The fact that this would give him an excuse to start seeing her again was icing on the cake.
…
Lauren hadn’t seen Mack in three days. Three days and four nights of going through the motions. Her heart raced every time the phone rang, both hoping and fearing it would be Mack on the other end of the line.
But he hadn’t called.
Every time she picked the phone up to check in with him, she stopped herself. No reason to rush anything. As much as it killed her to do so, she wanted to play it cool and let him come to her.
Secretly, she hoped that if she didn’t see or speak to him for a while, she’d forget all about the whole falling in love with him thing. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
She sighed. No. The cliché “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was more apropos here.
“Lauren?” Iris knocked on her office door.
Even though baby Callie was staying home with her mother in Chappaqua, Iris was as busy as ever with new enrollments. Lauren’s business was expanding.
“Come in, Iris,” she said, standing.
“Your…husband is here,” Iris said. “Waiting in the front. I wanted to give you time to pull yourself together.”
“Do I look that bad?” she asked.
Sure, she hadn’t been sleeping very well, and that probably showed in the circles under her eyes, but was it obvious to everyone what was going on?
“You look fine,” Iris said quickly. “I just figured, since Callie’s real parents are back now, and you moved back into your upstairs apartment, that…”
“That Mack is here to hand me divorce papers,” Lauren finished for her.
Iris nodded. “Something like that. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Mack is actually here to discuss business.” I hope.
Lauren walked downstairs to the entrance. Mack looked devastatingly handsome, as always, in a suit that must’ve cost several thousands of dollars. More than all her clothes combined, no doubt.
“So,” she greeted him with a polite, detached smile that said they were about to have a business meeting, and nothing more. “Am I talking to the new owner of the building?”
“Not quite,” he said. “We need to talk. In private.”
Damn it. It was infinitely easier to be around him in a crowd, with squealing preschoolers running around them.
Upstairs in her office, he closed the door behind her, enclosing them in the small room.
“I did buy the building,” he said. “However—”
“That’s great!” she interrupted.
“Let me finish,” he said. “Please.” He stepped in toward her, so close she could smell his aftershave. He stroked her arm, and his very nearness and affectionate gestures brought her back to Cabo, back to pretending to be a happy couple on vacation. Newlyweds.
Instead of soon-to-be-exes.
“I bought the building, but I want you to have it. This is your business, Lauren. Your dream. I’d be happy to be your consultant and help you maximize the building’s potential, but I want your name on the deed.”
“You want me to…buy it from you?” she asked, confused. “That’s too expensive for me. I thought I could continue to lease the space from you, like I was doing with the other landlord.”
“This,” he said, pulling a short stack of papers out of his briefcase, “is our prenup.”
The sight of the contract she’d signed gave her an unpleasant taste in her mouth, like she’d sucked on a penny. Those papers were proof-positive that their whole marriage was simply a business arrangement.
Paperwork between strangers.
And then Mack slowly ripped the prenup down the middle.
Lauren gasped. “What are you doing?”
“I never should have asked you to sign this,” he said. “You deserve better than that.”
“It makes sense, Mack.” She had to remember why they’d married in the first place—for Callie. That reason was no longer a reason to stay married. “Our marriage was just a…a short-term business arrangement.”
He paused, his eyes lifting from the torn paper in his hands. “Is that all this is to you?” he asked, his face unreadable.
“Yes,” she lied. No. God, no.
She had to save herself from heartbreak. If she told him the truth, if she told him she’d accidentally fallen helplessly in love with him, he’d be able to crush her heart even more easily than he could now.
Mack had never wanted to get married. She knew that. He’d said it often enough. She hadn’t blamed him for wanting a prenup after his mother had left his dad, and knowing that she’d definitely be leaving him as soon as Joe and Marisol returned. She was amazed he’d gone through with the marriage at all.
Now, she had to let him go. No regrets. No guilt. Let him go. She’d watched him grow as a person during their short time together, and even she could see that whatever he thought he knew about having a family didn’t have to be true.
Now he could find a family of his own, a wife of his choosing. And she wasn’t going to be the woman who held him back.
“Then I guess we’re done here,” Mack said.
Something had changed. His voice, so warm and excited before, had gone ice cold. The torn pages of the prenup fluttered onto her desk.
“The building is yours,” he said, “and if that’s not enough then you can take whatever the hell you want. I don’t care. We’ll get the marriage annulled tomorrow at the courthouse.”
Lauren stared at a spot on the wall, refusing to cry in front of him. She waited until he left.
Chapter Fifteen
Mack went back to the office after leaving the daycare center. He’d been so excited to give her the building. It was hers, she deserved it. And Mack knew she’d make it something even more spectacular than what she had now.
That’s why he knew she had to have it, even though she didn’t want to stay with him. As much as it killed him to hear her describe their relationship as simply a short-term business arrangement, he still wanted her to have it. Needed her to.
