I sighed. “That’s complicated.”
Butch let out a disbelieving grunt and turned, stalking away several feet before turning around and coming back toward me. He continued this pacing for a few minutes while I watched, feeling like a complete jerk. He couldn’t seem to find the right words to say.
“I don’t love him,” I said, flinching when Butch turned my way with his jaw clenched. “I mean, it isn’t a traditional engagement. Hunter is a friend. In fact, our parents are close friends. This engagement...thismarriage...it’s just a merging of our families.”
“So...it’s like an arranged marriage?”
I could see the distaste on his face, but I couldn’t really blame him.
“Kind of. I mean, we agreed to it years ago, but—”
“Wait a minute.” He cut me off, looking at me with a furrowed brow. “Why in the hell would you agree to that?”
“You don’t understand,” I snapped defensively. “I have a duty to my family.”
“Aduty?” His voice was incredulous as he looked at me with wild eyes. “That’s what marriage is to you?”
“This is important to my parents.”
“Why?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling vulnerable as I tried to explain this.
“Have I told you that my dad is a senator?” I asked.
“No,” he said impatiently.
“And my grandfather was a congressman. His brother was mayor of Merced. Their father was a governor. He was even selected to run as vice president in the forties. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“You come from a long line of corrupt assholes?”
I smirked. “I think they’d use the term ‘career politicians.’”
“Same thing.”
I wanted to laugh, despite the tension between us. This was what I liked about him. He just said whatever was on his mind.
“Yeah, well, Hunter’s family is the same. Both lines have former presidents if you go back far enough. The Barnetts and Albrechts are political dynasties.” I saw recognition flash in his eyes. That made sense. You’d have to live under a rock not to have heard those last names in connection to politics.
Butch looked thoughtful for a long moment, and I didn’t like that I couldn’t read his expression. I had no idea what he was thinking.
“So your parents and his want the two of you to get married to merge the lines into one mega-dynasty?” he asked when he finally spoke. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s fucking crazy.”
I felt like I was deflating as my shoulders sagged. This wasn’t going well, not that I expected it to. He had a point.
“It’s important to my parents,” I repeated because it was the only explanation I had. “They see the potential that the future could hold for us and our children.”
My stomach rolled at the idea of having Hunter’s children. He was an attractive, good guy, but I couldn’t imagine sleeping with him. Judging by the look on Butch’s face, he didn’t like the idea either.
“That sounds...skeezy. It’s your life, but you’re treating it like a business deal.”
“I have an obligation to my family, Butch,” I said angrily. How dare he judge me?
“Duty...obligation...arrangement.Reallysounds like a recipe for happiness,” he snarked.
I flinched. His words sliced through me like a knife through butter. The worst part was that he wasn’t wrong.
But I couldn’t let my parents down. I didn’t think I could bear their disappointment.
