Fake Marriage (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Ajme Williams

  I exited the car and was just opening the front door when lights came up behind me. I turned to see a car pulling in. My heart lurched to my throat, hoping it was Brooke. Maybe she’d chosen me, after all.

  Jeannette stepped out of the car, and my heart dropped.

  “Jeannette, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “You’re not returning your lawyer’s calls,” she said, coming up the steps. “We need to talk, Mo.”

  I nodded. I couldn’t avoid her forever. “Come in. Are you hungry?”

  “No. I ate with my family, and I thought I’d come out to see what was up with you.”

  I led her to the kitchen. “Do you mind if I have something?”

  “Not at all.” She sat at the table with a file as I quickly assembled a sandwich.

  “Where’s your wife?” she asked.

  I couldn’t decide if it was a trick question or not. It seemed to me she was here because she got wind that the marriage was going belly up. But I could be wrong.

  “She’s at a friend’s place.” Maybe more than a friend, I thought as the image of Tucker once again putting his hands on Brooke flashed in my brain.

  “Want something to drink?” I asked as I put my sandwich on the table.

  “No. Thank you.”

  I grabbed a beer from the fridge. Whiskey would have to wait. I sat and took a bite of my sandwich and waited.

  She studied me. “What’s going on, Mo?”

  I shrugged. I’d play dumb and let her tell me what she knew.

  “I can’t go into detail of how I know, but I’ve been given the impression that your wife has left you.”

  My bite of sandwich felt like a lead weight as I swallowed. “I’m still married.”

  “That’s not the terms.” She sighed. “And there’s this.” She pulled out a paper from her folder. I remembered seeing something similar with Shelley, but this time, I felt like the floor fell out from under me.

  “Divorce papers.” I studied them and noted there wasn’t a signature on them. I looked at Jeannette. “She hasn’t signed them. Did Frank do this?”

  She sat back. “I’m in a tough position here, which I told him. I’ve got a conflict of interest representing both of you. But he did ask me to draw this up and bring it to you. I told him it wouldn’t matter if Brooke wasn’t part of it.”

  “Did you talk to her?” I asked.

  “No. Not yet. Frank is under the opinion that if you sign it, she will follow suit. He seemed to think you owed him this.”

  I pushed the paper back to her as rage began to build. “I owe him? Me? Owe him?” My voice started to rise.

  “I know it’s ridiculous.”

  “I gave him a fucking fortune.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “I’m not signing it. If Brooke wants out and signs it, then I will. I won’t force her to stay—”

  “You’ll need to repay—”

  “I know,” I said, downing my beer.

  “Even if she doesn’t sign, but she moves out—”

  “I know,” I snapped. Then I took a breath. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

  “I get it,” she said gently. “I tried to explain to him, but he’s angry.” She studied me. “I told him you were married. What did he think would happen?”

  My jaw tightened as I looked out the window for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell her. Finally, I turned to her. “I know how it looks—”

  “How does it look?” she asked with a frown.

  “I’m nearly twice her age. I’m her boss.”

  “I suppose the boss thing could be an issue, especially as the mayor, but the age thing, today that’s not such a big deal, is it?”

  “I knew her as a kid. It could seem creepy. I’m sure it does to Frank.”

  She nodded for a moment. “Do you think Hoyt Turner is creepy?”

  I only stared at her. I knew of Hoyt but didn’t know him well.

  “He married his nanny, who happened to be his daughter’s friend in high school.”

  “She was a nanny—”

  “They’ve been married over ten years and have three more kids,” she finished.

  I rubbed my hands over my face.

  “And Carl Richards married a woman who is younger than his son. Three years in, they seem happy. Sure, people might say something, but it won’t be a scandal. And Frank isn’t one to talk. He went along with this marriage. What does it say about him that he agreed to this so you’d pay his debts?”

  “That’s just it. When it’s spoken out loud, it sounds horrendous. And it makes Brooke a pawn.” I felt sick about that. “Like her father sold her to me, and I took advantage.”

  “Brooke is a grown woman who can stand up for herself. I doubt you took advantage. At least, I doubt anything happened that she wasn’t on board with happening.”

  I pushed my sandwich away, all of a sudden, not hungry. “The end result is the same. How much time do I have to repay the money?”

  “So, it is done? She’s gone?”

  I shrugged. “I haven’t heard from her. She hasn’t returned my text or calls. That seems like the answer.”

  “You know, and again this puts me in a predicament because I represent Frank, too, but you could sue him for the money.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You could argue fraud.”

  “I knew what I was doing.”

  She shrugged. “You must have some sort of contract. You could still sue over a breach. It would be in his interest to not let this get out. While everyone’s intentions were good, you’re right in that it could look creepy. But it would be worse for him. He’s her father.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to do anything that will hurt Brooke. He’s her father, and she loves him.”

  “Is that why you’re here pining away, wishing that beer was something stronger instead of out finding her and telling her that you love her?”

  “How do you know I love her, and this isn’t about the money?”

  She arched a brow. “Give me some credit, Mo. You’re a good man. You’re putting her before yourself or Frank, which is more than he’s doing.”

