by Rye Hart
I watched her get up from the bed and walk out of my room. I followed her, watching her wander aimlessly throughout my home. She grabbed my number off the fridge and stuffed it into her pocket, then she walked back over to the couch. Her eyes descended onto a sleeping Lanie, and I swore I saw them glisten with tears.
She bent over and kissed Lanie on the top of the head, then she made quick work of getting out my front door.
CHAPTER 15
Amanda
I knew I needed to take his offer. Lanie’s father sounded like a grade-A douchebag. Brian told me all about the encounter with him. How he reeked of alcohol and was hazed over with drugs. I knew what that was like. I watched that shit with my own mother. I listened as my mother stumbled in at two o’clock in the morning. I remembered watching her car drive off from my grandmother’s, so she could go party. I remembered dance recitals and piano lessons falling into the background, her drugs and her parties being prioritized over me.
I could also remember the nasty custody battle my grandmother went through to prove she was fit as an elderly woman to care for a child.
It ran me through the ringer. As a child, it almost broke me. My mother got nasty, and my grandmother was beaten to the ground. And the only person that paid the price, in the end, was me. My grandmother might’ve won custody of me, but not before it destroyed me—heart, mind, and soul.
If I could keep Lanie from experiencing that, I would.
But I was nervous. Fake or not, marriage was a significant thing. It was obvious that we were already attracted to each other. But faking a marriage meant moving in with him. It meant lying to Lanie. It meant thrusting her into another situation that would eventually crumble once Brian accomplished what he needed. I knew Brian was trying to keep Lanie out from underneath all of this, and I admired him for it, but bringing a woman into the home and then her leaving a short time later would do a different sort of damage to Lanie.
I needed Sarah’s advice. And I needed it now.
I grabbed my purse and my keys and started for my car. I sent Sarah a text, telling her I was coming over. I picked us up some food before I arrived at her hotel room, and the moment she opened the door I launched myself into the tirade I’d rehearsed in my head.
“Wait, wait, wait. He wants to marry you?” she asked.
“Not actually marry me. A fake marriage in order to paint his home to be a better one for Lanie.”
“Is that smart?” Sarah asked.
“It’s better than handing Lanie over to a druggie father,” I said.
Sarah’s eyes raked over me before she drew in a deep breath.
“You want to protect Lanie from what you went through growing up.” She understood.
“I’d do anything to keep her from it,” I said breathlessly.
“And you like Brian. That much is obvious,” she said. “So it’s not like you’d be miserable.”
“Brian said we could file for an annulment once he’d blocked Lanie’s father out of her life forever,” I said.
“Here’s what I think,” Sarah said. “If you think you could stand living with him and it’s for the good of Lanie, then go for it. You are both going in under the assumption that this isn’t a permanent thing, so you have that going for you.”
“I’m concerned about what that might to do Lanie, though. She already likes me, and if I go live with them, and then leave, that would do damage as well,” I said.
“Why would you have to permanently live with them?”
“Because we’d be married?”
“Look, your cabin is right down the road. You have paperwork that says you inherited it when your grandmother passed. Keep some clothes and shit at his place, stay there two or three nights a week, and tell them you’re hopping between fixing the cabin and staying there.”
“I’d have to bring that up with Brian, but it could work,” I said.
“It sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
I turned my head and saw Sarah grinning at me over her burger.
“I guess I have,” I said, grinning.
“Oh, my little Amanda’s growing up.”
“Shut up,” I said.
“Look, I understand your hesitation. This is a tricky situation. What you have to keep in mind is that you have to pick and choose your battles. Dancing around Lanie and making her believe is easy, but if Brian loses this court battle and she goes off with her bullshit father because you didn’t do this, you’re going to feel guilty about it. I know you. I know you’ll beat yourself up over it. Every damn day.”
“I know,” I said.
“Plus, you could probably cut a deal with him.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Your cabin needs some repairs. Is he handy? Maybe you could trade this marriage for him doing work on the cabin himself. You know, to lessen the monetary blow you’ll take later.”
“Huh. That would actually be a good arrangement. I’m not sure if he’s good at repairing things, but he’s been isolated for a long time. If shit broke, he strikes me as the type of person who would fix it rather than calling someone to have it fixed.”
“Talk to him about it. Make this a mutually beneficial arrangement,” she said.
“What would I do without you?” I asked as I took a bite of my burger.
“Flounder around on dry land until you died.”
“You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?”
The two of us talked well into the evening, and by the time I was ready to leave, it was almost midnight. My eyes were fluttering closed as Sarah and I watched another movie on television, and I figured spending another night with Sarah wouldn’t hurt.
“Coffee in the morning?” I asked as I slipped underneath the covers.
“I promise not to knock it over this time,” Sarah said.
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 16
Brian
Even though I knew I needed to keep my nose out of Amanda’s business, I couldn’t help but keep an eye out for her. She was a single woman living alone on a mountainside, and Lanie had taken a liking to her. She was a warm presence whenever she was around, and I was hoping she would show up this morning. I knew she needed time to think, but I figured with the way she looked at Lanie yesterday she would’ve made up her mind already.
