by Hart, Hanna
If it were possible, Ryder thought, this situation just got weirder.
Now he was supposed to pay his ex-girlfriend to be his fake wife? Shell out a million bucks to help his father's career?
“She will get half after the first year of marriage and half at the end of the one-year separation once the divorce papers are signed,” his mother continued to read.
“This is insane,” Ryder said, shaking his head. “So, she's not supposed to date anyone for a year? Then when she does date, she's supposed to deal with a public backlash?”
“Marriages of convenience happen more than you think,” his father interjected.
“I don't want a marriage of convenience!” Ryder shouted. “I don't want a marriage! And I especially don't want to drag Willow into this mess just so that you guys can feel better about dad's career!”
Chapter Six
Willow
Willow was no stranger to Ryder storming away from his parents, but she didn't think she would be witness to it ten years after they had first met.
Some might think it was his father's foray into the island presidential election that had soured Ryder on his parents, but the truth was he'd always had a chip on his shoulder about them.
Back then, Ryder's father wasn’t the president of Nani Makai—but he was a hedge fund manager on the mainland. The Prescotts were still very, very wealthy. Not only did his father work for some influential people, but his mother, Shelia, had been the owner of three massive movie studios.
She had owned one studio in California, one in New York, and one in Vancouver, Canada. Willow had heard that the woman had sold them some years back, netting her a hefty paycheck. But, back when Willow was dating Ryder, Sheila was in full-swing at her studios and was often invited to some pretty amazing parties—which meant Willow and Ryder had some fascinating dates throughout their relationship.
After excusing herself from her soon-to-be faux in-laws, Willow followed Ryder out to the balcony of his parents’ beachfront mansion.
Willow sighed as she closed the sliding doors behind her and walked over to where Ryder sat. The balcony was all wood, stained a deep walnut and looking shiny and lacquered.
Her ex hung his legs out through the bars of the railing so that they dangled below the balcony. Willow sat next to him and boosted her legs through the bars, feeling her hands erupt with sweat as she felt the air and nothingness beneath them.
“You don't have to be so rude all the time, you know,” Willow said with a quick breath. “I mean, I know that goes against your feral nature, but you want to try being sociable for two seconds in your life?”
Ryder didn't look at her. “And you don't have to act like this is the most normal thing you've ever done. Like this is just another Sunday night.”
“Are you implying I have had other fake husbands besides you?” she teased.
“I’m implying you could at least be a little outraged,” he said evenly. “This is insane. I hope you know I didn’t ask them to do this.”
“Your parents have always been pretty eccentric,” she said, narrowing her brows comically at him. “This cannot be a surprise to you.”
“You are a surprise to me,” he said. “So, what? My father called Albert Finch, and you get dragged into this, just like that?”
Willow shrugged. “The life of the rich and famous. And then there’s me, the lowly peasant, following orders.”
Of course, she couldn’t tell Ryder that to her, this was nothing more than a job. A way to get close to the family and see what was going on within the billionaire community.
“Geez,” he said with some humor, “I hope that isn’t true.”
“What, you think I volunteered to be your wife?” she snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Hey, we had some good times, didn’t we?” he asked. Though he was smiling, it seemed like he actually wanted to hear her answer.
The earnest tone of his voice sent a pang of nerves through her stomach.
“Sure,” she said with a half-shrug.
“Well,” Ryder laughed, “I’m convinced.”
“No! I mean, I’m sure there was some good there,” she said with a smirk. “Like… that time when we screamed at each other at the bus stop, and you abandoned me there or how you ghosted out of my life before ghosting was even a thing.”
“We had fun,” he said firmly.
“We did,” she agreed reluctantly, “We had fun. Until we didn’t.”
Willow and Ryder had the sort of whirlwind teenage romance that didn't require an anniversary date. She knew they met in May, just before school ended for the year, but she couldn't pinpoint the actual date.
Ryder could probably have found out if he wanted, ask his parents the date of their move to the mainland, but neither ever bothered with such details.
There was no date in which Ryder asked Willow to be his girlfriend or when they decided to become exclusive. For them, they simply met and were inseparable until one day they were not.
“What about the time we went to the marina and stole a boat?” Ryder asked, cocking a brow. “You're saying that wasn't worthwhile?”
Willow felt her heart rate speed up at the mention of it. Still, she deadpanned, “Psh. Yeah. Loads of laughs.”
She said it as though it were a bad memory or something they should be ashamed of. They should have been, she thought. But, it was one of her favorite memories of their time together. It was the first time Ryder ever told her that he loved her.
Even after almost a solid year of her saying the words, he just wouldn’t budge until he really and truly felt it was real.
Not until the yacht.
Ryder and Willow were never meant to last. She always knew that, even at her most in-love. He was straight-laced and old-fashioned. She was wild and reckless. He was wealthy and close with his family. She lived in low-income housing and shared a bedroom. Her parents were lucky if they ever knew where she was on any given night.
Not to mention, they were both incredibly, unbearably stubborn.
