Page 95 of The Accidental Honeymoon

He doesn’t understand. Who could?

The pretending started to feel real. That’s the crux of it. Calla isn’t just some pawn in a game we’re playing. She’s a real person with real goals and feelings. And damn it, I’ve started to care for her.

Fuck. Straight up, I’ve fallen for Calla. Hard.

The way she lights up when she talks about her bakery, the soft determination in her eyes when she’s telling a story, even the exasperated sighs she gives me when I tease her.

They’re all lodged in my heart now.

“Look, I thought this was just an accidental thing,” Will says, breaking the silence. “That you’d get it annulled quickly and move on. But this has dragged on, and the longer it goes, the messier it gets. I think it’s high time that you proceed with the annulment.”

I uncross my arms and lean forward. “Will...” I sigh, shaking my head. “I just need more time to figure this out. There’s a lot at play here.”

“Think of Alto & Ash. Slacking on signing the annulment papers for even another week can put the company at risk. Right now, with no prenup and no annulment, the company that you have worked so hard to build is in a very vulnerable position.” Will studies me, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

“Vulnerable? To who? Surely you don’t think Calla has any interest in hurting my business.”

“I think that you can’t risk it. You have to get her to sign a post-nuptial agreement or these annulment papers.” He turns to Lana, giving her a small nod. “Lana can tell you more about it.”

Lana slides the annulment papers toward me with a deliberate motion. "It's a straightforward process," she begins, her tone as measured as ever.

She goes on to outline the legalities, making it sound as routine as returning a defective product. I try to interject, to slow her down, but she bulldozes right over me. Every time I try to speak, she raises her voice slightly and talks louder until I go quiet.

This was Will’s plan all along, I realize. He’s stacking the deck against me, making sure I understand the ease and simplicity of the clean break they're proposing.

I take the papers in my hands, test their weight, then set them aside on the coffee table.

"I'm not ready to sign anything. I want to see what Calla and I might have beyond this arrangement. I love her." Saying it out loud to a third party makes it official. It’s also a special kind of relief. The tension eases from my shoulders for the firsttime in a week.

“Oh.” Lana’s face shows a flicker of surprise. But it’s Will I’m really watching. He’s been with me for years, long enough to know when I’m bluffing and when I’m serious.

He also knows how to play the long game. I canfeelhim calculating his next move. “Jay,” he starts.

"Will," I cut him off before he can launch into another lecture. "I’d rather you just leave the post-nup and then go. I have a lot going on at the moment."

Now that I’ve said that I love Calla out loud, I feel like I need to nurture it, approach it from the side like a frightened animal. I need them to leave before my fragile resolve shatters and I’m thrown back into the muddled confusion of the past two months.

Will gives me a tight, reluctant nod. Lana’s expression is harder to read, a mix of concern and something else. I usher them out onto the porch and watch as they make their way down the steps. Will says something to Lana. She shrugs, then glances back at me. I hold her gaze for a moment before she turns away.

I close the door gently. Walking back to the coffee table, I eye the stack of papers with a mixture of dread and resignation. Annulment. Post-nuptial agreement.

It all feels so cold.

I sit down and run a hand through my hair. My thoughts are a tangled mess. This damn situation was supposed to be easy. A quick, clean arrangement that would tide me over until I could figure out what was next. But nothing about this situation is easy anymore.

I pick up the annulment papers and flip through them slowly. It’s like a script for a play where I already know the ending and it bores me to tears.

One thing I for certain: I need to talk to Calla.

thirty-three

CALLA

I can’t believeI forgot my whole damn purse at the house. What was I thinking? I’m rushing up the front porch steps to retrieve it when I notice a strange sedan in the driveway.

Jay is probably working with some sponsors. Or something. It’s no problem. I can be stealthy as a house cat. I know I left my purse in the kitchen, so I back carefully off the porch and sneak around the house to the kitchen door so as not to interrupt.

The door releases a slight groan as I open it. I slow down, moving as quietly as possible, and leave the door ajar as I pad into the room. My eyes land on my purse, left exactly where I pictured it.

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