Page 21 of Falling for the Forward

“Do I need an attorney for this?”

He considers. “If you decide to do it, yes. But I’ve got you. I’ll need to review the contract terms before you sign anything. And I meananything, Suki.”

I sigh heavily, walking over to the coffee table to pick up one of the bacon-wrapped dates Harry included on the big tray of appetizers he brought over for our pro/con session. Even though he’s a chef who cooks a solid fifty hours a week at his restaurant, Harry never misses a chance to cook for us.

“This is crazy though, right?” I ask as I chew. “I mean...I can’t marry someone I hardly even know just for money.”

“It’s a lot of money, though,” Mara reminds me.

My shoulders sink with defeat. For them to fully understand this decision, I have to confess my shameful secret to Dex and Harry.

“Okay, it’slisten and don’t judgetime. I cosigned all of Tyler’s loans for his business. So now that he’s gone, I’m...a hundred and eighty-three thousand four hundred and eighty-six dollars in debt.” I furrow my brow. “Ish. I don’t know if my last payment has cleared.”

Harry clamps a hand over his mouth. “Holy shit, Suki.”

“Un. Fucking. Real.” Dex gives me a stunned look. “Why the hell--”

“I did it, okay?” I keep my voice brisk and to the point. “I don’t want to hear about how dumb it was. I obviously already know.”

I can tell it takes considerable effort for him to press his lips together and stay quiet.

I curl up in my favorite old recliner. “I was such an idiot. But now you know why Carter offering me five hundred thousand dollars for this marriage really would change my life. My credit is destroyed. The loans are the reason I’m working two jobs, but I can barely keep up with the payments.”

Mara leans forward, picking up a plate to load up with appetizers. “I don’t know if this helps or not, but I’d do it. Carter is gone most of the time and you love those girls. So it’s basically just a massive raise for the next year of work. I owe about ninety-five grand on law school and college loans, and if I could pay them back by marrying a pro athlete for a year, I’d do it in a second. As long as he doesn’t abuse you or expect sex, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“I’d do it, too,” Dex says.

I look at Harry, who shrugs. “I don’t know. You know me, I’m a romantic.”

He really is. Harry is tall and blond with a killer smile. He’s a chef and an artist who doesn’t jump in and out of relationships. He and Dex were a couple for around five months a few years ago before deciding they were better off as friends.

“I’m already at his house a lot, but moving in feels...” I can’t even finish the sentence, because I don’t know how to describe the way it feels. “And I’d have to make it look like I’m in love with him.” My laugh is tinged with disbelief. “How could I possibly sell that? He’s the opposite of my type.”

Mara says, “Well, your type did fuck you over and leave the country, so...”

I wince at the sharp reminder of my stupidity, then shake my head. “Tyler wasn’t my type, either.”

Mara laughs--a hard, long laugh that ends with her wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. “He wasexactlyyour type.Charismatic, charming, making everything, including himself, sound better than it really was--”

“That’s not my type.”

She looks at Harry and Dex. Dex widens his eyes and Harry stares intently at his nails.

“Harry?” I give him a look, expecting him to jump to my defense.

He starts coughing. It’s clearly fake, but he scrunches up his face and pats his chest, standing up from the couch. “Sorry, I need to get some water.”

I turn to Dex. “Well?”

He blows out a long, dramatic exhale. “I love you, but you do tend to go for charming liars.”

I glare between him and Mara, getting up to make a plate of carb-loaded comfort food. “You guys, it’s not like men introduce themselves by letting you know they’re liars. How is anyone supposed to know that up front?”

“Tyler was slicker than my cooch anytime Jeffrey Dean Morgan was onThe Walking Dead,” Mara says.

“Girl.” Dex puts his palm up for a high five without even looking at her. “The things I would let that man do to me.”

I’m not even done loading up my plate, but I set it on the table and stand up. “Once again, this is not a joke and it’snot about you. We’re supposed to be talking about whether I’m going to get married.Married.I’ll be a divorcée for the rest of my life when it’s over.”

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