“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snapped. “Did I miss the memo where I’m not allowed to make my own decisions unless they’re approved by the self-appointed Westwood marriage committee? Just because you act like everyone’s father doesn’t mean you actually are.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is about doing the right thing. The responsible thing, which is something you’ve conveniently ignored your entire life. Forgive me if I don’t trust you to start doing it now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Here we go. I’ve been doing everything you’ve asked of me as COO. But no matter what I do, you keep throwing the past back in my face.”
“Do you really blame me? You come in here and tell me you suddenly want to play house with some girl who missed out oninheriting millions years ago, butdoesn’thave a grudge about it?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” I said, not backing down an inch.
“Both of you, shut up.” Jane’s voice cut through the room like a knife and we both turned to face her, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed tight and a thoroughly disapproving look on her face. “I just put Cameron down for his nap, and if either of you wake him up, I will personally kick you both out.”
Surprised that she’d threaten us so casually, I just nodded. Alex took a step back, but his gaze tracked her cautiously as she pushed away from the door.
“You’re both being dickheads,” she said as she walked into the room, her voice still calm and quiet, but somehow, I knew she meant it. “For what it’s worth, I like Jacqueline. She’s a smart attorney, and she seems like a decent human being.”
Some of the tension in my chest eased, but Alex made a noise under his breath, clearly disagreeing. Even so, he didn’t interrupt his wife.Smart man.
“She’s not some gold-digger,” Jane said, though I wasn’t sure which one of us she was talking to. “She really is an exceptionally capable lawyer and she isn’t intimidated by this circus, which already puts her miles ahead of most.”
She finally turned to me. “If you’re actually serious about this, then we can figure it out, but Alex isn’t wrong either, Jesse. I love you to death, but you don’t have the best track record and marriage isn’t somethinganyoneshould just go into half-cocked and unprepared for.”
“I forget,” I said. “How long did you know Alex before you married him?”
She arched a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me. “That would’ve been a fair point, except that Alex and I were both doing it for thegood of our companies, and there’s nothing either of us used to take more seriously than that.”
She held my gaze for a beat, but as I looked back at her, I realized she wasn’t attacking me. She wasn’t accusing me of anything. She was simply stating the facts and everything she’d said was true, so I nodded slowly and finally gave her an answer.
“I am serious about this, Jane. I can’t guarantee that we’ll be happily married for the rest of our natural lives, but no one else can either. Not even you two. All I can is promise that I’m going to give it my best shot, and for the first time in my life, marriage seems like a reward instead of a burden. And that’s because of her.”
“Okay,” she said after exchanging a quick glance with Alex, but without waiting for his input. “Let’s have a prenup prepared, then. Something fair that protects both of you.”
Alex looked like he wanted to argue, but Jane shot him a look that shut that down immediately. In the end, he just nodded. “Fine. I’ll get that rolling.”
“Just like that?” I asked.
He blew out a deep breath. “Yeah, man. Just like that. As long as you’re sure you’re not rushing into anything you don’t actually know if you want.”
“I do want this,” I said confidently, grabbing my jacket with my brain already switching gears. “Okay, then. I’m going to head out. I’ll see you all soon.”
There was something else I needed to do. Someone I needed her to meet.
Alex frowned. “We’re not finished.”
“Yeah, we are,” I said. “For now.”
Jane gave me a small, knowing smile. “Don’t screw it up.”
“Sure thing.” I smirked. “It’s going to be fun to try something new for a change.”
As I spun and headed for the door, I was already pulling out my phone. Because if this was real, then I had to know that I was doing it right.
CHAPTER 28
JACQUELINE
Right now, life was good. It sort of felt like I’d somehow been transported into an alternate universe that actually made sense for me. With Thomas no longer influencing my decisions, I’d been free to follow my own heart for a few months and the difference was astonishing.
I genuinely loved my job. After years in a cramped office above a kebab shop arguing over estates and inheritance clauses like it was my life’s calling, Ellis & Addeson was the kind of firm where people said its name like it actually meant something.
