I close my eyes and all I can see is the way she looked at me when she rushed over to grab my arm, and all I can smell is the sweet floral perfume that she wears.
I’m marrying Izzy Daniels.
Chapter 16 - Izzy
“Why are you so smiley,” Jess asks as I walk in the door. “You’re home early!” I look at her bright eyes and I want to tell her that soon, all our money problems will disappear. I want to tell her that we’ll go see Cirque du Soleil, she’ll be able to take gymnastics classes, she’ll go to whatever college she wants. A whirlwind of thoughts passes through my brain but I know I need to wait until the money is in my account before I spend it. Even then, I can’t tell my eleven year-old sister that I’ve just agreed to a marriage of convenience.
“Just had a good day,” I respond as I walk over and ruffle her hair. She grins.
“Me too! We were doing gymnastics in gym class, look what I can do!” Before I know what’s happening, she’s upside down doing a handstand and contorting her body in ways I didn’t know were possible.
“Jesus, Jess, be careful! How are you so bendy?!”
“It’s fun!” She says as she flips back over onto her feet, her cheeks flushed and her hair a mess. I feel a warmth spreading in my chest as I look at my little sister. She’s so full of life and happiness. She hasn’t been affected by everything we’ve been through. Sometimes I think she gives me more strength than I give her.
“That’s great, sis. Here, help me get this dinner started. We’ll actually get to eat together today.”
We work together in the kitchen, chopping and cooking and stirring and tasting. My heart is light and I listen to Jess tell me about her day. I feel good. I feel like a weight is being lifted off my shoulders and I can start to breathe again. A part of me knows that the reality of this situation hasn’t sunk in and I shouldn’t celebrate so early, but I can’t help it.
The reality is that I’m going to be married to Dave Langley in a week. We’re going to be married for three months. That’s not that long! Even if it’s a disaster it’s only for a few months.
I don’t even know how it’s going to work. We didn’t talk logistics. Will we have to live together? Will we have to spend time together? Will we have to sleep together?
Surely not. He was very clear about this being a business transaction. Still, the thought of Dave and I together isn’t completely repulsive. I push the thoughts away and turn back to Jess. Right now I just want to feel happy and light and I want to enjoy the thought of providing for my sister the way I always wanted to provide for her.
Jess heads off to bed and I flop down onto the couch. I bring my hands up to my face and rub my eyes, letting my fingers slide back through my hair. I inhale deeply and then let the air out slowly, feeling the way my chest rises and falls as I lean back on the sofa.
What in the world am I doing.
I look towards Jess’s door and I feel a tightening in my chest. I’d do anything for that girl - even get married to a man who openly told me he despises me.
Am I making a mistake? Will this end up being a disaster?! I don’t know anyone who would agreed to do something like this. But then again, I don’t know anyone who’s been through the hell that I’ve been through and come out the other side. I don’t know anyone who has a little sister and an opportunity to give her the world.
The next few days fly by in a flurry of work and preparation. As promised, Dave approaches me a couple days after his proposal with a stack of papers in hand. I’m sitting at my desk tucked away in the back of the kitchen.
“Here’s the contract,” he says unceremoniously as he drops the stack of papers onto the desk. “I assume you’ll want some time to look through it?”
“I.. uh,” I pick up the papers and thumb through the first couple pages. “Yeah.”
I expect him to turn around and start walking away but to my surprise he pulls up a chair and sits down next to me. My heart jumps as his body moves closer to me and I can feel my skin heat up. He smells intoxicating and manly, and it makes my pulse quicken. He flips through the pages of the contract.
“This is the sum of money that you’re promised,” he explains as he points to the six-figure sum. I nod my head slowly and swallow. It’s written right there, in black ink: $100,000 to be paid on the day the wedding certificate is signed, and $100,000 to be paid three months thereafter. Dave turns another couple of pages. “Here’s a list of conditions. It’s essentially a non-disclosure agreement. A formality, really. It’s as much in your interests as mine to not talk about this to anyone.”
“Right.”
Dave leans away from me and turns his head to look at my face. I meet his gaze and once again am almost knocked back by the intensity of his stare.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asks gently. His eyes soften and I see something else in them. Like he’s really asking me, like he cares about what I am going to answer.
“I’m sure,” I respond. As sure as I’ll ever be, anyway. “Where do I sign?”
Dave’s face breaks into a grin and he dips his chin down in a small nod. He flips a couple more pages. “Here, here, and here. If you’re free, we can go to the courthouse tomorrow morning and get this over with.”
“I never knew you could be so romantic, Mr. Langley. You really know how to make a girl swoon.” I look at him sideways and can’t help but grin.
He shrugs. “Only the best for my future wife.”
The strangeness of the situation makes me laugh. At least he’s talking to me like a normal person now. It’s nice to be able to laugh together. I glance at him and for a second we just stare at each other’s eyes. I wish I knew what he was thinking. It’s probably the same thing I’m thinking: What the hell am I doing??