It was the day before Willow turned eighteen and she was determined to get into some mischief before midnight so that if they were to get caught doing something, she couldn't technically be charged as an adult.
“This is a stupid idea,” Ryder had said, crossing his arms and leaning up against her closet door. “Who does this before their birthday?”
“I do,” she snipped happily, folding clothes and then recklessly shoving them into her backpack. “Do you know nothing by now? So, come on, help me. What should we do?”
“Ever notice how you wanting to do something crazy inevitably turns into a 'we' thing?”
“I am glad you know your place,” she teased. “Now help! What's our crazy plan?”
Before Ryder could say a thing, Willow snapped her fingers and announced, “I know! Let's sneak into Duke McKinley’s barn and set all of his chickens free!”
“That's mean,” he laughed. “And messy. And besides, I heard there are drifters in that place, and there's no way I'm up for a hobo brawl.”
“That's rude,” she said with a grin. “Okay, how about we... stay inside the Woodland Mall and hide in the bathrooms until it closes and then we'll build a huge fort in the food court!”
“Getting warmer,” he said.
Ryder sat on the floor next to her and pulled her into his arms.
“You're so hot when you rock me like a baby,” she said, just above a whisper.
“You're so annoying,” he said with a smile before closing his eyes and pulling her into a passionate, warm kiss. The kiss began to escalate quickly until his hands roamed around her body. Just as Willow could feel herself relenting to his touch, he pulled away and said, “I've got it!”
Willow's eyes shot open, and she sucked in a breath. “Got what?”
“Tonight, we'll head to the marina and steal a boat.”
“Steal a... steal a boat?” Willow announced excitedly. “We're going to steal a boat!”
�
�My dad's going down to the marina today to renew his dock for the year. I'll see if I can steal a key or something.”
Willow was enamored right then and there. Ryder was never a fan of her hijinks. It always took her twisting his arm to get him to do anything that others might consider dangerous. But here he was, her solid guy, creating a romantic plan to steal a boat with her.
“You, are, amazing,” Willow enunciated, grabbing either side of Ryder's cheeks and kissing him between each word.
As she would quickly learn, Ryder's showboating was all a sham. She had shown up at the marina at ten, just like they'd planned. There were still lights on in various yachts lined up down the marina, but Ryder assured her he had found the perfect one to take without getting caught.
The two of them giggled as they climbed up the side of a massive Yacht called “MILLIE.”
Once inside, Willow’s nerves were going a mile a minute. She had always wanted to do something wild and crazy like this, but even she knew this was a dangerous gamble.
To her great surprise, Ryder was able to sail the yacht right out of the marina and into the waters. The two of them yelled excitedly and rummaged through the contents of the refrigerator, eating something strange called truffle butter and picking away at the massive spread of meats and cheeses that had been cut up and arranged on a fancy platter.
After some time, the two docked on a remote island about an hour off the coat of the mainland.
Nani Makai.
Of course, Willow had heard of it back then—the rich island where the nation’s most influential people lived. She’d seen photos of the luxury condos and the massive collection of pools. She'd even heard rumors of a hundred-foot waterslide on the resort property, but obviously hadn't seen it for herself.
She had always told Ryder that one day they were going to move there, and that night he intended to make it a reality.
Ryder and Willow docked the yacht in the water and swam up to the island until they were in a massive, fairytale-esque lagoon that was part of the resort property.
“I can't believe you brought me to Nani Makai,” Willow giggled through her hands.
“Ryder Prescott,” he announced as he pulled her into the crystal-clear lagoon and held her by her waist in the water. “Making dreams come true.”
“For once, I’m not even going to make fun of your cheesy lines, Prescott,” she gushed. “Because yes. You do make all my dreams come true.”
Willow could remember looking around the human-made lagoon and feeling her heart bursting with love and adoration for Ryder.
The lagoon was beautiful. Ryder had pulled her into a circular, private area of the lagoon where it was all stone walls and bridges overhead. There was a massive waterfall next to one of the bridges that they swam behind.
The floor of the lagoon was lit up and made the water glow from beneath.
Sounds of the rushing water crashed next to Willow’s ears as it fell from the waterfall overhead. She remembered feeling safe and happier than she ever had before.
“Willow Watkins,” Ryder had said, holding both her hands in his and pulling her close to his face. “You are… kind of crazy, and I love you. Everything about you.”
Droplets of water splashed from the waterfall onto Willow’s face and she squinted against the moisture as her lips erupted into a giant smile.
“One day,” the boy continued nervously, “when we’re older, and you’re a famous novelist, and I’m like, an investment banker or something, we’re going to live on Nani Makai. And I’m going to marry you here. Right here at this lagoon.”
And that was it.
Ryder had said the magical words you were never supposed to say to a girl who believed in fairytales.
He was going to marry her.
“I love you so much,” she finally replied—her mind already planning their next five years together. “I love you so, so, so much.”
Their love story would end less than three years later.
But clearly, the universe wasn’t done with them yet.
