Page 40 of Icing the Enemy

“You’re lucky to have a man like Corbin who cares about you,” he says as he pats my shoulder and walks out of the room. The doctor talks with Corbin but can’t make out what he’s saying, then I hear the front door snap shut.

Becca strolls into the den and sits on the couch with a portfolio full of papers. “Corbin, come on. I need to get back to work.”

With two drinks in hand, he sets one in front of me. “Peach smoothie for my lady. Get it? We met in the peach state.” And a deep laugh comes from his belly. “So, the doc said nothing is broken.”

“Nope, I told you I was fine.”

“Well excuse me for caring about my fiancée.”

“You haven’t proposed.”

Becca looks up at the ceiling with her eyes rolling back into her head. “I don’t know how you two are going to be married for any length of time without driving each other insane or me. Now let’s go over the terms of the agreement.”

She spreads the papers out on the coffee table.

“One, all assets will remain separate.

Two, you’ll live together in Corbin’s residence while maintaining separate bedrooms.

Three, you’ll attend all events, including parties, home and away games, and any other event Corbin deems necessary.”

“What? I can’t do that; I have to work.” My voice shakes.

Corbin says, “No, you don’t.”

Frustration boils within me, but I know I have to keep control. "I'm not some gold digger like your sister seems to think. I have my own dreams and goals. And I'll make myself successful without relying on you or your money."

Corbin's grin fades, and he becomes serious. "You forget, we have to make it look likeloveto your father. He'll be at mostevents and games. You can't be seen as too independent or disinterested. This will benefit both of us. Don’t be so stubborn."

“Don’t try to control me.”

“I’ll walk away. You need this way more than I do.”

Narrowing my eyes, I rise from the couch and step into his space. The tension builds as an invisible force, drawing me closer. “Oh, do I? Did you read the headlines on socials?”

“Okay, you two. Sign so I can get back to work. I’m losing five-hundred dollars an hour for this.” Becca remains composed and professional, only breaking her facade when Corbin is out of earshot, and she whispers, "He's doing this for you, you know—he could care less about the press and what people think.”

Taken aback by her words, my body warms on the inside. I’m grateful that he agreed to the legal but fake marriage, I can’t help but wonder why. There’s more to Corbin Shearer than what we see.

Corbin takes out his phone, scanning the feed until he lifts his thumb and reads. He presses his lips together and shakes his head. Then he mumbles, “Why can’t I catch a break? My whole career, I’ve kept my nose clean and since….”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, but I finish it for him. “Until you met me.” I let out a heavy sigh, and all three of us are silent.

Then Becca laughs. “No. This started before he met you. After five years, the media has decided they need to know why he’s never photographed with a woman.” She chuckles, then covers her mouth when Corbin gives her the Darth Vader death stare. “They’re beginning to think he’s gay.”

I refocus on Corbin and ask, “Are you?”

“No, I’ve been with… it doesn’t matter. I chose to concentrate fully on hockey and have a family when it’s over. Now I feel like I don’t have a choice. My endorsements need me to be an All-American guy—married, with a dog and a kid.”

“Whoa! Nobody said anything about a kid.” I say, shocked when I see the documents. “It’s not in the fine print that I have to have your baby, is it?” My hands shake as I shuffle through them while they watch.

“Sis, finish telling her what’s in them before she dies of a heart attack. No, no babies required.”

Becca states, “Like I said, you need to quit your job so if you won’t do that, there’s no sense in continuing.”

I give her a nod and a weak smile. “I’ll quit.”

“Corbin will carry your medical insurance costs. No one is to know this is a marriage of convenience except the three of us. Three months after legalizing the marriage, you’ll get control of your monthly trust allowance. At that time, you’ll start appearing to have problems in the marriage and will divorce shortly thereafter. Corbin will give you a credit card and the use of any of his cars except the Mustang. You must sign a non-disclosure agreement, which means you can never tell anyone, ever. You are not entitled to any assets of Corbin’s in the divorce, i.e. the prenup. Corbin has paid your rent for one year and prepaid your utilities for your apartment so that you can keep it and have somewhere to go once the divorce proceedings begin.

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