Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Good God, I hope not,” I said, making a face.
“Why not?”
“This plan works specifically because we’re not in love. Phase three would be a disaster if one of us had real feelings.” A huge, flaming dumpster fire where my heart used to be.
“Phase three?”
“The plan has three phases,” I said, sitting up taller and taking a sip of my wine. I’d been talking so much, I was still on my first glass. “We’re in phase one right now—that’s the engagement and wedding. The marriage and getting pregnant is phase two. The breakup is phase three.”
“But if you really fell in love, you wouldn’t have to break up,” she said brightly.
I shook my head. “We will not be in love, Blair. We’re not like you and Griffin. This is a business arrangement.”
“But maybe—”
“No,” I said with more vehemence than intended. “I don’t think you understand—I don’t want to fall for Enzo. I was in love with someone in Chicago for five years, and it was toxic and terrible and tore me apart. It took me a long time to feel whole again, and now that I do, I don’t plan on giving anyone that kind of power over me, especially not Enzo Moretti.”
She nodded and spoke hesitantly. “I’m really sorry about the bad relationship. I didn’t know.”
“I don’t talk about it much. And it doesn’t matter now.” I softened my voice. “Sorry I got testy. I don’t love discussing my romantic past. But I’m never going to be hurt like that again. Because I realized I don’t need a man for what I really want—to be a mom. To raise a child. There is nothing between Enzo and me except some bad blood and a contract—which, by the way, I have just violated by telling you the whole truth.”
“My lips are sealed,” she said. “I won’t even tell Griff if you don’t want me to.”
I bit my lip. “I hate asking you to keep a secret from your husband.”
“In this particular case, I don’t think he’d want to know the truth,” she said. “So we’re okay.”
“Thanks.” I finished my wine, set the glass down, and asked her the question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to. “You think this is a mistake?”
She sighed and swirled her wine around in her glass. “I don’t know. My gut reaction was shock, but honestly I feel like people have probably gotten married for worse reasons. At least you two are being completely honest with each other about things.”
“We are.”
“Then who am I to judge?” She lifted her shoulders. “I think women have to be bold sometimes to get what they want. Be adventuresome. Think outside the box. I know I had to. And it wasn’t easy for me—I’d been raised to do what I was told, what was expected of me. Instead, I struck out on my own and did things my way. And look at me now.”
“I’m looking,” I said warmly. “And I’ve always admired your independent spirit. Someday, I hope to feel that way too—like I can look back without regret on the day I became Mrs. Enzo Moretti.”
“Excuse me,” said a voice from behind the bar. “Did you say Mrs. Enzo Moretti?”
I looked up and saw a very pretty, very young woman with long, straight dark hair and flawless makeup application. Instinctively, I knew it had to be Reina, Enzo’s previous girlfriend—the one he’d proposed to the night we’d agreed on the plan. I had to think fast.
“Yes.” I beamed at her. “You must be Reina. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Bianca.”
She looked totally confused. “Are you his—so you’re like—did you marry him?”
I laughed. “Not yet. We’re tying the knot this Friday.”
Her eyeballs nearly popped out of her head. “This Friday?”
“Yes. I know, it seems fast. We only reconnected after the two of you stopped seeing one another. But years ago, we were deeply in love. High school sweethearts, in fact. We only broke up when I left for college. When we started up again, it was like no time had passed.” I snapped my fingers. “Instant rekindling of the flame.”
“He wanted to marry me too,” she said, looking annoyed that Enzo had moved on so quickly—not that I really blamed her. She glanced at my hand. “In fact, he proposed with that very same ring.”
“Well, thank God you don’t know a good thing when you see it, or else I wouldn’t be marrying the love of my life in two days, right?” I tossed my head back and laughed. “Well, I should get home—he’s got dinner waiting, and I’m starved. Although he’s such an animal, he probably won’t even let me eat before he starts tearing my clothes off.”
“He tears your clothes off?” Reina asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Constantly. The man is insatiable.” Enzo had told me Reina had found it odd that he wasn’t interested in her sexually, so I couldn’t resist torturing her a little. If she wasn’t such a knockout, I might have felt bad, but the girl was a solid ten, maybe even an eleven. Enzo was nuts. “Could we get our bill please?”