“Oh,” he says, his laughing tone shifting to something more incredulous. “Did you two realize you’re in love?”
I growl. “No, Ren. We just have to leave. Are you coming or staying?”
“I’ll stay here. You two kids have fun.” And with that, he clicks off.
“Ren is staying,” I state. Hayden only offers a soft smile.
“Thanks for not telling Ren I threw up on you.” She tucks her chin to her chest and hugs my jacket closer to her. “I know you were looking out for your image, but you saved mine, too.”
I say nothing. There’s no point in countering her accusation. I’ve learned people will always believe what they want to, no matter your intentions.
We stand there outside the entrance to Weatherby's. It’s a cloudy night, so only lights pouring through the windows of the mansion offer a slight reprieve from the darkness. Hayden and I look anywhere but at each other, at least, I assume she is trying as hard as I am not to make eye contact.
The smell has faded in the fresh air of the night, and only a trace lingers when the wind begins to blow.
Silence has always been my strong suit, but there is a massive elephant in the area right now, and I’m not talking about an establishment Republican.
I clear my throat. “Hayden, I was serious about my proposal. I think this could work. We aren’t romantically inclined, so we can think of this as a business proposal of sorts. Just between us. The rest of the world can say what they will. Of course, we will have to show small amounts of PDA in public, but I don’t think that will be a major issue since we know in our minds that this is fake. I will pay you two hundred thousand a year, and it will only last as long as my candidacy, or presidency, lasts. So, eight years maximum.”I offer a smile, thinking of how it sounded like I was offering her eight years in prison.
She stares at me. Her eyes look glassy, but the crease in her brows tells me she is deep in thought.
“That’s the longest I’ve ever heard you speak without pausing.”
And for all that deep thought, that is what she concludes. A laugh escapes me.
“Mr. Marshall,” Hayden coos. “Did you just laugh?”
I straighten my face out, pasting on my serious look. Well, I guess you could call my serious look simplymy look.
She continues, “A smile and a laugh tonight. My word. Who knew you had it in you when not in front of a camera?”
I roll my eyes, feeling like a child. “I have a soul, you know.”
“I did not, in fact, know that.” Hayden chuckles. Her eyes shift away from me as the light banter dies down. “So, how was your meeting today?”
She’s changing the subject, but I’ll bite this time. She obviously needs time to process. “It was fine. The usual.”
“You schedule your further-away meetings on Wednesdays. Why is that?”
With a swallow, I answer. “A mid-week breather from the office.” She doesn’t need to know where I actually go on Wednesdays. It’s my sacred thing.
I hear the roar of the Mustang approaching and my worries fade away.
“Our ride is here,” I grin, anticipating driving my baby. Yes, I’m a car guy. They get all my love.
“Another smile,” Hayden says. “What am I going to do with you?”
With my heightened mood and the rumble of the Mustang approaching, I respond with words that I know will haunt me for years to come.
“You should marry me, Hayden Bennett.”
Chapter Seven
Hayden
He’s lost it. Darcy Marshall’s mind is gone; it’s on an island in the Bahamas sipping a margarita. The most creative, imaginative person could have never dreamt thatDarcywould propose tome.I don’t adhere to the belief that he is too good for me or anything. We are all human, none greater than another, but I seem to grate his nerves, and he thinks I’m the bane of his existence. So why would a man propose to a woman he hates even if it’s fake?
A knock on the door jolts me from my panicked thoughts.
