Chapter 8 #2
“Ash, that’s enough,” Dare says, leaving absolutely no room for argument in his tone.
“You know that Em and Jude bein’ legally married means nothin’ in terms of the ranch.
They signed a prenup before the ceremony.
Jude wouldn’t have done that if he wanted to get his hands on our land. ” He looks over his shoulder. “Right?”
I nod, deciding now might not be the right time to get into the nitty gritty about the prenup.
“It was an accident,” I repeat, even though I’ve come to hate that word. “Pete didn’t realize that the license was in the pile. He didn’t know what he’d done until the certificate arrived in the mail.”
“Wait,” one of the twins says, entering the fray.
I wish I knew how to tell EJ and BJ apart but when they wear almost identical shirts and jeans like they are today, it’s near impossible.
“Can’t you cancel it. It’s not like they’ve consummated the marriage, and it was never meant to be real.
Is there like a thirty-day cancellation policy or somethin’? ”
I rub the back of my neck, suddenly regretting my decision not to let someone from home come along with me for moral support, if nothing else. “It’s been more than thirty days.” Five weeks and four days, in fact. “But there’s no provision for that anyway.”
The other twin has been quiet the whole time I’ve been here, but now he’s busy scrolling on his phone. “OK. OK. I’ve looked up grounds for annulment in the state of Alaska.”
“I don’t want an annulment,” I mutter but my declaration goes unnoticed, all attention goes to the twin with the phone.
“What does it say, BJ?” Dare asks. At least I know which twin is which now.
“Includes bigamy,” he looks up at me, “are you already married?” I shake my head, earning a shrug from him before he continues, “incest—well that’s out, obviously. Fraud? Duress? What does that mean?”
“It would apply if Em was threatened to marry him,” Ash explains.
“Well, nope. Nobody can threaten our sister with anythin’. She’s always the one doin’ the threatenin’,” EJ says with a visible shudder. Is he scared of his sister? The thought makes me grin.
“Mental incapacity?” BJ looks me up and down. “Well, apart from bein’ a Cooper, Jude’s not so bad now that we’ve gotten to know him.” That has all the Wilson’s chuckling.
“Thanks,” I reply dryly.
“Underage status without consent—nope. Intoxication—nope. And lastly, undisclosed permanent impotence.” That brings a smirk to BJ’s mouth. Looking around his brothers, he’s not the only one finding this funny. “Got somethin’ to tell us brother-in-law?”
I snort and shake my head. “Been a while, but nope. Not an issue.”
BJ goes to open his mouth but Asher beats him to it. “Wait. It’s been a while?”
“Yep,” I tell him, staring him straight in the eye.
“And you’re just straight up admittin’ that to us?”
I shrug. “Yep. It’s the truth, so why lie about it.
It’s been a busy year so far, with movin’ states, gettin’ the ranch into semi-workin’ order, meetin’ the future love of my life—my One—on my rival’s ranch and marryin’ her at the request of her dyin’ dad.
Suffice to say, gettin’ laid hasn’t been high on my priority list. Besides, I’m a married man.
” I smirk at the stunned mullet looks on all of the Wilson brothers’ faces.
It’s then I catch a flicker of respect in Dare’s eyes, something I soon see reflected in Asher’s gaze too. “Not sure what to say to that.”
“There’s nothin’ to say.”
It’s then I see when my words register. “Wait. Your One?” Asher asks.
“You mean like the Call?” BJ says.
EJ frowns. “Wait. I thought we weren’t eligible or whatever because the mountain wasn’t all ours?”
“It’s not about bein’ eligible,” I explain. “It started with the Cooper bloodline at Moose Mountain as a way for the spirit to reward the protectors of her land with their soulmates. From what I understand, there’s no set order or list of people who hear the Call.”
“You’re tellin’ us it’s luck of the draw? Are you serious?” That was EJ again.
I realize Dare has stayed quiet. When I look over at him, he’s watching me closely. “How do you know that Em is your One?”
