Chapter 12
12
ADRIAN
The second I mention what we’re here to discuss, Rowena becomes shifty again. She looks like a scared lamb standing in front of a big, bad wolf, ready to hop away at the first sign of distraction from the predator.
I need to tread lightly. Already, I almost fucked up by ordering her that drink without asking first. She came in smiling, knocking the breath out of me in her simple clothes: jeans, a plain T-shirt, no makeup, black glasses perched on her button nose, and her chestnut hair cascading freely. Then, one look at the mug on her side of the table, and that beautiful smile dropped. I mentally kicked myself for getting her the ginger tea; she must’ve assumed I’m a prick who orders for his partners.
Hopefully, I turned that around with the yogurt.
I wait for her to have a few spoonfuls of granola before I say, “So…”
Rowena smiles tensely. She’s still a tad pale, but in better shape than the other day. It’s a relief to see. “You want an answer from me. ”
I nod, no point in denying it. “Sorry for insisting, but if I have to admit the truth to my boss, I should do it right away.”
She turns the mug in her hands, avoiding eye contact. “How would the agreement work?”
Out of my backpack, I fish out a manila folder. “I’ve had my lawyers look into what would be the safest way for us to frame this agreement, for you specifically…” I pause because the next part might put her off.
Rowena raises an eyebrow at me. “That bad, huh?”
I hesitate, forcing a tentative, encouraging smile that I’m sure comes off as more of a grimace. “Well, the short of it is that it’d be way easier to manage everything if we actually got married.”
Ginger tea goes down the wrong pipe, and she sputters, coughing. When she’s recovered her breath, she stares at me appalled. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You proposed to me after half an hour, it makes sense we’d move from a fake engagement to a real marriage in less than two days.”
“Well, getting legally married gives you more rights and more protection. Like alimony and such. I had my lawyers draft a prenup with all the details.” I slide the documents over the table to her. “I’ve asked them to keep all the legalese out of it and write it as straightforward as possible so you don’t need a lawyer to check it.”
Rowena eyes the documents as if they make her more uncomfortable than at ease. “Give me a rundown.”
“In simple terms, you agree to be married to me for at least six months. All your expenses medical or otherwise will be taken care of, for the baby, too. And once we divorce, you’ll get an alimony to put your annual income at $150,000 a year regardless of what you make or until you marry again.”
“What if I don’t have a salary? ”
“Then, you’ll get the full 150K from me.”
Her mouth gapes. “Are you joking?”
“If I get the top chair at Fulton, 150K will be a drop in the ocean for me.”
“Okay, Scrooge McDuck.” She narrows her eyes playfully, crossing her arms. “Glad to hear you have a pool of gold to dive into.”
I sit back in my chair and give her a breather. “Sorry if I’m coming on too strong. But I want you to see that once I get my side of the deal and we divorce, I won’t leave you hung out to dry.”
Her eyes shift again and finally she looks at me. “No, it’s okay. I asked. And you’d just be okay getting married?”
“Look, the prenup protects my assets, too. I won’t lie about it. This way, we’re both safeguarded. And saying I do will prove to my boss I’m serious beyond the shade of a doubt.”
“Wow. You make it sound so straightforward. I just never imagined… you know…” I raise an eyebrow because I don’t know . She adjusts her glasses. “I never imagined this is how I’d get married.”
I give her time to elaborate. But when she still doesn’t speak, I prompt, “Did you have questions?”
She takes a sip of tea. “I guess just, what would be your relationship with the baby?”
My jaw tenses. I could sugar-coat it for her, but she needs to come into this agreement with a clear idea of how things are going to go. “I wouldn’t have one. It’d be better that way, less messy for everyone once we split up.” She gives me big eyes so I explain further, “We’d be married in name only and for my work functions, the rest of the time, we’d be leading separate lives. ”
“Yeah, you’ve said,” Rowena replies in a small voice. “What about you, do you have any questions for me?”
I stare at my coffee before I tell her the heaviest doubt on my mind because it’s another delicate subject. “I guess, only… how will the father take the news that you’re living with me? You mentioned he’s not a good guy.”
She winces. “He doesn’t know I’m pregnant.”
“Are you going to keep it that way?”
She looks out the window, lost. “I don’t know…”
If she decides to bring this dude into the picture, it sounds like a problem future-me will have to deal with. But for now, the most important thing is to get her on board, so I don’t press the subject. “I’m sorry this isn’t how you’d imagined your life going…”
“Yep, me, too,” she scoffs. “But I thought about it, and I don’t want to go back to living with my parents or rely on my roommates’ charity.” Rowena stares directly at me now. “So, yes, Adrian, I will marry you.”
The words sink into my chest harder and hotter than any deal I’ve closed before.