by Kennedy Fox
I smile like I’m Vanna White presenting the key phrase. “It’s our marriage certificate.”
“Whose?” Robert furrows his brows.
“I’m so glad you asked. It’s Tyler’s and my marriage certificate,” I proudly say.
Dad’s eyes are as wide as saucers, and Robert lets out a growl.
Tyler clears his throat. “Right. And it’s dated seventeen days ago, which means when you filed your certificate, we were already married.” He turns and looks at me, placing another soft kiss on my lips. Nothing else in this damn room matters right now, but him.
With a grin, Tyler continues. “Which means, your marriage isn’t legal because you can’t be married to two people at the same time.”
“But the deed in my name certainly is,” I confidently add. “Oh, and just in case you haven’t figured it out by now, I won’t be going anywhere with you tomorrow. I guess what I’m saying is you can fuck off.”
As the realization sets in, Robert grows more furious. Dad is smiling, so damn proud of what I’ve done. It’s impossible not to notice how humiliated and angry Robert is, and I burst into hysterical laughter as Tyler pulls me closer.
“You stupid bitch! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Robert barks, forcefully shoving his plate out of his way and standing.
“Beat you at your own fucking game. When I ended things, I told you I wasn’t marrying you, Robert. I meant every single word.”
Chapter Twenty
TYLER
NINETEEN DAYS EARLIER
My phone rings, and I see it’s Gemma. Just seeing her name has my body buzzing. We had the most amazing night last night. I can’t wipe off the stupid grin on my face as I think about how it felt to be inside her and claim her as mine.
Quickly, I answer it. “Baby, I’ve been waiting for you. Didn’t you get my texts?” She dropped me off hours ago, and I’d been waiting to go hiking with her.
“Sorry. No, I haven’t had the chance to check them. But we need to talk about.”
“Okay. What’s going on?”
She lets out a breath that has me concerned. “I’m so sorry, Tyler, but I’m marrying Robert.” Her voice trails off.
“What? What happened?” I ask, slipping on my shoes, ready to go to her and have this conversation face-to-face.
“Please listen,” she says in a strained tone. “Robert came to my cottage and—”
“I’m on my way,” I tell her, not waiting any longer.
“You can’t. I’m not home. I’m at Robert’s.”
I stop moving as my heart pounds hard in my chest. “Why?”
Gemma lets out a whimper, and I swallow hard. “He moved everything out of the cottage and into his house. I was given an ultimatum to marry him or…” She chokes up, and I wait patiently for her to finish. “He’ll destroy my dad’s house and the cottage.”
“Baby, he can’t do that.” My anger level increases, and I become volatile, ready to beat the fuck out of him. The consequences be damned.
“He can, Tyler. He’s backed me into a corner.” She continues explaining the deed and how Robert weaseled his way into owning her dad’s property. With each sentence, she becomes more emotional, and I can’t handle it. She’s never been this upset before, and it’s breaking us both in the process. Robert needs to pay for hurting her.
“You don’t have to do this,” I press.
“I don’t have a choice. I’m so sorry.” She sniffles, and her voice gets quieter. “I never wanted to marry him, but it’s the only way he’ll sign it over to me. Once we’re married, I’ll get the deed, and Dad’s property will be safe.”
I pace my bedroom and realize I’m chewing my bottom lip as I try to think of something to get her out of this. Never would I have imagined he’d stoop so low, but I should’ve. I didn’t trust the guy the first time I laid eyes on him.
“Did you ask your dad about any of this? Double-check that Robert wasn’t making shit up?” I run my fingers through my hair and sit on the edge of my bed, then suck in a deep breath.
“I did,” she nearly whispers, the defeat in her tone evident. “It’s true.”
Staring at the wall, I think about our future, and I refuse to let it slip through my fingers. Not this. Not ever.
Over the years, I’ve dated, but it was never anything serious. Nothing compared to what I have with Gemma. When I imagine getting married and having children, the only woman I dreamed of having that with is Gemma, and I refuse to allow Robert to take that away from me.
She’s supposed to marry me, not him. The idea hits me, and my heart races at the prospect.
“Gemma…” A smile fills my face, and I’m so damn anxious that I can barely contain myself. “I have an idea. It’s a crazy one, though.”
She’s still crying, and I hear her sniffles. I wish she was sitting in front of me so I could place my palms on either side of her cheeks and press my lips against hers.
“Considering I have no options, I’m all ears.”
I lick my lips, my nerves getting the best of me. “When I think about marriage in general, it makes my palms sweaty. But when I think about marrying you, it’s different. It feels so damn right.”
Gemma continues getting emotional. “But I have to marry Robert, and he’d kill me before giving me a divorce. So that could never happen for us.”
“Unless you marry me first.”
The line goes quiet, and I almost question if she’s still there. “Tyler…”
“If you were in front of me right now, Gemma, I’d get down on one knee and tell you how much I fucking love you and always have. You’re the only woman I’ve ever imagined myself growing old with, and if you’d allow me, I’d spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.” My heart races, and I wish I didn’t have to do this over the phone.
“Tyler Blackwood,” she whispers. “Are you asking me to marry marry you?”
