Not Another Fake Marriage (Not Another Romance)

by R. L. Kenderson

  “I figured.”

  “Kevin told us about your parents,” I said. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure what the long-term plans are, but I’m moving in with Xavier and his parents.” She smiled at the young man. “They’re going to help with the baby while he goes to school. And maybe I can get an education visa and go to college too.”

  I hadn’t even thought about all the technical aspects of having Candace stay in America. “Did you come on a marriage visa or whatever they’re called?”

  Her smile fell as she looked worried. “Yes, and they might not accept changing my visa.”

  “Don’t worry. I will have the immigration lawyer look into it,” Kevin said. “I promised I would get you to the US, and I plan to keep that promise.”

  I stared at him in wonder, and I realized that once upon a time, I had married him for a reason. It was nice to see that he was doing something good, and I was relieved to know he hadn’t messed around with our exchange student or cheated on me.

  He wasn’t completely innocent in this situation, but he wasn’t the terrible man I had previously thought.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  ALEXIS

  “Hey, Alexis, we’re home.”

  I blinked the sleep from my eyes and sat up as I rubbed my neck. We’d gotten back to Minnesota around nine at night. We’d had to drive Adele an hour home, unload her bags from the car, and drive all the way back to the Twin Cities. I must have dozed off somewhere along the way.

  As we carried our stuff inside, I said, “That was a family vacation I will never forget.”

  Trevor laughed. “Me neither.”

  I picked up my suitcase, lugged it upstairs, and put it on the bed in my room. I unzipped the top, opened it, and stared at the mess that awaited me. Forget this.

  “I’m unpacking tomorrow,” I called out to Trevor. “I’m way too tired to do this right now.”

  “I hope that’s the only thing you’re too tired for,” he said from behind me as he slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.

  I rested my head on his shoulder. “Hmm. Well, I did take a nap, so I could probably muster up a little energy for something. What do you have in mind?”

  In an instant, he swung me up into his arms and carried me to his bedroom.

  As soon as he set me on the bed, he took his shirt and socks off. I stripped off my clothes and went to help him with the rest of his.

  “Whoa. I thought you were tired,” he said.

  “Seeing you almost naked refreshed me.” I quickly pushed his pants off his hips. I sighed. “It’s so perfect.”

  I yanked Trevor onto the bed and sucked his cock into my mouth. His scent was strong, and the flavor of his skin hit my tongue immediately. Normally, I was all for showering after being on an airplane, but I loved smelling him rather than soap.

  I bobbed my head on his cock and massaged his balls, trying to memorize the feel of them. Trevor cupped the back of my neck, his hand tightening every time I went down.

  Soon, his fingers were squeezing more than they were loosening, and I knew he had to be getting close. I had yet to taste him since we’d been interrupted the other day when I was giving him head, and I couldn’t wait to find out what it was like when he came in my mouth.

  The thought of it turned me on so much that I could feel my wetness between my thighs. I wonder if I can come from giving head. It had never happened before, but there was a first time for everything.

  Trevor fisted my hair as he cried out and spilled onto my tongue. He was hot and salty, and I made sure to swallow every last drop.

  I dragged him from my mouth when his orgasm was finished and couldn’t resist licking his length one more time.

  His cock jerked as he grunted, and I smiled at my accomplishment.

  Trevor lifted me under my arms and threw me down on the bed. I hadn’t been ready, and I screamed and laughed in surprise.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “It’s your turn.”

  Suddenly, I remembered the whole plane ride and not-bathing situation.

  I closed my legs. Or tried to. His head stopped me.

  “I should probably shower first. We were traveling a long time today.”

  “Shut up.”

  My jaw dropped open. “What?”

  “You heard me. Shut up. If I want to eat your pussy, I’m going to eat your pussy. I don’t care if you’ve been traveling for ten days. Now, open those pretty thighs for me.”

  As I did, I said, “I can’t believe you told me to shut up.”

  Trevor put his entire mouth on my pussy and sucked. “I had to get your attention somehow.” He drew my lips apart and brushed his teeth against my taut clit.

  My hips twitched. “Oh, you have it,” I said on a long sigh.

  Trevor used both hands to lift my ass and gave me the best head of my life. I had never known what other women meant when they said men feasted on them, but I did now. He licked and sucked every inch of me as if he couldn’t get enough.

  When I neared my climax, he sensed it and turned all his attention to my very swollen nub. A few hard flicks of his tongue, and I was soaring as waves of pleasure crashed over me.

  He gently set my butt back on the bed and crawled up next to me. We faced each other as he pulled my leg over his hips. With one smooth thrust, he was inside me, and I nipped his neck as he filled me.

  Trevor ran his hands down my back and pulled me closer. “Now that we both already came, I can make love to you nice and slow.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  ALEXIS

  The next morning was Sunday, and since we’d come home a day early, I didn’t have to hurry to get up for work. Although I had already texted Tessa that I would be in later that day. I’d also promised to tell her everything when I arrived at the café.

  Right now, I was enjoying lying next to my sleeping husband and simply watching him.

