AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was a reason that settling down was never a part of my plan. I’d seen the way my parents’ marriage had been toxic for both of them, and I didn’t want to end up trapped in that kind of resentful situation. They’d loved each other once, and it had turned into a relationship full of infidelity, pain, and bitterness.
Seeing that happen when I was young led me to the conclusion that commitment was a bad idea. I never wanted to go down that path and end up miserable. It had always been so much easier to just remain a bachelor and keep my heart and emotions under lock and key.
“You know everyone is talking about you and Mia, right?” Dylan asked as we walked toward the elevator at the end of the work day.
I rolled my eyes. “Since when do I care what people talk about? They’re my employees, not my friends.”
My brother gave me a sidelong look. “Does Mia feel the same way?”
I frowned as I thought about that. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything.”
“Well, she might not want to rock the boat,” Dylan pointed out. “She’s getting paid a lot of money for this, after all, so why would she say anything?”
That was true, but I didn’t like the idea of her being upset and keeping it from me. “I’ll ask her about it later.”
“Where is the wifey, anyway?” Dylan asked.
Inside the elevator, I punched the button for the parking garage. “She left work a little early to meet her mom for dinner.”
“You let your assistant leave work early, huh?” Dylan smirked. “Perks of being married to the boss, I guess.”
“She was living with her mom before she moved in with me, so I figured it’d be nice to give her a break to reconnect with the woman,” I said. “And she knows the truth about this marriage, so I need her on my good side.”
“That’s . . . nice of you,” Dylan said with a bit of humor in his tone. “So, who are you and what have you done with my grumpy, hard-ass brother?”
“You’re hilarious.”
He grinned. “But seriously, you seem…happier lately.”
“Well, Grandpa did finalize his will and I’ll be inheriting the company.”
That was a huge deal for me. The whole reason I did this was to secure the company. It was everything I’d ever wanted, and now it was pretty much guaranteed to happen.
“And that’s all?” Dylan prodded. “You being happier has nothing to do with Mia?”
“Why would it?” I said, not ready or willing to admit what was clearly getting harder to deny. “She’s just playing a part and I’m just happy that everything is going according to plan.”
If Dylan could tell I was lying, he didn’t call me on it. I was glad. I didn’t want to justify this to him. I was having a hard enough time fighting against my own feelings for Mia, which I was desperately trying to keep from developing any further.
Mia was in this marriage for the money, just as I was in this for the company, and while the sex between us was fantastic and we got along famously, our future was destined to end in divorce. We’d both signed a contract stating that fact. I didn’t expect Mia to fall in love with an emotionally guarded man like me, not when in truth she deserved so much better.
The elevator pinged, and the doors opened on the parking garage level.
“Are you bringing her to dinner Sunday?” Dylan asked as we headed in the direction of our vehicles.
“Of course,” I replied. “It’s a family dinner, and she’s my wife.”
“For now,” Dylan reminded me, and I didn’t like the knowing smirk on his face.
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling like a fist was tightening around my stomach as I forced out the words. “For now.”
* * *
It was rainy on Sunday afternoon, and I didn’t have an umbrella in the car. When we arrived at my grandpa’s house, I parked in the driveway, as close as I could get to the front door. Then, Mia and I ran for it.
It took us about thirty seconds to get from the car to the front door, but it was coming down hard, so we were completely soaked as we stood on the porch. But we were laughing at our bad luck, until I turned to look at her.
Mia was wearing a yellow blouse and a pair of skinny jeans. Her top turned see-through as the material was saturated, and I could clearly see her beige lace bra, her nipples hardened from the cold.
