Chapter Seventeen #2
She laughed. “And I thought the last taco made you shellfish.”
“This is self-preservation. Go on.” He tapped his index finger on the napkin again. “We’ve got to knock it out anyway. Might as well do it now.”
“We don’t need a prenup.”
“If this is what marriage looks like, I definitely need legal protection.”
She looked at him like he was being ridiculous as she scooped chocolate syrup onto her spoon and then nudged whipped cream on top of it.
“See? Dessert hoarder.” He bumped her with his shoulder. “Seriously, though, you’re inheriting a lot of money. You need to protect yourself with a prenup.”
“If you think I need one so badly, then you write it up.” She pushed the napkin toward him.
“You won’t be able to read my handwriting.” He pushed it back to her.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a pushy pain in the butt?” She picked up the crayon. “How do we do this?”
“I don’t know. Just write that you’ll keep your shit and I’ll keep mine.”
She deadpanned. “I don’t think it works that way. I think you have to list what you have.”
“Go ahead then, and write that I have no claim over whatever’s on your list.”
As she touched the crayon to the paper, she said, “This feels wrong. I’m borrowing your money. I’m not afraid you’re going to try to rip me off.”
“That’s why I have to protect you. What if I’m an asshole?”
“If you were, you wouldn’t be helping me.”
He pulled the sundae bowl in front of himself and put his arms around it. “You never know.”
“Yes, I do.”
IF THERE WAS one thing she knew for certain about Zander, it was that he was not someone she had to worry about trying to rip her off. To prove her point, she reached her spoon over his arm to get some ice cream, and he slid the bowl back toward her.
“See?” she said.
“Stop delaying and start writing. Make sure you cover everything.”
“If you’re going to make me do this, then let’s do it right.” She grabbed her phone and googled how to write a prenup. “Here’s a list.” She held it out to him. “You read. I’ll write.”
“You read it. I need ice cream.” He picked up his spoon and dug into the ice cream.
She rolled her eyes. “It says to identify financial and personal property, but I don’t want to know how much money you have.”
“That’s good because I have no idea. Write down your inheritance.”
“That’s going to you.”
“I want it listed as yours. I trust you to pay me back.”
She wrote it down to appease him.
“What else do you have?” he asked.
“Not much. My car and the gold bracelet Cap gave me to commemorate my first year of sobriety.”
“Write that down. It sounds special.”
“It is. It’s really pretty, too. It has a triangular charm with a lotus flower on the front to symbolize new beginnings.
But what makes it so special is that Cap had I believe in you engraved on the back.
That may not seem like much, but I worked really hard to better myself, and no one ever told me they were proud of me like that before.
I doubt it’s worth much. Maybe it shouldn’t go on the list.”
“I saw that bracelet in a picture of you and Brian in his room. A gift like that is priceless regardless of what it cost.” Zander glanced at her wrist. “Why aren’t you wearing it?”
“I don’t wear it to work, and with everything that’s happened, I forgot to put it back on.”
“You should wear it when we get married, so you have it in the pictures.”
She liked that he’d thought of that. “I left it at the cottage.”
“We’ll stop by and get it on the way home. You should have it with you, since there’s nobody staying at your place.”
“Good point. I need my jewelry box anyway to put this ring in until I figure out how to tell the guys at work what’s going on.”
“Just flash the ring and say you’re tying the knot. What’s next on the list? Personal property, right? I’ve got Kitty—”
“Kitty is not personal property.”
“She’s the most valuable thing I have,” he argued. “If something happens to me, as my wife, you’ll have to take care of her.” He pointed to the napkin. “Write that down.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“I’ve got scars that prove anything is possible. Promise me you’ll take care of her, or I’ll need to rethink this marriage.”
“Of course I’ll take care of her.” She tapped the crayon on the napkin, an uncomfortable thought rolling through her mind.
“What if something happens to me while Brian’s in rehab?
I know this is a lot to ask, but will you make sure he gets through it okay?
You don’t have to stick around afterward, but—”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation, shocking her.
“You’d really do that?”
“I said I would, didn’t I? The guy’s got nobody but you. If ever he needed help, it’d be then. I wouldn’t leave him hanging, either. That’s not how I roll. I’d make sure he got to meetings and whatever he needed.”
Part of her felt like all of this was too good to be true and she should expect a shoe to drop.