  His eyes were closed, so I was surprised when he said, “Are you staring at me?”

  He’d caught me.

  “Maybe. A little.”

  “What are you thinking about?”

  I laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m a woman. I’m thinking about a lot of things. Would you like me to list them all?”

  “Sure.”

  I’d thought he’d say no, but he’d surprised me again.

  “I’m thinking I need to go into work, how Tessa might have had too much to do without me, if you and I need to stay married now that Kevin didn’t marry Candace, about how your grandma is feeling this morning, when I should have my attorney send Kevin’s lawyer the paperwork because a part of me feels bad for him, that I have to unpack and do laundry, and how I haven’t called my mom yet to do a mother-daughter date. I’m also thinking that I want to pull the covers over my head and not worry about anything.” I took a deep breath. “I think that’s it.”

  Trevor blinked at me. “That’s…a lot.”

  “I know.”

  He brushed the hair off my cheek. “I can help with a couple of things.”

  I lifted my brow. “Really?”

  He chuckled. “Really. I’ll call Nana this morning to see how she’s doing. Absolutely send those papers to my brother. Did he feel bad for you? No.”

  “Got it.”

  “Take the morning to do things around the house, like unpack and call your mom. Go into work this afternoon. I will do laundry today.”

  I smiled. “I can work with that.”

  “I figured you would. And, yes, we need to stay married. You still need your money, and I still need my inheritance. Even with Kevin not getting married, I don’t meet my grandfather’s requirements without you.”

  Despite us still needing each other for these two things, I liked that I’d get to be with him a little longer. I wasn’t ready for our time to end.

  “And as for the last thing…” He hauled me
into his arms. “I can’t make all your worries go away, but I can pull the covers over us and make you forget about them for a while.”

  I wiggled my eyebrows. “I like the sound of that.”

  Trevor

  I watched my beautiful, naked wife crawl out of bed and stretch, in awe of the female form.

  “I need to shower,” she said.

  “You can use the one in here.” As far as I was concerned, this was her bedroom and bathroom now.

  “All my stuff is in the main one.”

  “Move it in here.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of like not sharing.”

  I smiled. “I don’t blame you.” I threw myself to the other side of the bed and lightly smacked her ass. “You go shower. I’ll call my grandma.”

  Alexis left, and I rang Nana.

  “Hello?”

  “Morning, Nana. How are you?”

  “Glad to be home.”

  “Same here. Are you feeling all right?”

  She made an exasperated sound. “I’m fine, Trevor.”

  “Okay, okay. I was just checking. Alexis was worried about you.”

  “Alexis, hmm?”

  I grinned. “And me too. Yesterday was stressful.”

  “It was, but you don’t have to worry about me.”

  “When is your next doctor appointment?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know and call you back.”

  I frowned, not quite believing her. “Are you really going to call me back?”

  “Yes. Who is the grandmother here, and who is the grandson?”

  “I’m simply worried, is all. I would like to go with you to your next appointment, if that’s okay.”

  “I’ll call you back, Trevor.”

  “I love you,” I quickly added before she could hang up on me.

  “I love you too.”

  I ended my call and made a mental note to call her back in a day or two if she didn’t ring me.

  As I set my phone down, I got a text message notification.

  “No way.” My grandmother didn’t know how to text.

  And I was right. It was my brother.

  Kevin: Tell your wife I called a realtor today. She can lay off me.

  I didn’t know what he was referring to.

  Me: I’ll tell her the first part, but I don’t know what you’re talking about with the second part.

  Kevin: She hired a lawyer. My lawyer left me a message while I was out of town, and I just got it. Tell her thanks for kicking me while I’m down.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Me: You’re fine. You have plenty of money. You don’t even have to sell your house. Just pay her half of what it’s worth.

  The three bubbles appeared and then went away. Appeared and went away.

  When he finally responded, I was surprised.

  Kevin: I’m still going to sell. Now that I’m alone, there’s no point in keeping it. I wanted a nice place for the baby, but I don’t need it anymore.

  I thought my brother was actually sad that he was out of Candace and her baby’s lives.

  Me: I’m sure you will find someone else. You’re still young. And for what it’s worth, I appreciate you doing the right thing.

  Kevin: Yeah, thanks. I’ll let you know when the sale is final. And I’ll have my lawyer get the money to Alexis.

  Me: Thank you.

  “Why do you look like you saw a miracle or something?”

  I lifted my head to see Alexis standing in the doorway. She was dressed, but her hair was in a towel.

  “Nana is doing well, and the reason I have this particular expression on my face is because Kevin just texted me to tell me he’s selling his house.”

  Her jaw dropped, and she started laughing. “What? How?”

  “Your lawyer didn’t listen to you. He sent over the paperwork to Kevin’s lawyer while we were out of town. Kevin just found out, and he wanted me to let you know you can leave him alone now.”

  “Gladly.” Alexis ran toward me and landed in my arms. “This is the best news. Everything is coming together now.”

  Chapter Thirty

  ALEXIS

  Three weeks later, I got my money from Kevin. He hadn’t closed on our old house yet, but he had a buyer, and it was in escrow.

