Chapter 13 #2
I stare at him, heart pounding.
“I’m asking for a few months of your life. Five, tops. That’s it.”
I scoff. “Oh, is that all? Just five months?”
He nods again.
That fucking nod.
“And then we’ll just”—I gesture between us—“get divorced?”
Another nod. Like this is some business deal with an exit clause instead of my life he’s casually slotting into a timeline.
How does he not understand what he’s asking of me?
My blood boils. “Are you kidding me? Matt, you’re not Thomas Smith from some small town no one’s ever heard of. You’re Matthew fucking Grayson. Nothing in your life stays quiet. You don’t just get married and divorced, then, poof—everything goes away and is fine.”
His jaw tics.
“Listen.” I hold up a finger. “One, I don’t want to be divorced.
I’ve been waiting my whole damn life to get married, so when I do?
I’m not just… getting a divorce. Two, this will be everywhere.
Magazine articles. Tabloids. Paparazzi. Gossip columns.
” I huff out a breath. “And don’t even get me started on my family. The Greek community.”
I pause, my head spinning, and it’s not the wine. “You’re not just asking me to get married and divorced. You’re asking me to put my life on hold. No dating. No moving forward. No getting closer to actually finding the one. God, I just—”
“I know this is a lot to ask,” he says again, cutting me off. “Too much. But I’m not asking…” His eyes redden, his voice catching as he shakes his head. “I wouldn’t ask this for just me. I’m asking for Cole.”
The way his voice cracks on that last word grips my heart, pressure squeezing tight as I watch the man I know so well fight not to break in the middle of a steakhouse.
“Don’t do it for me,” he says. “Do it for him. Please, Jordan. I’m not reckless. You know I’d never ask something like this unless I was desperate.” His breath shudders. “Please. Don’t say no. Not yet. Just… sit on it.”
His words smooth over every rational thought, like a Band-Aid slapped over a bleeding wound. His eyes are soft, pleading.
Matt doesn’t plead.
“Do you know what the last thing he said to me was?” he asks quietly.
“What?” I whisper.
“He begged me to take him with me. Begged.” His jaw tightens as he takes a deep inhale.
“Looked me straight in the eyes and said, through tears, please take me with you. It gutted me, babe.” He pauses, collecting himself.
“He doesn’t want this. He wants to be with me.
He just lost his dad, Jordan. The least I can do is fight to give him the best damn life I can. ”
He scoffs, eyes dropping to his empty glass. “And me being a single guy with a busy life is going to bury me as a viable option before the judge even considers me.”
My brows knit together. “What about Cole? Did you think about what this would do to him?”
He startles. “Babe, I just said—”
“I don’t mean the custody. I mean, the after part. What happens after we get divorced? Have you thought about what that would do to him? Cole likes me. You get custody, and then suddenly I’m gone.” I shrug. “That feels like it could be tough on him.”
His chest rises. “No,” he admits. “I didn’t think about that. But it’s better than the alternative. Isn’t it? You’ll still be in his life. He could see you anytime.”
“Matt.” I shake my head, my body physically rejecting the idea. But for reasons I can’t even begin to explain, I pause to consider.
What it would mean for Cole.
For Nate.
For Matt.
And inevitably, what it would mean for me.
What would it look like to be married to Matt?
There was a time I thought about that more than I’d ever admit.
But now all I can see is the fallout. My family. The Greek community. The shit people would say, especially so soon after Richard. They’d assume I left him for Matt. Hell, they’d assume I was with Matt before I ever walked away.
And my dating life? Gone. Over. Done.
I lock my gaze with his. “I went out with someone last weekend. He kissed me. My family knows.” My heart races. Why am I even entertaining this? “How does that work if we’re engaged?”
His eyes widen. “Wait—are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I reach for the wine bottle and fill my glass. I’m going to need a hell of a pour to get through this night.
Looking him dead in the eyes, I say, “I’m not saying anything… yet.”
“But you’re considering?”
My lips press into a tight line.
There are worse people I could be married to. And aside from everything I’ll have to deal with from my family, there’s no one I trust to have my back more than Matt. Even if it is pretend.
