Page 8 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

The auction was my last chance.

“Tonight I’d planned on having dinner with a client and his wife, but I could cancel if you’re not up to it,” Rhodes offered.

I shook my head. There was no way in hell I’d be having my new fiancé cancel things on my behalf. The goal was to ensure he wanted to keep me, not toss me back out to the wolves. The contract was clear. If either party wanted to get out for any reason, there was always the option. I only got the full seven mil if I signed on the dotted line, officially got married, and stayed through the three anniversaries after that.

However, if he wanted to bail before the first year was up, they’d deduct what he owed me based on the time we were together. Right now, he’d already paid the deposit of $250,000. Once we got married, I’d score the first installment of that seven mil. That money was going to set me, my two siblings, and my mother up with an amazing life. Then everything we suffered would just be a bad memory.

Which reminded me, “When are we getting married?” I asked.

He frowned and cleared his throat. “I, uh, huh… I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. As you know, it wasn’t part of my plan.”

“Contract states we are supposed to be married within thirty days of signing the contract. After that, we are supposed to have consummated the marriage within two weeks. Maybe after dinner we can tack on a quickie drive-through wedding?” I suggested.

“You want to get married today?” he croaked.

“Why wait?” I stated flatly.

He started to pace the small room, then ran his hand through his hair repeatedly. “I feel like we need more time to connect. And to be honest, I don’t think I could go through with a wedding ceremony if my daughter wasn’t there. You haven’t even met Emily yet.” His shoulders slumped.

“Technically, I met her at the airport.” I reminded him.

That was the wrong thing to say. Because suddenly, he stopped pacing and slumped into the single chair in the corner of the room, put his elbows to his knees and his head in his hands, looking utterly defeated. “Shit, that’s right. She might actually remember you. What the hell are we going to tell her?” He lifted his head, his face a mask of worry. “I married my pickpocket?”

Damn, the man had a point.

“Uh, that wasn’t something I’d thought through just yet,” I admitted weakly and sucked in my bottom lip while I started to consider each possible scenario.

He lifted a hand, gesturing toward me. “Exactly. That’s why we need to discuss these things. Emily will be with Alana and Christophe for the next two weeks. We have until then to figure out what we’re going to do about introducing you to my daughter and the actual ceremony.”

Which meant I had to wait to get the next payout.

I groaned under my breath. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but none of this was. All I knew was this man wasn’t going to marry me quickly. He wanted his beloved daughter to be a part of it. Which was really sweet, but the exact opposite of my own plan. Regardless, the only way we were going to get through any of it was one step at a time.

“First things first: breakfast. I’m thinking bagels and coffee then we hit up my house to start packing. I need to settle up with Sam anyway. Then, we’ll meet with your clients for dinner. After that, we’ll figure it out.”

He looked up from where he’d been staring at his shoes, likely contemplating all his bad life choices. I knew that look well and recognized it when I saw it.

“Bagels and coffee?” he reiterated.

“I know a great place.”

His lips twisted as he stood. “Lead the way.”

* * * *

We munched on breakfast in the back of the limo Rhodes ushered me into when we got to the front of the hotel. While we ate and headed to my place, I took stock of my fiancé. He was ruggedly handsome. Not in the way that a man who hikes mountains or rides a motorcycle was, more in the way that he didn’t take himself too seriously. His nails weren’t perfectly manicured but there wasn’t any dirt underneath them either. He had on a pair of worn jeans that fit his body seamlessly and a white button-up, linen, short-sleeved shirt that was pretty unremarkable. His hair was entirely salt and peppered and his beard looked to be no more than a couple days’ growth, which seemed to be his preferred aesthetic.

Those cool gray eyes slid to me, and for a moment, I was lost in their beauty.

“You’re gorgeous, you know that?” His voice was a low rumble that reminded me of a desert storm.

I licked my lips, and his eyes changed color, morphing from that icy gray to a murkier blue, the pupil growing larger the longer I stared.

“You actually believe that,” I said, shocked at seeing the truth in his eyes.

“Of course, I do. I wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t true. Alana didn’t lie when she chose you for me. I couldn’t get you out of my head after we crashed into one another.”

I could feel my cheeks heat in response to his admission. “Really?”

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