Be My Wife: A BWWM Romance (Make It Marriage Book 6)

by Nia Arthurs

  “Forget the past, Elizabeth. If you keep looking in the rearview mirror when you should be looking ahead, you’re going to crash.” She smiles gently. “I know what it’s like to be terrified of loving someone.”

  I nod to her giant engagement ring. “Your fiancé?”

  “He’s my brother’s best friend. We grew up together. He’s also eight years older and insisted on seeing me as nothing but a sister, no matter how much I threw myself at him.”

  I chuckle.

  “The point is,” Venus says, “all my tricks and flirting and hints didn’t work. It wasn’t until I had a mature, honest conversation that I got anywhere with Troy.”

  “You think it’s worth it?”

  “That’s a question you have to answer.” She studies me intently. “Is it worth it?”

  My brain says ‘no’.

  That I’d be putting myself in the way of rejection.

  That Brogan would just leave me again.

  But my heart…

  My heart has a different answer.

  A big and terrifying ‘yes’.

  Thirty-Three

  Brogan

  Steph’s speech is stuck in my head. It’s bothering me—the thought that Elizabeth might have given me her heart sometime during the relationship and I missed it.

  What if you’re just being delusional?

  Fear keeps trying to back me into a corner.

  Keeps slugging up the past.

  Remember Lana? Remember how much her betrayal hurt?

  I do remember.

  Every time I look at my scarred hands, I remember.

  Every time I see a flame, I remember.

  It’s emblazoned into me.

  Like a cow getting branded.

  That pain.

  That rejection.

  But this time is different.

  I can’t block out the hole in my chest with resentment.

  I can’t fill it with bitterness.

  It’s too wide.

  Too deep.

  Too much.

  The only one who can fill that hole is Elizabeth.

  She’s in my mind.

  She’s the fire inside my heart.

  It’s still blazing.

  Still waiting for her.

  I’m still trapped inside, unable to breathe.

  Hoping to clear my head, I leave Steph with Ina and jog to the café across the street for some proper java. Once I step inside, my eyes go straight to the table where Elizabeth and I last spoke.

  I can see her now.

  Hair all frizzy and voluminous.

  Brown skin glowing softly in the sunlight.

  Eyes narrowing with hurt.

  Back then, I’d been too up in my feelings to see it.

  I interpreted everything my own way.

  But she was confused.

  Shocked even.

  Maybe there’s another explanation for everything.

  Even if there isn’t, I just want to hear her voice.

  See her face.

  One more time.

  I have to see Elizabeth.

  Excitement breaks through the rubble of my heart. A tiny green leaf springing past cement.

  I fumble for my cell phone and start to dial her up when a hand falls on my shoulder. “Brogan!” a deep, welcoming voice says. “Is that you?”

  A man who looks vaguely familiar stares at me, a giant grin on his dark face.

  He sees my blank expression and offers his hand. “Oren. Novah’s fiancé.”

  “Hey.”

  Oren glances at the man beside him and introduces me. “This is Brogan Harrington.”

  “We’ve met. Months ago.” The guy shakes my hand. “I work at Steel & Sons Law Firm.”

  I nod.

  Oren accepts his coffee. With three fingers, he waves to me. “I’ll see you at the wedding rehearsal tonight, right?” He backs away, his eyes flitting to his friend. “We should meet up some time, Daryl.”

  “Definitely.” Daryl punches Oren’s fist and then grins at me. In a mischievous whisper, he says, “He’s got his hands full with Novah, right?”

  I shrug and give my order to the barista. As I wait, my thoughts veer back to Elizabeth. I wonder if she’ll pick up my call? We didn’t exactly leave things on the best foot.

  Daryl edges closer to me. “Novah comes from a pretty big family. Which cousin are you married to?”

  I pretend not to have heard him. Grabbing my phone and hoping he’ll get the hint, I scroll to Elizabeth’s number.

  Our last message fills my screen.

  ME: We need to talk.

  LIZ: On my way.

  Daryl lets out an amused sigh. “Novah asked me to do a favor for one of them a few weeks ago.”

  Still only half-listening, I scroll through my messages with Elizabeth.

  LIZ: Stop staring at me.

  ME: Who me?

  LIZ: Don’t you work?

  ME: I’m working right now.

  LIZ: You’re still staring.

  ME: I can’t help it.

  LIZ: Riley’s making stupid jokes.

  ME: About?

  LIZ: Why are you staring?!?

  ME: You need to move your desk.

  LIZ: Why would I do that?

  ME: You’re too beautiful. It’s distracting me.

  Pain strikes me right in the chest.

  A slam to the gut.

  Unforgiving.

  Painful.

  Damn.

  Daryl slips a hand into his pocket. “I drafted a divorce settlement for her.”

  “She’s already planning to divorce Oren?” I mumble.

  “Her cousin.” He leans even closer. “She married a guy for his inheritance, but she wasn’t seeing a penny of it.”

  I jerk my head around. “What did you just say?”

  “N-Novah. She came to the office—”

  “After that.”

  “The sham marriage?” He licks his lips. “I don’t know much about it, man. I just know that Novah was real determined to get her cousin out.”

