5
EVERLY
“ THANKS, JOHANNA.” I MUSTER A genuine smile as my eyes dart between Cash and his mom.
I was prepared for the Staffords to give me the cold shoulder when I walked in, angry that Cash and I recklessly got married and were rushing to get it dissolved. Instead, I’m being welcomed as if I were part of the family because Cash led them to believe that I am.
Letting him handle it alone was a huge mistake; now we’re in an even bigger mess.
“This is the best news.” Johanna pulls back, giving my hand an affectionate squeeze.
Her kindness tugs at my heartstrings, reminding me how much I used to love spending time here.
The Staffords are as close to a perfect family as they can get. They love each other unconditionally and have always stood together. As a kid, I envied Cash’s relationship with his parents; they were so caring and attentive. In contrast, my dad was cruel and vindictive, and my mom was more interested in escaping reality and indulging in a lavish lifestyle than taking care of Theo and me.
“You weren’t this excited when Marlow and I announced our engagement or when Presley told us she and Jack are getting a summer home in Aspen Grove,” Dylan chimes in.
“He has a point, Mom,” Presley adds. “We shouldn’t be surprised, considering Cash has always been your favorite.”
“You’re just jealous.” Cash sticks his tongue out.
“That’s enough,” Johanna scolds. “I love you all equally and won’t have you argue otherwise. I’m just delighted to have Everly as a daughter-in-law. It’s a dream come true.” Tears trickle down her cheeks, and she quickly wipes them away.
My chest tightens at her response. She had a soft spot for me when I was a kid, which meant a lot to me since I’ve never been close to my own mom.
Cash gives me a warning look, silently urging me not to break the news that this isn’t real. Nervously tapping my fingers against my thigh, I weigh my options. Based on her initial reaction, Johanna will be crushed if we come clean, but my guilty conscience tells me that deceiving her isn’t right.
This is all Cash’s fault. How dare he make this situation more complicated? We wouldn’t be in this situation if he had told his family the truth. I should have stood my ground back in Vegas, returned to London alone, and let our lawyers deal with the fallout.
Damn that tequila.
“Why is your mother crying?” Cash’s dad emerges from the hallway, his voice filled with concern.
He runs his fingers through his short black hair as his gaze sweeps over his kids, pausing when he notices me standing on the other side of Johanna. A puzzled expression crosses his face; I’m probably the last person he expected to see standing in his entryway.
“Don’t worry, Mike, they’re happy tears,” Johanna assures him between hiccups. “Cash and Everly got married yesterday. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Mike pushes his tortoiseshell glasses up on his nose, giving Cash and me cautionary glances. “Yeah, that’s great news,” he says, sounding unsure as he tries to appease his wife.
My conscience won’t let this go on any longer, and my inner voice shouts at me to end this charade.
“Would it be alright if I talk to Cash outside?” I ask.
His face pales at my request.
“Of course, sweetie.” Johanna smiles at me. “Just don’t take too long. The photographer is out back, and we don’t want to keep her waiting.”
“This will be quick,” I promise as I tug Cash’s arm, dragging him onto the porch. He closes the door behind us, and as soon as we’re out of his family’s sight, I yank my hand away.
“What the hell was that?” I whisper-shout. “You were supposed to tell them the truth, not make your mom think this marriage is legitimate. She’s going to be devastated when she finds out that not only did we lie to her, but this”—I gesture between us—“isn’t real.”
I’m wary when he flashes me a playful grin.
“What?” I ask with my hands on my hips.
“Oh, come on, you can’t deny our chemistry,” he says, taking a step closer to me.
I shake my head in denial. “You’re imagining things.”
My visceral reaction when he walked into the hotel bar was a fluke. I’m chalking it up to an instinctual reaction caused by sexual tension that’s been building up for the past two years. It has nothing to do with Cash.
If I say it enough times, I’ll believe it.
“If that’s the case, care to explain why you stared daggers at every woman who dared to look my way? Or better yet, why you couldn’t stop eye-fucking me last night?”
“Apparently whiskey makes you delusional because I was not eye-fucking you last night, Stafford,” I retort.
“Sure you weren’t.” He cradles my face, gliding his thumbs against my skin. For a moment, I forget my reservations and lean into the comforting warmth of his hand.
He can get me to drop my guard without even trying. I think it’s because he’s familiar, evoking memories of our childhood friendship when I trusted him implicitly. My instincts tell me I can do the same now, but my mind isn’t so sure.
