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“And what do I tell my family?” My stomach clenches at the thought of lying to them.
He tightens his fingers on mine and holds my gaze. “That we’ve slowly fallen for one another over the past few years that I’ve been coming to the inn, and we crossed some lines and fell in love. I asked you to marry me and you agreed. Make it sound like a crazy love story, and I’m the crazy one pushing the idea. I don’t care.”
“And what happens after we’re married?”
He shrugs. “We’ll live together like a married couple but honestly, I won’t be around that much, so you’ll only have to deal with me for a week or two here and there. We can even live at your place if you want so you don’t have to move out once we file for divorce.”
I stare at our hands, his big ones covering my smaller ones. I hate everything this represents. Lying to my family and friends is not something I ever do. “I don’t know.”
“Think about it and let me know tomorrow.”
I’m not usually a deep thinker. I always go with my gut. And unfortunately, Noah is right. I need help getting this inn back in demand. I heard rumors that Wyatt Whitmore, the previous owner of Glacier Pointe before he sold it to his son, is looking to buy in the area and everyone seems to want his spas and high-class stay over my intimate and cozy feel. But there are two types of tourists in this world, and I need to find mine.
The last thing I want is for my family to worry about me. They’d probably pool a bunch of money from their own successful businesses and try to save me. Or worse, do a fundraiser. No, I can’t let my burdens become theirs.
“I don’t have to think about it.” I steel myself against the nerves coursing through my body.
“You don’t? Are you sure? You might see the benefit of it tomorrow that you don’t right now.”
I shake my head and chuckle. “I’ll marry you, Noah.”
His entire face lights up. “Really?”
I nod and he drops my hands, falling to his knees in front of me. The fact I’m wearing a silk pajama shirt and short set and that his face is practically between my legs sends a startling, hedonistic image to the forefront of my mind.
“But it doesn’t come with benefits,” I add in a rush, in case he’s picturing the same thing. The last thing I need is for this to get even more complicated than it already is.
He shakes his head and his gaze locks with mine. “No, but we might have to kiss in front of our families?”
I grin because he’s more than likely right and I have no idea how I’ll keep things platonic then. “Well, they shouldn’t expect that until the wedding. We have eight weeks to plan the wedding, which isn’t a lot of time.”
“I’ll get started on something to help the inn first thing tomorrow.”
“Very few people could convince me to do something so irrational, you know.” I stand from the chair, and he gets to his feet.
A serious expression crosses his face. “I want you to know how much this means to me. I’m indebted to you forever.” He pulls me in for a hug and at first I tense, but then I relax into it, enjoying the warmth of his body and the safe feeling in his arms. He pulls away, resting his hands on my shoulders. “This is the first time I’ve had any hope that my family will finally come back together. I know that them having to be together for all the events leading up to the wedding is going to mend some bridges. This means the world to me. Thank you, Mandi.”
The kicker is that I probably would’ve agreed to the whole thing without him even helping me around here, because I can see how much it means to him.
I remember those early years after my parents’ divorce, being stuck between my dad and my mom. How he’d call and say horrific things about my mom and Hank that no teenager should have to listen to. And the jerk and tug of him asking us to go down to live with him in Arizona and my mom finally having to step in and say no. The legal battles he threatened. The fact that Noah’s been in the middle for over ten years has to be grueling.
“You’re welcome, and thank you for helping me.”
We leave the dining room and walk up the stairs to the rooms and he stops at his door. “Get some sleep, soon-to-be Mrs. Winters, because tomorrow, we go ring shopping.”
“Oh, Noah, that’s not necessary.”
He tucks one strand of my red hair behind my ear and his gaze dips to my cleavage one last time. “It’s very necessary. Everyone is gonna know that my wife is mine.”
I feel my cheeks heat and I take a step so that my back hits the wall. This isn’t how I ever thought things would go with Noah. I really hope pretending to be married to him doesn’t break me forever.
“See you in the morning.” He winks and I give him an awkward nod, then head down the hall to my room.
It’s all I can do to open my door, and when I do, I collapse onto the bed, wanting to scream. I really just agreed to pretend marry someone like right out of some rom-com movie. How is this real life?
