Chapter Eighteen
Marcus
M y phone lights up with a text from Linc that he’s waiting outside.
“Alright, princess, your chariot is here.”
She hiccups mid-giggle. “I love how you’ve embraced the whole ‘princess’ thing.”
“As long as it makes you happy.”
We stand from our barstools, and she wobbles a bit. I take my arm and link it with hers to keep her steady. I should not have let her drink so much.
“Very gentlemanly.”
“I didn’t know you were getting so drunk. I wouldn’t have ordered that last round.”
“I can hold my liquor, don’t worry. With a last name like Kelly, I’m sure there’s Irish blood in here somewhere.”
“Your parents never talked about your ancestry?”
She barks out a laugh. “Don’t even remember my parents.”
My feet stop moving as I realize what she said. “Wha—”
“Pretty boy!” She drops my arm and runs to hug Linc. He peers over her head at me, and I rub my jaw to hide my smile.
He places his hands on her shoulders, breaking the hug and looks her in the eyes. “You aren’t going to throw up in my car, are you?”
She shakes her head, her red hair flying. “Nope, just jollification.”
Linc looks at me, confused. “It’s a real word. I lost money on it.”
“Alright, jollificate in the back seat here.” She climbs in, flopping down in the seat and buckles her seatbelt. I get in the passenger seat as Linc walks around the front of the car.
After he turns on the car, he looks back at Gigi, then at me. “What the hell happened today? It’s barely seven p.m.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” I look out the window as Linc drives us home.
We pull into my driveway, and I look back at a passed out Gigi in the back seat. I hand him my keys.
“Unlock the door for me. I’m going to carry her in.”
I unbuckle her seatbelt and pull her into my arms. As I stand upright, I realize just how small she is. I lift more than what she weighs at the gym. I carefully make my way through the front door, Linc closing it behind me. I walk her down the hall and lay her down on the guest bed. Well, her bed now, for the foreseeable future.
I look down at her and run my hands through my hair. What sort of mess did we get ourselves into this evening?
I pull off her Converse, smiling when I see her Mickey Mouse socks, and she rolls to her side, softly snoring. I grab a throw blanket from the closet and cover her up.
Closing the door, I walk out to the kitchen. Linc is sitting at the island and stares at me while I grab water from the fridge.
“I see boxes. Gigi’s car is in your driveway, you were both day drinking, which means you didn’t work this afternoon. Want to tell me what’s going on?”
I sit beside him, taking a long drink. “It’s a long story.”
“I have time. Millie was asleep when I left.”
“The asshole cheated on her.”
He shifts to face me in his seat. “Are you serious?”
I nod. “After dinner last night, I dropped her off, and she found him in their bed with one of her employees.”
I see his fist flex on the counter. “Have you beat the shit out of him yet?”
“With how much of an asshole he is, he would probably have me arrested if I touched him.”
“If her stuff is here, is she staying with you?”
“Yeah.”
He slaps my back. “Thank you for taking care of her. Guess I understand the drunken state you both found yourself in this afternoon.”
I take another drink of water, pausing before I tell him the idiotic idea I agreed to.
“I’m going to tell you something, and I expect you to keep it to yourself until we tell the group.”
Linc looks at me, concerned. “You can trust me.”
I turn to look at him. “Gigi volunteered to marry me so I can take over the business.”
Linc’s eyes go wide. “Um, repeat that?”
“We’re going to get married.”
“Like a fake marriage?”
“Yeah.”
“God fucking damn their books.”
My eyebrows pinch. “What?”
“Nothing.” He stands from his chair, rubbing his eyes. “Fuck, Marcus, this is such a bad idea. Did you two come up with this while you were drunk?”
I shake my head. “No, do you honestly think I would seriously consider it if we had already been drinking?”
He paces back and forth. “I don’t know if I can process this.” He walks to the fridge, pulls out a bottle of water. “You think your father will believe it’s real?”
I peel the label from the bottle in my hands. “She actually had a good plan. He’s already met her. We say I had a thing for her all along, but waited until she was finally single to make a move. We date for a while, get married, then after the business is mine, we start having issues, and go our separate ways.”
“Not a horrible storyline. But Marcus, this is Gigi. It could get so messy.”
“I know.”
“I mean, you would both essentially put your love lives on hold for God knows how long. Is she going to live here that whole time?”
“Yeah, she is. I already have her set up in Millie’s room. It would just be a bit more permanent.”
He shakes his head. “I know you were nervous about getting out into the dating world, but what if you’re just agreeing to this because you’re scared?”
“I’m not fucking scared. I actually asked a woman out at the gym this morning.”
“So, what about her?”
“I only did it because I felt like I had to take advantage of the opportunity. It felt so forced, so uncomfortable. I hated it. What if I end up rushing into something with a woman because of this bullshit and then I break their heart once I figure out I’m not attracted to them? Would it be fair to them? I don’t have the time to properly vet out a partner.”
“Shit, I never thought of that.”
“This way, when everything is handed over to me and it’s all finished, G and I have an agreement to part ways to find what we want. Friendship intact, and no broken hearts to feel guilty about.”
Linc gives me a sideways glance. “You agreed to no sex?”
“Of course I fucking did.”
“I still don’t know, man. This is huge. It’s fucking marriage, Marcus.”
“We know. I said the same thing. But she was adamant that she could handle it. And I think I can too. I mean, if I have to do this, why not with one of my best friends?”
Linc gulps down the last of his water. “Just keep your dick in your pants and don’t lead her on about anything. I don’t want to have to kick your ass if you get real feelings mixed in.”
“You’re an asshole. You know I would never hurt her.”
“Alright. I’ll hold you to that.”