  The day I got my check, I walked into work, and Tessa and the rest of our friends were waiting. They all started clapping the second I entered.

  Bursting into laughter, I waved at them to stop. “You ladies are silly. You’re applauding me like I made some great accomplishment.”

  Tessa brought over a glass of champagne. “It’s sparkling apple cider since it’s the middle of the workday. And this is a great accomplishment,” she pointed out.

  “I know, but it’s not like I did the work. It was Trevor and his lawyer.”

  “We’re still happy for you,” Bree said.

  “Thanks. I’m happy for me too,” I joked.

  “So, what are you going to do with your money?” Paisley asked.

  I chuckled. “It’s not a million dollars or anything, but I’m definitely going to get a house. Nothing huge, but someplace that is my own.”

  “What about Trevor?” Elizabeth asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I thought maybe you two would stay together.”

  The thought had crossed my mind more than once or twice. I was really happy, being with him. He loved it when I brought home cupcakes, and he made love to me every night. But he never talked about us staying together, so I didn’t either.

  I didn’t want my friends to know that it made me sad to think about not being with him, so I smiled. “Nah. He has his life, and I have mine. We’re friends.”

  “Friends who are having sex,” Pru teased.

  “Hey. If we’re going to be stuck together, we might as well enjoy each other, right?”

  “I agree,” Bree said.

  “Besides, Adele is still doing well. We just saw her yesterday. She came to our house, and she was dressed up and had her makeup on. She’s really holding on.”

  My phone rang, and I saw it was Trevor.

  “Ooh…speak of the devil…”

  “It’s Trevor’s grandma?” Isabelle asked.

  “No, silly,” Elizabeth said. “It’s Trevor.”

  Isabelle hit her palm on her head, so I was laughing when I answered the phone. “Hello?”

  “Alexis?”

  Ice immediately went through my veins. His tone was too serious.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nana’s gone.”

  I closed my eyes as tears filled them. “I’m so sorry, Trevor.”

  “Can you come home?”

  “Yes. I’ll be right there.”

  I hung up the phone as six pairs of eyes stared at me in sympathy.

  “That was—”

  “We know, honey,” Tessa said. “Go home.”

  Adele’s funeral was packed with people from her small town. Trevor held my hand throughout the whole thing, unwilling to let go. I knew it was for his benefit more than mine.

  Even knowing that she was going to pass and that she was no longer in pain now—pain that she had hidden from us—he was still sad and grieving.

  But I thought it brought him some comfort to see all the people who had come to honor her presence.

  Kevin was also there, alone, and for what it was worth, he also seemed sad.

  After the service, a man who was probably in his late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair approached the two brothers. Trevor immediately shook his hand.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” the man said.

  “Thank you,” Trevor said while Kevin nodded.

  “Vernon, this is my wife, Alexis,” Trevor said, introducing me. “Alexis, this is Vernon. He runs Nelson Pharmacy.”

  Vernon smiled at me. “I’m the general manager. I can’t take all the credit. I have good employees.”

  “Don’t be so modest,” Trevor said. “You’ve worked at Nels
on Pharmacy since college. You do a lot for the store.”

  “He has?” Kevin asked.

  Vernon smiled. “I have, and thank you, but I only came over to express my condolences.”

  “Thank you,” Trevor said.

  Vernon gave us a wave and walked away.

  “He is probably worried about his job now that Nana is dead.”

  Trevor and I both looked at Kevin. Just when I thought he wasn’t that bad of a guy, he said something like that.

  “Of course he is,” Trevor said. “He’s worked there since college. It’s all he knows. And he has five kids, two of whom still live at home.” He shook his head. “Come on, Alexis. I can’t with him today.”

  After the funeral, we had a reception at his grandmother’s house. Trevor was very polite to everyone, but after a few hours, I could tell the socializing was wearing on him. Thankfully, people began to notice and started taking their leave. We were left with one man, dressed in a suit that looked too fancy for a funeral.

  Trevor and Kevin had gone into the kitchen to clean up the food, so I approached him.

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked him, hoping he’d get the hint and leave.

  “Yes, I’m Mr. Randolph. I’m here to speak with Trevor and Kevin Nelson.”

  “I’m sorry, but the reception is over.”

  “I’m not here for the reception. I’m here to read the will. I’m Mr. and Mrs. Nelson’s lawyer.”

  “We can use my grandfather’s study,” Trevor said from behind me.

  I spun around to see him and Kevin standing there.

  The four of us went into the study and sat down.

  “I’m sorry to do this today, but it’s what your grandfather and grandmother requested,” Mr. Randolph said.

  Kevin rubbed his hands together in nervousness. “Might as well get this over with.”

  The lawyer opened his briefcase, pulled out a stack of papers, and handed a packet to each brother. “As you can see, the house, the vehicles, and all the possessions within the home are to be split fifty-fifty among both of you. And below that…” Mr. Randolph cleared his throat. “I apologize. These kinds of stipulations in wills never sit right with me. As I was saying, below that, it discusses Nelson Pharmacy.”