It was a big gift, even by his standards. A multimillion dollar piece of prime commercial real estate right in midtown. To Mack, it was an offering with meaning. Giving her that building was supposed to be his way of saying…what?
Saying he loved her.
The realization hit him like a shock wave. He frowned. No wonder he felt like his world had been turned upside down. He hadn’t expected to fall in love, not after his parents’ debacle of a marriage. Certainly not after picking a wife based solely on her connection to Joe’s child and the stipulation in his will.
He hadn’t been on guard enough to prevent it from occurring. Lauren had snuck in under his skin when he wasn’t paying attention.
She was beautiful, yes, but that wasn’t what he loved about her. He loved her passion for her life, for her career, and for the energy she’d put into taking care of Callie. He loved her intelligence and for the fact that she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him.
The amazingly hot sex was nice too. Mack knew if he could be with Lauren for the rest of his life, he’d never lust for another woman again. All he needed was Lauren.
Staring out his office window, Mack looked out over the city, watching the pedestrians on the corner weaving their way through the traffic, ignoring the Walk/Don’t Walk signals.
That’s what he needed to do. Ignore the Don’t Walk sign. Lauren may hold up her hand and tell him that what they had was just business, but everything about her said otherwise.
How could he have missed the signs? After all, he’d done the same thing. Let his heart and his actions say one thing, while his traitorous mouth told another story. Told her their marriage was in name only, when it wasn’t.
It was real. Real for him, and if he was reading Lauren right, it was real for her too.
Being on the fake honeymoon with her had sealed the deal for him. It was so wonderful being able to just relax and have a relationship with her, without trying
to avoid jumping into bed with her, or avoid saying the wrong thing. They’d simply enjoyed each other’s company.
Now, he was making the same mistake his father had made, all those years ago. If Mack had tried harder, explained himself better, maybe he could’ve convinced Lauren to stay.
The way she had thrown her belongings into the suitcase the night she left him, rushing to get out of his penthouse and back to her apartment as fast as she could—God, it broke his heart. Damn it. He should’ve fallen on his knees right then and there, and begged her not to go.
But he had let his stupid pride get in the way. Why not fall to his knees and beg? She was worth it. Damn, she was worth it. And maybe it would have changed everything—maybe they wouldn’t be heading to the courthouse tomorrow to end their marriage, if he had only begged her to stay.
When he’d torn up that prenup, it meant that he trusted her completely—with everything. If only he’d told her that. Mack wanted to just grab her and kiss her, hold her tight and never let her go.
He sighed. What was he thinking? He couldn’t just ignore Lauren’s “don’t walk” sign. If she said she wanted to end the marriage, then that was it. He couldn’t force her to be his, any more than he could hold his hands up to stop a wave from crashing into him in the ocean. Lauren was a force to be reckoned with.
Which meant that tomorrow, they’d be getting their marriage-of-convenience annulled.
…
The following morning, Lauren sat back in the taxi cab and breathed deeply, ignoring the commercials playing on the screen set in the divider between her and the cabbie. Today would be hard, but she’d live. Even after getting the divorce, she’d hopefully still see Mack sometimes, perhaps. He had said she could use him as a consultant on her new property.
Although that might be too painful. Her Band-Aid rule could apply here as well—make it quick, don’t prolong the pain. And seeing him, but not being able to have him, would definitely hurt.
She’d taken the day off of work to go to court, much to her staff’s surprise. She had never taken so much as a sick day before she’d finally taken vacation to watch Callie, and now she was delegating tasks on a regular basis.
Amazingly, it was working out really well. She’d hired such a top-notch staff and set up such an organized schedule at her daycare that it was no longer necessary for her to be watching over everyone’s shoulders. Turns out when she stepped out of everyone’s way for a day or two, the world—and her business—didn’t collapse.
Not that she didn’t have tons of work to do still. There was paperwork and now, with the purchase of the building, there were new tasks that could not be delegated, at least not yet. Working on the new rooftop playground was going to be her big project for the next couple of months, but it would be worth it to see the look on those kids’ faces when they saw it.
But today, the day she and Mack would officially end their marriage, she would take the day off. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be much use to anyone the rest of the day, anyway.
The cab pulled up in front of the courthouse and she slid her card in the card reader attached to the screen, using the handy onscreen tip calculator to automatically give her cabbie a twenty percent tip. He hadn’t run anyone over on the way here, and that was good enough for her.
The nausea settling into the pit of her stomach was from anxiety, not the cab ride, anyway.
Inside, she glimpsed Mack waiting with a bunch of other people at the courthouse. His lawyer, Thomas Finley, was with him. Mack didn’t smile when she caught his eye from across the room, just nodded.
She strode toward them, as cool, calm, and business-like as possible. “Mack, Mr. Finley,” she greeted them quietly.
“You’re up next,” the lawyer said. “I’m thinking we might be able to get you an annulment instead of a divorce. You were both under significant duress when you married, considering you were under the impression your best friend and brother, respectively, had died. I’m hoping that will lead the judge to grant you the annulment.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “I don’t care what it’s called.”