I take a step back, causing him to let go of my face. “I told your mom we wouldn’t be long. Is there a reason your family thinks we’re happily married?”
Cash runs his fingers through his hair, which seems to be a family habit. “I was going to tell them what happened, but Presley noticed my ring before I could, and when I saw how happy my mom looked, there was no way I would disappoint her. It’s not that big of a deal.” He tries to brush me off.
“Not a big deal?” I raise my voice. “Cash, we got married. Even if it was an accident, we have to take responsibility for our error and fix it. Lying to your family isn’t going to make this situation better. We have to go back in there right this minute and come clean. That’s the only option.”
The last thing I want is to cause a rift between Cash and his family. From what I’ve seen in the past twenty-four hours, he has a laid-back approach to life. He loves his family, and has a big heart, but he doesn’t take things seriously, including himself. Everything is a game, and he doesn’t consider the consequences when he acts rashly.
In some ways, I envy his carefree attitude. He’s not afraid to take risks and doesn’t share my inability to roll with the punches.
“I didn’t lie, I just omitted some details,” he offers.
“That’s literally the definition of lying.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “If you’re unwilling to rectify this, I will.” I try walking past him, but he holds out his arm to stop me.
“Everly, it’s not that simp—”
We’re interrupted by the door creaking open and find Harrison and Dylan standing in the doorway with suspicious expressions.
They join us on the porch, and Harrison closes the door behind them. He folds his arms across his chest, studying us both with the intensity of a detective.
His black hair is styled in a tapered fade, and his muscular arms fill out the sleeves of his short-sleeve polo. The scowl on his face strikes me as odd, given that he was the approachable-teddy-bear big brother when we were kids. It appears we’ve all changed to some degree since then.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, Cash,” Harrison boldly states with a raised eyebrow. “Last week, you told Dylan and me on a conference call that you never wanted to settle down. Now, suddenly, you’re waltzing into Mom and Dad’s, announcing that you’re married—to Everly Townstead. It doesn’t add up.”
“Her name is Everly Stafford now,” Cash states with a confidence that makes me want to shake some sense into him.
“It’s still Townstead,” I correct him, not caring that I’m lecturing him in front of his brothers.
“Seriously, what is going on?” Dylan interjects. “The optics won’t look good if this marriage is fake and it gets out to the board of directors,” he says as he adjusts his glasses.
He’s sporting black slacks paired with a light blue polo shirt, and his black hair is cut short. With his thick-rimmed glasses, he reminds me of a modern-day Clark Kent.
The Stafford brothers have all aged like fine wine, all incredibly attractive, but admittedly, Cash is the only one who makes me weak in the knees when he looks in my direction.
Harrison pinches the bridge of his nose. “Dylan’s right. If the media or the board finds out, this could tank the acquisition.”
My heart sinks as I get the sense that I should know what they’re talking about, but I don’t.
“What acquisition?” I voice my confusion.
“She doesn’t know?” Harrison asks, alarmed.
Dylan snickers as he leans against one of the porch pillars. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
“What are they talking about?” I demand, turning to Cash.
One thing I cannot tolerate is being the last to know something, which happens often when my father is involved.
His eyes widen as he studies me. “You really don’t know?”
“If you would tell me what you were talking about, I could answer your question,” I retort.
He fiddles with his bracelet, avoiding eye contact.
“Stafford Holdings is in the process of buying out Townstead International,” he says reluctantly. “I was in Vegas to meet with our board of directors since Harrison and Dylan both had conflicts.”
I blink at him in confusion. “Come again?”
“Your dad approached me a few months ago with a lucrative proposal for us to buy Townstead International,” Harrison explains, trying to diffuse the tension. “Dylan’s team gave the deal a tentative green light, so we’re moving ahead with the acquisition.”
I balk at the realization that my dad withheld this from me. Although I shouldn’t be surprised since he does it all the time. If August and Liam had been aware of this, there’s no question they would have told me. I can only imagine they won’t take the news well.
“Wait a second.” I glance over at Cash, who looks ready to bolt. “If you knew, why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“I assumed your dad already had, and figured you didn’t mention it because of the legal restrictions in place on what can be talked about between companies until Stafford Holdings takes ownership of Townstead International.”
“What about this morning when you woke up with a ring on your finger? That would have been the perfect opportunity to broach the subject. Were you lying when you said we’d fly back to London and get an annulment?”
