Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Let me hold you,” he mumbles, and I immediately stop trying to move off his lap. “Thank you.” He pushes my hair behind my ear.
“Thank you for the ride.”
He smirks. “You’re welcome. That’s the least I can do for my new bride.”
I release a heavy sigh. “Come on, Maddox. Let’s be real. We have to get this marriage annulled.”
“We don’t have to.” He gives me a pleading puppy-dog look.
“We do. We’re not in love, Maddox. We went to Vegas, drank too much, and got married in our drunken stupor. That is not the makings of a successful marriage.”
“Think of the story we’ll tell our kids and grandkids.”
My heart squeezes inside my chest. “No kids. No grandkids.”
“Really?” he asks, surprised. “You don’t want kids?”
“I want kids. We’re not having kids. We’re not married, Maddox. Not really. We’re not even dating.”
“Then date me. While we’re married,” he adds quickly.
“What?” I still can’t believe this is his response to the situation we’ve found ourselves in.
“I care about you,” he says. His voice is soft, and the look in his eyes tells me he believes what he’s saying, too bad I can’t allow myself to believe him. “Like I said. For months, I’ve wanted you, but thought I had to stay away. I didn’t want to complicate things with Forrest and Briar. What if we didn’t work out? Where would that leave our group? I pushed what I wanted to the back burner, and I regret it. Maybe we could have had a double wedding.” He winks.
I want to tell him that I’ve felt the same way, but I can’t find the words. My heart is currently celebrating that this amazing man wants me. Wants me, even if we can’t stay married. My heart is racing like I just ran a 5K.
“It’s still too complicated. My sister is still married to your best friend. Our lives are still too intertwined.”
“But what if it isn’t too complicated?” Maddox asks. “What if it’s everything we could have ever imagined for ourselves?”
“But what if it isn’t?” I counter. At this point, we both sound like broken records, and we keep talking in circles.
“Brogan, you feel it, right? This spark that ignites between us?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to lie to him, but that’s not who I am. “Yeah,” I agree softly. “But, Maddox, sparks don’t mean we should stay married.”
“I get it. It’s not ideal, but, Brogan, I’ve wanted you for a long damn time, and now that you’re mine, I can’t let you go.”
“You have to.” I stand from his lap, and this time, he lets me. “I need to use the restroom.” Okay, so that’s a lie, but not completely. I do need to use the restroom as a place of reprieve and to put some distance between us. His scent and his arms wrapped around me is altering my ability to think clearly.
“I’ll be here.” He smiles softly, and damn him, my heart melts. He’s such a great guy—kind, and caring, and sexy as hell. In another life, I would jump at the chance to be married to him, but it just won’t work. It’s too complicated. There are too many wires in our lives that are crossed. His best friend, my sister, my nieces. He’s thinking the glass is half full, and I’m a half-empty girl. Life experience has taught me hope is fickle at best.
Once inside the bathroom, I twist the lock and brace my hands on the counter. Bowing my head, I focus on pulling in a deep breath. How did I let this happen? I never drink too much. I never let myself indulge like that. Not after what happened the summer after high school graduation. That’s not me, and it’s freaking me out that I don’t remember.
My cell rings, breaking me out of my thoughts. I rush to pull it out of my back pocket to see Briar’s name on the screen. “Hey you,” I answer, trying to hide the anxiety that’s coursing through my veins.
“Did you make it home okay?” she asks.
“I did. Maddox drove me home.” He’s still sitting in my living room.
“Husbands are good for that,” she teases.
I groan. “Not you too.”
My sister laughs. “I couldn’t help myself.”
“How did I let this happen, Briar? I don’t let myself get out of control, not after—” I stop because if anyone knows why I keep a tight leash on my drinking and actions, it’s my sister.
“You don’t see it, do you?”
“I guess not. Enlighten me, ole wise one.”
“You feel safe with him, Brogan. Last night you knew that no matter what, Maddox would take care of you.”
“He was drunk too!” I say a little too loudly and peer at the door, waiting for Maddox to knock.
“He was, but you knew even then he would never hurt you.” She stops there, giving her words a chance to sink in. “He’s a good man, Brogan. He cares about you.”