I’d feel like a creep, and I’d have to call the whole thing off.
Marrying a woman who said she hated me, when we both had something to gain here, in a business sense, I had no problem with. I wasn’t asking her to love me. Just to pretend to be my wife.
Simple.
Marrying someone who was afraid of me? Definitely had a problem with that.
But when Devi took my hands and squared her shoulders and looked me in the eye, I knew everything was going to be fine. I’d chosen correctly. The decision I’d made to ask her to marry me was the right one.
I needed a wife. I needed to rewind my life, as best I could, to where it was just before the sex tape leak—with a woman by my side. A stronger woman than Tina. A woman who would stand by me, no matter what.
The fact that I was essentially paying this woman to do that was… not ideal. But given the amount of time I had left to pull my life out of the fire before my thirtieth birthday, this seemed the only logical way to do it. Plus, this relationship came with zero actual attachments, which had an appeal of its own. And it saved me from trying to rush into some “real” relationship with someone and trying to make it work.
If I also got to fuck Devi as part of the arrangement? I’d hardly consider that a downside.
So far, I couldn’t see any downsides to this.
And four months from now, we’d go our separate ways. Neat and clean.
Probably one of the smartest business deals I’d ever put together, really.
The way I saw it, I couldn’t have made a smarter choice than choosing Devi as my bride. She’d already proven a formidable opponent. She’d be a formidable wife.
Even a “fake” wife.
As long as she kept looking me in the eye and carrying her head held high the way she did, we’d pull this off.
She was my match, if not my soulmate. Anyone could see that.
Unless, maybe, you were right on the front lines with us, here at the wedding, and actually knew us well.
Shane definitely figured I was up to something. He’d told me as much, last night. Either I needed to get married for the inheritance and Devi was my quick-swap Tina replacement, or I’d gotten Devi pregnant. Those were his top theories. Either way, he wasn’t buying that we’d fallen in love, but he kept his mouth shut about it in front of everyone else.
I actually let Corben hang around with us last night just to keep Shane’s mouth shut.
LexknewI was up to something. My cousin had always been able to read me like a book. But he also kept his mouth shut.
As our guests gathered around us for the brief ceremony, Wiley, Rolf and Corben stayed away from my “side.” I’d told them to just stand wherever so Devi didn’t feel like everyone was here for me.
And while the ceremony got underway and the officiant started talking—just a few words about everlasting love and glorious unions between husband and wife that he’d come up with himself—Katie actually looked a little misty in the eyes.
That was helpful. She was really selling it.
When it was time to say my vows, I tried to imagine how I’d say them if I actually meant them, and to project that, so I actually sounded like a man in love. It was rather convincing. Or so it seemed to me.
Devi’s eyes sparked with the challenge and when it was her turn, she really cranked it up another notch. Her voice shook a little with emotion. Her eyes shone like she might burst into happy tears.
Honestly, if I was a stranger wandering by, I’d think this thing was totally real.
I slid a ring onto her finger, and she slid one onto mine.
When it was time to kiss the bride, I kissed her. Without asking. I pressed my lips to hers, hard enough that when she eased back to break the kiss after a heartbeat, I just went with her and kept kissing her. She didn’t open her mouth. I didn’t slip her the tongue. We just fused together until I figured I’d made my point—that she wasn’t getting out of this with a quick peck—and the guys started applauding.
I broke away and smiled slowly at my bride.
Was it me, or did she actually look happy that we’d pulled this off?
I was pretty sure I did.
