Page 31 of Just Say When

I hate you both.

Adam:

Open the door. We brought beer and pizza.

Two days after his surgery to put a metal rod in his leg, Zack came home from the hospital. Despite Adam’s offer to recuperate at the big house, he insisted on moving into his old cabin on the Lodestar Ranch property. Adam and I had swung by last night to keep him company and make sure he had everything he needed within reach and ended up staying later than we’d planned, laughing and talking like old times.

Better than old times. Adam was still a grumpy sonof a bitch, but he was a lot more fun now than he had been in over a decade. James was good for him.

But I was paying for our late night now. I had a bankruptcy to file, my least favorite part of my job, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I needed more coffee. I dragged my hands down my face, shoved my rolling chair back from my desk, and pushed to my feet.

Right as Essie walked through the door.

Suddenly I was wide awake.

It had been a week since I asked her to marry me and she told me she’d rather move to Antarctica. I had figured that was the end of it.

But here she was. And I could think of only one reason for it.

Her gaze circled my office, taking note of everything in that curious way she had, before she did the same to me. “You said you don’t wear a suit.”

That wasn’t what I expected her to start with, but okay. I glanced down at my standard work attire: a decent button-down shirt, a blue tie patterned with silver horse shoes, jeans, and cowboy boots. “I don’t wear a suit. I’m wearing jeans. Pairing that with a tie doesn’t make it a suit.”

“Hm.” Her head tilted. “Jeans and cowboy boots on the bottom. Button down and tie on top.” She air circled the items with her fingertip. “It’s the clothing equivalent of a mullet. Business up top. Party on the bottom.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you implying there’s a party in my pants, hellion?”

She gave an uppity sniff. “I’m sure I have no idea what’s in your pants, prig. But I’d hazard a guess it’s nothing interesting.”

“I’d be happy to issue you a personal invitation and let you find out for yourself.” I braced my hands on the desk and leaned forward. “Just say when.”

Her gaze dipped and the oddest expression crossed her face. Like she was actually imagining the possibility, and didn’t entirely hate it. Aroused and perplexed all at once.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. But she still looked like she was considering it.

I grinned. “Why are you here, hellion?”

“Oh. Right.” She cleared her throat, then gestured to the chair behind me. “Sit down, please. I don’t want to have this conversation standing up.”

“Sounds serious.” I hooked the chair leg with my ankle and rolled it closer to me, watching her as she took the chair opposite the desk.

“Well, marriage is serious. So people tell me anyway.”

My ass was halfway to the seat and I nearly fell the rest of the way. Even though I had expected that was what she was here for, it still came as a shock. “What?”

“It doesn’t have to be, though, right? I mean, you and me. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

I wasn’t going to lie to her. Not about this. “A marriage is only as serious as the people in the marriage take it to be,” I said carefully.

She nodded eagerly and leaned forward across the desk. “Exactly. This marriage for love thing, that’s a pretty recent development, when you consider, like, the history of the human race. People married for money, power, and kids. There’s nothingwrongwith getting married so we can enter Pirate in a competition. Horse doping, nowthat’swrong.”

“Very wrong,” I agreed.

“And if we get divorced a month later, who cares?” she continued. “Sometimes marriages don’t work out. People get divorced all the time.”

I’d care. “You could file for divorce any time,” I said, with the faintest stress onyou. It sure as hell wouldn’t be me.

“You’re a lawyer. You could write up one of those prenup things.”

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