Page 8 of Attached At Heart
Something about my expression—probably my jaw that had dropped—made Delaney quickly add, “But he knew. He knew about it. He was going to get a cut, and then we’d get a divorceafter a year, and he’d get to pay off his student loans and run happily into the sunset debt-free. He was a very willing participant, I promise.”
Of course he fucking was. He got to be married to Delaney while getting paid for it. I was sure he thought he’d won the goddamn lottery.
“So, what I’m hearing is you were neverreallyengaged.”
“Yes.” She slumped in her chair, looking both relieved and exasperated. “Thank you for finally understanding.”
“Jesus fuck, Delaney,” I swore beneath my breath, my eyes fluttering shut at her affirmation.
I massaged the back of my neck, trying to get a grip on this new reality. One where Delaney had never been in love with Austin Long, where she’d never even wanted to marry him, not in a real sense, and one where she wasn’tgoingto marry him. But most importantly, a reality where she’d needed a husband, and for some goddamn reason, she hadn’t askedme.
Austin was just some guy from our cohort in med school who’d also ended up at Mayo for his fellowship but in a different specialty. All I really knew about him was that Delaney had thought he was funny and kind because he bought her lunch, like, one time, and if that was the bar to ask someone to marry them, then Christ, what had I been doing wrong for our decade-long friendship? Did I need to tell more jokes?
Delaney worried her bottom lip, and I internally groaned, trying not to look at her mouth. Now was not the time.Sonot the time for my brain to go there.
She drummed her fingers on the table anxiously. “Can you please say something else?”
I released a slow breath before pinning my gaze on her and asking, “Why?”
Her brows pulled together. “Why was I getting married? I told you?—”
“No.” I shook my head, running a hand over my face. “No, why didn’t you tell me? Or better yet, why didn’t you just ask me?”
“You were dating someone,” she said, hasty to clarify that.
Only it didn’t clarify anything.
Someone?
I crossed my arms over my chest because we both knew she was being vague on purpose. I’d taken girls on dates, if only to see if anyone might break through the spell Delaney had on me, but I’d never seriously dated anyone.
Fine, though. We could go with that reasoning for now. I wasn’t going to risk pushing her for the truth about this when I’d just gotten her back. It wasn’t the important thing at the moment.
“Well, who are you going to marry now?” I asked instead.
Because thatwasthe important thing. I knew Delaney still had plans to get that inheritance money. And I needed to know what those plans were. Needed to know what I should brace myself for.
Delaney blew out a breath between her lips. “I don’t know. I decided to move closer to home and focus on work for a bit while I regrouped. Maybe push my grandparents’ executor, see if there’s any other workaround. Thought it might be easier to do while I’m here since he’s local to Boston.”
“He does know you want to use the money to do a good thing, right?”
“He knows,” she said, and I pursed my lips in irritation.
“I see.”
I hated that Delaney had to go through this just to follow her dreams of making the world a better place. But at least I knew about it now. And I wouldn’t let her go through it alone, even if there were still some things up in the air between us. Even if maybe there were certain aspects of this situation I still didn’tunderstand. I understood enough. Enough to make up my mind about what I was going to do next.
The easiest decision I’d ever made.
“So…” Delaney tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, giving me a side-eyed look. “That’s whyI’mhere.”
Then she stared at me expectantly. Waiting for me to pick up where we’d left off in the conversation before, as though she hadn’t just shattered my world in some of the best and worst ways possible.
But fine.
“Youknowwhy I’m here,” I said.
“Do I?”
