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“I did.”
I do my best to hold his stare when I ask, “Was this date just a ploy to get me to go along with this?”
Rowan hesitates, but to his credit, he says, “Not entirely.”
“That sounds like a half-truth to me.”
He sits forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “Was it on my mind when I came to the flower shop this evening? Yes. Do I think this arrangement would benefit us both? Yes. But no, Molly, I didn’t place that bid with any other intention than taking you out and enjoying your company.”
The intensity of that stare has me dropping mine to my lap. “You don’t want me. I’m not the kind of woman you normally date, let alone marry.”
“And how would you know the kind of women I date?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. He’s offering me the deal of a lifetime, and I probably shouldn’t ruin it by saying something like, ‘Because I know your type.’ Even though I do.
Garrett loved gloating about me to his friends and colleagues, but in the same breath, he was offering to pay for laser treatments for my birthmark. He never hesitated to schedule hair and nail appointments for me so I’d look my very best at all times, and it made him physically uncomfortable to see me with my hair in a messy bun.
The point is, men like him aren’t looking for a woman who can’t speak a different language, doesn’t know the first thing about fancy attire, or comes home with dirt caked under her fingernails.
“As lovely as this was, Rowan, whatever expectations you have for me… I’m not sure I can meet them.” I toss my napkin onto the table. “You and I aren’t cut from the same cloth.”
“If I didn’t think you were the right fit, I wouldn’t have offered.” He stands, and because I’m not sure what else to do, I stand, too. “But be warned. I’m not going to offer twice.”
My thoughts whirl with a million reasons why I shouldn’t do this, but I only need one to convince me otherwise.
I would do anything for my dad, and right now, he needs me.
The staff each thank Rowan profusely for his business when we walk back to the front and through the doors, into the brisk, dark night.
A chilly breeze skates down my arms, ruffling my hair when I face him.
“Would it kill you to wear a jacket?” he grumbles.
Thinking of a sassy comeback is hopeless when he slides off his suit jacket and drapes it around my shoulders. The warmth paired with the decadent aroma of his cologne nearly has me moaning.
Ignoring his weightless jab, I ask, “How long will we be married?”
“I’m not sure. If you agree, I’ll inform the will executor. Once that’s settled, we’ll pick a date and have a quick ceremony at the courthouse.” For once, I know he’s being facetious when he adds, “I assume you have one of those around here?”
I snap my fingers. “Actually, we do, but we’ll have to make a morning appointment. Judge Labrador gets awfully cranky if we interrupt his afternoon belly rubs.”
“Right.” He clears his throat at my sarcasm. “I’ll need you to sign a prenup, then after we’re married, we’ll work through some paperwork with Sam to hand over the estate.”
“It’s that easy?”
He nods, gravely serious. “We’ll be divorced the moment the ink dries, and you’ll never see me again. I promise.”
I blink at the methodical way he breaks it all down, wondering if I somehow conjured up the man who’d devoured me in the archives. The glimpses of the gentler, more compassionate human I met are nowhere to be found as he waits for my answer.
I always thought when I got married, it’d be to a man who loved me as tremendously as my dad had loved my mom, but this could be the best-case scenario. Rowan’s the complete opposite of everything I’m looking for in a partner, which means I get to save my childhood home, help clear my father’s debts, and there’s zero risk of me getting attached to him.
In fact, I bet the two of us will hardly even see each other outside of tying the knot.
I offer him a handshake. “All right, Rowan, you’ve got a deal.”
The tension bunching his shoulders visibly melts when he takes my hand.
Instead of releasing it, he brings my knuckles to his lips and places a searing hot kiss on them. “Pleasure doing business with you, kitten.”