  “Novah came to you on her own?”

  “Yeah. She said her cousin was too blinded by love to do what needed to be done.”

  Something heavy drops into my chest. Or maybe that heavy thing was there all along. Hiding behind my stupidity and stubbornness.

  Elizabeth’s heart.

  Damn.

  I push off the counter and sprint to the exits.

  My mind races, struggling to pick up all the threads running through it.

  I divorced my wife—

  Pushed away the woman I love—

  Gave up my only chance at happiness—

  For a misunderstanding?

  I dial Elizabeth.

  “Come on, Liz.” I hold the phone to my ear and listen to it ring. “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.”

  It goes to voicemail.

  I curse and toss the phone into my passenger seat. Jerking on my seatbelt, I back out of the parking lot like a maniac. Ten minutes later, I storm through the doors of our office.

  Riley shoots to her feet. “Mr. Harrington.”

  My gaze skids past her to the empty desk behind her.

  “Where’s Elizabeth?”

  Riley’s eyelashes flutter. “Um...”

  “Where is she?”

  “She took the day off. Sir, is everything okay?”

  I bite back a curse.

  Levy steps out of his office. His eyes widen when he sees my furious expression. “Brogan, what’s going on?”

  I spin around without answering him and hurry out of the building.

  Pink and orange taints the sky as I rush to my car.

  The sun is setting.

  It’ll be dark soon.

  I drive to Elizabeth’s apartment, calling her phone the entire way.

  She doesn’t pick up.

  I park haphazardly in the parking lot and thump up the stairs.

  Her door appears in front of me.

  I pound on it.<
br />
  “Elizabeth!”

  No answer.

  Either she’s ignoring me or…

  “The wedding rehearsal.” I back away from her apartment and pull out my phone to call her mom.

  “Brogan!” she says happily.

  “Mrs. Garcia—”

  “I told you to call me ‘Mama’.”

  “Mama,” I swallow hard, “I need directions to the church.”

  With Mama’s directions, I turn into the gravel lot outside a big, fancy church fifteen minutes later.

  As I sit in the car, fear tries to creep over me.

  You’re going to make a fool of yourself.

  This changes nothing.

  You can’t trust love.

  You can’t—

  I shut that voice down and climb out of the truck.

  My steps are slow at first.

  Unsure.

  Then I think about Elizabeth and I start running.

  My arms stretch out and push the doors wide open. They slam against the wall. It’s more noise than I intended to make, but I can’t stop now.

  I step inside.

  My chest heaves.

  Sweat runs down my face.

  I drag a hand over my chin, watching as the wedding rehearsal crashes to a halt.

  There are candles everywhere.

  Flowers.

  Novah’s standing at the altar, holding hands with Oren.

  There are three bridesmaids.

  The one all the way at the end is the woman I came for.

  The woman I crave.

  The woman I adore more than life itself.

  She’s wearing a simple dress that hugs her willowy figure.

  Her soft pink lips are falling open.

  “Brogan?” Mama gasps. She’s sitting in the front pew, her thick neck stretching around to look at me.

  The pastor glances between Novah and Oren. “Is this… supposed to happen?”

  Oren shakes his head no.

  I suck in a deep breath.

  My lungs feel like they’re about to explode.

  My heart too.

  It’s not just because I ran all the way in here.

  Seeing Elizabeth…

  Damn.

  My body remembers the feel of her lips.

  The taste of her sweet kisses.

  The shape of her in my arms.

  My soul remembers her smile.

  Her sarcasm.

  Her kindness.

  I take a step.

  Keep my eyes on my wife.

  My. Wife.

  I don’t care that all her family is watching.

  I don’t care that I look like a lunatic marching down the aisle in the middle of a mock wedding, sweating bullets and gasping for air.

  My steps don’t waver.

  Fear can’t hold me anymore.

  Love eclipses everything.

  I just need her.

  I just need Elizabeth.

  Thirty-Four

  Elizabeth

  I stare at Brogan in shock as he storms down the aisle. A few seconds ago, the pastor jokingly asked if anyone objected to the marriage.

  Right that minute Brogan blew into the church looking like he ran a whole marathon and staring at me with those powerful blue eyes.

  I’d forgotten how intense his gazes are. It’s like his eyes have the power to grab me up by the throat and dangle me off the ground.

  I’m suspended.

  Mid-air.

  No mat to catch me.

  No net to soften my fall.

  My breath hitches in my throat. “Brogan?”

  He stalks to the front of the church but doesn’t climb the steps to the altar. He just stays there. Staring at me.

  His broad chest swells with each breath. Red hair sticks straight up as if he ran his fingers through it and didn’t bother putting it back in order.

  The entire church falls silent.

  No one moves.

  No one even blinks.

  “Elizabeth,” he calls my name in that dark, growly voice.

  The one that always sends a shiver down my spine.

  I’m not immune to it.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  “W-what are you doing here?”

  “I’m here,” he pants softly, “because I can’t live without you.”

  My eyes widen.

  From the corner of the room, I hear Mama crooning, “Aw.”

