Page 19 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

Thankfully, Jace starts with no pep talk or hail Mary from me.

I wave to Osei and drive home to the quiet apartment. I’m saving money to move out. Once I get a place, I’ll think about a car. Ramsey’s a fucking asshole; I don’t know why I thought he would stick to our agreement. I should’ve known better. Guys like him keep my faith in men at its all-time low.

I head straight to my room to shower. I need to wash a few times to dry out the lingering wetness. Mr. Mystery Man sure did a number on me today.No more kissing guys you don’t know.

But it was a good kiss, though.I roll my eyes at myself. Back to reality, girl. You’ve stepped out of your comfort zone,give yourself a pat on the shoulder and move on. No need for girlfriend drama. End of story.

Today, I’m married to the man I thought was a mystery. We pull into the garage, Osei and Amaka following right behind us. We ride up to our unit in palpable silence. As soon as we get in, I grab Amaka’s hand, and we head to my room.

“What’s going on?” Amaka asks the moment the door closes.

“First, help me out of this dress,” I say, turning my back. She unzips me, helping me out of the dress. I pull her into the closet, and my tears flow uncontrollably. She hugs me.

“What’s wrong? We can walk out of here if you don’t feel safe. He can’t stop us.”

I chuckle at her ready-for-a-fight mode. “No, I’m physically safe with him. I’m afraid my emotions are unsafe with him.”

“Start from the beginning.”

I tell her about the Halloween party, Luke rejecting my hand and never noticing me, the agreement in the marriage, and then discovering that he’s the mystery man. I stop speaking, and she wipes my tears.

“Call me crazy, but I think he likes you. He may have gone about it the wrong way.”

“You’re too much of a romantic,” I snicker, sinking into my seat in my undergarments.

“And you’re too cynical,” she retorts, throwing me a dramatic eye roll. “Maybe try being a romantic just this once. I saw his eyes when you walked in, and the way he kissed you. He didn’t want to let go of you. That guy looked happy. You have two options here: You can have fun and not fall—”

“I’ve already fallen for him.” I interject.

“Well, have fun with him while you can, or you can bury your head in books or—”

“Or what?” I keenly anticipate her words.

“You can find a boy toy, whose only task is to help you extricate all that tension however, I doubt that your newly minted husband will let anyone near you. He has that vibe—” Her hands wave around.

“What vibe?” I ask in anticipation.

“A vibe like, ‘She’s mine, so back off,’” she barks in my face with a wide smile.

“I doubt that’s the vibe. Remember, he doesn’t like me,” I remind her, though it feels more like I’m reminding myself.

“If a guy doesn’t like you, but looks at you the way he looked at you when you walked into the church, and kisses you the way he did, I wonder what it would be like when he does like you. Babes, you are pretty, whether you want to admit it or not. I know what happened in New York lingers, but I think your husband is a mountain that wants you to climb, and I think you should climb this sexy mountain. I’m quite sure the view at the top might be worth it. And if you don’t get to the top, you’ll never have to wonder about climbing such a sexy mountain.” I laugh out loud and pull a boho summer dress over my head.

“Only you, Maks, would find the silver lining in my romantic mess.”

“Isn’t that the reason you made sure I got on the flight?”

“I needed my bestie here with me. Plus, I certainly can’t announce us to the world.”

“You may not want to announce, but your hubby is ready to bullhorn. Anyway, you have me for tonight. Nosah wants me back tomorrow.”

“Come on, he can’t give us two days?” I tossed a dress at her.

“He’s travelling for two weeks, and you know him, he has to make sure I can’t walk for three days after he’s gone.” I laugh.

“How true.” I snicker. At least I no longer need to pretend I didn’t hear the sex marathon with her fiancé, Nosah. My adopted big brother.

“Let’s fix your makeup and go talk to Osei and your sexy hubby.” I nod.

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