Page 14 of Sweet Nothings

“You’re not honestly going to get married just so you get all this?” Jude asks, twirling his finger in the air.

I open my mouth, but no words come out. I’m frozen in place. Oddly enough, my mother’s face comes to mind. The kindness in her eyes and how the color faded in them with every passing day until the day she died.

“Are you kidding?” Micah interjects, directing his astonishment at Jude. “He’d be losing the entire company if he doesn’t.”

“What happens if Lennon doesn’t marry?” Jude asks Perry.

“Your father was very clear in his instructions.” He answers Jude’s question but keeps his attention on me. “If you don’tmarry within thirty days of today and remain married for at least one year, everything will be sold, and the firm will dissolve.”

“Shit.” Micah hisses. “Thirty days to get married? Thirty days is insane. Not to mention the need tostaymarried for an entireyear.”

“Yes,” Perry adds. “Once Lennon marries, he will own one hundred percent of all the assets your father listed and will be able to run the company freely. But if at any point he divorces before the first year, the condition becomes null and void.”

Jude leans back in his seat and runs his hand down the side of his face.

The heaviness of silence descending upon the room allows the reality of my situation to hit me full force.

Fuck James Harding.

I admit knowing my father was an asshole when he was alive. A drug induced, money hungry, rich prick. But the longer I stand here, thinking of the lows my father has gone to even after his death, brings my disgust for him to a whole new level. Somehow, I hate him more as a dead man buried in the frozen, Boston dirt than when he was standing in front of me alive and breathing.

My chest aches, twisting into knots, and my stomach flips at the thought of marriage. It’s not that I’ve completely written off the idea of being tied to someone for life, but I’ve honestly never given it much thought. My father wasn’t exactly the greatest role model when it came to my mother or anyone else he was involved with.

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“What are the details?” I manage to ask. “Since it’s coming from my father, I’m assuming there are more details written in the fine print.”

“Len,” Jude warns. “I’m surprised you’re even entertaining this foolish condition.”

I inhale a deep breath and turn my head in my brother’s direction. He’s looking at me with nothing but care and concern, which I appreciate, but it isn’t needed.

“I’m not exactly in a position to put my pride above doing what’s best for this family, Jude.”

“Bullshit,” he spits angrily. “That’s exactly what this is all about. Your pride.”

“I’m not getting into this with you right now. You know me better than anyone, and you know I don’t have a choice.”

He pauses, swallowing his argument. “All I’m saying is, you deserve to marry someone you love. You deserve more than a contractual marriage.”

“I get that, but this is what Ineedto do.” I don’t give him another opportunity to convince me not to go through with this. “What are the details?” I ask Perry again.

“Well…” He sighs. “Along with the thirty-day deadline, your father also stipulated you must marry someone from a specific family.” He pauses, looking me straight in the eye. “The Branford family.”

“You mean, Branford… as in Paul and Frederick Branford’s law firm?” Micah asks.

“Yes.” Perry nods. “But Paul Branford, Frederick’s brother, passed away several years ago when he was on a camping trip with his wife in northern New Hampshire. Kellan Branford, their son, is currently serving a prison sentence for embezzlement charges and falsifying tax records.”

“Great,” I mutter.

“Kellan may be in prison, but Monroe and Laurel are considered to be fairly successful, despite the mark he’s put on their reputation,” Perry explains. “In fact, I saw them at the funeral today with their uncle.”

“I wondered why they were here,” Micah chimes in. “Dad never had anything good to say about their family.” He looks upat me. “I wonder why he would have you marry into a family he hated.”

I frown, unsure of his motivations, and unable to get my mind off Laurel.

I keep my mouth shut about the fact I already noticed her with her family at the funeral. I couldn’t help watching her as she walked back to her car after the burial. Her black dress hugged every curve, and her eyes constantly moved, begging to be anywhere but where she was.

Then I saw her standing near the back of the crowd before my speech at the reception.

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