Mack frowned. “In New York, there’s a whole process. If we get a divorce, we have to be legally separated for a year, like we planned. If we can get an annulment, it’ll be like the whole marriage never happened.”
Lauren shook her head. As if just having a judge say their marriage never happened could make it so.
“Then again, am I correct in assuming you did actually live together and sleep together as husband and wife?” his lawyer asked. At Mack’s nod, he sighed. “You consummated the marriage.”
Heat rose in her cheeks.
The gavel came down on another case, and they were called up to the bench. Their lawyer explained why their four-month marriage should be annulled, omitting the part about them playing house and sleeping together.
The judge wasn’t fooled.
The large man leaned back, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose as if to soothe the spot where his glasses had been resting. “I just married you folks. You kissed in front of me. Are you telling me you didn’t live together as husband and wife after that?”
They were under oath. They couldn’t lie.
Panic stricken, Lauren looked at the lawyer.
“Your Honor,” the lawyer said. “If an annulment is not possible, my clients would like to be granted a divorce.”
“Wait,” Mack interrupted. “I don’t want a divorce.”
Lauren shook her head. “But he won’t give us an annulment because we…you know.”
“No, I mean…I don’t want an annulment or a divorce.” Mack turned to his lawyer. “We need a minute to talk outside, if that’s all right.”
The judge put his glasses on. “Clearly, this isn’t settled. As of right now, you are still legally married. You are welcome to take as much time as you need and reschedule for a divorce hearing at a future date.”
He banged the gavel.
“Why?” Lauren asked as Mack led her by the hand out the door. “Why’d you do that?”
Then it hit her. The building. He’d torn up the prenup, and now he’d changed his mind and wanted her daycare building back. They went outside the courthouse, standing in the sunlight on the steps.
“You can have your building, if that’s what you want,” she said softly. “You don’t need to stay married to me just for that.”
As much as she loved him, she couldn’t stay married to someone who didn’t want her. After seeing the debacle that had been Joe and Marisol’s relationship, she never thought she’d marry for anything less than true love. She’d let herself give in to her fantasy, to live her dream for a short while, but it was over. Circumstances had changed.
Now, the only way to be true to herself was to only stay married for true love.
If Mack couldn’t give that to her, then all the money in the world couldn’t keep her with him. She loved him from the bottom of her heart—and she loved him enough to let him go. To let him find someone he loved as much as she loved him.
“The building is for you,” he said firmly. “That’s not what this is about.”
The sun glinted off his gold cuff links. She forced herself to look up from his wrists to his face.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said.
“It’s okay,” she interrupted. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t. I’m in love with you, Lauren. Hell, that’s why I gave you the building in the first place. Because…it was meant to show what I couldn’t say.”
“Wh-what?” She couldn’t be sure if she’d been hoping he’d say those words so much that she’d just imagined them.
“I love you,” he repeated. “And I don’t want a divorce. I want to stay married.”
I love you too, but she didn’t say it. “I thought you wanted a family.”
“I do. Very much.” He took her hands in his. They felt warm and comforting around hers.
“But—
you know I can’t have babies.” The words hung in the air. “I can’t give you a child of your own.”
“I don’t care. We can adopt. Taking care of Callie has proven to me that I can love and take care of any child I let into my heart.”
Yes, adoption. She’d never imagined that Mack would be up for it, but since he was, it could work. If she knew she was meant to be a baby’s mother, then she could easily allow herself to be a mom, instead of a nanny or an Auntie. With Mack by her side, perhaps she could someday be a mother.
Mack stepped in close, his face mere inches from hers. “Being with you—married to you—these past few months has taught me so much,” he whispered.
“Like what?” Their lips were so close, but he didn’t close the gap with a kiss.
“Our relationship is not my parents’ relationship. Talking to my dad the night Joe and Marisol were found proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“So you’re not worried anymore that I’ll just end up leaving you?”
He kissed her then, full on the mouth. “Should I be?”
“No,” she said. “Because I love you, too, Mack.”
He grinned and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against his body.
Mack dropped to one knee on the steps outside the courthouse. “Lauren Hansen, will you…remain married to me?”
Tears filled her eyes. These tears, however, were tears of joy. “Yes,” she said. “I will.”
Her dream man was finally all hers, for real. Forever.
Epilogue
Lauren peered into the chapel, wanting to get a look at everything before she walked down the aisle. She and Mack had chosen the one year anniversary of the day they had gotten legally married to renew their vows, and this time they were doing it right.
She was about to have the wedding of her dreams. The chapel at the Riverside Church in Manhattan was breathtaking, with high vaulted ceilings that went up so far they seemed to touch heaven itself. Intricate colored glass windows depicting various biblical scenes adorned the stone walls. The decorative architectural accents in the chapel reminded her of drizzled wet sand dripped into peaks, or melted wax running down a candle.
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