Page 37 of The Fates We Tame
“Name one.”
“Fine. You don’t just marry strangers.”
“Apparently that’s something your familydoesdo.”
Her mouth opens and closes for a minute. “That may be fair, but obviously the reason I am here is because I don’t.”
I recall some fact from high school. “Some countries have arranged marriages between strangers.”
Sophia sighs. “Okay. You don’t just marry someone so they can avoid having to marry someone else.”
“That’s fair. I’m not suggesting…for life. Twelve months, maybe. A contract.” I drop my hand from her jaw and take hold of her wrist. My fingers fit around it easily. “Stop your family getting it annulled by…claiming you made this decision recklessly and without your full faculties. I doubt my club will help us if you are connected to the Cosa Nostra or Mafia. But they’ll have to if you’re my old lady. My wife.”
Her eyes flare at the wordwife.
“They’ll know it’s fake.”
I shake my head. “They might think it’s fake, but they won’t know for sure. Especially if we act like it isn’t.”
“Why would you do this?”
I look over at the eye patch sitting on the desk again. Something deep inside me stirs at the idea of being noble. Of having purpose that’s greater than the pieces of me. “I can’t explain it to you, Soph, but I know it’s the answer. It solves your problem. And my mom…she’s got cancer, going through treatment, terrified she’s not gonna live long enough to see all her kids settled and happy. It’ll give her a boost to know I’m married to a nice girl.”
Sophia looks humorously puzzled. “I’m anice girl?”
“Obviously. But everything about this feels like the man I used to be before all this happened. Maybe in doing this, I put the pieces of me back together.”
Sophia sighs. “I feel like it would be disingenuous to say yes.”
“Remind me what that word means.”
“Sort of insincere because I benefit more than you do. And they are never going to believe us. They saw us at your party.”
I rub my hand along my jaw. “And what did they see, Soph? You came in, and I introduced you to each of my friends. They saw the way I looked after you. I nearly kicked Saint’s ass for knocking you over. Is it that much of a leap to believe we feel something for each other? That perhaps we were hiding our real feelings but couldn’t wait any longer. That maybe we’re carpe diem-ing life after trauma because happiness and life can disappear in the blink of an eye. Could you make it believable?”
“You want me to pretend it’s real?”
“It’s the only way.”
“Seems that’s not fair for you either. You have to know I have a crush on you.”
A crush. The word is so sweet. Takes me back to high school.
I smile softly, then run my thumb over her thick lower lip. “Well, that should make faking our marriage a little easier, then. Shouldn’t it?”
“Don’t tease me,” she says, her voice wavering.
“Like, what if I kissed you now, so you could be ready to fake it later?”
“I said don’t tease me.”
“Who said I’m teasing? Was that a yes or no, Sophia?”
Her mouth opens, and when she looks up at me and sees my smile, she nods. I lean forward and brush my lips over hers. Softly, at first. In case this wasn’t what she was thinking.
“Do that again,” she whispers, and I oblige.
Our mouths open, and my tongue meets hers. I feel her sigh against me as my body starts to respond to the fact I have a woman in my arms after all this time.