This is the important part. It doesn’t matter if our marriage is legal or not.
Or if Em’s brothers believe that it was an accident.
This is about me proving that this is bigger than the rivalry and the history between our families.
This is me—as a man—showing the most important, protective people in Em’s life that my intentions are pure.
“The moment Dare got the call that Sully had takin’ a turn for the worse, I knew I had to come here. I didn’t know why, just that it was somethin’ I needed to do. When I stepped out of the truck, somethin’ felt different.”
“That’s not exactly unique. Our land is awesome. Maybe you just wanted to see our ranch. Maybe you wanted to help with Dad,” BJ adds.
“When I saw Em for the first time, it was like walkin’ face first into a brick wall then bein’ slapped in the face.”
“Wouldn’t mind repeatin’ that myself right now,” Ash mutters making the twins laugh. Dare doesn’t look away though.
"You want us to believe that you saw our sister and suddenly knew she was your soulmate?” EJ asks, leaning forward in his seat. There’s no disbelief in his voice this time. He seems genuinely interested.
“How did that lead to y’all gettin’ married?” BJ continues.
“You were there, BJ. I hadn’t even spoken to your sister before Sully asked what he did of me.”
“Just… one… thing, Cooper. Then I can leave this earth in peace,” he rasps.
“What is it, sir?”
“Take care of my girl.”
“I will.”
The room falls quiet until Dare jolts. “You think Dad knew?”
I nod. “He said Em brought the family together and she was the one who would bring the mountain back together. The way I see it, if he didn’t know, he could surely sense it,” I reply.
Dare’s lips twitch before curling into a wide, shit-eating grin. “This is goin’ to be so good.”
I swear I’ll be leaving here with whiplash at this rate.
All eyes turn to the oldest Wilson brother. “What are you talkin’ about?” Ash asks.
Dare nods my way. “Imagine what Em’s goin’ to say when this one tells her their weddin’ was bindin’?”
The twins snicker before they lose it and collapse against each other in a fit of laughter. “Oh, damn. Em’s married. For real,” BJ says in between snorts. “She will be so pissed.”
“What?” I splutter.
Ash smirks. “Our sister has never been the kind of girl who grew up wantin’ to get married. Now that this has happened, you get to tell her that she is married—and for real, and it’s all got to do with the mountain prophesy we’ve only heard about but never thought would happen to us.”
I stare at Asher absolutely dumbfounded by his revelation. Dare mutters a curse under his breath. “She does know about the Call, Jude. She’s just never put much faith in fate and there bein’ a predestined ‘plan’.”
“You think it’s somethin’ she might consider though?” I ask. I mean, she’s fascinated with earthquakes. They’re one of the most unpredictable things out there.
Dare reaches out and claps me on the back of the shoulder.
“Honestly, I think that’s the least of your worries.
First you’ve got to tell her that your symbolic gesture is now somethin’ a lot more formal and a lot more legal.
But to answer your question, the mountain’s Call won’t hurt your case. Not if Em likes you.”
“Shouldn’t you be tellin’ him that he needs all the help he can get?” Ash says. “We’re supposed to be the big, scary, protective brothers.”
Dare rolls his eyes. “You forget that he knows us.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not scary,” I mutter, earning amused grins from all of the Wilson men.
“Speakin’ of scary, when are you goin’ to call Em and tell her?” EJ asks.
“I’m not. I’m leavin’ from here and drivin’ to Palmer. She deserves to hear it in person.”
Somehow, out of everything I’ve told the Wilson men in this room, it’s that declaration that seems to earn me at least some approval. Given they’re my brothers-in-law now, I’m calling that progress.
“Guess you’ll be needin’ her address,” Will says.
“That’s why I’m here.”
Ash’s brows jump high. “You sayin’ you wouldn’t have told us otherwise?”
I look him dead in the eye when I answer. “Not before my wife, no.”
A slow-growing smile appears on his face. “Good answer.”