Page 19 of Fake Wife
People who don’t know me think they can drag another complete stranger through the mud. Words likewhoreandslutandgold diggerjump out at me as I scroll through the comments. A bunch of women I’d most likely never pay attention to, skewering an innocent woman because they perceive she hurt me.
Ha. They’ll have something to bitch about soon.
I click the power button on the side of Teagan’s phone so the screen goes black and hand it back to her. “You’re going to have to find some armor and thicken up your skin if you’re going to stay with me so that crap doesn’t bother you.”
“I know, it’s just I’ve never imagined people could be so cruel.”
“Welcome to my world, Teagan. Sure you want to stay in it?”
She looks at the blank screen on her phone again and pales. That bottom lip finds its way between her teeth and it takes all the self-control I have not to pop it out. Instead, I open the front door and hold it open for her, locking it behind us.
“Sorry about being a jerk earlier,” I say as we walk to my car. “In the future, I’ll try to keep the shit in my head and not take it out on you.”
“This can’t be easy for you.” The breeze blows her long and wavy light brown hair into her face and she reaches up, brushing it back and tucking it behind her ear. I open the door for her and those pretty brown eyes land on me. “I understand, but I appreciate the apology.”
Once she’s settled, I close the door and head to mine. We’re outside the security gate when she talks again. “I read the contract you left for me, and the section in your grandmother’s will about your marriage.”
My hands grip the steering wheel tighter. I hadn’t left it out for her to read. “And?”
“Well, it says you have six months to get married and then the marriage has to stay valid for two years before you actually can take ownership of the house.”
“But I can move in right away,” I remind her.
“Yeah, but does it make sense to wait? I was just thinking it’d be best to get the wedding over with so we don’t stretch it out.”
Already she’s planning on getting rid of me. The thought settles like a weight in my gut, and my blood pounds harder inside my veins. I don’t spend time thinking about why that makes me mad enough to hit something.
“You sound like you have a plan.”
She laughs lightly, nervous thin fingers brushing down her thighs. “I guess I figure why wait? We can spin the story. I ran into you, we talked insurance over lunch, and it was love at first sight. All of that’s captured on photos anyway, so we could make it work for us. Have a whirlwind romance, married within the month, and then we don’t have some long, drawn-out engagement or anything that makes you have to put up with me for longer.”
At least we’re on the same page. Her thoughts mirror the ones I had this morning when I was drafting the contract.
“Did you sign the contract or did you have any questions?” Her fingers dig into her thighs, knuckles turning white, and I look at her, taking my eyes off the road in front of me for a moment. “Was there something you didn’t like? Want changed?”
The intimacy clause jumps to mind.
Pink floods her cheeks and she ducks her head. I look back out to the road, fighting back a grin. Yeah, that’s what she’s thinking about.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t say what I’m somehow hoping she will. Something along the lines of “We should do it. We should mate like bunnies for the next two years because why the hell not?”
“No, it looked fine. I signed everything.” When I look back at her, there’s a tiny line between her brows. “So, do you agree with my idea? Get married and get this show on the road?”
Her voice is sad, quieter and grittier than normal, and I don’t like it. There’s something about this she’s truly not happy with. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Without thought, I take a hand from the wheel and place it over hers. I squeeze it, trying to comfort her, and am rewarded with a zing of hot electricity shooting up my arm. What the fuck?
She gasps, like she’s felt it, too, and her hand tenses.
I don’t let her go, but squeeze her harder. “Talk to me. There’s going to be enough lies and secrets over the next few years we’re keeping from people who mean the most to us. We should at least be able to be honest with one another through all of it.”
“Us against the world, huh?” she teases, and I grin as her voice goes back to normal.
“Yeah, pretty much.” I’m not even sure I should tell Trey what’s going on. I trust the guy with my life, but this isn’t something I can risk, either. All it will take is one wrong word spoken and our scam is blown up, but there’s no way I can lie to the guy for years, either.
Fuck. The more I think about this, the more complicated it’s going to become.
“Nothing’s wrong, exactly,” Teagan says, going back to the topic. “I was just thinking today of all the times Drake asked me to put my dreams on hold, all the times he promised I’d get what I wanted once he finished his residency, and now…” Her voice trails off and she shrugs. Looking out the window, she finishes her thought on a whisper. “Now I’m doing it all over again.”