I look away and grab a pen. With a big breath I turn to the thick contract: “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 17 - Dave
I hear the front door close as Izzy leaves for the night. I’m sitting in the living room with Pop as he reads watches the news on the TV. The second she signed that contract I felt like I was flying off a cliff. This is really happening. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel. Happy? Relieved? Scared? All of the above?
Pop shifts in his chair and clears his throat.
“Davey, there’s a beautiful bottle of Cognac in that cupboard there. Bring it out.”
I nod and get up, grabbing the bottle and two tumbler glasses. “I thought this was against the rules, Pop,” I say with a smile.
“I may be old but I can still live a little!” he shoots back. I pour us both a drink and sit down next to him again. I take a sip and feel the alcohol burning my throat as it goes down. Pop sighs in satisfaction.
“So, Pop,” I say. “I’ve been working on that wife thing.” Pop’s eyebrows shoot up and I can’t help but smile. I never know how to talk about this whole situation, it always feels awkward. Pop reads my mind.
“Who’s the lucky lady?” He asks, and then grins. Somehow I feel like he already knows the answer.
“It’s… it’s Izzy.” I almost cringe as I wait to see his reaction. I’m surprised when he almost doesn’t react. He just nods and takes another sip.
“That’s not a bad choice, Davey. You could do worse.” He looks at me with that piercing intelligent gaze of his. “And she could do better.”
He winks and we both laugh. I take a deep breath and feel the relief wash over me. He approves. I watch as he pats his chest and then reaches into his jacket breast pocket. He pulls out a small black velvet box. He flips it open and stares at it for a few moments before snapping it shut again.
“Here,” he says with misty eyes, handing me the box.
“What is it?” I ask as I take it gently from his fingers. I open it up and see a fine diamond ring. It’s shaped like a teardrop, set onto a gold band with small white diamonds all around it. It sparkles even in the dim light of the living room. I know this ring, I’ve seen it many t
imes.
“That was your grandmother’s, and then your mother’s,” he finally explains. He’s staring at me, watching my face as I look at the ring. I gulp.
“Pop, you know… you know this wedding isn’t…”
He holds up his hand. “I want your wife to wear that wedding ring, David. It means a lot to me and to the family. It would be wrong to have anything else on her finger so long as she’s part of this family.”
Part of this family. My throat constricts and I feel a hurricane of emotions clouding my head.
“I never thought I’d even speak to Izzy Daniels again, not after the accident. And now I’m marrying her.” I laugh and then stop abruptly. I can’t stop my head from spinning, it’s all too much.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about that accident, Davey.” Pop says cryptically. He’s staring out the window at the darkness outside, his eyes misting over. I frown.
“What do you mean?” I ask quietly. Pop sighs and then shivers.
“I mean I don’t think you should be so hard on Isabelle.”
“What are you talking about, Pop? What has she told you?”
“She hasn’t told me a thing, Dave,” he replies as he shifts his gaze to me. I’m almost knocked back by the fire burning behind his eyes. You’d never think he was almost ninety years old, the intelligence in his eyes is so bright. “The fact that she hasn’t told me anything only proves that she’s one of the good ones. She let you think badly of her all these years. That’s very generous of her.”
I can feel the frustration building inside me. This whole situation is confusing enough, not to mention seeing Pop like this, being back here, the accident, and now this wedding. My head is a muddled mess and now Pop isn’t talking straight.
“Pop, what are you talking about!” My voice is more forceful. “What do I not know?”
“You should ask Isabelle, David.” He says as he turns to stare out the window. “It’s not my place to speak for her. But you know, Dave, you lost your parents and your sister but she lost her family too.”
“What do you mean, Pop. You can’t just say something like that the day before I’m about to marry the girl and then not explain yourself! What happened? What do I not know?!” My voice is almost whiney, high-pitched. I hate the way I sound. I feel my heart beating faster as the panic floods my veins.
“I can say whatever I want, and that’s all I’m going to say about it. Speak to her.”
He shifts in his seat and starts to stand up, groaning as he gets up out of his chair. “Help me up, will you Davey?”
I jump over and help him out of his chair, slipping the velvet ring box into my pocket before leading him down the hallways to his bedroom. We moved it to the first floor when he got too weak to use the stairs. He sits on the edge of his bed with an exhausted sigh.
“I’ll go get the night shift nurse, Pop. You take it easy.”
He nods and waves me away. I close the door quietly behind me and call for the nurse. She goes to Pop and I walk back to the living room. Instead of sitting in my seat, I grab my unfinished Cognac and slowly lower myself into Pop’s chair.
The leather crackles and creaks as it bends under my weight. I lean back and sigh, staring off into the dark windows like he was doing just a few minutes before. I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring again, staring into it as I sip my drink.
What did he mean? What don’t I know? I’ve spent my whole life trying to forget the accident and everything that led up to it, the last thing I want to do is dredge up the past. But if there’s something I don’t know…
He’s right about one thing - I’m going to have to talk to Izzy about this. It’s not a pleasant thought, especially not the night before my wedding day.
Chapter 18 - Dave
I crank up the air conditioning in my car as I wait for Izzy. She said she’d be right out after she changed out of her work uniform. I check the clock and sigh. I hate waiting.
