Chapter 24 #2
His emphasis on want isn’t lost on me. I shift my weight and my gaze for a moment but decide that won’t do.
Standing straight up, I lock my eyes on his, which temper on contact.
“I don’t have many options, Baylor. It’s just a wedding.
It’s worth it to save the shop.” Holding out my free hand, I try to express myself better.
“And if you can benefit, it feels like a win-win.”
“It’s not just about the day. You’d be married to me. Legally ,” he stresses the ending. “Wouldn’t it just be easier to take my money?”
The thing is, being legally bound to him doesn’t scare me. Maybe it should, but I won’t hesitate to marry him if we both get what we want. “I’ve come to terms with the sacrifice we’ll be making. I’ll be taking away both of our firsts—wedding, marriage, and?—”
“Honeymoon?”
That sure perked him up. “I hadn’t gotten that far in the plan, but sure,” I say, with a laugh and pop of my shoulders.
“If you’d like that, I’m always up for a vacation.
” We start walking again. Considering how fast New Yorkers hustle, we’re probably clocking more of a snail’s pace, but I don’t mind.
I like holding hands with him in public.
As we cover another block, I’ve overlooked something important. His input . This isn’t just for me, though I feel like a used car salesperson trying to close a deal. What he thinks matters to me. “I don’t know if you’re genuinely considering it, but if you are, how do you think we handle it?”
“I’m thinking tropical. The fewer clothes required for you, the better.”
I snort and elbow him playfully. “Should have known that’s where your mind would go. Not the honeymoon, though I’m noting that down just in case for the future.”
I’m still giggling when he adds, “I think that’s for you to decide. The bank would know we’re married if you’re using my financials. Would we tell everyone else? How? By announcement? A party? Show up with rings on our fingers?” He briefly closes his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Truthfully, I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that aspect, but you’re right. If the bank knows, everyone knows. Our families would be upset to find out after the fact, especially my mom. I already feel awful for even contemplating getting married without her knowledge.”
“I’m not closing this down, but maybe that’s the answer. One decision could lead to more problems than we started with.”
I fear that if I allow myself to acknowledge that I’ll back out altogether, and that means choosing to lose the shop instead of fighting for it.
An opening between the buildings comes into view. People are meandering and filming themselves in the center of a rose-filled garden. The sea of pink makes me stop in my tracks to stare, a small gasp escaping simultaneously. I look up at Baylor, and ask, “Is this where you were bringing me?”
His chin lowers as a shy smile takes hold. “I thought you’d like it.”
“It’s like the flowers you bought me.” I knock into him, tipping my head to his arm as love fills my heart like a balloon. “So beautiful.”
We take our own selfie at the edge to capture as many flowers behind us as we can.
“They change out the flowers every couple of months. Tulips in April. Roses are for June. We’re catching the last of the flowers in bloom.”
It’s even quieter here, a smaller crowd than the one on the streets. Some people are reading on the surrounding benches, but most are appreciating the sight of this colorful magic in the middle of the gray city. “This is the most lovely thing I think I’ve ever seen.”
“I don’t know. The peach orchard in bloom is quite the magnificent sight.
” We stroll the small path, and h is arm comes around my shoulders.
When he kisses the top of my head, I’m reminded that we can do this here.
We can be a couple out in the open, kiss and hold hands without worrying about gossip traveling the grapevine.
But my heart still clenches when he mentions home, making me wonder if he ever thinks about returning.
I reply, “Blooming peach trees are stunning. It’s weird how you take things for granted when you’ve seen them your whole life.
” Staring at the pink petals of an especially showy rose in front of me, I think about my mom and dad and their relationship.
Is that what happened with them? They stopped seeing what was right in front of them?
I’m pretty sure I’m never going to get that answer.
I’m not even sure my mom knows why he left.
Wouldn’t she have told me by now? “Do you think that happens in marriage?”
“I don’t think it has to. I always found comfort in my parents’ relationship.
It wasn’t exciting in obvious ways, like flashy jewelry or fancy dinners out, but their love was quiet, steady, and reliable.
It’s something I’ve come to appreciate in stark contrast to dating in New York.
” He looks at me, and says, “I used to catch them exchanging glances and small smiles when they thought we weren’t looking.
