Page 17 of Temporary Vows

He flicks his palms over. “Let’s talk.”

“No.” I dismiss the idea with the wave of a hand.

“Why not? If this were me, you’d insist on talking it out and trying to come up with a solution.”

I flash him a crude smile. “What solution, Knox? Dad already made his demands, and now I have fucking Parker to worry about. So, no thanks, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Come on, at least tell me what you’re planning. It’s Wednesday. The clock’s ticking. You now have two and a half weeks to find a wife.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Have you picked a potential candidate yet?”

“Of course not. I’ll brainstorm over the weekend and come up with a plan.”

“Obviously, I don’t agree with Dad, but…” He pauses for a beat, and his face brightens. “With regards to the marriage, it may not be all bad.”

“Oh God, no.” I shake my head with distaste. “Don’t do that.” I tap on the table with my index finger.

“Don’t do what? Give you advice? I’m your brother. Of course, I’m going to give you advice.”

“I don’t want that kind of advice, Knox. You think just because you got married and it worked out great, it’s the same for everyone?”

“I don’t believe that. I’m just saying it’s not all bad. Look what happened to me.”

He nods like he’s suddenly become some marriage guru and imparting some great wisdom that will change my life.

Knox’s wife, Isla, is the daughter of the man who tried to ruin him. Last year, he set out to recoup his losses by taking herinheritance through a marriage clause in the trust her father left her. It was a ruthless plan. Until he fell for her.

The thing was, I knew he was interested from day one. Now they’re annoyingly in love with a baby on the way. I’m happy for him, but his story isn’t mine.

“We didn’t exactly have the best examples of marriage growing up,” he continues. “I felt it was important I say that it doesn’t have to be the same for you.”

He’s not wrong to be concerned that I’ve been influenced by the bad examples we’ve had. Or more specifically, the one and only—our parents.

Dad wasn’t to blame for that. It was our abusive mother. Knox got the worst of her wrath. He even took punishments for us so she wouldn’t hurt us. What I’ll never tell him is that I took punishments, too. And because I never showed weakness or pain, that woman who gave birth to us took me to the darkest side of the dark.

My parents got divorced when I was eleven. Our mother put us through so much my father sent us to live with our grandparents in England for a few years.

When we returned to the States, my father had married Louise and they had a two-year-old.

“If you pick the right person, it doesn’t have to be bad,” Knox says, pulling me back to the present. His words tell me he knew exactly what I was thinking. “And not all women are like Catherine.”

Ahh. Catherine—my cheating ex. I was wondering when someone would drop her name.

It feels like a lifetime since I was with her, but her name still carries weight. I suppose it’s expected. She was my first girlfriend, the one I was with the longest, and the last woman I gave the girlfriend label. After I caught her in bed with Jack, balls deep inside her, I decided being exclusive wasn’t worth it.Definitely not if a woman could earn your trust and stab you in the back the way Catherine did.

Then she blamed me. She said I didn’t love her. The callous thing about her accusation was… she was right.

She was perhaps the first to see that part of me is missing.

I can’t love.

And I’m okay with that.

“Let’s drop this.” I give Knox a sharp stare, the sting of those memories grating on my nerves.

“Can’t you just hear me out?”