AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Not specifically, but I would guess it's a lot."
"Billions, Janey. Billions. So these numbers are fair."
I stare down at the neatly laid out chart, heart pounding in my chest. "I can't do this."
Maverick's smile shifts and his voice lowers like he's talking to a skittish horse. "It's a very standard document, Janey. But if you don't want to sign it, we can make adjustments."
"No. I don't mean this," I say, waving the papers in the air. "I can't do this. I can't get married. This was a mistake." I slap the paperwork on his chest and spin, walking quickly down the hall. I am so stupid. I can't do this. It is so wrong. I don't want to be that woman. The one who marries the rich man and walks away with a fortune. There are names for that kind of woman...unpleasant names.
I don't want that label.
I hear the men behind me, so I push into the first Ladies room I find, and slide down the door, planting my butt on the floor. No one's getting in. And I can just sit here until I wither away. It feels like a logical choice.
Because I can't sign those papers.
I won't.
13
JONAS
"What do you mean, she's gone?"
"She's not gone, man. She just isn't here."
Would it be wrong to punch Colton in the face? Probably. Would Colton care? Probably not. Would Evie be mad at me? Yes. Evie is scary. ”Where is she?"
"She locked herself in the bathroom," Maverick says, wincing. "I don't know what happened. I was reviewing the paperwork with her, and when we got to the numbers, she just...flipped out. Said she can't get married." From the benches Maya, Cara and Holly stand up and hurry out of the courtroom. Becca looks up from her phone to find herself alone, then hops up and follows them. We're only missing Evie, who had a shift and took Mia with her to daycare, and Cara's sister Bree, who's at her Physiotherapy job.
The women will either convince her to marry me, or take her to a bar.
It could go either way
"I knew that Prenup was a mistake!" I groan and shove my fingers through my hair, pacing away. I plant my fists on a table near the front of the courtroom and drop my head, pressing down until my muscles ache. This is not going the way it's supposed to.
"The Prenup is not a mistake," Maverick says, crossing his arms and scowling at me. "It's a fact of life for people like us. You can't have this much money, and own this many companies and not have one. Colton and Evie have one. Becca and Kade did a postnuptial.”
"Wait. They did? How did I not know that?"
"You came up with the calculations," he says flatly.
"Oh."
The corners of Mav's mouth twitch. He doesn't laugh at me outright, which I appreciate. I forget stuff all the time. Sometimes because the details are unimportant and my brain is already working on another problem, and sometimes because I'm just not that interested. But I remember a ton of other stuff that my brothers don't, so it evens out, I think.
"So I don't get the issue then. I'm sure I came up with fair numbers. Did she want more? I could do more." I could give her everything.
Colton drops into a chair in front of me, and all my brothers circle around. "I don't think that's the issue, man. She wasn't expecting that much. She kinda freaked when she saw the numbers. She said something about only wanting a little nest egg and help paying for her rent."
I stare at him, confused. "I told her she would be rich."
Kade leans back on the railing, separating the front of the courtroom from the audience. "I think you forget that for someone like Janey...hell, like us twenty years ago, an apartment that's paid for and a bit of money in the bank is really fucking rich. Sounds like the money scared her off."
"I don't want her to have less. I want her taken care of."
"Brother, you can take care of her without marrying her," Zach said, wearing his worried face. He's had the same look since I told them Janey was missing. It makes my stomach hurt. Usually, I don't care what other people think of me, but this face on Zach has always made me feel like I'm doing something wrong.
I relax my fists, and open them on the table, spreading my fingers. "I know that." I raise my head and pin Zach with a glare. "I have supported your relationship. And yours," I say, looking at Kade, Micah, Colton, and Declan too. "Why can't you do the same?"
