by Laura Burton
The car pulled to a stop and Henry opened the door for them.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Emily said, her voice wavering. David grasped her hand and squeezed it tight.
“Thank you so much for doing this.” He looked at her, the loose knot on the back of her head was falling out and bobbed up and down with her steps. Her face had paled, and she squeezed his hand back.
“This is crazy, you know that, right?”
David nodded; his mouth was suddenly dry. Emily gave him a pointed stared, proceeded push open the doors to the justice of the peace.
“Okay, as long as we both agree.”
“You may now kiss the bride.”
David was feeling jittery as he leaned down and softly pressed his lips onto Emily’s. Even though the situation was forced and under a stressful time restraint, the action of kissing Emily felt like the most natural thing in the world. As if David was born to kiss her. And only her. For the rest of his life.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Marks.” David and Emily broke apart and he looked at the tiny woman who’d married them, then he turned his heard to the sound of clapping. Henry, Robert, and Joffrey were the only other people in the room. He caught sight of the mild disapproval in Joffrey’s eyes but ignored it. He knew he’d been reckless. Legally, Emily was his wife and they had not signed a prenup; he was now exposed and vulnerable.
But there wasn’t any time to dwell on the situation. David took Emily by the hand and lead them out into the streets of New York.
“Time to meet your new family.”
Chapter Seventeen
Confessions
I just married David. I just married David. I just married David!
No matter how many times she thought it in her head, she couldn’t comprehend it. Had she just made a mammoth mistake? All sense of reason escaped her as they hurried down the steps, and she bit her tongue to stop from laughing as they got into the car.
Emily was not raised in a loving family. Affection and words of appreciation were rare to find—even from her own parents. It made Emily cautious of trusting people and opening up her feelings. But when she looked at David, her heart warmed. He was gentle, and kind. He made her feel… everything. It was like she found an old friend from a forgotten past. Maybe soul mates are real?
“Well, it’s going to be a lot easier to tell people I’m your wife now,” Emily said brightly, pulling herself out of her thoughts. She rubbed the side of her pinky across the engagement ring on her wedding finger and eyed David carefully. He appeared to be having an internal battle. A slight smile flashed across his face before setting into a serious brooding expression.
“Hey,” she said as she placed her hand on his knee. David looked at her. “I did this willingly.”
David’s expression relaxed and he nodded.
“I’m just sorry we had to go this far… it makes things a lot more complicated.”
Emily looked out of the window and nodded in thought. Just over two weeks ago, they were perfect strangers when David came in to find a wife. Emily sabotaged that plan and ended up becoming his wife. She bit her lip against the grin invading her frown.
It didn’t seem all that complicated to her. Yet, she supposed it should. The investors were onboard, there was no need for her to officially get married. But she did, happily. She was doing that to help David with his situation. But this was more than doing David a favor now. She was truly happy.
I married David and I’m happy about it.
The thought made her giddy inside.
Emily looked at his tormented expression and her smile faltered. She guessed he was feeling guilty about dragging her into this. But he didn’t know the lengths she went to ensure he did. She needed him to stop looking at her like she was the victim. He deserved to know the truth. She bit her lip and looked out of the window.
As the car swung round the corner and they neared their destination, Emily turned back to David, resolved. She was going to tell him the truth. Without wasting another moment.
“David, I have a confession to make,” she said in a low murmur. David’s eyes widened. As if he never expected her to have anything to confess. She swallowed and took his hand.
“I set you up on some really stinky dates.”
David laughed.
“It’s okay. It all worked out in the end, didn’t it? You more than made up for it.” He squeezed her hand. He didn’t get it. Emily shook her head.
“No, I mean, I set you up on those dates… on purpose,” she said, looking at him apologetically. David’s brows knitted together as his eyes narrowed at her.
“Okay….”
“The investors… oh gosh, this is hard to explain without sounding like a jerk.” She took a breath. “Right. Okay, I’m just going to say it.” She raised her right hand and pulled out the metal clasp that was digging into her scalp. Her hair fell past her shoulders and she shook her head in relief.
“Just before you came into my office, I had a call with the investors. They told me that they wouldn’t invest in the expansion of my business because I wasn’t married—as though I didn’t truly understand being a matchmaker without being married. So, I needed a husband,” she said in one breath. David moved his hand away from hers and studied her for a moment. She nervously ran her tongue across the back of her teeth and watched him carefully. Was he mad? Did he understand? She couldn’t tell.
“And, I came in saying I needed a wife in thirty days and that seemed to be the perfect opportunity for you,” he looked up at the car ceiling with his jaw clenched. He was mad.
“I’m so sorry, David.” Tears were filling Emily’s eyes as she looked at him imploringly. David turned to her and shook his head.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he said quickly. Emily raised her brows. The anger on his face was gone and he was holding her hand again.
