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“I understand,” Knox murmured.
“Wonderful. Are you ready to hear the terms your father put in place regarding the release of your trust?”
Knox took a deep breath. “Yes. Go ahead.”
There weren’t any surprises at first. A clean drug test. No legal proceedings or open charges against him. Since he’d already served his prison time and been released without parole, he’d thankfully squeaked by on that one.
His prior conviction for embezzlement from Wilder Days was a gray area that could be contested if anyone really wanted to, but Luther was inclined to overlook it altogether. And since Patrick had given Luther final authority over the trust’s release, it was unlikely that Knox’s past legal troubles would ever be an issue. Especially considering that Knox was heir to the throne, so to speak.
Then came the part about how he had to be married by his birthday. Which was…only days away. Not engaged by his birthday, but married by his birthday.
Gulp.
“So,” Luther droned on, “I was worried about that stipulation, but now, after meeting Tenley, I can see that we’re not going to have a problem at all. You can stop by city hall and get everything taken care of in a matter of a day. I assume you have a license?”
A license was the least of their worries. Knox turned to her with a raised brow and a what-the-hell-do-we-do-now look, and she stammered, “B-but we weren’t planning to get married that fast. Isn’t there any leeway in that clause?”
Luther’s brow furrowed. “I’m afraid not. To be honest, I argued against this clause the moment Patrick suggested it. I felt it was unfair and could lead Knox to make a…rash choice where marriage was involved. When I voiced that, Patrick insisted I not tell you the conditions of the trust until you were within forty-eight hours of your birthday. That’s why I’m thrilled to meet you, Tenley. I realize this is all very sudden, but I can tell you two kids are crazy about each other.”
Bet your ass they were crazy. But crazy about each other? Who the fuck knows?
Luther must’ve seen her consternation, because he added, “Of course, you wouldn’t have to get married at all. You could just let the trust fund go. If you fail to claim it, it would just go to Thadeus.”
She snorted. “Over my dead body.”
Knox nodded. “Damn fucking straight.”
The crafty little lawyer steepled his fingers under his chin like Mr. Burns and said, “Excellent. I do love a spring wedding.”
CHAPTER 16
“I’m getting married.”
“Congrats,” Ren said dryly. “Should I research venues? Book a caterer?”
“Oh, you have jokes! How wonderful. This is serious, Ren. The terms of Knox’s trust stipulate that he be married—not engaged—by his birthday, which is only a couple days away.”
She could practically hear his shrug. “So, cut and run if you don’t want to marry the guy.”
“We’re talking about twenty million dollars.”
He scoffed. “We both know we could find another way to get that money if we really wanted to. That’s not the problem. The problem is that you actually want to help this guy. Not because you want a cut of that money, but because you like him.”
He was right, of course. But calling her out like that was just rude. “How do I do this, Ren?”
“You mean marry a guy you actually like and not mean it?”
She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
He sighed. “You don’t. Let me get you a fake license. You marry him using your fake last name. It won’t be real, but it will look real enough to get him his money.”
“You can do that?”
“Are you new here?”
Tenley bit her lower lip. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m just…”
“Out of sorts because you’re falling for a mark?”