She looked down at the tattoo on her hand.
He’d come out of nowhere before, and he’d helped to change her life.
She thought about Cap and how he’d done the same.
Maybe there was something to fate. Zander had shown her who he was back then, and now.
Brian was finally getting the help he needed.
Help she could not have gotten him on her own, so she pushed the whispers of doubt away and counted herself lucky.
“I told you you’re not an asshole.” She ate a spoonful of ice cream.
“Don’t count your chickens.” He tapped the napkin again. “Write down Kitty.”
She rolled her eyes, and as she wrote it, she said, “What other personal property do you have? And please don’t say another living creature, or I’m going to have to report you to the authorities.”
“No more living creatures. Just my truck, my bike, my speedboat, and my house. One day I’ll get another sports car, but until then, that’s it.”
“You have a speedboat, and you’re worried about me having a prenup?”
“I already told you. As my future wife, protecting you comes first. Do you like speedboats?”
“I’ve never been on one.”
“We’ll fix that as soon as it gets a little warmer out.”
She studied him for a minute. “Aren’t you a contractor? How do you have any money left over with all that stuff?”
“Are you knocking contractors? We work hard, and we earn good livings.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just…You’ve done well for yourself. I was doing okay financially before Brian lost his job. I earn a good living and saved where I could, but I can’t imagine having my own place, much less everything that you do. How did you manage it?”
“It wasn’t planned, that’s for sure. Planning isn’t my thing.”
“For a pantser, you sure ended up in a good place. That can’t just happen.”
He sat back and said, “I don’t know what to tell ya, Angel.
I never went to college, so I’ve got no school debt, and I’ve been working my ass off since I was a teenager.
When I first started working, my parents taught me to put half of what I earned into a savings account that I don’t touch, and that’s worked out well for me.
My truck and bike are several years old and paid off, and I bought the boat from a buddy and traded renovation work for most of the cost. I’ve got a mortgage, but I bought the place right before it went into foreclosure, and I got a good deal.
If I were smarter, or if I’d listened to my family’s advice, I’d’ve done the renovations sooner and sold it instead of carrying it for years and paying all that interest. But I was having too much fun dicking around and picking up women to slow down. ”
She waved her hand. “I don’t need details, but just so you know, that whole thing about dicking around instead of working on your house?
It sounds like you were happy living that way.
That doesn’t mean you weren’t smart. It means you chose to live life on your terms, which isn’t a negative. But we don’t need to go there.”
“I appreciate that, but there’s no place to go.
I’m just telling you how I got here. But you’ve seen how I live.
I’m a simple guy. I live at the beach, so every day is like a vacation.
It’s not like I spend money on travel. I’ve got my family, friends, the brotherhood, and now I’ve got an ice-cream-hoarding almost wife.
” He cocked a grin. “What else do I need?”
“You make it seem easy and attainable.”
“You’re only twenty-four, darlin’. I’ve got a lot of years on you, and I didn’t have to battle the things you have. To be honest, I don’t know how I would’ve handled being in your shoes, but I know it wouldn’t have been as well as you have.”
She set her spoon down and said, “I think you would’ve handled it better.”
“Then you think wrong. I’m just blessed with a great family that has given me good direction and kept me in line as best they could.
” He sat back. “Don’t you see how impressive you are?
You got yourself out of a shitty situation at seventeen.
At that age I was nothing but a cocky mess of hormones.
If not for my family, I could’ve easily ended up much worse off than you.
I’m just now stepping out of that dick-around zone.
You took it upon yourself to create the life you wanted, and now you’ve got a great job, a cute place, and a solid car. ”
“I am proud of that.”
“And you should be. Life is not about material shit. It’s about how we feel and how we make others feel, and thanks to that sweet heart of yours, you’ll have your other best friend back on track in no time.”
She looked down at the ring shimmering on her finger and felt a little guilty hoping the time didn’t pass too quickly, because she had a feeling these were going to be the best months of her life.
THEY STOPPED AT Shauna’s cottage after leaving the ice cream shop so she could pick up her jewelry box. “It feels weird being back here knowing I don’t have to worry about what’s waiting for me inside,” she said as she unlocked her front door.
Zander put his hand on her back. “I’m sorry that you had to deal with all of that.”