“Really? Did you even hear what I said?” She couldn’t read him. Was he hiding something from her?
“It seems like a pretty big coincidence, don’t you think?” he said in a low voice.
“Maybe it was supposed to be that way,” Emily mused. David raised a hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
“You’re really not mad at me?” she asked softly, hardly able to believe that the truth was finally out and David wasn’t acting like she was the biggest traitor on the planet.
He looked at her with the purest eyes; his lips were apart slightly, then he licked the bottom one and glanced down at hers.
“If we’re doing confessions, then I should tell you that from the day we first met, I fantasied about being with you.”
Emily gulped. An explosion of excitement was going on inside her body. She leaned in and kissed him gently. The rising passion within drove her to keep going. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he clutched her back.
Everything was going to be okay. David knew the truth and set her free. Not only that, but now he was kissing her back. This would just be a funny story to tell the grandkids, she thought.
As their hands roamed, the flush of heat rose to Emily’s cheeks, and it was only when the car came to an abrupt stop that the two of them broke apart, panting. They stared at each other, shoulders heaving up and down, needing a few moments to catch their breaths. Then they burst into laughter.
“We just got married,” Emily said, grinning this time. The realization sent pulses of electricity through her. David grinned back.
“Yes, we did.”
Chapter Eighteen
Meet the Family
David nestled back into the soft leather armchair as the jet engines rumbled into life. He glanced over in amusement at Emily as she was looking around the flight cabin, taking it all in.
“You know, technically this is half yours now,” he said with a grin. Emily’s mouth fell open and she raised her eyebrows.
“You have your own private jet? Most people hire one out.”
David rubbed his chin an
d scratched the hairs of his five o’ clock shadow. He watched her fasten her seatbelt and clutch the arms of her chair. The skin over her knuckles turned white.
“How long is this flight?” she asked, in a fake nonchalant way. David noticed her biting her lip and the fixed smile on her face wasn’t fooling him at all.
“Are you a nervous flyer?” He reached out a hand and placed it on top of hers.
“No,” Emily replied a little too quickly.
David cocked a brow and looked at her frankly.
“Oh? Then why are your hands clammy? Is there something else making you nervous? You seemed okay in the helicopter.” He traced the line of her knuckles with his index finger and touched the huge diamond ring on her wedding finger.
“I just hate the take-off and landing.”
The plane sped along the runway and the engines’ roar flooded the cabin. David watched the color fade from Emily’s cheeks as she shut her eyes. He patted his legs wondering what he could do to distract her as the plane set off into the sky. Then an idea came to mind and he grinned.
“Hey, I want to give you something,” he said as he tugged on Emily’s hand. She opened her eyes and stared at him, a pool of sweat glistened on her upper lip. David reached into his pocket and retrieved a small rectangular box.
“This is yours.” He handed the box to Emily, who took it into her shaking hands.
“What is it?” She flipped open the box and gasped. The plane leveled off and the push of the engines normalized as Emily stared at the contents inside the box.
“I can’t believe it,” she said barely above a whisper.
David cracked his knuckles and watched her eyes tearing up.
“Do you like it?” he asked with anticipation. Emily threw her head back and laughed.
“Is that a serious question?” she pulled out a piece of jewelry. It was the sunflower necklace he had seen her wearing in Oliver’s store.
“You really shouldn’t have.” Emily shot him a look. “It’s too much.”
“Call it a wedding gift.”
Emily held it out to him, the line of sunflower jewels sparkled in the rays of sunshine coming in through the round window, dazzling David.
“Will you help me put it on?” She turned her back to him and swept her hair to the side. David fumbled with the necklace, attempting to fasten the delicate clasp. Once he was done, Emily turned back and beamed at him, her hand touched the necklace as if it were made of glass.
“I love it” was all she said.
I love you David thought, staring into Emily’s sparkling eyes. He moved forward to brush her hair away from her face and caress her cheek, but the plane shook and Emily’s happy resolve turned back into blind panic.
“What was that?” she said, holding onto the arm rests for dear life.
“It’s all right, it’s just a bit of a turbulence,” David reassured her. He unfastened his belt and knelt down at Emily’s feet, placing his hands on hers.
“Emily, you didn’t tell me you were afraid of flying. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not usually. I’m… Is it me, or is it really hot in here? I’m fine, really.” Emily pulled on the neckline of her dress. David resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he took her hands and held them tightly.
“You’re adorable. You know that, right?”
A tiny smile crept across her face in response.
“There we go, touch down,” David said in a soothing tone. The plane came to a stop and David took his eyes away from the window and looked at Emily who was visibly shaken in her seat. Thankfully, it was a short flight to Martha’s Vineyard.
Emily sat bolt upright and smoothed out her dress. “Thank goodness,” she said with a sigh of relief.
David stood and held out his hand for her.
“We need to get you a drink.”