“Yes, yes, I am.” I smirk. “Because if you’re married to me, you can’t legally be married to him. He’ll think it’s legit and sign the paperwork. By the time he realizes what’s going on, it’ll be too late for him to do anything about it.”
“He’ll never see it coming,” Gemma says with a sweetness in her tone.
“Hell no, he won’t. I can’t imagine a future without you, baby. You’re my everything. And I wish you were here so I could propose properly, then make love to you all damn night. I know it’s a wild idea but—”
She interrupts me. “Yes,” she blurts out, and I can tell she’s smiling. “I love you so damn much that I can barely put it into words. I just don’t want you only doing this because—”
“Trust me, it’s not because of Robert. It’s because I love you, need you, and want you forever, sweetheart,” I admit.
She lets out a hum. “You’ve made me the happiest woman.”
I chuckle. “I’ll get all the details together. We can go down to the courthouse and file the paperwork together. We’ll slip out of work separately and take care of it. It’s gonna be the best kind of satisfaction, knowing you’re my wife and not his.”
She lets out a relieved breath. “This really could work.”
“It will. I’ll always protect you, Gemma,” I reassure her. “Now we just have to figure out how to get him away for a bit so we can move your things back to your place and change the locks. Should do a security system, too. Once everything’s done, you can tell him to fuck off.”
She chuckles, and the sound is so goddamn sweet. “I feel like I can finally breathe again. I can’t believe we’re really doing this—getting hitched,” she gushes.
“I told you we’d get through this together, and I meant it. Though I still want you to have the wedding of your dreams, sweetheart. The one you always talked about having when you were a teenager. I don’t want you to be robbed from that,” I say genuinely.
“I’d get married to you anywhere, Tyler. Courthouse. Church. Hell, even inside the deli if we had to. You’re enough for me and alwa
ys have been,” she confirms. “As long as it’s us, I’ll be the happiest person alive.”
I chuckle, almost shocked by where this conversation has gone because it wasn’t promising ten minutes ago. “I promise to give you the wedding you deserve one day, but right now, we need to just make it legal. Let’s go to the courthouse on Monday. Maybe ask your dad if we can go in to work late. I’ll borrow Everleigh’s car and meet you in Birmingham so no one can tip Robert off. Since there’s no waiting period in Alabama, it’ll be official as soon as we sign and they file it,” I explain.
“That’s perfect. I’ll get with my dad and make sure we can get off. Then the only issue left is getting Robert out of town for a couple of days.”
I plop down on my bed and think this through. Knowing what I know about Robert, he’s easily deceived. When it comes to money, he’ll do anything. “I think I have another idea. What if he has a rich client out of town that he needs to meet? Think he’d fall for that?”
“Absolutely, as long as he thinks it’s worth his time. So it’d have to be a huge investment, someone with a lot of money. And I’ve been to so many of those boring dinners that I could literally write a guidebook on what to say.” I can tell she’s beaming by the tone of her voice. “He’s made this too easy for me.”
“Don’t get cocky.” I chuckle. “But who are we gonna have to do it? Someone who could pull it off. A man who could act and look the part.” After a moment of silence, it hits me. “Eric’s coming to town next Wednesday and owes me a favor from doing the deposition. He’d do it without a doubt.”
“Eric? Really? He’s already been through so much already.”
“He has, but he told me if I ever needed anything, he’d be happy to help. We can rent him a fancy car and buy him an expensive suit. You could coach him on what to say and how to act, and trust me, he’s got that douchebag vibe down. I hated him when we first met, so I’m sure Robert would adore him.”
Gemma laughs. “I’m sure he will. I’ll even use the money in Robert’s and my joint checking account to fund it.”
I chuckle as the adrenaline rush has me smiling nonstop. “Great, so I’ll talk to Eric, and you take care of your dad. Change my name in your phone to someone else, a girl's name or something, just to cover your tracks. If it gets too dangerous, call me. I’ll be there to beat his ass within ten minutes,” I say seriously.
“I’m sleeping in one of the spare rooms until the wedding, so I’ll be able to avoid him for a couple of weeks, but good idea. I’ll get things together on my end, and we’ll meet Monday. God, I’m so happy right now,” she adds at the end. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you for rescuing me.”
I smirk. “I can think of a few ways.”
“Blowjobs every morning for a year?” she suggests.
“For eternity,” I add with a chuckle. “We’ve got this, babe. It’s all gonna work out, and in the end, it’s gonna taste like sweet, sweet victory.”
“It will,” she whispers. “I should let you go, though.”
“Okay, baby, please be safe. I love you,” I say.
“Love you more.”
The call ends, and I blow out a relaxed breath, trying to put all the pieces together. If this doesn’t work out, it could piss Robert off even more and then who knows what he’d do to get back at Gemma. But if we play our cards right, Robert would get a dose of his own manipulative medicine, something I would pay my life savings to see. He needs to be knocked down a few pegs, and I think we’ve found a way to beat the bastard at his own game. Now, I just need to call Eric and get him on board.
