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"And I thought I was a freakshow."
"You are. You married your best friend's brother."
My lips curl into a smile too. It's better to joke about it.
"We can annul the marriage when we get back to California," he says casually, like he's agreeing to Thai food, not erasing the vision he has of his future. "If that's what you want."
Mostly. Not exactly. I don't know how to explain it, so I ask, "Is that what you want?"
"No. I have to ask you a favor," he says.
"What sort of favor?"
"Stay married to me for another three months," he says.
My brow furrows. "Why?" That's a strange ask. It doesn't make any sense. Unless—
"My boss saw the pictures. He thinks I married my long-time girlfriend. He thinks I finally took his advice to become a family man. And with my coworker ready to sabotage me, I can't afford to look like I made a hasty decision to rush into a commitment."
"Oh." Of course, his boss saw. Everyone I know saw too. Fuck, what am I going to tell my parents? I've conveniently avoided reading their texts all day.
"I know it's not a fair request. I'll accept a no, no questions asked. But it would help me a lot. You don't have to do anything except show up, in that ring, at a few work events."
"For three months?" I ask.
He nods. "Until the partner deadline. We can arrange it however you want. You can stay with me. You can stay at your place. We can have sex. We can not have."
We can have sex.
Oh.
That is exactly what I want. And there's no reason to deny ourselves. It's not like we can keep this a secret anymore.
"What do you think, Daph?" he asks. "Can you stomach three months as my wife?"
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jackson
"Say that part again." Daphne folds her hands in her lap. She sits up straight, her dark eyes on me, her full body at attention.
"Can you give me three months," I repeat myself.
"No. The other thing. About sex."
"Oh." A laugh spills from my lips. "We can have sex. All three months."
"Yes, that part." She nods. "I like that part. But I don't…" She trails off, but it's not the way she trailed off this morning. She's still putting something together, but she's not confused. She sees what she wants, and she's going after it.
In the past, I've cursed relationships where women only wanted me for sex. And I do hate the idea of never winning Daphne's head or heart—
But I want to fuck my wife again.
And again.
And again.
Maybe, deep down, I'm not that different than my sister. Maybe, deep down, I'm a romantic too.
