She froze for several seconds. I had begun to worry she had quit breathing until her eyebrows furrowed.
“What?”
"It's just like you said. Bridget will not believe it's over between us unless she sees I've moved on. Just getting a girlfriend will not be as convincing as the word "Married" would; even my public relations manager suggested I find a way to give the media a whirlwind romance story so that we move past these difficulties with Bridget."
“Okay…” she drawled. “And how does this plan solve my problems?”
“As my wife, you would have access to my money. Your farm bills will be paid, and you could consider it payment for the work you put in to help me quell this media storm.”
“What? Like some business deal?” she asked, an incredulous look on her face.
“Exactly like a business deal. We would only have to act like we are married in front of others. Of course, I would have to announce it to the media, and you would have to live at the lodge. But other than that, it is a symbiotic business relationship.”
“I would have to live with you? But my home is here.”
"For this to work, we must convince everyone that we are married. That includes Asta and Lucas, and everyone else in Voss. So yes, you would have to live with me. Don't worry; my room is big enough for us."
"Alex, I have not agreed to this yet, and you are talking as if I had. Slow down. Let me wrap my mind around this."
Her words gave me pause. I knew that while this was undoubtedly an unorthodox arrangement by modern standards, the idea of marriage was centered around a man and woman providing each other with what they needed. Indeed this was not all so different.
“Tell me what it would take to convince you. A weekly allowance? A team of people to turn your family’s farm into a thriving business? A new car? Money is no issue.”
Even to my ears, I sounded a bit desperate; perhaps I was. I was beyond ready to get rid of the Bridget problem, and even Callum mentioned how much getting married helped his business. It seemed the best solution for everyone if I could convince her of that.
“You cannot buy me, Alexander.”
"I'm not trying to. I just -"
"Yes, you are. You are offering new cars and who knows how much money to persuade me to do what you want to accomplish. You didn't even stop to ask if this was an idea I was interested in or wanted to do."
I ran my fingers through my hair, flustered by this entire situation. It bothered me more than I wanted to admit that she called me 'Alexander' again; it tells me she is distancing herself. I was unprepared and needed to think about how to communicate this arrangement well. She was correct; I sounded more like I was making a purchase.
"You are right. I'm sorry," I admitted. "I was unprepared for this turn of events, and I did not gather my thoughts before speaking. I still think it is a way for us to help each other in these difficult situations. But, if you don't want to marry me, I understand. I know it is a huge thing to ask of someone, and I do not undertake it lightly. While it may be more of a business deal than a marriage, I think it is a way out of our dilemmas; it would benefit us both."
She nodded slowly as I spoke. I could tell she was seriously contemplating what I was offering, so I stopped there, not wanting to push my luck.
"I hear what you're saying, Alex. We would not work well together in such a close quarters.
She could be right; we don't know each other enough, but I argued against it anyway.
“We worked very well together today,” I said, my voice low and husky, “and we were in close quarters all day.”
She stuttered then, her cheeks turning the most enchanting shade of pink. I smiled to myself at her reaction. It wouldn’t take much to convince people that she was infatuated with me.
“That was working on the farm. Living together is an entirely different thing. What if you snore? What if I snore?”
“Do you snore, Agotia?” I asked, chuckling at her nervous questions.
“No.”
Her cheeks were an even brighter shade of pink now.
“I don’t either. Does that solve the problem?”
"It is more than snoring, Alex. I - I don't think this is a good idea. I think you should go."
She looked at her shoes as she spoke, but I could see the determination on her face. She had decided, and I doubted anything could change it.
