I turned to see a tall, curvy woman jump down from a truck that saidSpringwood Contractingon the side.
Derek moved towards her and put his arms out for a hug instead she started smacking his arm with both her hands.
“What is wrong with you? Why are you so much trouble?” she said as he laughed and ducked away.
“Ow, hey, what the hell?”
She frowned at him, then finally pulled him into a hug. “You’re not supposed to stress a bride before her wedding by causing a media shit storm then fleeing the US.”
When they pulled away, Derek grabbed her hand and dragged her over to me. “Charlotte, I want you to meet my wifey. Rosalind, this is my sister Charlotte.”
I set my camera down and stood, oddly nervous. I’d been in front of crowds, cameras, given speeches, and fake-smiled until my cheeks ached.
This was Derek’s sister. My sister-in-law. I wanted her to like me. The real me, not the fake one. I shouldn’t have worried.
She swept me into the same hug she gave her brother. “You are one brave bitch to marry this dumbass.”
I laughed. I loved her lack of filter. If I’d married any of the rich robots my parents had pushed me towards, this would not be the conversation I’d be having with my sister-in-law.
Derek frowned. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? I assume you didn’t drive up here just to call me a dumbass?”
She sighed. “That would have been worth it, but no. I wanted to let you know that you might be safe to go home, if you want to.”
Derek and I looked at each other. “Really? No more media?” I was surprised they gave up so quickly.
Charlotte flashed a slightly evil-looking smile. “Nick and I may have set up your sprinkler on a timer. Randomly throughout the day, it blasts on and soaks the whole sidewalk in front of your house and the driveway.” She picked at her cuticle. “Every customer at the cafe has been asking me about you guys. I’ve told everyone who will listen not to talk to any press if they want me to keep making those chocolate walnut muffins everyone loves. Hopefully that helps too.”
“Everything helps.”
Charlotte let out a little laugh, a snort. “Idiot journalist tried to get a story from me. It was all innocent, asking how far Whistler was from here and if I or any family member had been there in the last six months.” She laughed again. “They are trying to poke holes in your story.”
“What did you do?” I asked, holding in a shudder..
“I refused to serve them. Kicked them out of my business.”
I stared at Charlotte. I was speechless. Was this what it was like for your family to actually have your back? I had to resist the urge to search for an ulterior motive.
“We’ll probably stay here for another day or two,” Derek said, glancing in my direction for confirmation. “Nice to have privacy.”
Charlotte gave us a knowing nod. “Well, I’ll leave you to your privacy. I have a million things to do for the wedding. Once you two are back in town, I have tasks for both of you. Nice to meet you, Rosalind. Welcome to the family.”
Chapter 13
Derek
Iwasn’t quite ready to come out of Rosalind and I’s honeymoon bubble. I had to get back to the real world sooner or later. Partly because of Charlotte’s wedding and partly because I owned a company that needed me. But I liked that she could be her true self out of the spotlight. I really liked that I was the only one who got to see it. We were getting to know each other. Was that really necessary for a fake marriage? Probably not, but things were getting less and less fake even before she climbed into my bed.
I wasn’t sure if she felt the same. The need for us to present a certain truth in public confused the issue. I thought I could tell the real Rosalind from the fake one, but in reality, we had only known each other for a few days.
I watched Charlotte back out of the driveway before turning my attention to my wife. She was wrapped up in one of my Mack jackets. Looking more like a small-town Canadian girl than the rich heiress she was. “You look really sexy in my jacket, by the way.” It was twice as wide as she was and hung on her like a dress. The idea of my clothes on her body and my smell on her skin had my inner caveman beating his chest in approval.
She glanced down at herself, then raised an eyebrow. “I could be hiding a pack of raccoons in here and you’d never know.”
I moved into her space and wrapped my arms around her. “Would a pack of raccoons freak you out enough for you to sleep in my bed tonight?”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
I nuzzled into her neck. “Be nice to have you share my bed without there being a large predator involved. I’m going to get hard every time I watch National Geographic at this rate.”
