Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I sit as he clears the cards. The sun streams through the big windows, casting a soft glow over the room. I don't love the barren landscape the way some people do, but from here, the dirt and brush are beautiful.
"Let's talk. Then eat," he says. "Any non-buffet you want."
"Can we go to a Thai place off the strip?"
He smiles. "I forget how much you and Cassie are alike."
"Is that strange? Your wife is similar to your sister."
His smile widens at the word wife. He likes the idea of it. Marriage. Commitment. The two of us together, forever. But is it about me? Or is it still some idea he has of himself as a husband? He doesn't explain any of that. He teases back. "I'm the one who married my sister's best friend."
"And I thought I was a freakshow."
"You are. You married your best friend's brother."
My lips curl into a smile too. It's better to joke about it.
"We can annul the marriage when we get back to California," he says casually, like he's agreeing to Thai food, not erasing the vision he has of his future. "If that's what you want."
Mostly. Not exactly. I don't know how to explain it, so I ask, "Is that what you want?"
"No. I have to ask you a favor," he says.
"What sort of favor?"
"Stay married to me for another three months," he says.
My brow furrows. "Why?" That's a strange ask. It doesn't make any sense. Unless—
"My boss saw the pictures. He thinks I married my long-time girlfriend. He thinks I finally took his advice to become a family man. And with my coworker ready to sabotage me, I can't afford to look like I made a hasty decision to rush into a commitment."
"Oh." Of course, his boss saw. Everyone I know saw too. Fuck, what am I going to tell my parents? I've conveniently avoided reading their texts all day.
"I know it's not a fair request. I'll accept a no, no questions asked. But it would help me a lot. You don't have to do anything except show up, in that ring, at a few work events."
"For three months?" I ask.
He nods. "Until the partner deadline. We can arrange it however you want. You can stay with me. You can stay at your place. We can have sex. We can not have."
We can have sex.
Oh.
That is exactly what I want. And there's no reason to deny ourselves. It's not like we can keep this a secret anymore.
"What do you think, Daph?" he asks. "Can you stomach three months as my wife?"
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jackson
"Say that part again." Daphne folds her hands in her lap. She sits up straight, her dark eyes on me, her full body at attention.
"Can you give me three months," I repeat myself.
"No. The other thing. About sex."
"Oh." A laugh spills from my lips. "We can have sex. All three months."
"Yes, that part." She nods. "I like that part. But I don't…" She trails off, but it's not the way she trailed off this morning. She's still putting something together, but she's not confused. She sees what she wants, and she's going after it.
In the past, I've cursed relationships where women only wanted me for sex. And I do hate the idea of never winning Daphne's head or heart—
But I want to fuck my wife again.
And again.
And again.
Maybe, deep down, I'm not that different than my sister. Maybe, deep down, I'm a romantic too.
There is something about the word.
Wife.
Not my usual desire to possess someone between the sheets. A new desire to offer some part of myself I normally hold close.
Three months with Daphne.
It will be harder to say goodbye at the end, but I can suffer that torture.
"I can't do three months," she says. "We can stay married, on paper, for as long as you need, but I can only play house for three weeks." She speaks with finality. There's no room to question or counter. "That's my final offer. My only offer."
"I've already admitted I'm desperate."
"I know. I should ask for a hundred grand in the proceedings. Or at least to saddle you with half of this semester's student loans."
"But you've already said your parents pay your tuition."
She lets out an easy laugh. It eases the tension in her brow and shoulders. Not all the way, but enough. "Then a hundred grand for a down payment. You can afford it." Her fingers brush my watch.
"If I make partner, I can afford it next year." Partnerships usually come with a buy-in. I have to buy my stake in the firm. Next year, I'll participate in the profits, which could be hundreds of thousands or millions.
This year, well—
This year, I'm not buying any extra designer watches.
"Save the money," she says. "Buy yourself a designer tie too."
"They're not that expensive."
"A bunch. That's what you said last night, isn't it?" She smiles, and this time, it's easy, free. She's here with me. She's happy.