“I hated seeing my ex-wife. I hated seeing her husband even more.”
“The guy who tried to get you in trouble with family services?”
He brushes the hair flopping onto his forehead back. “Yep. I’m not sad he’s out of Zoey’s life, but I hurt for her that she lost so much all at once. She’s struggling with it. Big time. And I’m failing her no matter how hard I try.”
“You’re not failing her. She’s a great kid, but I get it. I’m pregnant with the baby of a guy I’m not sure how I’ll get rid of, and you have a new job and a little girl who just lost her mother and is heartbroken with it. Life can be a bit of a bitch when it wants to be.”
“Absolutely.”
“If only there were some magic fix that would eliminate Josh from my life and help Zoey through her grief. I’d give anything for that. For all of us.”
“Yeah,” he whispers, lost in thought, but a moment later, his hands meet the top of his head, and he twists his torso to fully face me. But he’s not just looking at me. He’s locked on my face, but his mind is moving so fast I can’t tell if he actually sees me or not. “Wait. What did you just say?”
My brows scrunch. “Huh? Which part? I said a lot.”
“No. Yes, you did say a lot. But you said…” He stops himself. “Holy shit, Skylar.”
“What?”
“What if there was a magic fix? Something we could do to get Josh to stay away from you and to help Zoey through her grief.”
I shake my head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
He shoots off the couch and starts to pace, his body half illuminated by the fire, casting him in weird shadows I can’t drag myself away from. A half beat later, he drops into the opposite chair he was originally in and covers his mouth with his hand, his gaze once again locked on my face.
“You need help getting Josh off your back.”
“Yes,” I say slowly, my heart starting to pound at the way he’s saying that and his strange behavior.
“I need more stability and consistency for Zoey.”
“Okaaay…” I draw out the word.
“Jesus, I’m either drunk or insane, but it makes so much sense. Actually, it’s fucking brilliant.” His hands cover his face, and he laughs into them.
“Dude, what? I’ve had enough insanity for one day. How about you skip the drama and suspense? I don’t think my heart can take any more.”
He falls to his knees and scoots over until he's right in front of me, not touching me but close enough that we can be eye to eye. “Skylar, what if we got married?”
For a moment, all I can do is blink at him. Because there is no way I could have possibly heard him say that. It must have been a different word. Married, harried, larried, which isn’t even a word.
I sit up and squint at him. “I’m sorry. I totally hallucinated. Long day and all. Can you repeat that?”
His blue eyes are wild yet focused. I’ve never seen anything like it. “If you’re married, then Josh can’t try to win you back. The most he can be is a father to the baby if he chooses, and you can set boundaries because you’ll bemarried, which looks more stable should you ever have to go to court over it. Trust me on that. I lived it with Zoey and my ex. On the flip side, Zoey adores you and talks to you, and you seem to get her.”
“Uhhhh…”
His hands shoot out toward me. “I know. I know this sounds nuts, but hear me out. You don’t move out. You stay because we’re married, and you help me with Zoey. You give her love and friendship and consistency and the home life she so desperately needs. And I play the part of your husband to help you and the baby stay safe.”
“I broke up with him seven weeks ago, and you expect him to believe you and I are in love and want to get married?”
He tosses his hands in the air. “It’s a stretch, but we’ve known each other our entire lives, and our families are very close. Plus, we kissed two years ago before you got together with him. Past precedent.”
“You’re not an attorney.”
“But there’s a history between us, Skylar. One you and I might not like now, but we can use to our advantage should we need to.”
He grows more animated, getting carried away and almost excited by the idea. He’s obviously drunk. He has to be. No sober man would suggest getting married like this.
