If You Give a Billionaire a Bride (Aspen Grove #2)

prologue

CASH

“ WE SHOULD brEAK UP,” WHITNEY announces on our way out of algebra class.

Her unfeeling declaration shouldn’t surprise me since I knew this was inevitable, but I didn’t expect her to dump me a few hours before prom.

I stop in the middle of the hallway, not caring that I’m blocking traffic. “Why now?” I ask, tightening my grip on my backpack straps.

She looks down at her pink painted nails, refusing to make eye contact with me.

“Things have been different since the accident. You’re different.” Translation: Now that your face is fucked up, I can barely stand to look at you. “Graduation is right around the corner, and with me leaving for Princeton at the beginning of the summer, it only makes sense for us to part ways now.” Translation: I want a clean break so I can date someone I’m not embarrassed to be seen with.

Now that I’m no longer the “ruggedly handsome lacrosse player,” as she so fondly used to call me, she’s eager to replace me with someone who won’t ruin pictures with a jagged scar marring half his face .

“Cash, are you listening to me?” She waves her hand in front of me to grab my attention when I don’t respond.

“My face may be fucked up but my ears work just fine, Whit,” I say through gritted teeth.

“What did I say?” she challenges, hands on her hips.

“That you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, and you want to date other people. Does that sum it up?” Okay, so those weren’t her exact words, but we both know that’s what she’s thinking.

“You’re twisting what I said,” she retorts, raising her voice and taking a defensive stance, arms folded tightly across her chest.

The sound of someone snickering catches my attention. That’s when I notice the sizable crowd of students lingering in the hall, interested to hear how this argument unfolds.

“ You’re right. We have grown apart,” I say, keeping my voice steady.

Whitney’s eyes widen in shock at hearing me agree. That’s when she notices our audience, causing a sudden shift in her blasé attitude. She gets fidgety and twirls a piece of hair around her finger, shifting from foot to foot.

“What are you saying?” she demands, glancing back at her friends who have joined the group of spectators.

From her reaction, one would assume she’s the one being dumped in front of an audience, not the other way around.

“We should break up,” I say, echoing her earlier declaration.

“Just like that?” she demands. “You’re not even going to try to convince me to change my mind? How could you humiliate me in front of—”

“Cut the theatrics, Whitney,” Theo interrupts her rant, standing beside me in a silent show of support. “You said it yourself. It’s over. Don’t embarrass yourself more than you already have.”

He must have been in the crowd watching things play out. We’ve been best friends since preschool, and he’s one of the few people I can count on always to have my back.

“Mind your own business, Theo,” Whitney spits out. “This is a private conversation between me and my boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I interject. “You were just telling me you wanted to break up, remember?”

“And from where I’m standing, this is as far from private as you can get,” Theo adds. “Now, why don’t you and your friends get lost?” He shoos her like a dog.

Whitney’s cheeks turn bright red when the hallway fills with laughter. “Are you really going to just stand there and let him disrespect me?” she whines.

“Theo’s right. It’s best if you leave,” I say calmly.

“You’ll be sorry,” she fumes. “Don’t come begging to win me back when you see me with my new prom date tonight. He’s a freshman in college,” she throws in my face before storming away.

Her entourage hurries after her, and the crowd quickly disperses now that the spectacle is over.

It shouldn’t surprise me that she has another date lined up. She would never risk the humiliation of going alone.

“Good riddance,” Theo mumbles under his breath. “Remind me again why you dated her. She is such a diva.”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “She was nice when we first met. Plus, all the guys on the lacrosse team kept saying we’d be good together, so I figured, why not?”

In truth, I can’t be with the girl I’ve always wanted, and Whitney was a welcome distraction. She is attractive and popular and made me feel important—until my accident.

“College chicks are going to fucking love your scar. It makes you look badass.” Theo pats me on the back.

“Thanks, man,” I say, ready to move on from this topic. “Where’s Everly?” I scan the hall as the group disperses, but she’s nowhere to be seen.

Everly, Theo’s twin sister, tags along most of the time, making her one of my closest friends.

The smug expression on Theo’s face turns serious. “You’re not the only one who was stood up for prom. Jacob broke things off with Everly right before eighth period.” His voice drips with fury. “He left her crying alone in the school parking lot.”

I clench my fists at my side, the urge to kick Jacob’s ass building inside me. Everly is the sweetest, most beautiful girl in school, and frankly Jacob never deserved her.

“What a scumbag,” I spit out in disgust. “He needs to be put in his place.” No one disrespects Everly and gets away with it.

“Get in line,” he snickers.

“Where is she now?”

“I’m not sure. She said she wanted to be alone and took off on her bike,” Theo says with a worried frown. “I should skip prom and go look for her. I’m sure Cara will understand if I have to cancel our date.”

I shake my head. “There’s no reason for you to spend the night wallowing in misery like the rest of us. Go home and get ready to pick up Cara. Don’t worry, I’ll find Everly.” There’s only one place she would go if she wanted to be alone without dealing with unwanted visitors.

Except for me, that is.

