Chapter 4
FOUR
Rowan
I stare at Grant in complete shock.
Did he just ask me to marry him? Is he serious? Did I hear him correctly?
I should ask him all of those questions, but when I open my mouth, what comes out is, “Are you crazy?”
“No.” He frowns at me.
“Are you sure?”
He nods. “I’m sure.”
“I’m not,” I mumble.
He tugs on my elbow, moving me away from the middle of the sidewalk and closer to him. “What’s wrong?”
I snort. “We met five minutes ago, and you just asked me to marry you. And you were serious.”
“You want to go to medical school, and I have a GI Bill, plus savings. I can pay for it.”
“Okay, that’s very generous of you, but I still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Why you’re doing this?”
“I want a wife.”
“Why me?”
He shifts on his big feet. “I have my reasons,” he says finally.
What could his reason be? Is this a trap?
I lick my lips. “We don’t know each other at all.”
He squeezes my elbow. “Just think it over.”
I step back, breaking free from his hold. “Thanks for the ride.” I take another step back.
He stares at me, his eyes tracking my every movement until I turn and flee.
I rush into my apartment building and upstairs into my apartment.
My roommate and her boyfriend are already going at it.
I roll my eyes at her over-the-top moans.
I’ve met her boyfriend, Terry, and there’s no way that he’s that good in bed.
The guy can’t figure out how to get to our place without calling Cathy for directions, and he’s here four nights a week. There’s no way he could find her clit.
Grabbing last night’s pizza box from the refrigerator, I take out two slices. I eat them cold as I collapse in my old recliner in my room. It belonged to my dad and was his favorite. Even though it’s seen better days, I can’t bring myself to get rid of it.
Once I’ve finished eating, I pick up my textbooks. Cathy and Terry seem to be done for the moment, so I take advantage of the quiet to study, but it’s no use. I can’t stop thinking about Grant and his insane offer.
If I married him and he paid for medical school, it would solve a big problem. But how could I possibly marry a man I had met twenty minutes ago? That’s crazy, right?
Except… it doesn’t feel crazy.
I’m attracted to Grant. He’s gruff, but he’s also handsome and thoughtful.
I don’t know why he needs a wife, but this agreement would help both of us.
I could be a good wife to him. I’d be loyal and honest. Plus, once I start earning money as a doctor, I could pay him back.
We’d have to iron out the details, but maybe meeting Grant today was fate.
Maybe we’re exactly what the other needs.
I sigh. I need to forget about all this. I have more pressing things to worry about. Chances are, I’ll never see him again, so this is all moot. Besides, a guy like Grant could have anyone as his wife. I’m sure he’ll find someone better and forget all about me.
I take a deep breath and shake my head, pushing all thoughts of Grant and marrying him out of my head as I focus on studying for my test tomorrow.
My phone rings, and I jump to answer it, grateful for the distraction.
“Hey!” I answer when I see Suri’s name on the screen.
She’s been my best friend since kindergarten.
We grew up together and have been inseparable for most of our lives.
When I moved to Pine Valley, she came with me.
She was there when my dad died and helped me plan the funeral.
I would have rented an apartment with her, but I moved earlier to start school and needed a place to live.
“Hey, how’s it going?” she asks. “I didn’t hear from you much today.”
I can hear music and loud voices in the background before her door slams shut.
“You good over there?” I ask.
She huffs. “Nope. My roommates are throwing a party. Again.”
I can picture her glaring at her bedroom door.
“Sounds like fun,” I tease her.
“It’s not.”
“Well, you can come over here and listen to my roommate having loud sex with her boyfriend if you want.”
“No, but thanks for the offer. You’re a good friend.”
I snicker.
She sighs. “I need a change.”
My smile drops.
“Yeah. Me too.”
“I applied for some jobs.”
“Where?” I ask.
“All over. I figure you’ll be going to med school soon. Maybe I can find a job nearby. We can rent a place together. No shitty roommates.”
“Smart.”
“Maybe. Depends on whether I can find a new job.”
We’re silent for a moment as the music on her end is cranked up to deafening levels. A shout and crash can be heard before the music suddenly cuts out.
“What’s new with you?” Suri asks. “Anything interesting happen today?”
“Well, someone asked me to marry him.”
She laughs. “Some retiree?”
“Nope. A really hot guy. He came into the medical clinic and drove me home.”
“Marry him,” she says seriously.
“What? No!”
“Do it!”
“I don’t know him, Suri! What if he’s a monster?”
“Do you think he’s a monster? You can’t if you got in the car with him,” she points out.
I sigh, closing my eyes. “No, he seems like a nice guy. A little possessive and overbearing, but with good intentions.”
“So…”
“It’s crazy to marry someone I’ve only known for a minute!”
“How did he do it? Did he confess his undying love for you?”
“No, he knows I need money for med school and offered to pay for it.”
“Marry him.”
“Suri!”
“It’s win-win, Rowan! You get to go to med school, and you get a sexy husband!”
“Oh, my god,” I groan.
“What’s the downside?”
“The downside is, what does he expect from the arrangement?” I realize it’s the one thing holding me back from agreeing to Grant’s proposal.
“You?”
I scoff. “No one is going to propose and pay for med school to get with me.”
“Well, why don’t you ask him?”
“I did. He just said he had his reasons.”
“Okay… marry him.”
“What if his reasons are… criminal?” I whisper.
Suri pauses. “I doubt they are. You said he’s a good guy. There must be easier ways than to marry someone.”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“So, do it!”
“I can’t believe I’m even considering it,” I mumble.
She laughs. “Live a little, Rowan. You never talk about guys. If you’re into this one, he must be something special.”
“He’s hot and… distracting. That could be dangerous.”
“It could be exactly what you need,” she counters.
“What about you?” I ask, changing the subject.
“What about me?”
“Heard from Devon lately?”
“Yeah,” she admits. “He writes me back. I got a letter this morning.”
“When are you going to tell him that it’s you who has been writing him all this time?”
I can picture her chewing on her bottom lip as silence stretches between us.
“I’ll tell you what,” she says finally. “You take the leap with your man, and I’ll write to Devon and tell him it’s me who’s been his pen pal all these years.”
It’s hard to say no to that offer. Suri has been in love with Devon since we were kids, but he never seemed to notice her.
He never seemed to notice anyone. When he joined the military, Suri started writing to him, but she never once told him her name.
He’s been asking her for it since the beginning, but she was too chicken to make a move.
This could be my way to get her to do it.
Devon and Suri would be perfect together. She’s never looked at another man, and I know from our social media stalking that he’s always been single. I think they’re both in love with each other, but they’ll never get together if Suri doesn’t confess that she’s the one writing the letters.
Can I do this?
I would do anything for Suri, anything to make her happy. That’s all I want for her.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
The music in the background starts again as my roommates finish their sexcapades in the room next door.
I groan. “I’ve got to go study.”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to you later. Night.”
“Night, Suri. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
We hang up, and I toss my phone aside. I can hear Cathy and Terry moving around in the kitchen, and when she giggles, I grab my headphones and hit play on my phone. Calming music fills my ears, and I force myself to read the chapter for tomorrow’s test.
I only last twenty minutes before thoughts of Grant replace the medical terms. I groan and close my eyes to recenter myself so I can focus on studying.
It doesn’t work.