Page 26 of After the Vows

“I know. I love your house.”

She does? I bet she’d look damn fine cooking in the kitchen while Natalia and I set the table. I force those thoughts away. I wasn’t lying. My marriage to Chloe wouldn’t be real.

I blow out a breath. “What do you say? Will you marry me?”

“For Natalia’s sake?”

I nod. “For Natalia’s sake.”

“Of course, I will. I’d do anything for that little girl.”

“You were going to say yes the whole time?”

She picks up another cookie. “Duh. Your bitch of an ex isn’t getting her hands on Natalia.” She growls as she tears into her cookie.

Chloe is a true mamma bear. I knew she was the correct choice to ask to marry me in this charade. She’ll do what’s necessary to keep Natalia safe.

“Thank you.”

She waves away my gratitude. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Natalia.”

Damn. She’s perfect. Keeping this marriage strictly professional is going to be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.

Especially since I’m having a hard time remembering why our relationship has to remain professional in the first place.

Chapter 10

Warning – when four best friends corner you in a room. May involve the loss of eyebrows if unheeded.

Lucas

Iopen the door to Chloe’s house and—

“Surprise!”

I rear back at the loud cheers. Chloe rushes to me – a strained smile on her face.

“I thought we were meeting to discuss the wedding arrangements.”

“These bozos decided we needed a party to celebrate our engagement.” She grasps my hand to pull me outside. She shuts the door behind us and leans against it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they planned this.”

I rub a hand down my beard. “Don’t your friends know the marriage isn’t real?”

She blows out a breath. “They do. But nothing can stop a Smuggler from throwing a party.”

“We’re having a wedding and a reception in a week.”

She sighs. “I know. It—”

“How would it look at the wedding if you don’t know your bride’s best friends?” a woman asks as she walks around the house toward us.

Chloe glares at her. “Did you sneak out the back door to spy on us?”

“It’s not spying when the whole purpose of the party is for us to get to know Lucas,” she says.

Three women follow her. I recognize them as Chloe’s friends from theMoonshine and Merriment Festival.

One is wearing glasses and slides them up her nose. “She does have a point. It would be unusual for a groom not to know his bride’s four best friends.”

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