Page 16 of Keeping My Wife
“It would be a big job. Transforming a house into a shared space takes some refinement. A bed and breakfast is more forgiving of course. People are looking for more of a home than a hotel.”
“Yes. I’d have to do some research. I’d need more parking outside. Help with the grounds.”
“You might need a good bit of that inheritance to make it really work.”
“I don’t care.” Suddenly very excited, I grabbed his hands. “I love this house.”
“Would you rather want it for your family someday?”
I paused. “Honestly?”
He nodded. “Honestly.”
“There’s an old carriage house in the back. I’d rather have a small house that is cozy for myself.”
“Can I see it?”
“Now?” I glanced out the window. “It’s dark.”
“I just finished a big job. I’d like to take a look tomorrow morning.”
Unsettled that this could actually happen, I backed up and tried to release his hands.
“Hey, it’s up to you.”
“I know. I’m just freaking myself out.”
“It’s okay to be excited about it.”
Was it though? My grandmother was barely interred.
“It doesn’t have to be now.” He lifted one of my hands and kissed my wrist. “One step at a time.”
My skin buzzed at his lips and the brush of his beard.
“Just practicing being a husband.” He settled the same hand on his chest. “Gotta get used to me around you.”
“Right.”
“Or no one will believe it.”
I nodded. “Right. You’re right.”
“Now the next question is—are we telling people?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if we’re getting married to fulfill this loophole in the will, do you want people to know we’re married. Is that part of the stipulations?”
“I don’t know. My lawyer just said we had to live together.”
“Well, I have tomorrow off. Do you want to start the paperwork? I know you said you have a contract in mind, which I totally think you should do. You need to be protected.”
My heart kicked from under the stone sitting in my chest. No one other than my grandmother had ever thought to protect me. Certainly not my mother. And my grandmother’s version of protection was control of everything.
“I should talk to my own lawyer. Not my grandmother’s.”
“Good plan. Now, the next question is are we using the local town hall to do this? You know it’ll be everywhere within the hour.”