Emily took his hand and the two of them made their way to the hatch. David glanced back at her periodically as they descended the metal steps to the ground. He wondered how she walked in those high heels. Despite her panic on the flight, she was putting on her confident act. She smiled breezily and flicked her hair back over her shoulder once they reached the ground.
A tall man, who some could mistake as himself, stood afar off. He raised a cut crystal highball to them as they approached.
“Nice to see you, baby brother,” he said, then broke into a smile and his nostrils flared as they locked eyes.
“Edward,” David replied curtly. They shook hands briefly before his brother turned to Emily.
“And this must be your mysterious wife?” He held out his hand for Emily. She squared her shoulders and shook his hand firmly. David smiled. She was used to dealing with rich, entitled men. His older brother was no exception.
“I’m Emily, nice to finally meet David’s mysterious brother.” Her response almost had David snort.
Good comeback.
They were standing on a small runway, and in the distance, David could see a glimpse of the summer house.
“Well, I’d love to stay here and continue this pleasant conversation, but I’m sorry to say, we do not have the luxury of time.” Edward turned and opened the car door to the Rolls Royce beside them.
“Time to see our dying grandmother.”
David clenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth might crumble. He took Emily’s hand; this time it was his palms that were sweaty. Emily was completely composed. How does she do that?
Freak out one minute, then act cool and collected the next. He noted that Emily was holding his hand protectively. He appreciated the squeeze and her meaningful glance as they got into the car. She didn’t need to verbalize the words: I’m here for you.
Edward gestured to the small woman sitting in the back with them. “Catherine, you remember my brother? This is his lovely wife, Emma––”
“Emily.” David cut in. He glared at his brother, who sneered back at him. Edward’s eyes glinted, as his face twisted into a devilish grin.
Emily shook hands with Edward’s wife, then the women struck up a polite conversation, but David could not hear it; his ears were ringing and he ground his teeth.
Despite being close in age, their personalities could not be further apart. David was artistic and introverted. Edward was outspoken and analytical. David always wanted to do what was right for the family. Edward only cared about himself. Edward was not always selfish. The two of them used to be close, but his character changed when it was announced that he would inherit the entire family fortune.
They had not been in such close vicinity since the night Edward revealed his master plan.
“Father, David… I am glad you are both here, so that I can announce this to you simultaneously.” He spread his arms out wide and puffed out his chest proudly. They were standing in the private balcony of a theatre. His wife Catherine was the lead singer in the opera and it was opening night. The show had ended and people were starting to leave. It was now Edward’s turn to take center stage and make a disturbing announcement.
“As you know, I am to receive the remainder of Grandmother’s shares of the company,” he began matter-of-factly, as if it was not unreasonable or surprising. David and his father stared at him blankly.
“I wanted to make it clear that I have come to a decision regarding the direction I want to take the family name.” He lowered his arms and took a formal stance clasping his hands together in front of him. “I am going to sell the Marks hotel chain. I already have a potential buyer.”
David glanced over at his father, who remained quiet but the color drained from his face. He just stared at Edward, perhaps waiting for him to shout, “Got you! Just kidding. I’d never do that to the family name!” But that didn’t happen.
David got to his feet. “You want to sell us out? Does Grandmother know?”
Edward looked back at him frankly. “One word: Vegas.”
David and his father glanced at each other. “What?” they said in unison.
“I want a ca
sino.”
“Then buy a casino, you don’t need to sell the entire Marks hotel chain to do that.” His father got to his feet and sighed.
“No, I want to build a new Vegas. An entire city built around one giant casino.” Edward spoke dramatically while moving his hands to emphasize his points. “Our name will go down in history, and not as measly hotel owners, but innovative, forward-thinkers. I’ll build a whole city where only the very elite will be allowed entrance.”
David had been furious—still was. The reason their grandmother was bequeathing all the company’s shares to Edward was because he’d married a “respectable” woman, one who could look the part to represent the future of the Marks dynasty. Catherine was not only respectable, but sweet and seemingly level-headed. David could not understand why she would stand by Edward’s crazy plan to destroy the legacy.
He also could not understand his grandmother’s wishes. Cutting his father out of the will was almost understandable… considering their history. But why would Grandmother trust Edward with everything? Did she know of his plan? If she didn’t, it was too late to tell her. Who shares such news to someone when they are dying? Edward knew that, and he was taking advantage of the situation, which was an unfathomable change to the brother he’d always known.
With his jaw clamped together, David held the small of Emily’s back as they walked into the home.
Chapter Nineteen
Grandmother Marks
Emily tried to remain composed. She allowed herself to steal a few glances around as they entered. They came into a hall, lined with work staff ready to meet them. A woman offered Emily a tray with a small facecloth that she held it with a pair of tongs. Emily shot a look at David to see him washing his hands and the back of his neck with a towel.