But instead, I watched her drive away from her home yesterday, and she hadn’t returned yet.
I was getting very nervous. Was she okay? Had my request scared her off for good? I told her to take my number, but she still hadn’t texted me. I had no way to get in contact with her, and short of sitting on her porch until she came home, there was nothing I could do. I cooked breakfast for Lanie and tried to keep my mind at bay. I needed something to distract me. Something that would keep my racing mind still that would also forward my plan to fight for Lanie.
So, I got my phone and started taking pictures of the house.
I took pictures of her room and all the food in the fridge. Pictures of all the land I lived on and all the places we took hikes. I took shots of the clean living room and the rest of my spotless house. I also included pictures of her own bathroom and all the toys she had.
But while I was taking all these pictures, Amanda kept slipping to the forefront of my mind.
Had I asked too much of her? The answer was obvious. I had. And I was worried that I’d pushed her away. If Amanda had left town, then I would have to explain what happened to Lanie.
The thought broke my heart as sat on the edge of my bed.
Maybe Amanda didn’t trust me. Maybe I was reading all of her signals wrong. I could’ve sworn she would’ve been okay with a plan like this. Between the tension growing between us, the bond she was forming with Lanie, and the fire in her eyes when we talked yesterday, I knew she would say yes. I knew she would be on board for something like this, especially since there was an easy way out of it in the end.
But instead, she had gone somewhere, and she hadn’t come back yet. Maybe w
hat I thought we had, had simply been amazing sex. Deep in my gut though, I knew that wasn’t it. I knew we were more.
A marriage was a lot, though. There was explaining to Lanie what was going on and trying to get around her. There was all of the “getting to know you” bullshit that would have to occur. Moving Amanda in and trying to figure out how to live with another adult again. I hadn’t lived with anyone since my ex-wife. We would have to sleep in the same bed together, in case someone came around to do random checks.
Was that something that would happen? Would someone come around to try and validate our story?
I didn’t even know what all I was getting myself into. Was I willing to allow myself to share my everyday life with her? And if we were sleeping in the same bed with her beautiful, soft body pressed against mine, that shit, not to mention my dick, was going to be hard. She was an irresistible woman that had a pull on me I couldn’t explain. I gravitated toward her. Felt this uncontrollable urge to protect her. To give her whatever she wanted whenever she asked it of me.
I marveled at how much I had come to care for her in such a short period of time. What if I couldn’t let her go when it was all over? What if I won custody of Lanie and Amanda wanted out, but I didn’t? Would I be able to just dissolve the marriage and let her go?
I didn’t know the answer to that. All I knew for certain, was that I was willing to do absolutely anything that needed to be done in order to keep Lanie with me and away from her shithead father. I knew, without a doubt, that I was the better parent for her.
I hated that this decision could rest on the shoulders of a young woman I didn’t actually know all that well.
Then, I heard a sound that was music to my ears. I heard a car driving up the mountain. I strode over to the window while the nanny played with Lanie out back and watched Amanda’s car pull up to her cabin. She was back, and relief cascaded through my veins as I sighed.
Now that I knew she was safe, all I could do was wait.
An hour later, a knock came at my door. I sprung from the couch and ran to the door, then stopped to collect myself. I needed to stay calm. I couldn’t show her how dependent my hope on her was right now. She didn’t need that kind of pressure. I needed to keep myself calm for her.
I drew in a couple deep breaths as she knocked on the door again, then I opened and saw her standing on the porch.
Amanda was standing there holding a piping hot pan with cheese and sauce bubbling away. The meal smelled delicious as Amanda stood there with a smile on her face, and I stepped off to the side so I could let her in.
“I made lasagna,” she said as she came in.
“Smells wonderful,” I said.
“Where’s Lanie?” she asked.
“Out back with the nanny.”
“Oh. Tanya’s here?”
“She is. Lanie was happy to see her this morning. And so was I. I took some pictures of the home to send to my lawyer.”
“That’s good. Really good,” she said.
“Here. Let me take that.”
I took the hot pan from her hands and set it down on the table. I could hear Lanie giggling outside, and I knew Tanya would bring her in for food when she was ready. I grabbed a couple of plates and glasses for drinks, then I set the table so Amanda and I could sit down and eat lunch.
I wanted to keep moving so she wouldn’t see how badly my hands were shaking.
“I’ll do it.”
I stopped pouring our drinks in midair as I slowly turned my head toward her. She was sitting at the table with her eyes connected to mine. She was holding my stare, her entire body unwavering.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ll do it,” she said again. “I’ll marry you.”
I felt a burst of hope carry me right off my feet. I set the drinks down and ran to her, scooping her off her chair. I held her tightly in my arms as she giggled, then felt her arms snake around my waist. I couldn’t fucking believe it.
Amanda was going to help me keep Lanie.
“Thank you,” I said into her hair. “Thank you so much.”
“There’s a lot we need to talk about and figure out,” she said as she pulled away from me. “So, let’s sit and talk.”