“That’s life, right?” She stepped inside, confused by a lemony scent, and halted in her tracks at the sight before her. For a minute, she thought she’d walked into the wrong house. The place was spotless. There was no clutter, no dirt on the floor, no discarded clothes or misplaced furniture.
“I cleaned up while you were at work yesterday. I didn’t want you to come back to a mess in case you came here before you came back to my place.”
Astonished, she turned to him. “You did this? How did you get in?”
“I snagged Brian’s keys the other night. I knew if I asked to borrow yours so I could clean, you’d say no.”
“Zander…? I don’t even know what to say. I feel like I’m always thanking you. I could’ve cleaned up.” But the truth was, she’d been so thrown off when she’d driven there this morning, cleaning up hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“You’ve been cleaning up messes your whole life, Angel. It’s not a big deal, and don’t worry.” He held his hands up. “I didn’t go into your room and snoop around, or rifle through your lingerie drawer. I didn’t want you to feel violated.”
An incredulous laugh bubbled out.
His brows furrowed. “Why is that funny?”
“Don’t take this wrong, because I truly appreciate what you did, but you snuck into my house, and you don’t want me to feel violated?” She laughed again. “I’m sorry. It’s just funny.”
He smiled. “Yeah. I guess it is. Sorry. I should’ve asked permission. I’m still new at this responsible-adult thing.”
“It’s okay, and for what it’s worth, I don’t feel violated, and you’re doing a great job of adulting. This place has never looked this good. If you ever get tired of contracting, you could be a houseboy. I bet you’d earn good tips if you wore booty shorts and went shirtless.”
“Now who’s blurring those fake fiancée lines?” He touched her back again. “Let’s get your bracelet and jewelry box, and anything else you need.”
“I want to get my pillow,” she said as they headed down the hall.
“What’s wrong with the pillow at my place? It’s brand-new.”
“Nothing. I shared it with Kitty this morning, and I thought she might like her own.” She’d heard Kitty scratching on the bedroom door when she was getting into bed after work that morning, and Kitty had jumped right onto the bed and curled up with her.
“I think you just got a little hotter, Flores.” He leaned against her doorframe and crossed his arms, watching her as she went around to the dresser.
“Because I want to spoil your cat?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve never had a pet. It was nice to have something to cuddle with.” She opened the wooden jewelry box where she kept the bracelet, but it was empty. She closed it and scanned the top of the dresser.
“What’s wrong?”
“My bracelet isn’t in it.” She opened the top dresser drawer, but that was empty, too. “I probably left it in the bathroom.”
He pushed off the doorframe as she walked past him. “I didn’t see it when I was cleaning, but I didn’t look in the vanity drawers.”
She rummaged through the vanity drawers and started to panic, trying not to think the worst. But she wasn’t naive. A gold bracelet doesn’t just go missing. “It’s not here.”
“Is there anywhere else you would’ve put it? In your nightstand, maybe?”
“No.” She took a deep breath, her heart breaking. “I think Brian took it. I should’ve checked after the TV went missing, but I never would’ve thought…” Hurt burned deep in her chest. “How could he do this to me? He knows how important that bracelet is.”
Zander pulled her into his arms. “He wasn’t thinking straight,” he gritted out.
“I hate this.” She squeezed her eyes shut against the sting of tears.
“I do, too.” He held her tighter. “I think this calls for a John Wick marathon. What do you say, darlin’?”
Every time he called her that, it made her smile, but this time it was more than the endearment that had her lips curving against his chest. He somehow always knew what she needed, and that was astonishing to her.
“I like the way you think, Wicked.” And the way you feel.
Which was why she stepped out of his arms and said, “Let me grab my pillow.”
He followed her into the bedroom, and as she went to get her pillow, he grabbed her jewelry box. It was a good thing he did, because she would’ve forgotten to bring it. He motioned to the pillow and said, “You can scream into that if you want to.”
“I bet you’d love that, you perv,” she teased, and swatted him with the pillow.
He laughed. “You sure you don’t want to take anything else?”
She looked around the sparse bedroom, feeling a strange sense of emptiness. But when she met his gaze, she didn’t feel quite so empty. “No. I’m good. But I think when you were listing all the good things in my life, like my job and my car, you forgot to mention my kick-ass fiancé.”
He slung his arm over her shoulder, and as they left the bedroom, he said, “It’s about time you noticed.”