Page 74 of Made For You
We were headed downtown for lunch at my favorite place, The Purple Goat. Harold made a killer jalapeno-and-pimento cheeseburger. I had it at least once a week during my lunches with Betsy. That woman knew everyone and everything that was going on in town. She was better than any entertainment channel on television. She also kept me aware whenever she saw someone new snooping in town, trying to pick up a story on me and Aurora. It wasn’t often, but every couple of days, someone inquired about us. The press was meddlesome at best, sneaky and intrusive at worst.
And Aurora and I had gone long enough in peace that I was now waiting for the worst.
We’d been able to brush aside the stories that sprouted about our quicky wedding. Gigi played her part by saying how much she adored Aurora. And even the PR team from the hotel was able to back up the story that we met the year prior.
So far, it was smooth sailing, and I was one step closer to signing the contract to establish myself as the official CEO of Wilder Hotels. I was ready to move into my rightful place. I wondered what my mother would think of all I’d done to get back into the business. Would she be proud of me? Or would she be disappointed in the lengths I went to cement myself in the role?
“I’m so hungry,” Aurora said as she gazed out the window. She was rubbing her stomach lightly, and I had the craziest vision of her being pregnant with my child. It wasn’t a future I ever envisioned for myself, but every day that passed with Aurora as my wife, it became more and more clear.
I was so fucking in love with her.
When I presented her the contract almost three months ago, I never thought this was where we’d end up. WhereIwould end up. Miami had been my home since I was three, but here I was, considering a permanent move to Ashfield, because I’d fallen in love with not only my temporary wife, but the mountainous area. But I knew when things ended, I wouldn’t be able to stay here. It would kill me to see her move on.
“Are you okay? Your face is more pinched than usual,” Aurora said as I slid the car into a parking spot on the street. I relaxed my features as I met her gaze. She lifted her hand, the oversized diamond sparkling on her finger, and brushed a few strands of hair back from my forehead. The cut Aurora gave me was neat and trimmed along the sides and longer on top. I wasn’t used to hair tickling my face, since I always kept my long hair tucked behind my ears when it wasn’t pulled into a man-bun, and I kept pushing it back.
“Is it still growing on you?”
“Yeah, but I like it.”
“I bet Dean won’t even recognize you.”
I laughed as she giggled. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Whatever,” she said. “I still think y’all are secret lovers and not just a bromance.”
I shook my head and exited the car, moving swiftly to her side. Opening the door, I held out my hand to help her step out. The sun shone behind her like a halo, and I had the strangest urge to tell her how I felt. About how deeply I cared for her, but that wasn’t even something I did with Gigi. I had no idea how to express myself.
“You’re scowling again. Are you sure everything is okay?”
Ushering her into the restaurant, I assured her everything was fine. We ate our lunch as she relayed the text Franny sent her that morning. Aurora’s best friend and her coworker had grown serious over the last couple of weeks. My wife disclosed how, when she first met Liam, he’d given off major creep vibes, but she learned quickly the man was just awkward. Franny and Liam were away on their first overnight trip together, and Aurora was hopeful this was “the one.” I liked Franny, and if Liam made her happy, I hoped it would all work out.
After lunch, Aurora seemed distant. Even when I offered to walk with her to the ice cream shop, she declined. I was worried about how tonight would go, and I feared she was too.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to be at the wedding in any sort of professional aspect. The asshole had the nerve to request Aurora as the photographer. Autumn nipped that in the bud quickly. I was still in shock that the dick who had thrown out all her beautiful images and chucked her camera thought she would take him up on the offer. There was no amount of money on the planet that would’ve made Aurora agree to his proposal.
We’d had a few conversations about their relationship and why she was ever with him. She said when they met, he’d been charming and swept her off her feet, but after the puppy love period subsided, she began to see his true colors. Aurorahad been so deep into her work life that she let their relationship go on longer than she should have, even though the warning signs had been there all along. She even confessed that right before the two of them parted ways, she’d been expecting a proposal. Instead, what she received was him dumping her on stage at one of the town’s popular festivals. It had been the talk of their small town for weeks afterward.
“Are you sure you don’t want something else while we’re out? We can grab some more film for your camera.” Even though her new digital camera she ordered for herself arrived a couple of weeks ago, she’d been using the Leica regularly. We’d already developed seven rolls of film since the day I surprised her with it. There was only one roll she had yet to see processed.Thatwas something I was still working on.
“I’m okay. I think I still have some at our house.”
Over the last month, Aurora had gone from calling the place where we livedherhome toours. I thought of it that way as well, and even when things ended between us, I’d still look at that little bungalow as my first real home.
“All right.”
On the drive back to the house, I noticed she ignored a call from her brother—something she’d been doing more and more of. The two of them were on rocky terms after he confronted her about our marriage. Somehow, I was going to fix things between the siblings, but I wasn’t sure how. I tried to speak with him when I was at Sunny Brook Farms with Aurora during the harvest, but he ignored me the entire time.
Thank goodness I had Nate and Colton there. The three of us stayed busy with whatever task Nash needed us to work on—mostly things that didn’t require the heavy machinery or tools, because other than Colton’s minor construction skills, we were all pretty worthless when it came to the heavy-duty parts. I learned very quickly that farming wasn’t for those who grewup fed with a silver spoon; that’s for sure. And seeing firsthand a harvest worked by people who made it look soeasyfor them made my respect for the farmers skyrocket.
And mere minutes after that educational moment, when I humbly relinquished my man card, I watched my tiny wife jump right up into one of the huge green tractors and begin working alongside her dad.
I’d never been more turned on in my life.
Both Colton and Nate agreed Andrew would come around with time, but I wasn’t so sure. Especially after learning Aurora’s history. He was likely afraid she made the same mistake again. It was unfortunate we couldn’t tell him all the details to help clear the air, but the fewer people who knew why we were married, the better. HR and the legal team were taking their sweet time establishing me as CEO of Wilder Hotels, but I was afraid if I pushed them harder, someone would get suspicious.
When she sent her brother’s call to voicemail, I asked Aurora gently if she was ever going to speak to him, but she replied only with a shrug. I really hoped we weren’t going to run into him at the wedding. I hadn’t heard if he would be there or not.
I exited the car, surprised Aurora got out at the same time—something she hadn’t done before, since I always insisted on getting her door. Dashing around the front of the car, I stopped in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders. I tried not to notice how her nipples puckered beneath her tight blue-and-white baseball T-shirt at my touch. But I was human, after all.
