The Accidental Honeymoon (Wildflower Lane #1)

Chapter 32

thirty-two

JAY

Calla. Sweet, caring, wonderful Calla.

The last two months since we got accidentally married have been a whirlwind. Now, though, I seem to be standing on the edge of something I can’t quite see the bottom of. Basically, we’ve have had an amazing two and a half months together. But most of it was just for show. Is that really enough for a marriage?

I don’t know. I need to talk to her, but these feelings are so foreign to me that I’m not even sure where to start.

I glance at my phone, hoping for a text from her, something to give me a clue about how she's feeling. Nothing. She's busy at the shop, as usual, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Well, that and the growing stack of work I’ve been avoiding.

It’s just… what if we give it a real shot and it crashes and burns? Or worse, what if it works and I end up dragging her into this insane world of mine?

She deserves stability. She should end up with someone real. She shouldn’t have to deal with the circus that comes with being linked to me .

The doorbell rings, yanking me from my thoughts and momentarily saving me from my own internal tug-of-war. I jog to the door, half-expecting Calla.

Frankly, I hope that she’s as frustrated as I am and she’s come to talk things out. Instead, I find Will and Lana standing side by side, a united front. Will’s my publicist, Lana’s my lawyer.

Seeing them together is never a good sign. The tight-lipped expressions they’re sporting today? Especially ominous.

“Can we come in?” Will asks. His blunt impatience sets off alarm bells in my head.

I shrug and gesture them inside. “Did we have a meeting? I don’t remember scheduling anything.”

My mind races, trying to recall if I’ve missed an important note in my calendar. Not that it would be the first time, lately. My focus has been anywhere but on work.

“We need to talk,” Will says, his tone cutting through the air like a cold front.

“That doesn’t sound good.” I steal a glance at Lana, hoping for some indication of what I’m in for. She’s the more reserved of the two, so she just gives me a distant smile.

I close the door behind them. “Is this about the Q3 projections? I thought we were solid.”

Will waves me off. “The projections are fine. This is…different.” He looks around my house, taking in the decor like he’s searching for something. “Did you redecorate?”

“Yep. New wife, new furniture. But I’m you’re not here to discuss interior design.” Will never stalls. He dives in headfirst, consequences be damned. So why the hesitation?

We move to the living room and that’s when I notice that Lana is clutching a leather portfolio, the kind that usually holds contracts or court filings. My gut tightens. I’ve been doing this long enough to know when I’m about to get served something unpalatable.

“Well?” I say. I gesture to the couch. “Sit down and tell me whatever it is you’re here to say.”

“If you and Calla are sticking together,” Will starts, his words slicing through the room, “we need her to sign a lot of post-nuptial agreements. This marriage has gone on longer than we expected, Jay. You have to protect your business assets. If something goes sideways, you could lose a small fortune.” Lana slides a ream of papers out of the leather portfolio and I avert my eyes, because I know what one of the forms must be.

A surge of anger washes over me. “Will, you work for me, remember? Not the other way around.”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Are you in love with her? Then get her to sign the post-nuptial papers. If not, you need to get an annulment, ASAP.”

I’m supposed to tell him if I’m in love? If I can barely admit my feelings to myself, how am I supposed to reveal them to my publicist?

Will doesn’t wait for me to respond. He launches into his agenda with a practiced smile, the kind that never reaches his eyes. My eyes drift to the annulment papers in Lana’s hands. One signature and all this confusion goes away. One signature and I’m back on the path we set out, the path that’s supposed to lead to success and happiness.

But whose success? Whose happiness?

Will is still talking. He paints a vivid picture of the potential scandal if we delay. The tabloids speculating about our relationship, fans questioning my integrity.

Is it bullshit? I can’t tell .

“Will, it isn’t your job to tell me to annul my quickie marriage,” I blurt when he finally pauses for breath.

Will's lips press together for a brief moment, forming the kind of tight line you see on a kid who’s just been told ‘no’ for the first time. “I have your best interests at heart, Jay. As always.” His tone makes me wonder when he last believed in what he was saying.