* * *
SEVEN DAYS EARLIER
It’s been twelve days since Gemma and I came up with our plan. In only two days, she’ll walk down the aisle and marry that stupid fucker. While I know it’s not real, it bothers me to no end that it’s not us getting the beautiful ceremony. Though after we filed the paperwork at the courthouse last Monday, I painted my lips across hers as if it might be the last time. Even though it wasn’t, it would be until this was all over.
We’ve kept up the act that we’re not together since the whole town is invited to the “wedding of the century.” Even when we aren’t in public, we’ve kept our distance. Neither of us trust that Robert wouldn’t have us followed again. It was better to play it safe, but it still doesn’t make it easy—especially seeing her every day at work.
Jerry has been in a bad mood over it all because Gemma told him she was marrying Robert despite him telling her not to. Everyone except him and her two best friends think they’re truly in love. They know about his ultimatum but not about our plan to pull the rug out from under him. We’re keeping it a secret just between us so there’s no chance of him finding out. Assuming everything goes smooth, we’ll share the news with them after it’s all done.
Each day I see her at work and can’t kiss her pisses me off. Finally, just when we managed to find our way back together and be happy, this bastard barges in and takes it away from us. What he doesn’t realize is it will just make our reunion that much sweeter.
It’s surreal not to feel threatened by Victoria for the first time in years. All the pieces are finally starting to snap together, and I can’t wait to spend time with the love of my life once this is over. After that night, Eric flew back to Vegas to take care of some work stuff, but will be back tomorrow to start preparing for his meeting with Robert next week. He’s been texting with Gemma on how to fool Robert into thinking he’s a multi-billionaire interested in dozens of acres of land for development. It’s quite comical when I think about all those meeting Robert dragged Gemma to, and now she’s going to use it against him in the biggest fucking way. I can’t wait to see the look on his smug ass face.
No one will suspect a thing either because hardly anyone knew Eric came to town or what he’d done. Fortunately, the case was filed as a triple homicide just as he thought it’d be. Everleigh’s witness testimony also helped since she never saw Eric or me. The O’Leary family was completely outraged by the sheriff’s lack of investigation, but Todd’s a lazy asshole. He’ll close anything up to avoid more paperwork. Regardless, it’s no longer my problem, and it’s finally over. Right now, all I can focus on is getting through this next week and ensuring Gemma gets that deed. After my training session at the gym, I get a text from her.
Gemma: Robert just added a stipulation to our agreement. Two days before the wedding! I’m so furious, I can’t even think straight.
Tyler: I hate him more every day. What is it now?
Her text bubble pops up and disappears, and it takes her almost two minutes to send it.
Gemma: You’re not gonna like it. Hell, I fucking hate it.
Tyler: Just tell me, baby.
Gemma: He says he won’t sign the deed unless we consummate our marriage on the wedding night. If I do, he’ll sign it Monday morning, but if I don’t, he won’t sign until after our honeymoon.
The rage I feel nearly makes me burst a blood vessel. Gemma is mine, and the thought of him touching her makes me want to beat his fucking face in, but I understand what’s at stake here.
Tyler: I want to fucking kill him.
Gemma: I do too. I hate him so much. But I have two options—don’t do it and if he refuses to sign on Monday, I’ll threaten him with not going on the honeymoon and the aftermath of that would have rumors flying. He bragged all about how he’s taking me to Hawaii at the reception, so everyone is expecting us to go. However, the risk of that option is not knowing if that’d be enough to persuade him to sign before the plan with Eric is supposed to happen. Which means getting him out of town those two days would go to shit.
She’s right. If he doesn’t sign on Monday, the big reveal on Thursday will mean nothing. He’d still own the property, and this will all have been for nothing. The only benefit is that Gemma and I are married, but she’d lose her cottage. Robert’s a horrible excuse of a man, and I can’t wait to see the look on his stupid face when he realizes Gemma’s an
d his marriage isn’t legal. It’s the only thought that’s keeping me sane right now.
Tyler: What’s option two?
I hold my breath because I have a feeling I’m not gonna like it.
Gemma: Cry.
The urge to pull her into my arms weighs heavy on me, and I want to find Robert and bash his head in. What kind of sicko blackmails a woman into having sex with him? I try to calm down and am so happy Everleigh isn’t home to ask why I’m rage-pacing the living room.
Needing to get some fresh air, I grab Sassy and we go on a walk, but Gemma and I continue our conversation.
Tyler: What if there was a legitimate reason you couldn’t have sex that night where you could still persuade him into signing on Monday?
Gemma: What do you have in mind?
Tyler: Fireball?
Gemma: Fireball? So, get fucking smashed to the point of not being able to walk...which means the following day, I’d have too much of hangover to have sex that night too. Hmm...I think that just could work.
Tyler: You could even tell him you think someone slipped something in your drink if he asks you why you got so drunk and use that as an excuse so he doesn’t try to get out of going on Monday.
Gemma: You know…that’s actually not a bad idea. Robert’s a dickhead, but he’s not a creep like that. He’d want me to be an active participant, but if I were too sick or passed out drunk, he’d be forced to wait until the honeymoon. It’s worth a shot! (Haha, get it? Shot!) WHY ARE YOU SO SMART?
I chuckle at her corny joke.
