“Douglas didn’t agree to my terms,” he said firmly. “To put it mildly, he rejected my offer, but we’re doing it anyway.”
This was insane, reckless, and completely unplanned, but when he stepped closer to me, his gaze intense and unwavering,any arguments I might have formulated died an instantaneous death on my tongue.
“Charlotte,” he said, softer now, almost pleading, “Who are you going to say yes to, me or Gregory? Because I know this isn’t ideal, but those are the options you have available. That much, at least, is your choice.”
My breath caught and the world suddenly felt impossibly small. Choices, consequences, and duty all blurred into one simple question.Am I going to trap Trent in a marriage he doesn’t want simply because I want him, or am I going to marry Gregory because he wants me?
“I’ll marry Gregory if it means you get a choice this time,” I said, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “You’ll get to marry for love and not some kind of arrangement.”
Trent’s jaw tightened and his eyes darkened in a way that made my stomach drop, his pupils dilating as he rolled his lips into his mouth. For a second, I thought he was going to nod, take the ring back, and leave again, but he didn’t. Instead, he took another step closer, the clean, woodsy, masculine scent of him wafting to my nostrils.
“No,” he said, his tone deadly calm. “I’m marrying you. That’s final.”
I laughed nervously, shaking my head. “No. I’m not?—”
Before I could finish, he bent, effortlessly lifted me off my feet, and hoisted me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. My protests caught in my throat as I realized just how little chance I had of getting free if he didn’t want to let me go.
From the kitchen, I heard Stella stifle a laugh and then full on cheered as I squirmed, kicking lightly, but the grin on Trent’s face told me it was useless.
“You’re ridiculous,” I finally managed just as he reached the door.
“And you’re mine,” he shot back, his voice teasing but resolute. “You might as well get used to it, Charlotte. That’s my ring on your finger and it’s staying there.”
CHAPTER 24
TRENT
Alex was already waiting by the time we stepped off the private elevator into his office. A suitcase sat beside his desk, and the second Charlotte saw it, her fury spiked like a live wire.
“Youpackedfor me?” she snapped, rounding on her oldest brother. “Seriously? None of you have asked me if I’m even willing to do this, but you’ve already decided. Is that it? I just take my suitcase without even knowing what’s in it and go off toVegasto getmarried?”
He lifted both hands in the universaldon’t shootgesture. “Technically, Edda packed for you. I just arranged the pickup and you trust her, right? She wouldn’t have put anything in there that TSA would have problems with. And she knows what clothes you like.”
Charlotte groaned. “You’re missing the point.”
“No, I’m not, Char. I just can’t really say anything else, because yes, I haven’t asked you what you want, but I know it’s not Gregory. This is the only out I’ve been able to see. Do you have any other ideas?”
Charlotte turned to me, betrayal written all over her face. “Are you honestly just coasting through all this, going along with it so that Alex will owe you a favor one day?”
“We already hashed it out,” I said, keeping my voice even. “I had to go back to Texas to finalize a few things and it’s the weekend. The courts here don’t open until Monday, so we’re flying to Vegas to get it done fast.”
“To get married,” Alex added, as if the plan needed narration or confirmation of what she’d already expected. “We’ll have everything arranged by the time you get there.”
Charlotte’s mouth dropped open, and for a long minute, she just kept looking between us. Then she stumbled to the chair across his desk and collapsed into it. “Have you two lost your minds?”
“Probably,” I said, because that was a very distinct possibility. Then I shrugged. “It doesn’t change the fact that we’re doing it.”
She glanced up at me, an eyebrow arching and those blue eyes filled with annoyance, served with a side dish of fury. Although I wasn’t sure why she was aiming it at me. She didn’t keep me waiting long to find out.
“Has it ever occurred to you that it might be nice to actually ask if I want to marry you?”
“I did ask.” I perched in front of her on the corner of Alex’s desk. “Back at Stella’s apartment. Remember?”
“No.” She scoffed. “You asked me which one of you I was going to say yes to. You didn’t actually ask me to marry you.”
“Fine.” I looked deep into those blue eyes, and the words came out so easily, it was like they’d been waiting there all along. “Charlotte Westwood, will you marry me?”
“No!” She spun back to Alex. “Do you have any idea what Dad is going to do when he finds out?”