I took that for granted. Now it’s a fond memory. ”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He laughs to himself, shoving his free hand in his pocket. “I hadn’t thought about that in so long. Years. It’s nice when those memories return.” Pulling me in front of him, he adds, “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I am, too.” I hug him, closing my eyes and soaking in as much of him as I can to take home with me.
“You’ve presented a good argument, Shortcake. Clever including the benefits for me,” he says, bringing us back to the topic without me prodding, which I appreciate .
Laughing, I reply, “Guess I’m not as sneaky as I thought.”
“If we did this, how would it work? We could get married here.” There’s no tension in his body that I can feel or in his face when I look at him. I kind of expected him to shut this conversation down. Yet here he is, leaving the door wide open for consideration. “But there’s a waiting period.”
My heart starts beating so loudly that it fills my ears, making me think everyone within twenty yards of us can hear, especially him. “Are you really considering this?”
“I can see the value.”
“The value?” I laugh when I remember I’m in his element and that’s finances and the corporate world, a long damn way from the Hill Country.
Chuckling, he says, “Maybe not the best way to phrase it, but I see the upside to the proposition.”
“Sounds tawdry.”
He raises his eyebrow. “Isn’t it?”
“It’s impressive how you manage to make everything sound like an invitation to bed.”
With the most casual shrug I’ve seen him give, he says, “It’s a gift.”
“That apparently keeps giving.”
We work our way from the park to the water’s edge, sitting on a large stone wall. He looks at me. “I have a client who’s a judge. I’ve made him a lot of money in the market. I’m sure he could pull some strings for us and get us in tomorrow.”
I sit up, my body tensing while the wind whips through my hair.
“Tomorrow?” The shock of it hits me, but I remind myself that this is an arrangement.
My scheme even. I guess I thought this would feel more victorious, spontaneously romantic, and less sacrificial to the dreams I’ve carried outside of my career.
Guess we can’t all have what Christine and Tagger have.
I ne ed to take what I’m being offered. “That’s sooner than I expected, which makes no sense since we go to the Hamptons on Saturday. ”
Anyway, I’m to blame. I presented it like a deal he couldn’t pass up. I finally sell him on it, and now reality hits.
What did I expect? Hearts and roses, or we’d be marrying for love?
We’ve just started dating, technically. The expectation of this being anything more than financially beneficial for either of us might be the most absurd hope I’ve had.
So I kiss finding a soulmate away, and heartstrings and Cupid’s arrow goodbye.
This is nothing more than a promotion for him and me keeping my shop for as long as I can. Nothing more.
He replies, “Otherwise, it would have to be next week, but you’re leaving on Sunday.
” He stands in front of me, perched high on the wall.
He rests his hands on the curve of my knees, and the sincerity in his eyes makes my heart race.
Sweet, caring. He’s considerate. He’d do this for me.
I hold on to that. “My schedule is double-booked next week.” His voice is lower, and guilt coats his words.
“I can’t cancel the appointments, or I would. ”
“And the following week is too late. It’s past the deadline.
” Baylor’s doing this for me. Sure, there are perks for him, but I could be his girlfriend, and he’d have the same outcome.
But for me, I need to be married to make this as straightforward as possible.
“Tomorrow, huh?” This feels so fast, much quicker than I could have imagined.
I hold out my hands. When he takes them, I hop off the wall to my feet. “It’s not how I imagined things going, but yes.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll marry you, Shortcake.” His mouth lifts on the right side, but it’s not smirky like usual. It’s a smile that grows and spreads like wildfire across his handsome face.
“Really?” I bounce in front of him.
“But on one condition.”
I plant my feet on the concrete, having no idea what he could want from me to seal this deal. “Which is?”
“I get to buy you a ring.”
Swaying back and forth, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. I hadn’t thought of a ring. I just wanted to be married to him. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want my wife to have a ring.”
My wife . . . I’m dead. I could roll right into that water after hearing that.
Sink to the bottom, never taking another breath, and I’d be happy.
Just like that, he makes my heart race again and my head wonderfully spin from swooning.
I hold him, grounding myself in him so I don’t melt into a puddle in front of all of Manhattan.
I’m marrying Baylor Greene and want to be alive and well for the big event.
Oh. My. God.
We’re getting married.