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Married.
Married to a stranger.
Married to an asshole.
Married to save my family’s legacy. To run from my past.
Why am I even considering this? Marriage isn’t in my vocabulary. I don’t even do relationships. I like to be dicked down, then never see that person again. That’s who I am.
Who I’ve been since Zayan ruined me.
Marnix Taylor asked me to marry him. Well, not really. It’s more like a business deal. If I decide to marry him, love has nothing to do with it. Out of all the poor unfortunate souls to choose from, he picked me to bargain with.
My head has been reeling since I watched him confidently walk out of Star of India earlier. We were busy, but I couldn’t think straight so I left it to the waitresses and holed myself up in the office, alone with my thoughts.
His proposition rattled me beyond all else. I don’t want to get married—especially not to a stuck up prick like him—but he could save the place I love wholeheartedly. He could save me too.
One year isn’t bad, right? I can survive that. One year of being married to a total stranger is worth saving everything my family has worked for. He might be an asshole but I’ll throw it right back at him with a force he won’t see coming. He won’t get the chance to walk all over me.
Yep, I’m an idiot for even considering this.
I don’t know anything about Marnix. What if this is some scam to take control of the restaurant? Or some underlying lawyer bullshit? Or what if he’s like Zayan?
My stomach churns just thinking about him and his manipulation games. I can’t handle that again; I won’t survive it. I’m not sure I’ve fully recovered from the first time.
Wrapping my arms around my worn-out gym bag that’s barely holding together, I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself. I need to get out of my stuffy, beat-up old Toyota before I suffocate. Opening the door, I step out knowing exactly what I need to take my mind off my problems—training with my best friend Lya and her guys. I started joining them after Lya and I were stalked and threatened by that piece of shit who was obsessed with Greyson. Greyson—who’s married to Lya’s twin sister Lainey—has plenty of fucking skeletons in his closet, and unfortunately one of them decided stalking Lya and kidnapping her was the best way to get to him.
Not knowing whether I was being watched at any given moment scared me. I would constantly look over my shoulder, worrying about my safety, so I learned how to defend myself. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It seemed like child’s play, compared to the hell my ex put me through.
Lya and I usually do our own thing with cardio and lifting weights, then Zep, one of her boyfriends, will do self defense training with us. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and strength over the years, and it’s made me feel a hell of a lot safer.
Heading up the sidewalk, I walk right into their house without bothering to knock first. I know that pisses off Rian—another of Lya’s boyfriends—since he’s all about making sure the place is secure, but the rest of them don’t seem to mind. They’re my family. Plus, they’ve walked into my apartment countless times unannounced, multiple times when I’ve been in compromising positions, so I’ll do the same.
I close the door behind me, following the voices coming from the living room. Their fancy house always amazes me. I’ve never imagined myself having a home like this, but I can’t help but wonder if Marnix’s house is this massive and extravagant. Of course it would be. I’ve seen the way he dresses and what he drives. I wouldn’t expect anything less.
When I reach the living room, I’m met with a sight that has my heart flipping cartwheels. Thiago is flying their three-year-old daughter Amelia around like an airplane, and her sweet squeals fill the room. She’s laughing, smiling, having the time of her life without a care in the world. Oh, how wonderful it’d be to be three again.
Thiago takes her for another zoom around the room before he lowers her back down into his arms. Amelia’s eyes fall on me and she immediately starts screaming, “Down, Daddy! Down!” I smile from ear to ear. The girl can’t resist her Auntie Tara. Can’t blame the kid—I am pretty awesome.
Thiago looks up to see who has her distracted and sets her on the ground, letting her take off. Her little legs carry her to me as fast as they can go, and I lean down, scooping her up into my arms.
“There’s my sweet girl! I missed you so much.'' In reality, I saw her yesterday, but I can’t help but miss her sweet face when I’m not around.
“I missed you too.” She wraps her tiny body around mine and nuzzles her face into my neck, filling my heart with enough love to make me forget about my crazy day.
“Were you playing with Daddy T?” My eyes meet Thiago’s dark brown ones, and a smile spreads across his face as he watches us.
She pulls back to look me in the face, her baby blue eyes full of wonder. “I was airplane, right Daddy?”
Thiago laughs, “Yes, babydoll, you were.”
“See Auntie Tawa, I was airplane. Daddy T told me I could be anything I wanted and I wanted to fly.” Her giggles fill the room, one of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard.
“Your daddy is right, Mill. You can be anything you want. But you were the best little airplane I’ve ever seen.” I kiss her chubby little cheek and set her down, letting her run back into Thiago’s arms.
Her pale skin, curly blonde hair, and light blue eyes are the perfect contrast to Thiago’s dark hair, skin, and eyes. It’s obvious that Zep is Amelia’s biological father when you look at them all together, but they’ve never officially had a paternity test done. They don’t need it. They each love this beautiful little girl like she’s their own. It’s a beautiful sight to see.
“Why don’t we let Auntie Tara get downstairs to the gym with Mommy, and you help me get dinner started in the kitchen? How does that sound?”
