Page 70 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“Why?”

“Because I can.”

“So you’re going to fund my program for a year?”

“No.”

“I thought you just said?—”

“I’m going to fund it in perpetuity.”

“In perpetuity?”

“It means?—”

“I know what it means,” she cut me off. Her eyes searched mine, looking for answers I doubted she would find, mainly because I didn’t even have them. Finally, she inhaled a shaky breath. “So even if I don’t marry you, you’re going to fund my program forever.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t even like me.”

“I told you, I do like you.”

“I know you said that today after you found out who I was, but your emails made it very clear that you were not my biggest fan.”

“It was never personal. You weren’t qualified for the job. You said the same thing yourself.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. I was sure she was going to argue with me, but just like ‘Carrie’ had in the hotel room, Ashley surprised me.

“If, and it’s a big if, there is no way I’m moving to Atlanta. My sister is about to have a baby.”

“Fine. I’m going to be gone anyway.”

Her brow furrowed, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. “You’re going to be gone? I thought you just got back.”

“I did, from overseas. But now I have to visit all of the Wolfe properties in Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, the West Coast, and the Midwest. I won’t be back until December 14th.”

“That was the Christmas party, right?”

I was happy to see that shehadcarefully looked over the terms. “Yes, that’s the only engagement you would be required to attend as my wife.”

“Fine, butifI agree to this, then I want to add my own term.”

The corners of my lips twitched at how adorable she looked negotiating, but I knew it irritated her when I thought she was cute, so I tried to keep them still. “Okay.”

“I’ll go to your Christmas party, but you have to be my date for my friend Daphne’s wedding. Not as my husband, if we do get fake married, I don’t want anyone in town to know. The gossip train would go off the rails. I would want you to go as mydate. I’m tired of not having a date.”

It blew my mind that this woman didn’t have men lining up at her door begging to take her out. What the fuck was wrong with the men in this town? That thought actually made me want to make one thing absolutely clear.

“Agreed. There is one term that is non-negotiable, though.”

“That we don’t see other people?” she said as if reading my mind.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “When we’re married, you’re mine.”

A deep pink flush rose on her cheeks as her breaths became shallow. “If we did this. When, um, when would we get married?”

“Immediately.”

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