My pulse quickens at the idea that he could be playing me. That this was a sick joke to guarantee the deal goes through. Or this is just another scenario where Cash flies by the seat of his pants with no concern for repercussions, and I’ll be left paying for it.
“No, of course not,” he says quickly. “I promise we’ll get in touch with our lawyers as soon as we leave and will have this resolved by Monday, just like you want.”
“I wouldn’t advise getting an annulment,” Harrison interrupts.
I jerk my head in his direction, having forgotten for a minute that he and Dylan were here.
“Harrison is right,” Dylan adds. “This would cause a shitstorm if the media caught wind of a fake marriage in the middle of a merger. Not to mention, our board would have a field day.”
I place my hands on my head, attempting to regulate my breathing. This cannot be happening. Any second now, I’m going to wake up in my bed, and this will all have been a bad dream.
“Why should it matter what Everly and I do?” Cash asks Harrison. “Our marriage doesn’t financially benefit anyone, so who cares if we get it dissolved?”
I glance at Harrison and Dylan, who both have serious expressions on their faces, confirming that Cash is the only one who fails to grasp the severity of the situation.
“How do you think the board of directors will react when they find out you met up with the daughter of Townstead International’s CEO right after you left a pivotal board meeting discussing the acquisition? I can spin the story of you marrying your childhood friend, but it’s going to be damn near impossible to convince them if your attorneys file for an annulment come Monday morning. They’ll assume you only got married to disclose sensitive information that could impact stock prices or shape market perceptions. If that happens, the deal will go up in smoke.” He snaps his fingers for emphasis.
When Harrison puts it that way, it makes the situation even more dire. My hands shake as reality sets in. He’s right. If Cash and I get an annulment now, we’ll jeopardize our jobs, the acquisition, and both companies’ reputations.
I let the tequila and Cash’s charm cloud my judgment. Now there’s a possibility I could be stuck married to him for an undetermined amount of time. I swear I’m never taking tequila shots ever again.
“What do you suggest we do?” I direct my question to Harrison. He’s the most level-headed person here, and I can trust that he’ll give it to me straight.
“I would prefer that you stay married and pretend that you’re in love. That includes in front of our parents and Presley. I don’t trust her not to spill the beans to Mom.” I stare wide eyed at Harrison while he speaks. “It works in your favor that you grew up together and both live in London. If anyone asks, we’ll tell them you reconnected at a local pub, fell in love, and got married on a whim while you were both in Vegas for work.”
Even anticipating his advice doesn’t make it any less of a bitter pill to swallow.
“It won’t be that bad,” Cash offers when he notices me wringing my hands.
“Not that bad? Stafford, we haven’t seen each other in fourteen years. Now, suddenly, you think I want to live with you? Harrison just told us this could upset the merger. When my dad finds out what I did, he won’t be as understanding as your brothers.” I gesture toward Harrison and Dylan, who are observing our tense exchange.
My dad won’t let this lapse in judgment go unpunished.
Dylan steps between Cash and me. “Woah there, lovebirds.” He chuckles nervously. “Why don’t you talk this through in private before determining how you want to move forward? We’re not going to force either of you to do anything you don’t want to.” He looks me in the eye. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you both. Right, Harrison?”
“As the CEO of Stafford Holdings, I recommend you stay married for the sake of the companies.” Harrison gives me a rare smile. “But as an older brother, I would never abandon either of you, regardless of how you want to move forward.”
I’m taken aback by their loyalty. Harrison and Dylan could easily disregard me to fend for myself and direct all their energy on helping Cash clean up the mess we’ve made. Instead, they treat me like I’m a valued addition to their family, which is far more than I can say for my father.
“You’re right.” Cash sighs. “Ev and I—” He stops when Johanna opens the door and steps outside with a perplexed expression.
“What on earth are you all still doing out here?” she scolds. “The photographer is getting impatient.”
“Is it alright if I wait in the kitchen for Cash?” I ask.
“Absolutely not,” Johanna says firmly. “They wouldn’t be family photos without you in them, sweetie. Now come along.” She places her hand on my back, guiding me inside.
Her sentiment is touching, but it’s overshadowed by the knowledge that this illusion will shatter once the truth comes out. I’ll be left alone on the sideline, picking up the pieces.
I look back to glare at Cash, paying no mind to Dylan and Harrison, who are struggling to stifle their laughter.
It’s official—this day is shaping up to be a complete disaster.