Page 15 of From Best Friend to Bride
Deli was my best friend. If she had to be in a pretend marriage with anyone, I was her best choice. It wasn’t as if I expected anything from her, and I’d been honest when I’d said she could live in one of the annexed apartments.
Our marriage would be on paper only.
I understood her apprehension, though. I hadn’t even been sure of what I was saying until the words had escaped my lips, and I’d felt a moment of sincere regret when she’d looked at me like I’d magically grown another two heads.
Her point about Matt and Eva was well made, but the situations here were entirely different. They’d agreed to a contract marriage because Matthew had wanted an heir, and that required them to be intimate—plus they’d already been sleeping together before Matt had even proposed the idea to her.
The idea of getting an annulment meant that me and Deli would be the furthest thing from intimate.
“No, no.” Deli held her hands up, shaking her head. “Granny, we’re not dating.”
“Oh.” Granny’s expression dropped. “I thought you’d make my day and finally admit to it.”
“There’s nothing to admit to,” I said, stretching my arms out in front of me and linking my fingers to crack my knuckles. “But you did just prove an earlier point of mine, so thank you.”
Deli threw a half-hearted punch at my ribs. “Shut up.”
“What point?” Granny asked, eyeing us both.
“That absolutely nobody would be surprised if we suddenly announced we were in a relationship,” I explained.
“Oh, that.” Granny paused, then nodded. “I can’t think of a single person who would be, except perhaps the pair of you.”
Deli buried her face in her hands. “Please stop.”
“You really should think about it,” I said, prodding her thigh. “Or is the idea that repulsive?”
“What idea?” Granny asked, looking between us again. “And why were you discussing me when I walked in here?”
I stared at the side of Deli’s head. “Which one of us is telling her?”
“Telling me what?”
Deli screwed up her nose. “It’s never going to happen, Fred.”
“What isn’t?”
“You never know,” I replied.
“For the love of God, tell me what you’re talking about!” Granny slapped her hand against the coffee table. “Frederick!”
Deli leant over and clapped her hand over my mouth before I could speak, and I flicked my tongue against her palm in protest.
“Eww!” She snatched her hand away and rubbed it on my arm. “Did you just lick my hand? Why would you do that?”
“To make you move your hand.” I grinned.
Granny sat back on the sofa and threw her arm over her eyes dramatically. “You two will never grow up.”
Deli wiped her hand on my arm one more time with a huff. “Granny, it’s nothing, really. Nana said her last wish is to see her girls married before she dies, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” She dropped her arm and stared at Deli. “That’s quite the lofty dream, given your perpetual singleness, sweetie.”
“Thank you for pointing that out,” Deli replied dryly. “Unfortunately for me, Nana thinks I have a secret lover stashed away because I said something stupid.”
“Well, to be fair, dear, half the town think you and my grandson are secretly in a relationship and cannot be convinced otherwise. It’s not a terribly big leap.”
“My point is proven once again,” I said triumphantly. “Granny, you’re really pulling through for me today.”
