Chapter 7
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
I flicked my gaze to Natalie’s reflection next to mine and I smiled. “Sure? Not even close. But I have to, Nat.”
“No, no.” She shook her head, blond curls furiously swishing back and forth as she covered my hand with hers. “You don’t. There are other ways.”
“I’m not interested in other ways.” Grabbing the mascara, I leaned closer to the weathered mirror of the motel room where I’d been for the past two weeks.
Anthony had left to shoot in an exotic location, but I still couldn’t sleep in the apartment we shared.
I only went back to pack up the rest of my things, and even then, I hadn’t been there for a minute longer than needed.
Of course, the king of the jungle, aka Liam, had insisted I move into his snazzy penthouse before our civil service today, but it didn’t feel right, so I’d refused.
I’d never forget the expression on his face when I’d told him no. Or how his blue eyes turned a few shades darker when he remarked on it being dangerous.
That one look and those specific words caused something hot and foreign to burn behind my ribs.
And when he’d so casually said he couldn’t wait to have me to himself… Goodness, it was like going into early menopause. I was freaking hot all over.
“Evie!”
I paused with the mascara brush still halfway through my lashes. “Huh?”
“What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Nat sounded annoyed. “I’m talking and talking, and you’re just…”
The words abruptly died on her tongue, which prompted me to glance in her direction again. Sure enough, my friend wasn’t happy with me. I couldn’t imagine why, though. I hadn’t been lost in thought that long.
Had I?
“Why?” she squeaked.
“Uh.” Furrowing my brows, I tossed the mascara back into my small makeup bag. “Why what?”
Natalie heaved out a heavy sigh. “Why won’t you let me help you?”
“I already told you.” I licked my lips and immediately pulled a face when the stickiness from the lip gloss coated my tongue. “I’m not taking money from you or Zach, and I’m definitely not moving in with you.”
I’d been adamant about that when Natalie had asked me to stay with them. I might not have been as heartbroken over the Anthony thing as I should have been, but I sure as hell wasn’t in the mood to hear my bestie and her husband go at it every damn night.
Never mind the moans and Spanish curses; who the hell had the energy and desire to screw every single day? Once, maybe twice a week, was plenty enough.
Or at least it was for Anthony.
No, it wasn’t. The bitter thought spilled into my mind as I grabbed the red tube to redo the gloss I’d just licked off. That’s why he paid not one but two women to satisfy him.
I had the brush poised against my bottom lip when Natalie gripped my shoulders and, forcefully, for her at least, spun me to face her.
“Geez, Nat.”
Thank goodness I had the good sense to rip my hand away; otherwise, I would have said my I-do’s with a red streak running down my chin.
My I-do’s. Gosh, it felt so weird to be this blasé over my wedding day. But then again, did it even count as a wedding day if it was only going to be a marriage on paper?
“Why won’t you let me help you?” Nat cried again, her voice cracking a little at the end. “You’ve been there for me through almost every horrible thing that has happened in my life, and yet you won’t allow me to do the same.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s not right.”
I wasn’t sure if it was her pregnancy hormones that had her this close to the edge or if she was genuinely hurt over me not wanting their money. Probably both.
As silly as it may have sounded, I wanted to be the one to help my parents. It was not just me; I knew my sister, Cece, was probably taking on a second job, on top of finishing her final year at college, to pitch in as well.
That was why I wanted the money to come from me.
It felt like such a cop-out to ask my friends for financial help while my sister worked her butt off.
“Oh, sweetie, don’t cry. I appreciate you wanting to help, honestly. But I need to do this my way.” Taking her hands, I squeezed her fingers. “Please.”
Natalie sniffled and wrinkled her nose. “Fine. But I’m not happy about it.”
“Oh.” I laughed. “I know you aren’t.”
With one hand still wrapped around Natalie’s, I used the other to rummage through my toiletry bag. Once I found what I wanted, I withdrew a few tissues and handed them to my friend.
Another slight sniffle sounded and Natalie quickly dabbed beneath her eyes and wiped under her nose.
“Better?” I asked, fidgeting with the top of my dress.
She nodded, but the instant her gaze locked on to my fingers, she tossed the tissue aside and smacked my hand away.
“Ow!”
Ignoring me, she smoothed her hand down the lace I’d just tried to tug toward my chin.
“Stop yanking on it,” she complained. “It’s perfect.”
This time, I fully understood where her annoyance came from. My deep-purple dress—a form-hugging lacy top with capped sleeves and a flowy skirt that hit my shins—was one of her designs.
And as stunning as it was, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with my cleavage being on display like this. But since it had taken Natalie years to finally design freely, I felt too bad to say no.
