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She grinned. And I could see it then. It was in her smile. When she smiled, she looked like him.
And then there was another woman. She had a no-nonsense look about her. Her suit was just this side of edgy. Maybe a little too sexy. The dress was cut with hints of cutouts, but the cutouts were different colors. It was excellently tailored to her silhouette. She was about average height, wore emerald green, and she was gorgeous. It brought out the vivid blue of her eyes. Her hair was wild and curling and red, and she had freckles all over every inch of her face and her arms. "Hi, I'm MaureenFlanagan. I am Jasper's right hand, and I will be managing your transition."
When she came over and shook my hand, I took it while trying to appear placid and perfectly content and not at all panicked at the wordtransition. "What do you mean by transition?"
She was acting as if this was a job interview.
Jasper gestured for me to sit on the couch in the center of the room when he strolled over to join me. Trevor was popping wheelies by the window. Adrianna kicked off her shoes and hopped on Jasper's desk. It was a move that looked like she was very used to doing it. Maureen sat at Jasper's desk, and Jasper joined me on the couch. "There are just some things we need to talk about. So as my fiancée, obviously you get the protection that you need."
My heart started beating so fast I couldn't even process the words he was saying. Because this was so much more than he made it out to be. They were talking transitions. The fuck?
"I'm sorry. I don't understand. Don't I just have to like sign papers and a prenup or something? I'm happy to do that, but you're talking about transitions and my role, and I'm not sure what that means."
Adrianna rolled her eyes. "Oh my gosh, Jasper. It's like you didn't fucking tell her."
Jasper winced. "It's not quite so simple."
"What does that mean?" My sister had no plans on making this easy.
"It means that there will be people very interested in our relationship. If reporters approach you, just say no comment. If anyone suddenly befriends you and wants to know every detail of our lives, you just say no comment or you can't talk about it. Keep to old friends. And don't talk about us or the relationship. Don't talk about All Saints. It's all right here in the document."
Maureen stood and walked over carrying what looked like a giant tome. "These are the papers you'll need to sign."
I stared at the thick stack. "You're kidding. I get it. Secrecy is important, but Gemma already knows. She’s the only one though. And she’s not talking."
Everyone exchanged glances. But Maureen simply nodded. “In that case, then this is the one to sign. It allows for a confidant. The rest is mostly prenup. Just outlining that everyone walks out with what they came in with."
"Fine. I don't want your money. I'll sign whatever."
He frowned. "You'll want a solicitor to look over it."
"No, I don't care."
Maureen's brows popped, and she placed her freckled hand on mine. "Love, he's right. To protect you, you want to make sure—"
I shook my head and interrupted her. "I'm sorry. Honestly, I know you probably planned a whole spiel. But I don't want anything from him. I only agreed to marry him because I'm desperate. I don't want his money. I don't want any of this. Your company's safe from me."
Adrianna and Trevor exchange glances with Jasper.
Trevor grinned at me, and Adrianna had her head cocked as if assessing me anew. Finally his sister spoke. "I know I said I liked you before. I think I'm half in love with you now. But still you should probably really read the contract."
"What does it say in here?"
Jasper looked at me. "It is a prenup. It outlines what is All Saints property, how press will be handled, what charities we contribute to, what charities wedon'tcontribute to, and the status of your relationships."
My brow furrowed. "Relationships?"
"Yes. Obviously since this isn't real, you'll want to… or maybe you won't want to… but it covers how you conduct your relationships. You know, dating and such."
When he said the worddating, it came out through gritted teeth. And I blinked rapidly. "What? I don't want to date anyone. And how long do you think this is going to be for? This is only temporary. Right?"
The siblings again exchanged a glance. But none of them said anything.
Maureen started talking again. "So I'll handle the press inquiries. You'll have to make an announcement, obviously. I'll have a speech writer prepare some remarks. It'll be something very simple. How excited you are to be part of the Saint family. You know, the basics. And then we'll get you going with a wardrobe. Anything gifted to you is yours to keep, of course, so choose wisely."
Again, lots of talking.
Everyone acted as if this was completely normal. But I just stared at Jasper. When his gaze met mine, we locked in, and I couldn't even hear Maureen as she talked and prattled on about clauses for exit, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I put up a hand. "I'm so sorry to interrupt again. Honestly, I am. Except why all of this? Why can't we just say, ‘hey we're engaged,’ act madly in love, and I live with you. So it's fine. And then we’ll quietly break up in a couple of months when these idiots stop chasing me."