  “For so long, I closed myself off to love. And then I met you.” He shakes his head. “My heart had no defense.”

  Tears blur in my eyes. “Brogan…”

  “I was terrified of getting hurt, but what scares me more is the thought of never holding you again.” He stops to take another breath, his eyes darkening. “Never seeing that little smile you wear when you’re with your family. And that little giggle you have when you’re playing with the kids. And the way you crinkle your eyes when you disagree with me.”

  Emotions clog my throat.

  Sear my chest.

  Heat me up from the top of my head to my feet.

  Brogan’s here.

  He’s here… confessing his love for me.

  Is this even real?

  I move down a step.

  Brogan stays in place. “You’re not just a transaction, Liz. You’re so precious to me. I want to take care of you. I want to be by your side for the rest of our days. I want you to be my wife.” He pauses. Licks his lips. “I want to be the husband you deserve.” For the first time, hesitation enters his eyes. “That is… if you still want me.”

  How could I not?

  Brogan’s exactly what I need.

  Everything I want.

  “Do you want to marry me… again, Liz?”

  “I do.”

  He smiles broadly.

  I fling my body down the rest of the stairs yelling, “I do. I do. I so freaking do!”

  He catches me in his arms.

  Crushes me against him.

  I spread my palm over his chest.

  Feel his heart beating like crazy.

  Harried breaths fan my forehead as he leans in.

  Pulls me up to him.

  Yes.

  This.

  This right here is where I belong.

  Brogan presses his forehead against mine. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” I whisper.

  Cradling my face between his hands, he kisses me.

  I close my eyes.

  Kiss him back for all I’m worth.

  My heart screams with joy.

  Electricity crackles everywhere we touch.

  In the background, I hear my family hooting, clapping and cheering.

  None of it registers.

  Nothing matters.

  Nothing except Brogan’s thumb caressing my cheek.

  His palm tenderly holding my back.

  His beard rasping against the sensitive skin of my jaw.

  His lips sweetly promising forever.

  When he breaks the kiss, I bury my head in his chest and wrap my arms around his waist, pressing myself as close to him as I can until it feels like we’re truly one.

  His mouth grazes my forehead in a whisper-soft kiss.

  “Ehem.” The pastor gives us an amused smirk. “Ms. Elizabeth, can you kindly return to your place so we can resume our proceedings?”

  I hold on to Brogan.

  He looks down at me, his blue eyes crackling. “Go on.”

  “No thanks.” I turn and meet Novah’s gaze. “I think I got the gist. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  Her eyelashes flutter together. “Elizabeth,” she hisses, “where are you going?”

  I smile at Brogan. “Anywhere as long as it’s with him.”

  He caresses my arm. Together, we turn and stride to the door. On my way, I catch Mama’s eye and mime ‘I’ll call you’. She slants me a wide, befuddled grin and nods.

  I know I’ll be the hottest topic in the family group chats tomorrow and probably for the
rest of my life.

  Did you hear how Elizabeth’s husband busted into Novah’s wedding rehearsal and asked her to be his wife?

  Again? I thought they were already married.

  I smirk to myself.

  Brogan’s thumb caresses the back of my hand. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” I tuck my head against his arm. “I’m just happy.”

  He stops. Turns to me. His eyes dip all over my face. “I shouldn’t have let you go.”

  “You messed up big time,” I agree.

  “Should I remind you that you’re the one who snuck out before the contract was up?”

  “I did not.”

  He slants me a yeah right look.

  “Fine. I’ll admit I broke the contract first.” I press a kiss to his freckled arm. “But let’s not forget you’re the one who broke up with me first.”

  “So… mistakes were made.”

  “Like handing me divorce papers out of nowhere?” I arch an eyebrow. “That was cold.”

  He opens the car door for me. “It’s a long story.”

  “You can tell me on the way to the hospital.” I duck inside.

  “The hospital?” Brogan arches an eyebrow as he climbs behind the wheel.

  “We’re going to see Steph, right?”

  “I was going to take you home.”

  “Why?” I arch an eyebrow. “Haven’t you been staying with Steph this whole time?” I check my watch. “You left her to come find me. I know you’d rather be with her than—”

  “Elizabeth,” he calls my name firmly.

  I look up.

  “I love Steph. She’s like a daughter to me. I would die for her.”

  “I know. That’s why I’m saying we should go to the hospital—”

  “But,” his eyes narrow, “you’re more important.”

  My pulse quickens. “Brogan…”

  “My priority is with you first. It’s you always.”

  My heart jumps in my chest.

  “I want you. I want a marriage with you and I don’t want you to ever think that I’ll put anyone before you. That includes Steph and my mom.”

  I wince. “Do you have to say it like that?”

  “Yes. Because I need you to understand.”

  “It’s okay that Steph’s more important. You knew her before me. She’s—“

  “What?”

  “I don’t know,” I shrug, “you said she was the only good thing in your life.”

  “So are you.”

  I bite down on my bottom lip.

  He sighs. “That heart of yours. You’re so damn considerate. Even if I love that about you…” He pauses. “You’re always there for other people. You’re always putting others first. You went out of your way to marry a total stranger.”