  “He’s doing what he thinks is best for her, his daughter.”

  She laughed. “Now you’re defending him.”

  “The point is, I don’t want to come between them. They’re all they have with Laura gone—”

  “That’s not true. They have, or had, you.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not family.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The marriage certificate you have says otherwise.”

  I sat back. “Whatever Brooke wants, I’ll do.”

  “And the money?”

  I lifted my hands in an I-don’t-know gesture. “I’ll figure something out. That was my plan for tonight.”

  She stood. “I guess I need to talk to Brooke. Is she really at a friend’s place?”

  I nodded, trying not to think about her alone in Tucker’s hotel room.

  “Maybe I’ll talk to Frank again, and if he’s still stubborn as an old mule, I’ll talk to her.”

  I rose from my chair to walk her to the door. “I appreciate all the work you’re doing on this.”

  “I’d sure like to have a happy resolution.”

  You and me both, I thought. “Life isn’t a fairy tale.”

  “No, but there’s no reason why you and Brooke can’t be together if you both want it.”

  “What I want is irrelevant at this point. It’s up to Brooke.”

  “You’re a good man, Mo. I’ll be in touch.” She walked out the door to her car. I watched as she got in, and then I shut the door. Then I made a beeline to my liquor cabinet for the whiskey.

  32

  Brooke

  I sat at the little table in Tucker’s hotel room, trying to eat pizza, but it was hard because it felt like my throat was closed.

  “You know, Nebraska might have the market cornered on beef, but Chicago still has a better
pizza,” he said, tossing his crust into the box. “Even so, it’s not too bad.” He took a sip of his beer. He quirked a brow at me when I didn’t answer. “I think you’re right, Tucker.”

  I looked down. “I’m sorry. I’m no fun.”

  “Why are you even here? You should be talking to your husband.”

  It was so strange to have him refer to Mo like that. Yes, we were married, but it never felt like a real marriage. Even when we were having sex, it hadn’t felt like we were married. Maybe that was a sign to give up.

  “I need to think of what to do. I don’t want my father to hurt him—”

  “Then why did you walk out and tell your dad to go to hell?”

  “I didn’t do that. Not exactly. I just...I don’t know that Mo will want me. I’m far more hassle than he wants.”

  “First, that’s for him to decide, right? Second, I think you’re here because you’re afraid he’ll side with your father. That he’ll send you packing because he thinks you’re too young and all that bullshit he gave you before.”

  I nodded, conceding that I didn’t want to hear Mo’s excuses again. But it was more than that. “What if he wants me to stay so he doesn’t have to give back the money, but he doesn’t care for me anymore? It was going to be hard enough to live with him and love him without showing it for a year as it was. What if it’s now a situation in which he resents me or my father?”

  Tucker shrugged. “You can hardly blame the guy. Your dad took his money, and now he not only has to pay it back, but also, he’s going to be accused of being a cradle robber and breaking a code of conduct in the mayor’s office. To be honest, Brooke, I’d be resentful, too.”

  “I know,” I wailed as new tears came. “Why did my dad have to ruin everything? He always treats me like a baby. I hate it.”

  Tucker arched a brow. “Then stop letting him.”

  I gaped at him. “What are you talking about? I’m not letting him.”

  He shrugged. “Sure you are.”

  “No. I’m not. I keep telling him I’m grown up. I told him I loved Mo, and he acted like I was a kid.”

  “Right. Then you ran away from home like an angry teenager.”

  I stared at Tucker, feeling hurt. “I thought you were on my side.”

  “I am.” He reached out and took my hand. I pulled it away in annoyance. “I am on your side. But let’s face it, if you want to be a grown-up, you have to act like one.”

  “And do what?” I asked, wondering what he thought I should be doing that I hadn’t already done.

  “Take control of your life. You’re living at home in the same room he raised you in. He still sees you as his little girl, and you haven’t done a whole lot to change that. Tell me, when you’re at home, is your life much different than when you were a teenager?”

  I thought back to how I’d gone to school, came home and cooked dinner, hung out with my dad, and went to bed to do it all again the next day when growing up. Now, it was the same, except instead of school, I went to work.

  “I married Mo,” I said.

  He rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t see that as a real marriage. He sees Mo as your uncle or something. As someone who was taking care of you. You’re a strong, smart, independent woman. You don’t need anyone to take care of you.”

  I sat back as what he said started to make sense. “What about Mo’s reputation? I don’t want to be the one that hurts him.”

  “It takes two to tango, Brooke. The minute he got in bed with you, he knew what he put on the line. If he makes you take all the blame for that, he’s a jerk and not good enough for you.”

  “But I seduced him—”

  “Don’t fall into that trap that men can’t help themselves around beguiling women. Sure, he might have been turned on, and that made his resistance lower, but in the end, he made his choice. He has to own it. It would not be your fault, even if you were trying to lure him into sin.”

  “It wasn’t a sin,” I said, not liking his choice of words.

  “Then it wasn’t wrong, so what’s the big deal? He’s older. So what? He’s a cliché? So what? Being your boss could be a problem, but you said he wasn’t running for office again, right?”

  “Sinclair said he was thinking of resigning.” My heart broke at that.

