“So if I agree and we get married... you could still lose control of your company—along with half of everything you own.”
His response was a tight nod.
Despite my initial disgust at his proposal, I realized just how much Bryce was putting on the line here. Choosing me said he trusted me.
He shouldn’t.
Still, I had to ask, “Why me?”
“It’s a gut feeling,” he admitted without hesitation. “Why did you come back?”
“Also a gut feeling.” Literally.
A corner of his lips lifted. “So you’re considering it?”
I hesitated for a moment before I gave a begrudging nod. The smile on his face was like the sunrise—bright, casting everything in the room in a better light. I had to remind myself marrying him wasn’t about a crush or my feelings for him at all.
So I held up my hand. “Hold on. I have some conditions of my own.”
27.Bryce
My stomach sank. “What conditions?”I asked Jada. She didn’t look happy or scheming, just resolved.
“You’re getting something out of this marriage as soon as we say ‘I do.’ I only get something if we break up,” she said.
Her words were a punch to the gut. All this talk about business contracts... it made me realize this was a bad one for both of us. “What would you like?” I asked her, guarding my heart. Simon’s words rang through my mind:No one gets married expecting nothing out of the deal.
“I researched your position,” she said. “You travel, a lot, and it would be odd if we didn’t go together at least sometimes.”
I nodded, not seeing the issue.
“It wouldn’t be fair to the daycare to have an inconsistent employee. I want a guaranteed position at MyHome while we’re married that I can do while accommodating your schedule. I don’t care if I’m an assistant or mopping floors.”
“Done,” he said. “Although my money would be our money while we’re married. You wouldn’t need to work at all.”
She blanched at the idea. “No.” An awkward silence hung in the air before she continued, “I would like to be on the company health plan, for the duration of our engagement and beyond.”
My eyebrows drew together. It was such a simple request, but the way she presented it made me concerned, especially after her sick spell in the car. “Are you okay, Jada?”
Her gaze stayed on the table, but her voice shook as she spoke. “I’m negotiating the terms of a marriage with a man who doesn’t love me. How do you think I am?”
Point taken. “What other conditions do you have?”
“My grandma isneverto find out that this marriage is fake.”
“Of course,” I agreed instantly.
Then, she took a deep breath. “I don’t want half of what you own. We both know that isn’t fair, and I don’t want you pretending to love me to keep your belongings.”
“Jada, I?—”
She held up her hand, stopping me. “You can pay me a settlement if you want. Whatever you think is fair; I don’t care. But I do want it in writing that my grandma’s bills are paid and any child born while we’re married is to be fully taken care of through college. Financially, emotionally, medically. They should want for nothing.”
The thoughts in my mind scattered like the pieces of a glass dropped on the ground.
Jada thought it would be possible for us to have a child together?
She was worried that I wouldn’t provide for my own child?