Especially since she’d designed it specifically for me.
Once the dress was in place again, Natalie combed her fingers through my waves. “Gorgeous.” And just like that, her eyes turned glassy again. “I can’t believe you’re getting married.”
“It’s not a real—”
“At least he’s a nice enough guy.”
Again, I wanted to remind her none of this was real but then her words finally registered.
“You know Liam?” Made sense, I guessed. Her father—may his soul never rest in peace for all the shit he’d done to her—had been huge in the hotel industry, and he was known for his elaborate dinners.
Then there was Zach. The man had more money and casinos than he knew what to do with. So, it was a given their paths had somehow crossed. There may have been a billionaire’s club I wasn’t aware of.
I barely had time to laugh at my joke when Natalie spoke.
“I don’t know know him, but Zach just signed a contract with Nouvelle Femme. They will make an exclusive hotel range for a few of Zach’s casinos.” She dragged her hands over her still-invisible bump. “He says Liam is a decent guy.”
“How would he know? They probably just grunted at each other.”
Her eyes narrowed into thin slits, and if I hadn’t known her so well, I might have been intimidated. Still, I drew my shoulders to my ears. “What?”
“Zach does not grunt.”
This made me laugh. “No, sweetie, he growls. Or so you’ve told me.”
“You’re a horrible friend.”
“You still love me, though.”
I was wrapped up in a hug barely a breath later. “Always. Don’t ever forget it.”
If she’d pulled away at that very second, she would’ve seen my eyes had the same glassy appearance as hers. I held on a little longer, a little tighter. Just until I had my emotions in check. She was already all sorts of bent up, and if she saw me crying, she’d just end up with a heap of worries.
I didn’t want that for her.
Swallowing the burn inside my throat, I composed myself enough for us to push apart.
“All right, I know being fashionably late is a thing, but somehow, I don’t think the king of the jungle would appreciate tardiness.”
A wide smile spread across Natalie’s face. “I was late on my wedding day, and look how great that turned out for me.”
“Oh no, no, no, sweetie. This is not that.”
I swear I could practically see a lightbulb lighting up above her head. “What if—”
“Stop,” I interjected before she could even think about finishing the sentence. I didn’t want to hear it. “This is nothing like you and Zach. I’m not going to find the love of my life and live happily ever after. Liam is a means to an end, nothing more.”
“He could be something more, you know?”
I opened my mouth, but she held up her hand to keep the words from tumbling out.
“I’m not talking about love, Evie. You said it yourself: The man is ridiculously handsome. You could just have some fun.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. “Is this my innocent friend telling me to sleep around?”
“Not so innocent anymore.” Natalie’s mouth curved into a mischievous grin.
I had the good sense to hold up my hands and mutter, “Spare me.”
“Seriously, though. I’m not saying you should sleep around, but you can make the next five years interesting. Might be good for you after everything that happened with Anthony.”
A sharp pang shot through my chest, filling me with a whole host of emotions I didn’t want to put a name to. How could I admit to my friend what a number that entire ordeal did on me?
Insecurities I thought I’d buried long ago were back, stronger than ever. My mind and body were riddled with thoughts and feelings I wasn’t entirely sure how to process. All because Anthony couldn’t keep it in his pants.
It would have hurt less if he’d just been honest and admitted he’d wanted something else.
Or maybe it would have hurt the same.
I didn’t know, and I never would.
“So I’ll see you right after the ceremony?” Natalie’s voice saved me from my spiraling thoughts. “Zach and I will wait outside.”
New procedures were in place, and civil ceremonies could only have one witness. Since this entire thing was Rafe’s idea, Liam and I agreed he should be the one to witness our nuptials.
After another hug, Natalie headed out, and I was alone.
I didn’t mind it.
These past three weeks, since Anthony and I had broken up, showed me I’d been alone for far longer than I’d realized. We might have slept in the same bed, stayed under the same roof, but were living separate lives for a long time.
And maybe a part of me knew it because I threw every spare minute I had into working or sorting out everyone else’s problems.
Because I would have rather been the other half of a disconnected couple than be alone.
The vibration of my phone against the counter snapped me back to the present. The thing buzzed twice before my favorite Spanish melody filled the room.
I contemplated not answering until I saw my mom’s name flash on the screen. My heart thundered two times too fast as I grabbed the device and hurriedly pressed it against my ear.
“Is Dad okay?”
“Hello is not a cuss word, young lady,” my mom scolded.
The tips of my ears burned like someone held a flame against my skin. “Sorry. Hi, Mom.” I took a breath and repeated, “Is Dad okay?”
