Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Maybe it was overkill, but after those vows I was going to make her read, she was probably going to shut herself in there and scream at me through the locked door just like my mother had done to my father for thirty-six years.
The thought of it actually made me smile. Maybe we wouldn’t have sex on our wedding night, but we’d probably have a good, loud fight.
Where Bianca was concerned, it was the second-best thing.
A distant second, but second.
At two that afternoon, Cole, Griffin, and Beckett came over to my house to give me shit and drink a couple shots of whiskey. There hadn’t been time for a bachelor night, so this would have to do.
Beckett arrived first, dressed in a dark blue suit and carrying a brown paper bag from which he pulled a bottle of bourbon from Journeyman Distillery. “How do you feel?” he asked.
“Okay. I’ll feel better after a few sips of that.” I grabbed four glasses and set them on the island, which was topped with black stone. If Bianca had never been here before, I might have worried that she’d find my taste in interior design too masculine—I liked dark neutrals, metals, leather, and clean lines, as opposed to her preferences for warm colors, white cabinetry, and soft, feminine textures. But she’d come over a few times in the last month and had nodded approvingly at my choices, even if she did find them a bit “monochromatic and somewhat cold.” She’d probably bring over a suitcase full of fluffy pillows and blankets and start putting them on every surface.
Cole arrived next, wearing black like I was, although his tie was blue. “Shit,” he said. “Was I supposed to wear a red one?”
I shook my head and handed him some whiskey. “No dress code. You’re good.”
Griffin let himself in a minute later, wearing a charcoal gray suit without a tie at all. “Is this okay?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure how dressy we were supposed to be, and Blair wasn’t home to ask.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “This really isn’t a formal thing.”
“It’s still your wedding,” Beckett said. “That’s a big fucking deal.”
“No shit.” Griffin swiped the unclaimed glass of whiskey. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. You sure you didn’t knock her up?”
They all laughed, and my stomach muscles clenched. Suddenly I knew how Bianca had felt when she let the news slip to Blair. I wasn’t in the habit of keeping shit from my friends, and these guys had been there for me for twenty years. We’d met in middle school and had been tight as brothers ever since.
“For fuck’s sake, Moretti. I was kidding.” Griffin grinned at me. “Lighten up. Married life isn’t so bad.”
“It’s not that,” I said, worried a confession was on the tip of my tongue. I pressed my lips together, a dam against the confession rising in my throat.
Beckett raised his glass. “Let’s toast,” he said. “To Moretti finally meeting his match.”
We all tossed back our shots and set the glasses down.
“It’s fake,” I blurted.
My friends stared at me.
“Huh?” Griffin’s blue eyes narrowed.
“Fake?” Beckett looked at the whiskey bottle, like maybe he’d purchased counterfeit bourbon.
Cole’s eyes were steady on me, but he said nothing.
“This wedding. The relationship. Bianca and me. It’s just an act.”
“What? Why?” Griffin asked.
Beckett put it together first. “Your dad,” he said. “The company.”
I nodded.
“Shit,” Griffin said. “Really? You’re marrying her just to get the business?”
My chest puffed up a little. “I have to. It’s worth it to me.”
“Does she know it’s fake?”
Again I nodded. “It was her idea.”
“What?” Beckett’s square jaw dropped. “Why would she—”
“Because she wants a baby.”
Cole reached for the whiskey bottle and poured a second round of shots.
“Holy shit,” Griffin said, shaking his head. “So she is pregnant.”
“No, she’s not. Not yet, anyway. But we’re going to try as soon as we’re married.” I didn’t feel like getting into the details, so I left it there.
Beckett picked up his second shot and threw it back. We all followed suit. Once the empty glasses were on the table again, it was silent. Obviously, no one knew what to say.
“I’m sorry, you guys. I wanted to tell you all right from the start, which was only about a month ago, but Bianca and I promised each other we’d keep it to ourselves. As you can imagine, it’s not something we want getting out. Especially to our parents. I only got to tell one person, and I drew Cole’s name out of a hat.”
“I’m glad you said something to everyone,” Cole said, looking relieved. “And if this is what you want, then we support you.”
“Fuck yes, we do.” Griffin recovered some of his usual unflappability. “Sorry if I was a little taken aback.”
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I know it’s fucking crazy. But it’s what we both agreed to do to get the things we want. And I have always wanted to be a father. That part is real enough.”