Page 12 of If You Give a Billionaire a Bride

“That’ll be all, thanks,” he says, effectively dismissing her.

I don’t miss her crestfallen expression at being rejected.

Cash has a way with women that draws them in. He has always been kind, genuine, and straightforward, qualities women appreciate. In contrast, my frosty demeanor turns most men off, but it hasn’t fazed Cash. Even when I told him off, he brushed it off like it never happened.

“Cheers.” He holds up his glass of whiskey, bringing it close to the shot of tequila I have in my hand.

“Cheers,” I echo as our glasses clink together, downing the shot in one swallow.

This is my fourth shot since we arrived. I’m not sure how I’ve allowed myself to get so tipsy. After my watered-down martini at the hotel bar, the tequila was a welcome improvement.

This has to be my last drink, or I’ll end up doing something I’ll regret, like kissing my brother’s insanely attractive best friend.

As Cash lifts his drink to his lips, I notice a flash of color on his wrist.

That can’t be what I think it is.

I grab his wrist to examine it closely, a splash of whiskey spilling onto my arm from jostling his glass. He’s wearing a blue and white corded bracelet on his right wrist that looks identical to the one I gave him when he was in the hospital recovering from his accident.

“Is this—”

“The bracelet you made?” He pauses, looking me in the eye. “Yeah, it is.”

In high school, I went through a phase where I learned to make macrame friendship bracelets. I made one for Theo and our friends. I had planned to give Cash the one I made for him at school, but he was hit by a car the night before.

When Theo and I went to visit him in the hospital after his accident, I brought the bracelet with me.

“Why do you still have it?” I ask breathlessly.

“It’s… special,” he states matter-of-factly. “When I was in the hospital, everyone who came to see me looked at me with pity. Even Theo treated me differently. But not you. When you stepped into the room, you cracked jokes about how pale I was and how you were convinced I had been turned into a vampire.” He stares into the distance as if he’s being drawn back into the memory. “I told you I was worried about what everyone would think of me when they removed the bandages on my face, and that’s when you gave me this.” He rubs the faded string between his fingers. “You told me whenever I felt discouraged, the bracelet would serve as a physical reminder to have courage and to remember that I’m stronger than I think. And you were right; it’s been my lucky charm ever since.”

I gaze at the visible part of his scar. It’s clear he views it in a negative light—a physical reminder that he’s different. I wish he could see it the way I do.

When I lock eyes with him, I confirm his sincerity.

The bracelet’s colors have faded, and the edges have frayed, and yet he’s continued to wear it all these years.

My breath hitches when he reaches out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. If I were sober, I would swat his hand away and remind him that this is just drinks between friends. Tipsy me seems to have forgotten about boundaries, leaning into his hand like a kitten being stroked on the head.

Maybe I’m not so immune to his charms after all.

“I have a confession,” he murmurs so softly I have to strain to hear him. “There’s something else I kept.”

“What is it?” I don’t bother hiding my curiosity.

“The napkin that we used to sign our marriage pact on. Do you remember?”

I stare at him wide eyed. “I do.”

How could I forget the worst day of my life up to that point being turned around because of Cash’s thoughtfulness?

My boyfriend dumped me just hours before our senior prom. I was humiliated that I was naïve enough to think that we were going to be together forever.

When Cash found me reading behind the old Miller house, he listened to me ramble on about soulmates and how worried I was that I’d never find mine. The joke is on me because I learned the hard way that there isn’t such a thing. Relationships never last, no matter how much you want them to.

Most friends would have laughed off my silly notions, but not Cash. He came up with the idea for us to sign a marriage pact as a backup plan, and despite my new perspective on love being a myth, I never forgot the sweet gesture.

“I figured you threw it away.”

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