At least we’d have fun. Laugh. He is my best friend, after all.
I’d move into his massive penthouse instead of living in my tiny… Oh, shit. A surge of anxiety slams into my chest.
“We’re not having sex,” I blurt. Because if we do, everything gets blurry. I won’t be able to tell where pretending ends and something real begins. “If we do this,” I add in a rush, “you and I... we’re not sleeping together.”
He winces. “The fuck we aren’t. You think we’re just gonna go five months without sex?”
I hear him. I really do. It’s a long time. But that’s a line we can’t afford to cross. Not now. Not with our history. It would only complicate things later.
“You can sleep with whoever you want,” I say firmly.
“I don’t care. Honest. It just won’t be with me.
” I shake my head, already regretting how far this has gone.
“We’re not getting married and having sex.
I’ll play the devoted wife in public when I need to, but I’m not pretending behind closed doors. Like we’re what—in love?”
It’s a bad idea. Confusing in every possible way. Sexually. Mentally. Emotionally.
“Who said anything about pretending to be in love?” he fires back. “Jesus, babe. We’re talking five months. That’s a long fucking time.” He finally cuts into his steak. “And just so you know, I would never sleep with someone else if we were married. That’s not who I am.”
“But I wouldn’t care,” I say quickly. “Because we wouldn’t really be together.”
He scoffs. “It’s still cheating in my eyes… and I’d never cheat. Even if it’s fake.”
A smile tempts my lips, warmth melting in my chest.
Why? Why does hearing him say that even matter?
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not signing a prenup. Just so you know.”
“I’d never want you to,” he says easily. “I know you wouldn’t fuck me over.”
Idiot. I kick his leg lightly with my heel. “Don’t be stupid. See? This is exactly how I know you haven’t thought this through. The tabloids will eat you alive if you don’t make me sign one. What if I came after your money?”
“You wouldn’t.” He shrugs, completely unfazed. “And even if you did? I’d gladly pay. As a thank you.” He grins as he pops a piece of steak into his mouth.
I just shake my head. It’s all I can do. Disbelief washes over me. I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Minutes ago, I was wishing he’d open up. Now I almost wish he hadn’t.
“So what would this actually look like?” I ask. “I move into a guest bedroom in New York and come here on the weekends you have Cole? I’d need my own bathroom, obviously. I’m not sharing a Jack and Jill with a twelve-year-old boy.”
“You can have a guest room in New York,” he says. “But here?” His gaze holds mine. “You’d be in my room, babe.”
“Matt—”
“Sleeping,” he says firmly. “Not fucking. We need to appear married to Cole.” A cocky smirk tugs at one corner of his mouth. “Besides, my wife doesn’t sleep in the guest bedroom.”
A flicker of panic sparks, my mind flashing images of the other night—his bare chest, me holding him. The memory lodges in my throat, and I swallow hard.
“And you can do that?” I ask. “See me every day. Sleep in the same bed with me.” I lift a brow. “You’ll keep it in your pants? Five months is a long time.”
“I know.” He lets out a long, slow breath. “But I’d do anything for that kid.” He leans forward, voice steady. “I won’t touch you. Not unless you ask me to. I promise.”
Oh God.
Why does that not make me feel better?
Do I not trust him?
Or is it me I don’t trust?
I study him, this powerful man, suddenly so vulnerable. Desperate. Completely at my mercy. But he’s also a man I trust. A man who’s always stood by me. A man who’s protected me.
And I know I don’t owe him anything. But I do.
Because when I’ve needed him most, he’s always been the first one there.
Cole needs him.
And right now, whether I like it or not, he needs me.
“Alright,” I say finally. “I’ll think about it. I can’t say yes tonight, but I’ll—” God, here goes nothing. “I’ll pretend to be engaged to you tomorrow at the funeral. That way, if we move forward, there aren’t any questions later.”
Relief floods his face, his shoulders sagging like he’s been holding his breath for days.
“Thank you,” he says softly. “God, babe. Thank you. I owe you. Truly.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter. “I didn’t say yes.”
“I know. I know.”
“And Matt?”
He lifts a brow.
“If I do this,” I say evenly. “I’m doing it for Cole.”