Tangled Vows (Willow Brook Falls #3)

21. Easton

21

EASTON

I cy claws of dread raked up my spine as Shayla swung her bat, hitting the already shattered plates with blow after blow. “Shayla,” I said, taking a cautious step toward her as she moved to the next set of items. She was unraveling. I had never seen her like this before, so out of control and blinded by rage. Or maybe that was pain.

I repeated her name but to no avail. She couldn’t hear me. Wherever her mind was, it was far from here, and I couldn’t reach her. A sob tore up her throat and shredded through my defenses. An ache settled in my chest watching her break apart. What could possibly be causing her this kind of pain?

Finally, she stopped, her chest heaving as she loosened her grip on the bat. It slipped from her fingers, clanging to the floor below. Her body swayed to the side, her footing unsteady. I was by her side in a flash, gripping her arms to hold her up.

“I’ve got you,” I promised as I slid an arm around her waist. Tears dampened my shirt as she clung to me. I stroked a soothing hand over her hair and held her, giving her a chance to get it all out, whatever it was.

“Shayla.” Her name fell from my lips, a tender request to confide in me. “Talk to me,” I pleaded. And she did. The moment she opened her mouth, the dam broke loose.

“My mom is sick,” she admitted once we were seated and she regained her composure. “Her cancer is back, and the treatments will bankrupt us.” My chest cracked wide open at the anguish in her eyes and tears sliding down her face. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, her nose red. The sight made something primal and protective flair to life inside me.

“I have an inheritance,” she blurted out, burying her head in her hands. “But I can’t touch it for several more years. It’s small, but my dad is in control of it, and he won’t let me access it early. He knows what I want to use it for, and he still won’t budge.” Fury blazed in those stormy gray eyes. They looked like the sky over the ocean moments before a storm, dangerous and ravaging.

“I could cover her surgery and all her treatments with that money and still have some left over. But I can’t wait years to access it. It will be too late, and I don’t want her taking out a second mortgage on the house.”

Shit. I had no idea she was dealing with all this. Guilt churned in my gut. If I’d known what she was going through, I wouldn’t have been so antagonizing. I wouldn’t have taunted and teased just to get a rise out of her, no matter how much I enjoyed it. Now I just felt like a straight-up asshole.

“And I’m certainly not getting married anytime soon.” She winced, and my head snapped up, taking in her pained expression.

“What does you getting married have to do with all this?”

“It’s one of the stipulations of my inheritance. I get it when I turn thirty or when I get married, whichever comes first.”

Possibilities niggled at the back of my mind. What if… No, it would never work. Would it?

A string of wins had cast our team in the spotlight recently, reigniting rumors about my departure from Boston. They were getting closer to the truth every day. And if that truth came to light, it could damage my career. I’d worked hard on my image the last couple months, but there was one thing that would solidify my transition to the reformed playboy.

A wife.

Marrying Shayla could solve both our problems. It would be in name only, of course, but it would allow Shayla to access the funds to help her mom and get the press to stop digging into the reason behind my trade. It was a win-win for everyone.

But would she go for it? Could I convince her that marrying me was the best—and quickest—way to get the money to pay for her mother’s treatment? We’d have to be convincing. Our relationship would have to look real to get the paps off my back, but could we pull it off?

There was only one way to find out, but I wouldn’t bring it up here, not now when her emotions were raw and she’d just exposed her vulnerable side to me. I’d have to come up with a plan to convince her our marriage would be advantageous to us both. I just hoped she’d go along with it.

Straightening her spine, Shayla wiped under her eyes, removing the last remnants of her mascara. “Sorry I kinda went a little crazy then dumped my problems on you.” She forced a sad smile before standing.

“It’s alright,” I assured her, empathy swirling in my chest. “Look, I’m?—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the door swung open, and one of the workers poked his head inside.

“Time’s up,” he announced. “How was it, guys?” he asked, striding into the room, oblivious to the turmoil in the air.

“It was great,” Shayla replied, offering a forced smile that didn’t reach her red-rimmed eyes.

“Nope. Huh uh. Absolutely freaking not.” The pitch of my sister’s frantic voice rose with each word. “Are you crazy?” she shrieked, and I could picture her pacing, running a frustrated hand down her face.

“This gives us a chance to control the narrative. It will distract everyone from all the speculation that nobody can prove.”

“I told you to fake date her, not marry her! Marriage is sacred, E, not to mention a whole lot harder to get out of than dating.”

“I know,” I offered placatingly.

“Plus, it’s going to be a lot harder to sell. No one is going to believe you two are in love when you’ve never even been seen together.”

“Can we spin it like we met earlier and she was the reason I came to Richmond?” I asked hopefully.

“That won’t work. Too many holes. Besides, to make it believable, we need to stick as close to the truth as possible.”

“Okay.” I blew out a breath, placing my hands on my hips as I thought over the possibilities. “Some of my teammates already suspect there’s something going on.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” she grumbled. She’d suspected it too after seeing us interact. “Look, I think this is a bad idea. Marriage is a big deal. And if the press even suspects this is a publicity stunt, they’ll start looking for reasons why, and if they uncover the truth, your career and all those big fancy endorsements will go bye, bye.”

“I know,” I said, rubbing a frustrated hand over my face.

“You would have to be very convincing.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I assured her. I already could barely keep my hands off Shayla. If we had to kiss and hold hands in public, I wouldn’t have to fake it. I already wanted to do those things with her.

Plus a whole lot more .

Roni released an exasperated sigh. “You’re going to do this with or without my stamp of approval, aren’t you?”

“Probably.”

“Have you even talked to her about this? She may tell you to go to Hell.”

I’d considered that. But once she realized this was her best chance at getting what she wanted, it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to go along with it.

“Let me worry about that. I can handle Shayla.”