
