I set her back down on her feet and finished getting our drinks. Amanda seemed different, more confident, and sure of her decision. It was a far cry from the confusion and shock she’d worn plain on her face earlier in the day. She was spooning lasagna onto our plates as I carried our drinks over, and I sat down in front of her before she drew in a deep breath.
“So, the first thing. With us being married—”
She snickered and shook her head as I reached over and took her hand.
“You have no idea what this means to me. To us. Thank you,” I said.
“Trust me, I understand more than you realize.”
I held her eyes, cradling her hand within mine before she looked away and sighed.
“Living together. I’m concerned about how confusing that’ll be for Lanie,” she said.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “You can keep some stuff here, and if you’re sleeping at your place for some reason and someone questions it, we’ll tell them what’s happening. You inherited that home, and you’re fixing it up.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile. “Good. Now, making this official. How do you want to go about that?”
“I figured we’d go down to the courthouse. Getting a marriage license doesn’t take long. We could get you a dress from somewhere, and it’ll be a quick ceremony. Legal. We can get all the paperwork filed, and it’ll be done in the eyes of the state.”
“When I am staying here,” she said, “where will I be sleeping?”
“With me.”
A blush crept up her delicate neck and settled in her cheeks. She nodded and cleared her throat.
“And once you’ve won custody?” she asked.
“You’ll have whatever out you need. You can trust me, Amanda. I’m not keeping you here against your will. You’re doing me a massive favor. I would never do something like that to you.”
“Good,” she said. “Which brings me to my next question.”
But before she could get it out, Lanie came running through the door with the nanny on her heels.
“Amana!”
Lanie jumped into Amanda’s arms and I watched as the two of them embraced. Tanya threw me a sly little grin, passing by me and nudging me before she went into the kitchen. I shrugged off the movement as I watched Lanie wrap her arms around Amanda’s neck, and that burning sensation in my gut happened again.
I enjoyed watching the two of them interact.
Amanda stayed for the rest of the afternoon. She watched Tanya go through the motions with Lanie and participated in the games we were playing. I contacted the courthouse and started the process to obtain a marriage license, then called my P.I. to see if he had made any progress with Lanie’s father.
He said he hadn’t found anything to prove the allegations in the paperwork false, but that he still had many avenues he could take.
The sun quickly set, which meant it was time for Lanie to go to bed. Amanda watched as Tanya bedded Lanie down, taking in her routine as I stood at the end of the hallway. My eyes scanned Amanda’s body, taking in her supple curves and her raven black hair. She was a beautiful young woman. Her hips swayed with every step she took, and her hair billowed around her face and enhancing her porcelain skin. Something in her eyes though, told me that she’d been through some pretty rough things in her life. Her haunted expression drew me to her even more.
Once Lanie was down for bed the nanny left, and it was only her and I standing in the hallway.
“I contacted the courthouse and started things going,” I said. “I’ll let you know when the marriage certificate is ready.”
“Okay,” she said.
“I’m never going to be able to thank you enough for this,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure I can come up with so
mething,” she said.
“Oh really?”
I took a step toward her and her back straightened up. Her eyes fluttered up towards mine, looking at me from underneath her long eyelashes. Her emerald eyes were sparkling, and her raven hair was beckoning to my fingers. I reached my hand up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, watching as her eyes fluttered closed at my touch.
She opened her eyes and looked up at me again before she closed the gap between our bodies. Her hands slid up my stomach, planting themselves on my chest. Her hands curled into the fabric of my shirt as she grabbed it tightly, and I took the invitation to twist my fingers in her hair.
The sigh that escaped her lips popped something within me.
Walking her backward, I led her into my room. I reached out and closed the door behind me as her hands made quick work of the buttons on my flannel shirt. I cradled the back of her head as my dick grew to life inside my jeans, the tip of my cock already leaking for her lips.
But I didn’t want her on the bed this time. If she was going to let me have her, then I wanted her how I’d dreamed of her.
Soaking wet in my shower while I cradled her in my arms.
CHAPTER 17
Amanda
His hand against the back of my head felt comforting. It took me no time to get his shirt off, his hands holding onto me. I could feel the warmth of his skin on the back of my neck; the tension vibrating between the two of us. I was drawn to him, swept under by his current and dragged out into the sea of his beautiful blue eyes.
Our clothes dropped to the floor before he scooped me up into his arms. I felt his muscles twitching against my body as his cock stood at attention. He carried me into his shower before placing me on my feet, his lips caressing my cheek. The hot water poured from the shower and cascaded over my body as he led me under it, wetting my hair and watching the rivers of water drip off my tits. I could feel his hands venturing over my curves, tracing the outlines of me as my fingertips studied his muscles.
Then, his lips were on my neck, sucking and nibbling, threatening to make marks I knew I’d have in the morning. He pressed himself against me as his cock throbbed, and as I opened my eyes the steam around us began to rise. I studied his beard and his brow. The way his hair fell in his face when he was wet. I stood back from him and took in his water-soaked body, watching his muscles shine and glisten in the heat of his bathroom.