“Are you sure?” Theo asks, concern etched on his face.

“Absolutely. We’ll make a night of it,” I assure him.

If I could convince Everly to attend prom with me, I’d do it, but knowing her as I do, she’ll want to stay as far away from Jacob and the dance as possible.

Theo nudges me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Look, there’s Jacob now.” I glance over to him walking toward the school entrance with his friends. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Theo questions.

“That it’s time for payback?” I smirk, cracking my knuckles as I stalk toward Jacob.

Theo cracks. “You read my mind.”

First, I’m going to make Jacob Barlow pay for hurting Everly, and then I’m going to find her so I can mend her broken heart.

As I pull up to the old Miller place, a smile crosses my lips when I spot Everly’s robin-blue bike parked against the house. The place has been abandoned for over twenty years, but it’s become the hangout spot for my siblings and friends. Ev, in particular, has taken a liking to it and comes here when she needs peace and quiet.

I make my way through the overgrown lawn to the backyard, where I find Everly. She’s stretched out on a flannel blanket, her sanctuary under the shade of the giant oak tree, lost in a book. Her black hair falls in waves down her back, a sight that always takes my breath away. I smile when I see she’s wearing her favorite pair of Doc Martens.

Seeing her like this takes me back to the day in our tenth-grade English class when she came in wearing a white V-neck top, light-wash jeans, and those same Docs. Even though we’ve known each other our whole lives, that was the first time I saw her in a new light and I swear my heart skipped a beat when she waved at me with her signature megawatt smile. I couldn’t take my eyes off her during class.

When the bell rang, Theo grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out into the hall, shoving me against the closest set of lockers. He noticed me watching Everly and warned me she was off-limits.

I couldn’t jeopardize our friendship because of a crush on his sister, so I did my best to suppress my feelings for Everly. It wasn’t easy. Something about her called to me, and it kept drawing me in like a gravitational pull, despite my best efforts.

Like she can sense that I’m thinking about her, she looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks as I approach. My chest tightens at seeing her sad. I would do anything to take away her pain and bring a smile to her face.

“Mind if I join you? I brought dinner.” I hold up a bag of takeout from Willow Creek Café—Her favorite restaurant in Aspen Grove.

“Did Theo send you?” She eyes the food warily.

“No. He told me what happened with Jacob, and I figured this is where you’d be,” I answer truthfully.

Without waiting for an invitation, I sit on the blanket and set the bag in front of me. Everly watches with interest as I take out two bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate shake topped with extra whipped cream and a cherry—all her favorites.

“Why come if you knew I wanted to be alone?” There’s a hint of sass in her voice.

She’s not afraid to go head-to-head with me and doesn’t hesitate to set me straight when I’m out of line.

“My mom always says chocolate is the best cure for a broken heart.” I hold out the shake, a smile tugging at my lips when she takes it.

“She’s absolutely right.” Everly grins as she takes a sip. “Want to tell me why you’re here with me instead of at prom?”

“Whitney dumped me after school,” I state flatly.

“Oh, Cash, I’m sorry.” Everly places her hand on my arm. “I hate that bitch,” she says with conviction.

Her touch sends a jolt of electricity down my spine, and it takes every ounce of willpower to maintain a poker face. She has no idea how I really feel about her, and it has to stay that way.

A few weeks after Theo told me Everly was off-limits, Whitney showed interest in me, and I threw all my energy into our budding relationship. She was the perfect distraction, helping me temporarily forget about my attraction to Everly, those feelings simmering below the surface.

“It’s for the best.” I shrug, reaching across Everly to grab a fry.

“Oh my god, Stafford,” she gasps when she spots the swollen knuckles on my left hand.

“What happened?”

I grin at her use of my last name. She’s called me that since ninth grade when I started playing lacrosse. Stafford was stitched across the back of my jersey, and the nickname stuck. Whitney has always resented that Everly calls me that, but I couldn’t care less what she thinks now.

I like it when Everly uses it. I love it.

“Tell me what you did,” she presses when I don’t answer her question right away.

“Jacob Barlow said something that pissed me off, so I punched him in the face,” I tell her with a grin.

She gasps, her eyes wide with shock. “Oh, Cash, please don’t tell me you did it because of me.”

“Do you want me to lie?”

She shakes her head. “I want the truth.”

“I did it because he hurt you,” I confess simply. “He deserved it.” When he called Everly a frigid bitch after Theo and I confronted him for dumping her, I let my temper take over. I have zero regrets.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she scolds me, a worried look on her face. “What if he had hit you back? You could have been hurt.”

I laugh, pointing to the scar on my face. “As long as he aimed for the left side, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

“That’s not funny, Cash.” Everly scolds me. “Jacob was provoking you. His dad is the president of the school board, you know this. What if you get suspended?”

God, her protective side is so adorable.

I’ve been sent to the office so often that I’m on a first-name basis with the principal. I have a habit of letting my fists do the talking when someone is being a bully and am late more often than not. One more offense won’t make a difference.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter anyway. Graduation is only a month away, and I don’t think I want to go to college. Not that I’ve had the courage to break the news to my parents yet.