I sit down in the armchair, crossing my arms, and study the two of them. Will and I have been through a lot. Crises, triumphs, more crises. His logic is usually airtight. I’ve come to rely on his ability to see around corners.

Lana, I don’t know as well. I can’t gauge whether or not to fully trust her.

Honestly, my gut is telling me that my best interests might not be the same as the PR machine’s interests anymore.

“I’m just trying to protect you,” Will continues after a beat. “To protect everything you’ve built.”

He doesn’t understand. Who could?

The pretending started to feel real. That’s the crux of it. Calla isn’t just some pawn in a game we’re playing. She’s a real person with real goals and feelings. And damn it, I’ve started to care for her.

Fuck. Straight up, I’ve fallen for Calla. Hard.

The way she lights up when she talks about her bakery, the soft determination in her eyes when she’s telling a story, even the exasperated sighs she gives me when I tease her.

They’re all lodged in my heart now.

“Look, I thought this was just an accidental thing,” Will says, breaking the silence. “That you’d get it annulled quickly and move on. But this has dragged on, and the longer it goes, the messier it gets. I think it’s high time that you proceed with the annulment. ”

I uncross my arms and lean forward. “Will...” I sigh, shaking my head. “I just need more time to figure this out. There’s a lot at play here.”

“Think of Alto & Ash. Slacking on signing the annulment papers for even another week can put the company at risk. Right now, with no prenup and no annulment, the company that you have worked so hard to build is in a very vulnerable position.” Will studies me, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

“Vulnerable? To who? Surely you don’t think Calla has any interest in hurting my business.”

“I think that you can’t risk it. You have to get her to sign a post-nuptial agreement or these annulment papers.” He turns to Lana, giving her a small nod. “Lana can tell you more about it.”

Lana slides the annulment papers toward me with a deliberate motion. "It's a straightforward process," she begins, her tone as measured as ever.

She goes on to outline the legalities, making it sound as routine as returning a defective product. I try to interject, to slow her down, but she bulldozes right over me. Every time I try to speak, she raises her voice slightly and talks louder until I go quiet.

This was Will’s plan all along, I realize. He’s stacking the deck against me, making sure I understand the ease and simplicity of the clean break they're proposing.

I take the papers in my hands, test their weight, then set them aside on the coffee table.

"I'm not ready to sign anything. I want to see what Calla and I might have beyond this arrangement. I love her." Saying it out loud to a third party makes it official. It’s also a special kind of relief. The tension eases from my shoulders for the first time in a week.

“Oh.” Lana’s face shows a flicker of surprise. But it’s Will I’m really watching. He’s been with me for years, long enough to know when I’m bluffing and when I’m serious.

He also knows how to play the long game. I can feel him calculating his next move. “Jay,” he starts.

"Will," I cut him off before he can launch into another lecture. "I’d rather you just leave the post-nup and then go. I have a lot going on at the moment."

Now that I’ve said that I love Calla out loud, I feel like I need to nurture it, approach it from the side like a frightened animal. I need them to leave before my fragile resolve shatters and I’m thrown back into the muddled confusion of the past two months.

Will gives me a tight, reluctant nod. Lana’s expression is harder to read, a mix of concern and something else. I usher them out onto the porch and watch as they make their way down the steps. Will says something to Lana. She shrugs, then glances back at me. I hold her gaze for a moment before she turns away.

I close the door gently. Walking back to the coffee table, I eye the stack of papers with a mixture of dread and resignation. Annulment. Post-nuptial agreement.

It all feels so cold.

I sit down and run a hand through my hair. My thoughts are a tangled mess. This damn situation was supposed to be easy. A quick, clean arrangement that would tide me over until I could figure out what was next. But nothing about this situation is easy anymore.

I pick up the annulment papers and flip through them slowly. It’s like a script for a play where I already know the ending and it bores me to tears.

One thing I for certain: I need to talk to Calla.