“They did more tests a few days ago, but Dr. Cooper thinks he should be ready for surgery as soon as his condition clears up.”
He wasn’t better, but at least he wasn’t worse. That was good, right? Then why didn’t I feel relieved?
My mom blew out a breath. “I just got done speaking with the hospital administrator, and apparently, someone paid a large sum of money to cover our medical bills and get your father moved to a private room.”
My mom paused for a beat.
“Who is Liam Maxwell?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. I knew Liam had overheard my conversation with my mom—he’d admitted it. But what I didn’t know was why he’d paid the bill.
A warm fuzzy feeling blossomed inside my chest, but before it could bloom completely, my mom spoke again.
“Let me rephrase. I know who he is. I can google just fine. But, Evie, who is he to you?”
Okay, how the heck did I answer that? “W-why do you ask?”
“Mr. Abernathy, the hospital administrator, seems to think he’s your husband.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered, “Not yet.”
“What was that?”
I had two choices here. I could lie to my mom and pretend the story we’d be spinning to the public was real. She’d be suspicious of how fast it had happened but still support me.
I hoped.
But lying to my mom didn’t feel right.
That was exactly why I told her everything. From how I’d caught Anthony cheating—for obvious reasons, I didn’t go into details—to the weird Italian man in the park, ending with how I’d agreed to help Liam keep his company.
And in return, he’d help me take care of my family.
“Everlee Rose Sutton.”
She used my full name, and even though she couldn’t see me, I still shrank back and stared at my feet.
“You agreed to marry a stranger? A stranger! A man you know absolutely nothing about. And for what? Money?” Her voice rose. If she were standing in front of me right that second, I had no doubts she’d have her hands on her hips while eyes the same color as my own stared daggers into me.
I shrank back a little more.
“What if he’s a wife-beater or”—she lowered her voice to an angry whisper—“a sexual deviant?”
I choked on air. “Mom!”
“Don’t you Mom me. A marriage is something sacred between two people who love each other. It’s not a business deal.” Every word she spoke dripped with fury.
I couldn’t blame her. Not really.
My parents had met in high school, and if you believed my dad’s version, it was love at first sight. If you believed my mom, it was lust.
Either way, they did what all pubescent teenagers do, and it wasn’t long before my mom stared at a stick with two bright lines on it. As shocking as it was for them, my dad immediately told my mom he wanted to do the honorable thing, but only if she was as madly in love with him as he was with her.
That was the kind of love they had. The kind I wanted. Where you loved the other person so much, you’d walk away if that’s what they wanted. It’d kill you, but you’d walk away.
“A piece of paper doesn’t a marriage make, Mom.”
The sound of her clicking tongue rang through my ears. “Don’t be a smart aleck. Do you even realize what you’re getting yourself into? You will probably share a house and bed with this man for five years. Five years, Everlee. Somewhere along the line, he’ll want more from you than your signature on paper. And then what?” Another staggering inhalation filtered through the line. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
Maybe telling my mom the truth wasn’t the best idea.
“Please don’t be angry with me. I know what I’m doing.” The lie left a sour taste in my mouth, but admitting how terrified I really was would provoke my mom even more. “I won’t be sharing his bed or even his room, Mom. Just because I’m getting paid for playing my part doesn’t mean I’ll end up tangled in his sheets. I have more values than that.”
There was a long stretch of silence before my mom spoke again.
“Not from where I’m standing.”
Was it possible for a heart to physically break? Had to be. I felt mine shatter into a million jagged splinters.
Closing my eyes, I forced my tears away while my mom talked about how easy it would be to find a job in Portsmouth. She even said I didn’t need to do event planning right now; secretarial work could easily tide me over.
I didn’t want to live in a small town. I loved the city. It was loud and fast and way too crowded, but it was where I wanted to be. It was where I wanted to build my business, to make a name for myself.
I’d never be able to do that in Portsmouth.
“Mom, I understand where you’re coming from,” I interrupted as she went on about Mr. Spiegel needing a secretary to help him run his accounting business. “You know I love you with all my heart, but please stop. From the moment I could listen, you taught me to follow my heart. You showed me how to be kind and helpful to others. And it was from you that I learned the importance of making my own way.”
My mom’s voice turned to ice. “I did not teach you this. I’m disappointed, Everlee.”
The phone went dead not even a breath later.
I stayed strong for as long as possible before letting my emotions roll down my cheeks.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I thought my mom would be happy, proud even.
But I was wrong. So very wrong, and I had to wonder what else I was wrong about. Was this union really the best idea, or would Liam Maxwell turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life?