Page 10 of The Billionaire's Wife

I grab my travel mug from the counter and head to the door, Aiden following me. “And remember, stick with the story, and please be nice to her. She’s already grumpy enough about having to do this,” I mutter.

Aiden quirks an eyebrow at my last comment, but lets it be. “Of course we’ll be nice to her,” he says with a wave.

I head to the elevator, taking it to the garage floor and trekking over to my car. I throw my suitcase in the trunk, get in, and pull out of the garage.

It only takes me five minutes to get to Ella’s place. I park on the street and jog up the front steps, down the corridor, and knock on her apartment door. After a few seconds, I hear the latch, and the door opens.

She smiles hesitantly at me, turning to grab her suitcase from behind her. She leans down to her dog—Howard, is it?—giving him a few pats and kisses and mumbling something unintelligible to him. Then she follows me out the door, closing and locking it behind her.

“You wearing the ring?” I ask, making sure the most important apparel I’d sent her is currently sitting on her finger.

She waves her hand in front of me in confirmation. The diamond glistens in the early morning light. I’m wearing a matching gold band on my own left ring finger. It feels strange and … heavy.

Ella’s hair is up in a messy bun, and she’s wearing leggings and a baggy sweatshirt. She’ll definitely have to change before meeting Marcus and his wife, but I can’t help but notice just how cute she looks.

I stare at her for a few heartbeats before realizing how weird that is and striding forward toward the car in silence. I’ve never really checked out Ella before. Sure, she’s objectively attractive, I know that. But I’ve never really stopped to consider that attractiveness. And now, early in the morning, her messy hair piled atop her head and her face still a bit puffy from sleep, I’m overcome with the urge to wrap her up in my arms and just hug her.

I slam into my car a bit too hard, popping the trunk, and tossing her suitcase inside. Shut up, Alec, I chide myself. I’m probably just stressed. Overwhelmed by the enormity of this ruse. This ridiculous ruse that I need to work.

“You packed the stuff I sent you?” I ask as we both get into the car.

“Of course,” she answers.

Trying to lighten the mood, I turn to her with a soft smile. “Ready to be my wife for the week?”

She laughs quietly. “Ready as I’ll ever be, hubby.”

Her voice sends a chill down my spine, and I look away quickly. Hubby. You’re a husband now, Alec. For one week. Remember that.

I put the car into gear and head off toward the airport.

Chapter 7

Ella

We drive for about thirty minutes until we reach a small, private airport on the outskirts of Seattle. The mood in the car is … tense. The last week, we’ve gotten together a few times to go over our backstory and mainly just hang out a bit so that we’re slightly more used to each other and natural.

But I think the nerves are finally getting to us. At least to me. Because today is the day. In just a few minutes, I’ll be meeting Alec’s brothers and their wives—who know about our lie, obviously, but it’s still daunting. And tonight, I’ll be meeting Marcus and Julia Caddelle, the people who we really need to fool. The pressure is on. And I think we’re both feeling it.

We enter the small airport, and Alec pulls our car into a garage. I take a deep breath as I get out of the car, steeling my already fried nerves.

Alec opens the trunk and pulls out our suitcases, handing me mine.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

I nod. It’s not like I can back out now.

I follow him as we exit the garage, and it’s then that I see the plane. Even though I knew that we’d be flying privately, it’s still impressive to actually see. The private jet sits about fifty feet away with a staircase propped up against the door. We wheel our suitcases up to it, where someone takes our bags, and then Alec starts up the stairs. I follow.

Inside, the jet is both exactly as I expected yet somehow more lavish than I could ever imagine. I’ve never flown privately—obviously. My flying experiences have been comprised of cramped seats, pushy seat neighbors, and bad coffee. But this? This is insane.

We’re immediately met by two long couches against the sides of the plane, facing each other. A TV is mounted against the wall and looks pliable enough to pull out and adjust so all passengers can watch. As the plane continues, there are large, cushiony chairs toward the back—but unlike normal airliners where the chairs are stiff and crammed in, these are luxurious. They twirl, with plenty of ample leg room.

But as much as I’d love to keep ogling the interior of this plane, it’s then that I notice four people who I assume are Alec’s brothers and their wives. And they’ve noticed us. Or, more accurately, me.

“Guys,” Alec calls out as we enter. “This is Ella.” He gestures to me. “Ella, this is Asher and his wife, Olivia.” Asher waves, and Olivia shoots me a warm smile. She’s absolutely gorgeous—probably the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. But her smile puts me at ease somewhat. “And this is Aiden and his wife, Lilly.” They both smile in return.

“Welcome, Ella,” Lilly says. She’s curled up on the couch next to Aiden, her hand on his knee. “It’s nice to meet you.” The others all murmur their agreement, although I can definitely detect a hint of awkwardness in the air. And it’s not like I can blame them. This is most definitely the most awkward thing I can imagine. I wonder what they’re thinking about Alec’s plan. I’d love to get some details from the girls. I wonder if they’d share any insights with me, or if they’d clam up in the hopes of protecting their brother-in-law.

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