“You told me yourself that you can fuck women on the side. That the marriage isn’t real. I know you’re worried about Zoey and how she’ll respond to all of this, but it’s more than that. You like Skylar. You’ve got a thing for her.”
I bristle. “I don’t.”
“Youcan’t.”
My hands fall to the sides of the sink, and I grip the porcelain as indignation crawls up my skin. “I know.”
“But you don’t since you’re a flustered mess.”
I grunt.
“Maybe it’s not a bad thing to marry the woman you’re falling for. You can convince her to fall in love with you, and you’ll both live happily ever after.”
I laugh bitterly. “Right. Because that worked out so well for me the first time I tried it. Are we in a romance novel now?”
“No? You also didn’t deny that you’re falling for her.”
I rip the tie from my neck and throw it in the trash with likely more force than necessary and turn on him. I’m getting ready in the bathroom at the courthouse for my wedding. What the fuck am I doing? On top of that, I have to listen to this shit?
I stare my asshole brother down. “I’m not falling for her. It’s not like that with us.”
“You don’t think she’s smart then. Or funny. Definitely not pretty. That must be it. I mean, she’s curvy in all the right places. Maybe you’re not into the curvy ones.”
“Shut up. Don’t talk about her like that.” I give him a meaningful glare and turn back to the sink, regripping it so I don’t strangle my brother to death in a federal building.
He’s undeterred as he folds his arms and picks at his nails like a douchebag. “So… youdon’tthink she’s pretty?”
I roll my eyes at him. “You know she’s pretty, so cut the shit. Stop baiting me about this.”
For a flicker of a moment, he turns serious. “Is it because the baby isn’t yours?”
“No. I don’t care about that.” The words slip past my lips without any conscious thought, and Alden is all over it.
“Holy fuck, dude.” He jumps up and down and points at me like a sixth grader. “You do like her.”
I spin back around, clenching my fists and growing more agitated by the second. “I don’t. We fight constantly. She’s a complete pain in my ass. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a civil or even friendly conversation. She drives me crazy.”
His eyebrows bounce. “She does all that with you, huh? Drives you crazy?”
“Yes!” I state emphatically.
“Oh. Well then. I hadn’t realized. In that case, marry her. You’re certainly in no danger of liking her if that’s how she makes you feel.”
I hate his sarcasm.
“You’re not helping anything. She’s Micha’s baby sister and pregnant with another man’s kid, and I’m a single dad with a little girl who has suffered unspeakable trauma. Not to mention I’ve been down that ugly road before, and it left me in ruin.”
His hands go up in surrender. “Fine. You’re right. I’m sorry.Let’s go get you married. I’ll give you a minute to yourself and make sure everything is ready with the judge.”
Alden leaves, and I wish I hadn’t thrown my tie out. My palms are sweating, and my heart is racing. The only thing missing right now is Eminem’s mom’s spaghetti splattered across my suit. Why am I so nervous? It doesn’t make sense. It’s like what Alden said, I’m always calm. Always in control. Nothing ruffles me.
This afternoon, I was ready to take Skylar into my arms right there in the middle of the floor when Josh had her cornered. I wanted to tell him that she was marrying me and watch his expression when he realized she was going to be mine and not his before I ripped him limb from fucking limb.
After all, that’s why we’re doing this. So Josh thinks all of that even if it’s not true.
I pull out the box from my pocket and open it. Two rings sparkle up at me. One is a five-carat oval diamond bracketed by two diamonds on either side. It cost me more than medical school did, but this is Skylar Fritz Davenport, and I’m Aston Hughes, and if we want it to look real, it’s the ring I would have bought her. The other is the diamond eternity band that will fit perfectly beside her engagement ring.
I snap the lid closed, give myself one last fleeting look, and exit the bathroom, only to stop short when I spot Skylar at the end of the hall talking to Braelyn. Skylar is wearing a pale pink long-sleeved dress that hugs her full tits, narrow waist, and curved hips, stopping just above her knees. But from this angle, I can see there’s a slit in the back that goes up pretty high, and there’s a triangular cutout in the back that peaks between her shoulder blades. Her shoes are the same pink with a mile-high heel that makes her short legs look like they go on forever.
