Her grin was instantaneous and feral.
“Oh, thank God,” she said, already standing. Before I could react, she grabbed his arm and physically shoved him into the chair she’d just vacated.
“Elena!” I hissed.
She ignored me completely, beaming at him. “I’m Elena. Her sister.”
He blinked once, clearly startled, then chuckled under his breath as he sat. “Callahan Sterling. Nice to meet you.”
“She’s hopeless,” Elena continued cheerfully. “But I’m not. You two should exchange numbers.”
My face felt like it was on fire. “You don’t have to—”
“I insist,” he said smoothly, eyes flicking back to me. “That's partly why I'm here.”
Elena clapped her hands together. “Perfect. My work here is done.”
“What—wait—” I started, but it was already too late. She grabbed her bag, leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Do not mess this up,” then shot him a thumbs-up and practically jogged away.
I watched her disappear into the crowd, equal parts horrified and amused.
I exhaled a shaky laugh and turned back to him. “I’m so sorry about her.”
He smiled, slow and genuine. “Don’t be. I like her already.”
“That makes one of us,” I said, though I couldn’t stop smiling. "I'm happy to see you," I admitted, my smile widening.
He tilted his head slightly, studying me as if that statement had caught him off guard. “You are?”
“Of course,” I said easily. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Something flickered across his expression, surprise, maybe. Or uncertainty. Whatever it was, it was gone before I could decipher what it was.
I frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He hesitated, fingers tapping once against the table before he spoke. “Let's get married.”
My stomach fluttered. “What?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Let's get married, right now.”
I laughed nervously. “Are you serious?”
He leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving mine. “I am. Marry me."
12- callahan
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I showed up unannounced and asked her to marry me, though for some reason I expected her to say no.
On our date, we spoke about my dilemma: being forced into a marriage of convenience. She volunteered to help, but I expected her to reconsider after a couple of days. I guess I was wrong. The first thing she did was get someone to cover her shift, then insisted we go to my office so we could have some privacy. Hence, she was sitting across from me, her eyes shining brightly in the soft light.
"We can go right now,” she said without an ounce of hesitation.
“Right now?” I repeated, my brain suddenly turning to mush.
“Yes.” She blinked at me, brows knitting slightly. “You look surprised.”
“I am,” I said honestly. “I guess I shouldn’t be, but I am.”
