Page 71 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“Don’t you think people would wonder why we got divorced right after the ink dries on you getting the company?”

“I don’t care what people think. And we wouldn’t have to get divorced.” I wasn’t sure why I’d added that second part. I was trying to convince her to marry me for ten weeks, not scare her off by trying to get her to sign on for more.

“What?!”

“Gran showed me your audition tape for Married by a Matchmaker today. You said you always wanted to be married. I want to be married. There’s no reason why we couldn’t stay married.”

Stop talking.I told myself. I was good at negotiations. It had always been a strength of mine. I knew how to read people. I knew when to push for more and when to walk away. But suddenly, the thought of dissolving a marriage I couldn’t even get Ashley to agree to in the first place was not sitting well with me.

“Yes, there is. You don’t believe in love. I can’t be married to someone who doesn’t believe in love.”

“Who told you I don’t believe in love?”

“Your grandmother. She’s told me several times that you don’t believe in love. She hates that you don’t.”

I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of my grandmother having discussions about me with employees, although considering I’d slept with one, I probably didn’t have a leg to stand on.

“She’s mistaken. I’ve never said I don’t believe in love. I said that I don’t think marriage should be based on love. I think marriage is a commitment. An agreement. A partnership shouldn’t be based on a feeling. Feelings change. Feelings are fickle.”

“So you’re saying you would stay married to someone you weren’t in love with?”

“I’m saying I don’t think that love is a prerequisite for marriage.”

I could feel her slipping away. I knew that I was losing her, and that was making me panic even more.

“But I do think people who have love, real love, in a marriage are the lucky ones.” I wasn’t sure where that had come from. I’d never expressed sentiment to anyone, including myself.

“When you say immediately, how immediate?”

I didn’t want to give her time to second-guess her decision. If she was going to do this, I wanted to do it now. If not, I needed to know now. “Tomorrow.”

She took a deep breath. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine, I’ll marry you.”

Relief, unlike I’d ever felt before, washed over me. Happiness, unlike I’d ever felt before, followed quickly behind it. A wide smile spread across my face. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I didn’t. Not on her lips. Instead, I leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead.

I could see how nervous she was about this. I wished that she was happier about what we were doing, but I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to make her happy. For the next ten weeks, I would be the best husband I could be to her. And if she wanted to walk away after that, even if it killed me to let her go, if that made her happy, I would be the best ex-husband, too.

25

ASHLEY

“Lee Lee! Look!”Luna spun in a circle in front of me, her dress ballooning out.

Luna was going to be my flower girl, minus the flowers. She basically had the title and a pretty dress. Declan and I were tying the knot in Hank and Skylar’s backyard at sunset. I’d agreed to marry him less than twenty-four hours ago. He’d suggested we go to city hall, but I vetoed that immediately. Even though this was a fake wedding, my sister’s attendance was non-negotiable. Her modified bed rest status meant it was happening in her backyard.

“Wow! You look like a princess!”

“I’m gonna go show Hank!” Luna smiled from ear to ear before I heard her feet pattering down the stairs.

“Are yousureyou want to do this?” Skylar asked me for the zillionth time.

“Yes,” I lied. I wasn’t totally sure, but even people who were in love had cold feet on their wedding day.

Declan made some really good points. Plus, I’d done some research today, and for thousands of years, marriage had been a business arrangement. The idea of romance being involved wasa relatively new concept if you looked at it in the grand scheme of all existence.

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