Page 56 of One and Only

With precision, she folded the marriage license in half and tucked it into a purse that was sitting next to the fridge. “My new husband and I are going upstairs. Cameron will tell Pastor Bill that we’re going to take care of the marriage license and that he’s free to leave once all wedding guests are safe from the fictional exorcism.”

Cameron’s jaw ticked ominously. “And why would I do that?”

Greer heard something in his voice, and I saw the first flicker of nerves in her otherwise undaunted facade.

“Because it’s important to your sister,” I said. My voice was quiet and steady, and I stayed seated.

Cameron’s eyes locked unerringly onto mine, and I didn’t so much as blink, straightening in the stool. It was easy enough for another man to recognize a challenge when he heard one.

And make no mistake about it, I would stand, meet him toe-to-toe if I thought it would help. But it wouldn’t. All it would serve was to add tension into an already stressful situation.

“I’m not foolish enough to ask you to do any favors for me,” I continued. “But it’s important to Greer that we keep this out of the realm of actual fraud. So unless you want to set us both into a legally binding marriage—recognized by the state of Oregon, and something we’ll have to undo someday—then I suggest you do as she asks and not make her feel worse.”

Cameron broke the stare first, glancing down at his feet. He exhaled heavily, fingers rapidly drumming against the side of his leg, until finally, he nodded.

Greer moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Cameron returned the hug immediately, pressing an absentminded kiss to the top of her dark hair.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “I know how much we’re asking.”

“You owe me,” he told her. “I’m about to go lie to the pastor that you and your fake husband are upstairs havingsexso you can steal the paperwork in order not to legalize your marriage. I will burn for this, make no mistake about it.”

Greer fought a smile.

But he softened. “But I’d only do something this insane for one of my sisters,” he added.

“Not your brothers?” I asked, impossibly curious.

“Hell no. Those assholes are on their own.”

Greer grinned, a dimple popping out in her left cheek.

As Cameron left us alone, I couldn’t help but stare at the woman who I’d just spoken vows to.

She was beautiful—the kind of beautiful I’d probably never quite get used to. And all the energy trapped under her skin, the way she seemed to make the air around her vibrate, it was terrifying.

Greer held out her hand. “Shall we go hide from the minister?”

“Do I have a choice?”

And it was to the sound of Greer’s laughter that she led us from the room, my mind looping over one single thing: what the hell did I just do?

Chapter12

Greer

I tried to imagine explaining all of this to the teenage version of myself. The girl who hung posters on her walls of grungy musicians and sweaty, muscle-bound athletes, and sexy pop stars. That version of Greer would lose her absolute mind that I was married to a professional football player. She’d have stars in her eyes if I told her that the guy who said I do and slipped a ring on our finger was six-five—because when you were taller than all the boys in your class, that was on par with winning the lottery.

She’d swoon if I told her he made a good strong pot of coffee and did quiet thoughtful things like leave a mug out for me the first day I was there, even though he was up a couple of hours before I liked to start the day.

She’d squeal at inhuman decibel levels if I told her that he had dark hair and dark eyes, a nice smile, and was in possession of those deep muscles cutting down in a V on either side of his neatly stacked abs.

Not that he walked around the house shirtless, but he tended only to wear athletic shorts when he did yard work, and the house had a lot of windows, and I was only human,okay.

And if I tried to explain to teenage Greer that I’d spent the first two nights of our married life to this prime specimen of a man in a guest room with abeigecomforter—very much by myself—she’d wonder what the absolute hell I’d done wrong.

I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.

We’d coexisted quite nicely the first couple of nights. My new roommate kept himself very busy in Olive’s absence, so busy that I couldn’t help but wonder if that was intentional, given my new presence in his home.

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