Just when I’m about to get out of the car to see what’s taking so long, the front door opens and my jaw drops. She steps out of the house holding Pop’s arm but I can’t look away from her.
She’s taken her hair down so it falls around her shoulders in loose waves. She’s wearing a knee-length white dress that hugs her curves perfectly. I’m almost entranced as I watch her hips move from site to side with every step. Her legs look a mile long. My arms are almost aching reach out and touch her as I watch her lead my grandfather to the car. All I want to do is run my fingers up her sides and feel every curve of her body. The dress dips down to show just enough cleavage to make my heart beat a little bit faster.
She helps Pop into the passenger’s seat and then opens the back door.
“Sorry, took a little longer than expected.”
“You look great,” I say, almost breathless. I can see Pop glance over at me out of the corner of my eye but I decide to ignore him. I glance in the rearview mirror at Izzy, watching her as she tucks her hair behind her ear and puts her seatbelt on. I don’t want to look away. I can feel my cock twitch in my pants just from being this close to her.
“Thanks,” she says, smiling shyly. “This might be the only chance I have to get married so I figured I might as well wear white.”
“It’s perfect,” I respond. My throat feels tight and I try to swallow. Why do I feel like this?! This is business, I shouldn’t be getting emotional. The thought of getting married is getting to me.
“Look at you two lovebirds,” Pop says with a grin. “No one would guess you’re just getting married as a cold, calculated business move. And I get to be the official witness!”
Izzy laughs and I roll my eyes. Pop is enjoying this far too much. I start the car and head towards the courthouse. There’s an almost palpable excitement in the car. It’s a sort of quiet nervousness as we drive down together. When we park up outside, I get out of the car and turn to open Izzy’s door. She smiles and blushes as I take her hand and help her out of the car.
“Well aren’t you a gentleman,” she says with a smile. I grin back and lead her towards the steps, letting my hand drop to the small of her back. Her body feels electric under my touch, and all I want to do is run my fingers down her spine a little bit further. Her dress is hugging her ass so perfectly it’s taking all my self-control not to reach down and sweep my hand over it. I drag myself away and go help my grandfather out of the car.
The three of us head up the steps towards the reception. Within a few minutes, we’re filling in forms and paying a fee. The lady behind the counter hands us a certificate.
“Congratulations,” she says, beaming. “You know, it’s no big fanfare to come down and do this here but I always love watching a beautiful young couple getting married. I can tell you love each other very much, it’s obvious by the way you’re looking at each other.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Pop interjects with a twinkle in his eye.
Izzy and I exchange a glance and her eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline. Her lips twitch upwards into a smile and I think I see her wink. My heart is pounding against my ribcage as I take the marriage certificate from the officiant.
“All the best, Mr and Mrs Langley,” she says, shaking both our hands. “I just know the two of you will be very happy together.”
“Thank you,” Izzy says with a smile. She turns towards me and hooks her arm into mine, smiling up at me with a mischievous grin. We head outside and as soon as the door closes behind us, Izzy bursts out laughing. Pop and I follow suit, and the three of us laugh until we’re breathless and our cheeks are flushed on the courthouse steps.
“Well, that’s done!” Izzy says. She squeezes my arm and I realise how natural it feels to have her here beside me. This was a million times easier than any other business deal I’ve ever been involved in. I can’t help but feel relaxed and - what’s the right word - happy when she’s beside me. I glance down at her and see the way the sunlight catches her eye and
makes them look almost green.
Suddenly I’m tongue tied. My grandmother’s ring is in my jacket pocket and I can feel it as if it weights a thousand pounds. I reach in and take the box out, feeling the smooth velvet before flicking it open. I turn it towards Izzy, whose eyes widen in shock.
“Izzy,” I start.
She shakes her head. “No, Dave, I can’t. I’m sorry Arthur, I can’t accept that. It’s too nice. This is…”
“Izzy,” I say again, softly. She stops talking and looks at me with wide eyes. Her mouth is hanging open. “This was my grandmother’s and then my mother’s wedding ring. My grandfather gave it to me.”
I pull the ring out of the box and take her left hand. My hands are shaking. The ring slides on her finger effortlessly. It fits perfectly. She glances down at her hand and holds it out, watching as the diamonds catch the sunlight and make it dazzle.
“Looks like it was made for you, dear,” Pop says gently. He leans over and kisses Izzy on the cheek. “Welcome to the family, finally.”
Finally? What does that mean?
Tears start streaming down Izzy’s cheek and she just nods in response. I put my hand on the small of her back again and guide her down the steps. My chest is tight but I feel light on my feet. I can’t help but smile to myself. Against all odds, I actually feel like celebrating. I’ve just done something I never would have imagined in a million years.
Izzy Daniels and I are officially husband and wife.
Chapter 19 - Izzy
I’m married. I have a husband. Not only that, my husband is Dave Freaking Langley. I can’t help but laugh as we stand outside the courthouse. It’s just too ridiculous! I look up at him and see the corners of his mouth tug up into a slight smile. His forehead isn’t full of lines and his brows aren’t knitted together like they have been every day since he moved in with Arthur.
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