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HOPE
After getting Ray ready for school and sending him off with William, I shower and dress in a gray T-shirt and jeans.
I enter the kitchen and find my breakfast in the warmer as every other day in this house. There’s an additional plate today…for Zach.
That man.
His words from last night keep ringing in my ears. I don’t know why I’m even surprised by his idea of marriage. Usual is not a word one would associate with Zach. But even then, his blatant admission of sleeping around rattled my core.
God! What sort of woman am I to even think about this proposition?
But I can’t imagine the Zach I have come to know, to be anything but caring, generous, and loyal.
He was right that I wasn’t a big fan of him in the beginning, but over the past weeks, my impression of him changed. I like his playful attitude.
Oh, for God’s sake, Hope! At least be honest with yourself.
My subconscious laughs at me.
I know I’m slowly becoming attracted to him, seeing him as more than a crazy friend of Ray’s.
I don’t think that a marriage with Zach would mean we would fall in love, at least not in the beginning. But I thought we could still be a normal couple.
But now, can I live with all this?
What will happen if someday the truth comes out to Mom or Ray? My mouth dries just imagining the moment.
“Not a fan of frittata?” Zach slides on the barstool next to me, placing his coffee and breakfast on the table. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice him entering the kitchen and fetching his breakfast.
For a moment I’m captivated by his beautiful face. Dressed in a gray suit and navy-blue shirt, hair styled back, he looks like he’s about to walk the red carpet.
He looks at me inquisitively. Never taking his eyes off me, he sips his coffee. His long fingers splay over the surface of the mug. It is unbelievable that this man wants to marry me because he loves my son and feels...a responsibility,not love,toward me.
When he falls out of this crazy infatuation, how bewitched will Ray and I be by his charms? And how will we survive him leaving us?
“Having second thoughts?” A tinge of nervousness shines in his eyes.
I shake my head because even if I’m not fully convinced of Zach’s plan, I don’t have any other option.
He lets out a deep breath as if somehow relieved, and I’m once again taken aback by his impatience on being tied to us. “Good. I have the papers ready. I want us to sign them right now.”
“You got the papers ready so soon?” My heartbeat accelerates.
Didn’t I just agree last night?
“I paid the lawyer ten times his usual fee to get the papers on my desk by this morning.” He gives me his mischievous smile, causing my heart to betray me as a tingling runs through my body.
What the hell am I getting into?
He finishes his breakfast while I can’t force a morsel in my mouth. I finish my coffee and ruefully dump my untouched breakfast into the garbage bin. Zach joins me at the sink, placing his dishes next to mine.
He grabs my hand and guides me into his office.
“This is the contract.There are only two copies, one for you and one for me. I’ll keep them in the safe.” He shows me the built-in safe in his desk. I don’t see anything special other than some papers. “I’ll give you the combination to it. Just be careful with it, it holds important legal business documents.”
I don’t understand this man. Why is he even giving me the combination?
He opens the contract and considers me for a moment. “Hope, if you don’t feel comfortable with anything here, let me know.” I clasp my hands above my lap, my belly fluttering as this unrealistic situation is becoming real.
