I shrug and stand up, needing to put some distance between us because it’s killing me to sit this close and not touch her. “I mean, what are your plans? I see it’s only cats right now. You plan on including dogs? Hiring help? Expanding?”
She shakes her head. “Right now, I’m happy to feed the cats and keep the lights on.”
I nod as Leo comes through the doorway from the kitchen. When he sees me, he comes over, sliding between my feet. I lean down and pick him up, cradling him in my arms. Instantly, he starts to purr.
Luna shakes her head and murmurs, “Traitor.”
I chuckle and sit back down, this time across the room from her in the chair. “What if I told you I could help you?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What do you mean?”
“I can invest in your shelter. You would be able to expand, help more animals, and hire more help.”
She looks hopeful but shakes her head. “For what? What would I have to do for this help?”
Leo curls against my chest, looks between Luna and me, and then closes his eyes as if he’s bored with all of it. “Marry me.”
She wants to say yes. For the first time, I have some hope in the situation. I’m not sure when it clicked. When my father first said I had to get married, I wanted to refuse. Mostly because I hate for anyone to tell me what to do. But one evening of watching Luna, being close to her, I know I don’t have a choice. I want to be with her.
She lifts her hand. “How long would we have to be married?”
My forehead creases, and she asks, “I mean, I know you’re not asking for forever. So what? Three months? Six months?”
“Forever,” I tell her.
Her eyebrows skyrocket, and she chokes out the word. “Forever?”
I nod. “Kingstons don’t get divorced.”
She nods. “But your mom?—”
I cut her off. “They’re separated. She needed a break. My dad can be… difficult. Living this life can be difficult. But there’s never been any doubt they would get back together.”
Luna processes the information and nods. “Okay, but I’m trying to make sense of all this. Why me?”
I tell her the truth. “Because when my dad said he wanted us to get married, you were the woman that came to mind.”
She blurts out a laugh. “Do you know how crazy this is?”
I shrug. “You can keep saying that, but I don’t think it’s crazy at all.”
“Why do you think we would be good together?”
I lift my chin. “Honestly?” She nods, and I answer her. “Because I have a good feeling about us.” She looks as if she doesn’t believe me. “I want you.”
She laughs again. “If you want to go out with me, why not just ask me on a date?”
I stand up and move to the couch, putting Leo on the cushions between us. I look into Luna’s eyes. “Because I want you to be my wife.”
Before she can say no again, I put it all out there. “Luna, imagine a life where you could have anything you want.”
She scrunches up her nose. “I don’t care about your money, Cole.”
I shrug. I want to believe that, but there are a lot of women that would do anything to be with me just because of the money I have in the bank. “Think about the difference you can make next door. Think of the animals.”
She’s wavering. “Cole, what does us being married look like?”
Not understanding, I ask, “What do you mean?”
