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There’s silence for a few seconds, then she asks, "And what do you want in return?"
I crack one eyelid open. "How do you know I want something in return?"
"Don’t you?"
"I do." I allow my lips to curve. "I want you to marry me."
She blinks. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Marry me, Angel. Just long enough to convince my brothers that you are my real wife and get them off my back."
She opens and shuts her mouth. "Let me get this straight. You want me to marry you, but not for real?"
"That is correct."
"Why in the world would I do that?"
"Because my Nonna passed away recently, but before she did, she made it clear that she expected Seb, Massimo, Adrian, and me to marry within a month of her leaving us."
"So, you want to make the spirit of your dead grandma happy by pretending to marry me?" She shakes her head in disbelief.
"Yes."
"I still don’t understand. Your Nonna wanted all of you to marry within a month of her passing, so how will a fake marriage to me solve anything?"
"It will get my brothers off my back."
"What about your brothers? Did they keep their promises to your grandmother?"
"Seb did. He got married for real. Massimo is likely to settle for an arranged marriage with the Mafia princess of a rival clan, even though he’s not happy about it. But I believe that’s where he’s headed. Adrian… Well… He’s the quietest, but also the one who’s most likely to pull a surprise. I wouldn’t put it past him to find his balls and finally propose to Cass, our housekeeper, who he has a thing for. Which leaves me."
"You." She narrows her gaze on my face.
"The one and only." I grin. "You have to admit, I’m a hell of a catch. And I’ve decided to settle for you."
"You’ve decided tosettlefor me?" She lowers her chin to her chest.
"Exactly." I drum my fingers on my chest. "My brothers won’t quit nagging me until I settle down, and I have no plans to do so. Also, you need to make it back in time to star in your play. I’ll make sure that happens. All you have to do is pretend to be my wife."
"You do realize, even if you manage to fool your brothers, you can’t hide the truth from your grandma, considering she’s now a spirit?"
"My point exactly. She's a spirit; it doesn’t make a difference to her either way."
"What the—" she splutters. "I can’t believe you said that."
"It’s true, right? And I don’t mean for it to be disrespectful or anything, but she’s popped it, so it doesn’t make a difference to her. I mean, she’s hardly going to know if I’m married for real or not."
"Of course she will." Angel throws up her arms. "She’s probably up there right now, looking at us and shaking her head."
"She is?" I glance up. "All I see is the shoddily painted over ceiling with a large water stain."
"You know what I’m saying is true. You really shouldn’t be trying to fool someone who’s dead. And that it was her last desire to see you married... There’s something sacred about it."
"It’s why I’m making this effort, aren’t I? I’m doing it to keep everyone happy, including myself."
"Especially yourself," she mutters.
"You bet. Only I can figure out what’s right for me, and getting married is not one of those things."
