Page 34 of Cherished Lands
"But it turns out, if I'm married to Elliot, my investment becomes marital property, and the non-compete doesn't apply."
Elena blinked rapidly. I could see the cogs whirring in her head as her brain played catch-up. "So, you're telling me the only way to save your investment is to marry the guy you've been lusting after since you were in high school?"
"I havenotbeen lusting?—"
"Bitch, please. You literally told me you would drive pastEver Eden every day after school so you could maybe catch a glimpse of him working shirtless."
I felt my cheeks flush. "That was different. I was sixteen."
"And now you're thirty-one and orchestrating a fake marriage." Elena's grin turned wicked. "Speaking of which, is that his shirt?"
I glanced down at the soft gray cotton drowning my frame. "Maybe."
"And how exactly did you end up in his clothes?"
"It's not like that! My father kicked me out, and Emma offered?—"
"You'relivingwith him?"
"Not withhim," I corrected. "He has his own place. I'm staying in his old room at his parents' house."
"Oh my god." Elena shifted, bringing her face closer to the camera. "This is better than those romance novels you pretend not to read. You're literally living the enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience dream right now."
"I am not," I protested weakly, even though my stomach did a little flip every time I thought about Elliot actually proposing. "It's just business."
"Business. Right. You're so convincing. This is my convinced face."
I groaned, sliding further down in the bed. "You should have seen his face when I demanded a proper romantic proposal. He looked like he was going to have an aneurysm."
"Wait. Youdemandeda romantic proposal?"
"I might have suggested that if we want people to believe this is real, he needs to do it properly. You know, with a ring and everything."
Elena snickered. "You're evil. I love it. But also... girl, are you sure you can handle that? Having the guy you've been crushing on for literal years get down on one knee and pretend to be in love with you?"
The question hit a little too close to home. Because that was the problem, wasn't it? I'd been so focused on outmaneuvering my father and saving the cidery, that I hadn't considered what this would actually mean. Elliot would have to look at me with those intense blue eyes of his and pretend to want forever with me.
"I can handle it," I lied. "It's not like?—"
A knock at the door made me jump. "Tessa?" Elliot's voice called through the wood. "Can we talk about this proposal thing?"
"Gotta go, bestie. Bye, love you." My fingers fumbled at my phone as I scrambled to end the call.
After a quick check of my flushed face in the dresser mirror, I took a deep breath and opened the door. Elliot's forearms were braced against the frame. He stared down at me with his brows drawn together in that serious, intense expression that turned my knees to jello.
Damn, my fiancé is fine.
The plan was solid.
The fewer people who knew the real reason for our marriage, the better. The list included Hank, Jay, Emma, and Elena.
Plus the bride and groom, of course.
Chase was a loose cannon, and his blabber mouth couldn't be trusted, so we made the decision to leaveallElliot's siblings out of the loop.
To the rest of the world, we'd been secretly in love with each other for years, and we'd only recently discovered how the other felt. Instead of wasting any more time pretending to hate each other, we'd decide to elope.
But first, the proposal.
