Page 17 of Rafa's Convenient Wife

Rafael wasn’t offering love. He was offering a marriage of convenience and companionship. Could she live like that? Could she be content with only his friendship?

Do I have a choice?

Knowing that Jasper depended on her for his happiness, Sky gave the only answer she could.

“Yes, Rafael, I’ll marry you.”

Chapter Six

Five words he had never imagined hearing from Sky.

Five words that would irrevocably change their lives.

Yes, she would marry him—but would she ever love him?

He didn’t know, and he couldn’t bear to dwell on that troubling question right now. This wasn’t about his selfish desires. This was about protecting Jasper and honoring his brother’s wishes for his son. Whatever happened with Sky, he would always put Jasper’s welfare first.

“Where?” Sky looked up at him expectedly.

“Here,” Rafael said, throwing himself into CEO mode. He was good at making decisions and delegating tasks. “I’ll call my personal lawyer as soon as we finish talking. When I take you two back to San Antonio, we’ll get married there again, just in case.”

“But not in a church?”

He heard the hopefulness in her voice and hated to dash it. “That will take too long. There are so many classes, a retreat,and whatever else they require for the sacrament. Plus, there’s no divorce.” Regret gripped him as soon as he said the word. Her expression crumpled, and he hated himself for inflicting more pain. “I didn’t mean—.”

“It’s okay, Rafa.” She smiled wanly and gave his arm a reassuring pat. “I understand.”

Did she? He meant forher. She deserved to go out and live her life, to find a man she adored and loved to marry. He wanted her to have that someday. He wanted her to have the fairytale church wedding with the right man.

And that’s not me.

Knowing that Jaime had chosen someone else to raise his child was like a slap in the face. It hurt, but it was also eye-opening. Rafael didn’t want to admit it, but he understood why his brother had made that decision. He was a workaholic who put business before everything. He had never had a long-term relationship. He had never given any inclination that he wanted to be a father or a family man.

Jaime would never know that Rafael had been envious of his brother’s happiness. Seeing Jaime become a husband and a father awakened a deep and painful yearning to have that life. He didn’t want to waste his entire life on the business and die an old, lonely man surrounded by nephews and nieces he adored. He wanted a wife and children of his own.

Well, now he would get what he wanted, but not in the way he had hoped. A marriage of convenience with the most incredible, vibrant woman he had ever known. A woman who had haunted his dreams with her tempting smile and sweet laugh for the last six years. A woman he would never be able to touch or kiss or tumble into bed.

“I should talk to my mother,” Rafael said, suddenly needing space.

“Okay.” Sky glanced at the door. “Do you think Dina would mind watching Jasper a little longer? I’m tired, and I could use a nap.”

“Sleep as much as you need.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ll take care of Jasper. It will be good training for later.”

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted, but she kept whatever snappy remark she was thinking to herself. Instead, she grabbed a diaper bag from the foot of the bed and handed it to him. “This has extra diapers, wipes, pacifiers, clothes, and toys. There is formula and breast milk in the kitchen. Jovita cleared out a shelf in the refrigerator for the milk.”

Rafael experienced the worst twisting sensation in his gut at the mention of the milk. Bringing that milk with them from San Antonio had been an ordeal. Sky had wanted Jasper to have his mother’s milk that Maddie had been pumping and storing. He understood why. Each drop was a precious link to Maddie. Soon, the milk stash in the freezer in San Antonio would run dry.

“I’ll be careful with the milk,” he promised, knowing she was sensitive about it. “I won’t waste a drop.”

“Thank you.” She bit her lower lip. “For everything.”

There was so much he wanted to say, but he wasn’t brave enough. Not in that moment, at least. He leaned down and tenderly kissed Sky’s forehead. “Get some rest.”

As he left her room and shut the door behind him, he exhaled a rough breath. Proposing a marriage of convenience to Sky was nothing compared to the interrogation that awaited him with his family. Some of them would be supportive. Some would be concerned. All of them would have loud opinions that he would be forced to hear.

He was saved from the inevitable confrontation by the crowd of friends and family still milling around the house. There was enough food and drink for a small army and light, sorrowfulmusic to cover the buzz of conversation. He spotted Beto standing beside their mother, supporting her like a dutiful and loving son.

Beto had been the wildest of the Farias siblings. Thrown out of prep school. Refused to attend college. Ran off to sail the world on a leaky old boat. Seven years after leaving, Beto had returned a changed man, more mature, more confident, and ready to make a commitment to the family’s business.

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