Alexander #2
Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “Why wouldn’t you just ask me?”
I hike a shoulder. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“You didn’t need to go through all this trouble. We could’ve ordered a pizza.”
All this trouble? It’s just dinner. Has no one cooked her a simple meal before?
“Feeding you is the least I can do if you’re really going to do this with me.”
She arches a brow. “You offered me one-hundred-thousand dollars. That’s more than enough.”
“It’s just money.”
“Says the man who has plenty of it.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I pause and inhale a slow breath.
“This is a big deal. If you agree to marry me, your whole life will change. You’ll be forced into the spotlight, and the media will watch and judge every little thing you do, or don’t do.
It’ll be a lot different than the life you know now.
And sure, the money is great, but I don’t want you to think that’s the only thing you’ll be getting from me.
We’re in this together, and even though the marriage will be fake, the way I treat you won’t be.
I’m going to make sure you’re happy and taken care of in every way possible because you’re helping me keep my parents’ villa.
I’d be devastated if I lost it, and you’re giving me a way to keep it.
So, this is more than a business transaction to me.
As far as I’m concerned, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for helping me. ”
Her dark eyes bounce between mine like she’s trying to decipher whether I’m feeding her bullshit.
I let her look, because she won’t find it.
Her voice is low when she finally speaks. “I almost talked myself out of coming here tonight.”
“I’m really glad you didn’t.”
I reach out and twist one of her loose curls around my index finger, unable to stop myself from touching her in some way.
I want to hug her, to wrap my arms around her and hold her against me so she can feel just how much I appreciate her for being here.
But Aarya is like a skittish animal, and I don’t want to scare her away being too much too soon.
I can be...intense. And that’s not what she wants.
She’s doing this for the money, so I need to keep things as objective as I can.
I drop my hand and turn to twist the knob and shut off the flame under the pot. “Besides, if you cancelled, you would’ve missed out on this amazing dinner I slaved over.”
“Amazing, huh?” She lets out a laugh and some of the tension leaves the room. “I’ll be the judge of that. Where are your plates? I’ll set the table.”
I direct her around the kitchen while I drain the water from the spaghetti and mix in the sauce. Then we carry everything into the dining room. Ellie trots over to her bed, and lies down not too far from the table.
“Your house is beautiful,” she says, taking the seat across from me.
“Thanks.” I watch as she twirls the spaghetti around her fork. “You say it like you’re surprised.”
“It just doesn’t give off single hockey player vibes.”
“What kind of vibes does it give off?”
Her eyes roam around, bouncing off the furniture.
“I would’ve guessed that a guy named Dan lives here.
He’s an accountant, or something in finance.
He has a wife named Brenda, and they have two kids—Sawyer and Jackson.
They take the kids to baseball practice.
Maybe Dan’s the coach. Brenda is definitely a PTO mom.
She bakes for all the school events. And Dan spends his Sunday’s golfing. ”
I blink at her. “That is oddly specific.”
She grins as she lifts her fork to her lips. “Like I said, this place isn’t a bachelor pad.”
She’s not too far off base.
This would be the perfect time to tell her about Giuliana...
“Oh my god.” Aarya clamps her hand over her mouth as she chews. “This tastes so fucking good. Holy shit.”
My eyebrows lift. “Yeah? You like it?”
She cuts a meatball in half and shoves it into her mouth with the spaghetti still in there. “I can’t believe you made this. This is the best sauce I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I watch her with amusement as she moans over the meal I made, pride bursting from my chest. “But what I don’t understand is, out of all the meals that exist in the world, why are spaghetti and meatballs your favorite?”
She twirls another forkful of spaghetti.
“My mom never cooked unless it was a frozen pizza or something she could pop in the microwave. But I’d see families sitting down to have a meal together on TV, and it seemed like they were always eating a big bowl of spaghetti.
They just looked...happy. And I guess that’s something I never had—big family, homemade dinners.
My father was off having that with his real family while my mother and I ate ramen every night. ”
I swallow as I set my fork down on the table. “I’m sorry he left you both.”
She hikes a shoulder as if she’s unfazed by it. “He’s a lying piece of shit. I’m glad he left before I met him.”
I could never dream of doing that to Giuliana. It makes me sick just thinking about it.
She clears her throat, bringing me back to the present. “So, how long would we have to be married for? I was talking with Celeste, and she said it would have to be long enough to seem legit. But who determines what’s legit?”
“I’m not sure.” I pick up my fork again. “There’s nothing in the will that states how long I have to be married for. It just says I have to be married in order to get the house. So, I think that works to our advantage.”
She nods as she chews. “I think six months to a year would seem solid enough. You always hear about celebrities getting married and divorced quickly.”
I choke on a piece of spaghetti. “You’d be willing to do this for a year?”
“You don’t want your grandfather reneging on the stipulations, do you?” She sips her wine before she continues. “We have to show him that we’re serious, until we’re not. You’re getting this house and there’s nothing he can do about it. It’s go big or go home.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “There’s my spitfire.”
She rolls her eyes and hides her smile behind the wine glass. “Honestly, I’m doing this for purely selfish reasons. One-hundred-thousand and home-cooked meals like this? One year will be a drop in the bucket.”
I chuckle. “You’ll have to let me know what other meals you like. I’ll make sure the fridge is stocked while I’m at away games.”
“Would I have to come with you to away games?” She chews her bottom lip. “I don’t know how often I could take off of work.”
I sit forward, leaning my elbows onto the table. “You do what you’re able to do. I’d love to have you there, whether it’s away or a home game. But if you’re not into it, then it’s not a big deal.”
She spins the stem of the glass, staring down at it. “What about sleeping arrangements? Would we be sharing a bed?”
“I have a nice-sized guest room. Several of them, actually. You can take your pick, and make it your own. You’ll have your own bathroom and as much privacy as you want.”
“Okay, because—” She pauses and holds up her index finger. “Do you hear that?”
I glance around the room, straining to hear what she’s hearing. “What?”
“It sounds like buzzing.”
My phone.
I jump up from the table and bolt into the kitchen. There’s only one person who could be calling me right now. Sure enough, there are two missed called already on the screen while the phone rings in my hand a third time.
I swipe my thumb across the screen. “Annie, what’s wrong?”
The sound of Giuliana’s wailing blares through the speaker. “Daddy!”
My stomach drops to the floor. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Giuliana fell while they were jumping on the bed,” Annie says. “Her arm hurts. I’m on the way to the hospital. We should be there in eight minutes.”
My heart pounds in my throat. “I’ll meet you there. It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s coming. I’ll see you soon.”
Shit, shit, shit.
Aarya’s voice reminds me that I’m not alone. “Everything okay?”
I shake my head and swallow around the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
She steps into the kitchen and touches my arm. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shove my phone into my pocket, and look into her worried eyes. “I have to go be with my daughter.”