Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
The door to the house opened and Aria stepped out onto the porch in her work clothes. She always looked so chic and put together. Even with worry etched into her beautiful face. A pang of remorse over our last conversation burned in my chest.
“Are you ready?” Jared asked.
I met his gaze, ignoring, as always, the flutter in my belly. It happened every time he looked at me. Fuck my life.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Aria straightened at the sight of Jared getting out of the car with me. Her eyes bounced between us and widened as I reached for his hand.
He squeezed it in reassurance just like he’d done earlier that day, and it bolstered me.
“What is going on?” my sister asked as we reached the wraparound deck.
“Can we come in?”
Her green eyes narrowed on where my hand was enfolded in Jared’s. I’d always envied her those eyes. They were a different shade of green to Jared’s. A mossy green with flecks of gold in them. Warmer than Jared’s cool jade. Usually. Today they were a little chilly with suspicion.
“I guess you better.” She stepped back into the house and held the door for us before strolling ahead into the open-plan living space. Her shoulders were stretched taut, her spine stiff. I tightened my grip on Jared.
To my surprise, North was lounging on the couch in the swanky space. Their beach house was more contemporary than my parents’, with one wall of glass facing the North Sea and the beach below.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” I said as my brother-in-law got to his feet at the sight of us.
“Apparently, we’re all surprised this evening,” he answered quietly as he took in Jared. North was a tall blond with clear gray eyes and a swimmer’s physique. He was also unbelievably gorgeous and one of the finest actors of his generation. The first time I saw Ari and North interact, they were bickering like an old married couple, and I swear to God I could feel the sexual tension crackling in the air.
Despite their protests, I sensed there was something electric between them. So I’d acted a little immaturely, a little impulsively, to get them together, but it had all worked out. They were madly in love, and I was so thrilled for my sister that she’d found a partner who was so devoted to making her happy.
At Aria’s wary expression, North slipped a comforting arm around her waist. “I got a few days off set to come home to be with my wife.”
It was time to put on the show. I sidled close to Jared. His hard heat felt a little too nice. “That’s good. It means Aria doesn’t have to tell you. I can. Jared and I got married.”
Jared’s fingers flexed against mine as silence fell over the room like a heavy, suffocating blanket of doom.
Then …
“You did what?” Aria yelled.
Aria hardly ever raised her voice. At least not at me.
Panicked, I blurted out, “We’ve secretly been seeing each other for over a year and we’re in love and we decided to get married and we’re sorry for keeping it from you, but we only just realized how we were feeling and we didn’t want to wait any longer to do something about it.”
My sister scoffed in disbelief as she stepped toward us. “Or you found out you might not get back into the country, so you wrangled poor Jared into marrying you for a visa!”
Damn. She knew me too well.
“What’s this about a visa?” Jared frowned with surprising authenticity. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe his confusion.
“Oh, please.” My sister apparently did not.
“Aye, please do tell me this is a joke.” North glowered at Jared. “Because marrying someone so they can stay in the country is illegal.”
“We’re not doing that. God! We’re”—I gestured between us—“like, in love.”
Aria turned back to North. “And that is why she is a way better artist than actress.”
“It’s actor.” Yes, I know, a pathetic response. “And I’m not acting. This is real between Jared and me.”
“Really?” Aria crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what’s his favorite movie?”
“He doesn’t watch movies,” I lied.
“You don’t watch movies?” my sister asked incredulously.
Jared shrugged nonchalantly. He was very good at remaining calm. I was kind of envious of his cool attitude.
“Favorite color?”
“Green,” I guessed, probably incorrectly.
“Favorite meal?”
Wanting to put an end to this line of questioning, I threw her a wicked smile and replied, “Me.”
Jared made a small choking sound, and I glanced up. His lips twitched as he struggled against laughter.
The sight of him amused for the first time today filled me with unexpected pleasure.
“And it doesn’t matter to you that you aren’t the only meal he’s been partaking in?” North asked with a blandness that belied the anger in his eyes. “He’s fucking some woman from Inverness.”