“It was worth it,” I promise Everly. “Now eat before the food gets cold.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” She grabs a burger and unwraps it before taking a large bite. A subtle moan escapes her lips as she chews.

“Good?”

“Mm-hmm,” she acknowledges around her mouthful of food.

I’m entranced as I watch juice dribble down her chin. Without thinking, I gently wipe it away with my finger, freezing when I realize what I’ve done.

“Sorry,” I say as I yank my hand back.

Her brown eyes meet mine as she traces her mouth where my finger grazed.

“Don’t be.” She offers me a reassuring smile. “You know I’m a messy eater, so I appreciate it.”

I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m happy I could help.” I brush the sauce off on a napkin before I do something out of line like lick it from my finger.

Thankfully, Everly isn’t paying attention. She’s chewing methodically, lost in thought. “Why are boys so stupid?” she mumbles under her breath.

“I could ask the same question about girls,” I tease.

“Hey.” She playfully slugs me on the shoulder. “We’re not all self-absorbed snobs like Whitney. Honestly, I’m not sure what you ever saw in her.”

She was a distraction.

What stings the most about what happened with Whitney is the fear that other people will react the same to my scar. I used to be comfortable in my own skin, but since the accident, I’m not so sure anymore.

“Hey, Stafford,” Everly says, her sing-song voice snapping me out of my pity party.

“Yeah, Ev,” I reply.

“Do you believe in soulmates?”

“I’m not sure,” I answer honestly.

“Is it weird that I do?” She watches me, anticipating my reaction. “I like to think there’s one person out there that I’ll grow old with and who will love me unconditionally, no matter what.” She chews on her lower lip as she considers her next words. “What if I’m destined to date losers for the rest of my life?”

Everly is a dreamer who sees the world with a glass-half-full mentality. Which is why I don’t have it in me to tell her that Jacob most likely won’t be the last man who breaks her heart.

Relationships are messy and tangled up with so many emotions, and I, for one, plan to avoid them in the future. They’re nothing but complicated, inevitably leading to pain. Why anyone would want to subject themselves to that brutality is beyond me.

“Ev, you’re only seventeen,” I remind her. “You’ve got plenty of time to find your one .”

“But what if he never comes?” She leans back, looking up at me with those innocent brown eyes.

God, why does she have to be so pretty?

“I’ll tell you what.” I give in to temptation and play with a strand of her hair. “If you can’t find him, and we’re both still single when we’re thirty, we’ll get married.”

Everly bursts out laughing. “You can’t be serious.”

I’ve never been more serious in my life.

In an alternate universe, I like to think that I could be her one . The person to make her laugh every day, her Prince Charming, and the one she couldn’t live without.

In this reality, I’m just the court jester she tolerates because of my sense of humor and upbeat attitude. I’m not the prince who sweeps her off her feet, or the knight in shining armor she rides off into the sunset with.

“I may not be your first choice, but I promise you I’d be an excellent substitute,” I tease.

Everly raises a brow in a silent challenge. “Oh, really?”

“Absolutely. I would make you laugh every day, make sure you had an endless supply of takeout from Willow Creek Café, and build you a dedicated room for your shoe collection.”

She bats her eyelashes. “How could I ever refuse such an offer?”

“Do you have a pen in your backpack?”

An idea strikes me, and I decide to run with it, fully committed to this ludicrous, yet oddly inevitable agreement.

“Yeah, sure.” She nods, grabbing her bag from the other side of the blanket. She pulls out a black ballpoint pen and hands it to me.

“Thanks.” I take a napkin from the pile that came with our food order, set it on the discarded fry box, and hunch over to write.

“What are you doing?” Everly cranes her neck to get a better view.

“You’ll see.” I cover the napkin with my hand so she can’t see what I’m writing.

Midway through, I look up to find her gaze locked on mine. It’s as if time stands still and we’re the only two people in the universe sharing a connection deeper than words. A silent agreement, connecting us in the moment.

She’s the first to look away, and I quickly return my attention to the note.

“There, that should do it,” I announce triumphantly when I’ve finished.

“I don’t know if a napkin would hold up in court.” Everly giggles when I hold it out for her to read.

Cash Stafford & Everly Townstead promise to marry each other if they’re both single when they turn thirty. This agreement is legally binding.

“Well, we better sign it then.” I scribble my name at the bottom and pass it to her along with the pen.

She uses her book as a hard surface beneath the napkin, sticking the tip of her tongue out in concentration as she signs her name neatly next to mine. I’m mesmerized by the details of her heart-shaped face, the smattering of freckles across her nose, her long eyelashes still damp with tears.

What was Jacob thinking, letting her go? She’s so damn beautiful.

And off-limits, I remind myself. Theo has made that crystal clear.

“There, all done,” Everly declares with her signature smile.

Someday a lucky son of a bitch will give Everly everything she deserves—but it won’t be me. The consolation prize is knowing that I did something today to ease her heartache, even if just a little, and her smile makes it well worth the effort.