  “Still on him. I don’t think he’s giving you or the town credit for not being closed-minded assholes. Maybe they are. I suppose small rural towns are more traditional, but he’s from here, right? They know him.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m not a shrink, but his hang-up probably has less to do with age and his position than your father. He probably feels bad, like he betrayed your father’s trust.”

  “Yes. I think you’re right.”

  He finished his beer and tossed the bottle into the tiny metal trash can. “So, the question is whether or not your father can forgive him and-or if Mo can move forward with you if he doesn’t.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Dealing with emotions and life situations isn’t easy, but it’s not always as complicated as we make it out to be. You have to figure out the core of an issue. For example, if you and Mo decide to be together no matter what, all that other bullshit doesn’t matter.”

  “But my father might not forgive us—”

  “That’s his problem.”

  “The town might think Mo took advantage—”

  “That’s its problem. If you want to carry all that and consider it, you can. Or you can say, fuck ‘em, and do what makes you happy. I’ll be here, so you’ll have me no matter what.” He grinned as he reached for another beer and twisted the cap off. “So, what do you want?”

  “I want to love Mo.”

  “There you go.” He sipped his beer.

  “But I also want my father to be happy for me.”

  He shrugged. “Now you’re just mucking it up again.”

  “They say life is messy.”

  “That, they do.” He stood and took my hand, drawing me over to the bed. “Let’s watch a rom-com to cheer up.”

  “I should probably go. I don’t want to. I don’t want to deal with my father.”

  “Stay here. I’ll sleep on the floor if you want. Or we can share. You’re safe with me.”

  “I feel like I’ve been too much of a burden on you already. You’re probably ready to move back to Chicago.”

  He laughed. “Not quite. Seriously, stay here. You can help me move into my place this weekend. You can even stay with me until you decide what your next step is. Of course, if Holly agrees to marry me and have my babies, I’ll toss you on the street.”

  I laughed. “Well, when you put it that way.” I sat on the bed with my legs stretched out as I leaned against the pillows while Tucker sat next to me with the remote looking for a rom-com on TV. My life still felt like it was in shambles. I needed to talk to Mo, but I was afraid of what he would say. Tucker was right; if I wanted to be viewed as an adult, I needed to act like one, which meant facing Mo. I’d have to tell him how I felt and what I wanted, and hope that he felt and wanted the same.

  The next morning, I headed home to steal my phone back while my father was working on the ranch, and Tucker went to do a walkthrough of the apartment. I was then going to meet him to help him with his move.

  In the house, I felt guilty for violating my father’s privacy as I searched for my phone first in his office and then in his room without any luck. I wondered if he knew I’d come to look for it. I remembered how he’d taken my cell phone when I was in middle school as a punishment, and I’d found it and taken it back. Crap, was I still being a dumb kid like Tucker said?

  I was about to give up when there was a knock on the door. For a moment, I hoped it was Mo, but I quickly pushed that away. I really needed to get better control of my heart.

  I went to the door, opening it to find Jeanette, Mo’s and my father’s attorney, standing in her professional suit and carrying a briefcase.

  “I was hoping to find you
here,” she said.

  “Me? Not my father?” I asked, opening the door to let her in.

  “Yes, you. Is your father around, or is he out?”

  “He’s out. I can probably have someone find him.” My father always had someone working at the barn.

  “No. I just need to talk to you.”

  “Do you want coffee or something? I can make a pot,” I asked, feeling uneasy about this visit.

  “No. I’m fine, thank you. Is there a place we can sit? Maybe a dining table? I have some paperwork for you.”

  Paperwork? Why did that sound ominous? “Sure. In here.” I led her to the formal dining room that we used to only use during holidays but hadn’t used it since my mother died.

  Jeannette sat at the table, and I took a seat across from her. “Is something wrong?”

  She studied me. “I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me.” She slid a paper to me. “Your father asked me to draw these up.”

  I looked at the official-looking legal document. It took me a moment to realize it was a divorce paper.

  My gaze snapped up to hers. “Can he do that?”

  “Your father can pay me to draw up whatever legal papers he wants. However, I can’t make people sign them. That’s up to you and Mo.”

  I looked down at the document for the signatures. “Mo hasn’t signed.” Then again, my father probably wanted this to come from me.

  “No, he didn’t. He will if you want him to.”

  I looked at her. “You’ve talked to him?”

  “I did. Last night when I brought the paper to him.”

  I sat for the moment, wondering what it meant that Mo didn’t sign them when he had the chance. “Can you explain to me what’s going on?”

  She sat back like she couldn’t understand why I was confused.

  “I mean, I know what this is, just…how did we get here?”

  “Your father seems to think this marriage should end. He asked me to draw this up and get Mo to sign it. He seemed to think Mo would as a penance or payback or something.”

  “But Mo didn’t.” For a moment, I had hope that it meant he loved me. But then I remembered that he had to pay back the money if the marriage didn’t work out. Maybe he didn’t sign as a way to try and force me to finish the arrangement. That hurt, and yet, I knew I owed it to him to stay, if only for that. He’d done so much for us, and my father was a jerk for causing Mo financial troubles.