Page 14 of Married at Midnight

“The Holiday Street of Dreams is in five weeks. Grandmother should be recovered enough from her heart attack to handle the truth about our marriage.”

Ellie studied the man before her. This wasn’t the remote, distracted, and heartless Connor Grayson she remembered. The steady green eyes gazing back at her were warm and filled with genuine caring for his grandmother. A strange breathlessness came over her.

“Our arrangement won’t be without its rewards, as that kiss just proved. We still have a chemistry that can be satisfying to us both.”

There was no point in denying the truth of his words. They did have a spark that, if indulged properly, might be quite rewarding. If she were that kind of girl.

Which she wasn’t.

She did believe in happily ever after despite what she’d told him in Vegas. So did her family. The Hawthornes prided themselves on never divorcing . . . ever. Marriage in her family was forever.

Ellie frowned. Maybe her family didn’t have to know. It was only five weeks. If she were careful, she could keep the news of her marriage to Connor a secret. If her parents didn’t know about her marriage, then there would be no repercussions, no disgrace. All she had to do was figure out a reason to miss Thanksgiving dinner.

She could walk away with a clear conscience, and maybe indulge herself in a little pleasure along the way. It would be a first for her to have a sexy, fun adventure. She was certain her girlfriends Jordan and Olivia would encourage her to be daring. “Can you be married to me for that long?” she asked.

“Of course,” Connor said. “How hard can it be?”

She nodded, satisfied that they’d come to an agreement. “How hard, indeed.”

Ellie had barely spoken the words when Connor’s cell phone rang. He excused himself as he turned away from her, taking the call. It took less than a heartbeat to realize it wasn’t a social call by the sudden stiffness of Connor’s back.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Connor turned to face Ellie. Tension pulled his cheeks taut.

Silence hovered over the room until Connor spoke again. “Keep me posted on Grandmother’s prognosis. Okay. Good night, Dad. Thanks for the update.” Connor ended the call.

While Ellie waited, a million scenarios played across her mind. Had Viola taken a turn for the worse?

“My grandmother had a second heart attack,” Connor replied, as though reading Ellie’s thoughts.

“I’m so sorry.” Ellie tried to be strong for him, but it was difficult to pull off. “Your grandmother is a fighter. She’ll be okay—you’ll see,” she said, hoping that Viola’s mind and spirit were hardy enough to defy the odds.

Connor stepped closer and touched Ellie’s hand, so gently at first that she didn’t realize what he’d done. “I can’t lose her.” His sadness was almost too much to bear. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Ellie saw his fear, his desperation, and although she didn’t want to be moved by it, she couldn’t resist. She reached up and touched his cheek. “It’s okay to be afraid.”

He turned into her touch and closed his eyes. “Viola was the only person who ever really understood me, far better than even my own father. She knew I wasn’t like other kids and didn’t try to change me. Viola accepted me for who I was.”

He opened his eyes and looked at Ellie. “I’ve always known I would lose her someday, but I’m not ready.”

Ellie smiled gently. “I wouldn’t write Viola off just yet. She’s not one to go quietly into the night. You gave her something to live for.”

“We gave that to her,” Connor corrected. “But will it be enough?”

“Only Viola can determine that.” Ellie let her hand drop away from his cheek. “In the meantime, you know she’s in good hands. I can call Jordan and ask her to check up on your grandmother if that will make you feel better.”

He nodded, then stared at her for a long time as the fear in his eyes was replaced by resignation. “I don’t know how to let her go. I’ve never been very good at good-bye.”

With her next heartbeat, Ellie felt something that surprised her, a sudden comprehension about why their relationship had ended as it had, with him never showing up to the prom that night. Had he been too afraid to tell her good-bye as well?

For a second she remembered so much about the two of them, about what had drawn them together—his shyness, her loneliness, the vulnerability she’d seen in his eyes, the same vulnerability she shared. “There are no guarantees we’ll get what we want out of life. But one thing is certain: you don’t have to go through this alone.” She reached for his hand this time, feeling a connection with this man that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You said that to me once before,” he said, his voice strained.

She flinched. “That was a long time ago, Connor.”

He pulled away from her touch. “And sometimes it feels like yesterday. Anyway, I know it doesn’t matter anymore, but I’m sorry we ended the way we did.”

Ellie felt herself go hot, then cold. Of course it mattered. Their breakup had changed the course of her life.

Tense silence stretched between them as they stood there, seeing the old hurts in each other’s eyes. Then his cell phone chimed. He reached for it. Glancing at the screen, he said, “It’s my work. I need to take this,” and left the room.

Ellie didn’t move, just stood there as he walked away. She heard his voice through the fog of her mind as he answered the call. Pain twisted inside her. With only a few words he still had the power to hurt her, but she’d promised him she’d stay.

These would be the longest five weeks of her life.