“You made me think I was Jesse James, or something,” Willow said after the two reminisced. As it turned out, the yacht was hardly stolen. Ryder had asked his father’s friend, David Irskin, to borrow the boat for a few hours to take Willow out on a date. She didn’t learn that until two weeks later when David invited Ryder’s whole family, plus Willow, out on the yacht one sunny, summer night.
But, it was the thought that counted. She didn’t really want to do something illegal and get arrested, anyway. She just wanted to give Ryder an experience he never had before. Instead, he gave her one.
“Yeah?” Ryder laughed. “I made you feel like an outlaw in the old west?”
Willow shrugged and smiled earnestly at him. “You made me feel like I accomplished the impossible. Yeah.”
Ryder laughed and shook his head. His deep voice tapered off, and he returned to a pensive stare. The ocean came up in a wave and hit against the surf with a loud crash, echoing in the silence.
“Ah,” Ryder said, more of a noise than a word. He wrung his hands and then turned to Willow with those earnest, deep blue eyes. “Why would you want to help me?”
“Maybe I just want the opportunity to make your life as miserable as you made mine,” she said with a wink in her tone.
“Seriously?”
“I may as well get something worthwhile from a relationship with you, right?” she teased.
Ryder stiffened and gave her a severe look.
“Geez! Lighten up, Ryder!” She shook her head.
“I'm being serious,” he said.
“Look, we never made it work in real life. Maybe in bizarre-o world, we’ll have the best marriage ever,” she said, throwing her arms into the air.
Ryder raised his brows, amused, but trying hard not to express it.
“And besides, this is supposed to be mutually beneficial, right?” she said, turning her head toward him and leaning it against the wooden railing spindle. “This way you get an awesome, newsworthy wife, and I get to boost my career.”
“Feels more like a punishment,” he said with a slight smirk. “Putting up with you again.”
Willow smiled and said, “I resent that.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a wholesome wife? Someone who will turn my reputation around?” Ryder said wryly. “Clearly, when my parents asked for you specifically they didn’t know what a terrible influence you were on me.”
“Ouch,” she feigned hurt. “’Kay, first of all, your mom loves me. I mean loves. And second of all, well, yeah. Goes to show they really believed I wasn’t involved in the fire at Echo Park. Parents are so gullible.”
“There are a lot of things they don’t know about you,” he said with some fondness. “You know, you look exactly the same?”
“Ick. Don’t say that,” Willow laughed and waved him off.
“I’m serious,” he said slowly. “Still as beautiful as ever.”
Willow watched him momentarily before turning her face back toward the water. She could feel her cheeks going pink even at the slightest compliment.
It was the strangest thing in the world, being near Ryder again. She was trying so hard to do as Richard asked, to get her story, and maybe even a little revenge on Ryder in the form of her printed expose on the Prescott family. But she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt toward him or the immediate connection that had resurfaced the moment they said hello to one another.
“So, what do you say, friend?” she said, extending her hand to his, dangling her feet through the deck railing. “Want to be my partner in crime, again?”
“I can’t do that to you, Willow. What my parents get me twisted up in is… well, that’s my own personal nightmare. But, I can’t do this to you. Not after everything that happened,” he said.
“What happened is ancient history,” she said with a shrug. “I can do this. I mean, honestly, I don’t have a lot going on right now. I think I could spare some time to be your fake wif
e.”
“Don’t joke,” he breathed. “This is insane. I can’t ask you to put your life on hold to engage in what I can only describe as emotional torture.”
“I really don’t think it will be that bad,” she laughed. “Unless you meant that it would be emotional torture for you.”
“I don’t know,” he said, rolling his shoulders.
“Wow, how am I the one trying to convince you right now?” Willow suddenly laughed to herself. “Wasn’t this supposed to work the other way around? Aren’t you supposed to be schmoozing me or something?”
“I’m not very good at the schmooze,” he lamented.
“I think you’re better at it than you give yourself credit for,” she winked. “Why don’t you just put your stupid pride aside for one second, okay? You love your parents, right?”
“Right,” he said.
“And your dad needs your help right now, right?”
Ryder nodded.
Willow smiled. “And I am here, sweet and charming and hot as ever, offering to be your stupid fake wife. So why, oh why, are you resisting this?”
Ryder stared at her for a long while and then finally shook her hand. “I just… can’t do it. It’s too much.”
“Ryder Prescott, I am not going to let you ruin your poor parents with your bad public persona,” she joked. “I am invoking my rights as your new fake wife. And as your new fake wife, it is my duty to ignore your wishes, and instead of asking you what you want, I’m going to tell you what you want.”
Ryder couldn’t help but smirk. “Which is?”
“You want to help your parents,” she said, smacking her fist into her palm. “And so that’s what we’re going to do. Deal?”
Her ex-boyfriend stared at her for what felt like forever. She couldn’t tell if she was incredibly convincing or if Ryder was just used to being told what to do. But, for whatever reason, he reached his hand out to hers and shook it.
“Deal,” he said.
Chapter Seven
Ryder
Willow certainly had a way with words. It was always her specialty—talking Ryder into doing things that he would never, under any circumstances barring death, ever agree to do.
