Page 34 of Irresistibly Wicked

“Sorry about that,” Zander said.

“It’s okay. He’s obviously proud of her, and it was nice to see something happy tonight. I still can’t believe all of those guys showed up just because you asked them to.”

“Really? From what I’ve seen, you’ve been doing the same for Brian forever,” he said as they headed inside.

“I guess I do.” Gathering her courage like a cloak, she said, “I’m scared for him. I’m afraid he’s going to end up lying in a ditch somewhere or overdosing again.”

He closed and locked the door behind them and said, “I know you are, darlin’.”

“Earlier, when I asked if your offer still stood, I didn’t mean your offer for me to stay with you. I meant, are you still willing to lend me the money for Brian’s rehab and marry me so I can pay you back?”

“Oh,” he said, his brow furrowing.

“If you’d rather not, I understand,” she added quickly. “I know it’s a crazy idea, and you’ve done so much already.” Now she felt stupid for thinking he meant it. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find another way.” She headed for the guest room.

“It’s not a crazy idea,” he said.

She turned around to see if he was kidding, but he looked dead serious. “It kind of is.”

“Not to me,” he said as he closed the distance between them. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how to convince you to let me help, and I keep coming back to the same damn answer. If you won’t let me lend you the money, then the only hope Brian has is if we get hitched.”

“Really?” She could barely breathe. “What about your family? They’ll think you’re nuts.”

“They already think I’m nuts.”

“But after everything they did to help us tonight, you’d risk upsetting them to help me?”

“This isn’t about them. I want to help you, and I want to do this. I think it’s what I was meant to do. I could’ve died in that accident. What are the chances that you’d pull me, the guy who drove you home and said something that changed your life years earlier, out of a burning car?” He took her hand, lifting it between them, his gaze lingering on the tattoo. He brushed his thumb over the number four, and then his eyes found hers, and he said, “Think about it. My accident was on the thirty-first. Three plus one is four. I don’t believe in fate, or at least I didn’t, but do you know what today is?”

“Thursday?”

“It’s Friday morning, Angel. April fourth.”

“And April is the fourth month of the year,” she said incredulously. “You’d really do this for me?”

“Without a second’s hesitation.”

“Thank you.” Overflowing with gratitude, she threw her arms around him, tears stinging her eyes.

His arms circled her carefully, holding her below the spot where she’d hit that frame on the wall. “I told you I’d always have your back, bestie.”

She smiled as she stepped out of his arms. “You’re one hundred percent sure? Because I think we need to move fast. I don’t know how long it will take to find a rehab center to take him, and I want to pay you back as quickly as possible, so we probably need to tie the knot quickly, too.”

“We’ll figure it out. If we can’t find one on our own, we’ve got some connections through the club I can reach out to.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that. Your family has done enough. But you have to promise that if you wake up tomorrow and change your mind, you’ll tell me. I won’t blame you or be mad. I’ll figure something else out.”

“I’m not changing my mind.” He cocked a grin. “I’ve got no problem being your sugar daddy.”

She smiled. “You are not going to be my sugar daddy.”

“Is that offensive? Sorry. You can call me your trophy husband.”

She crossed her arms, staring him down, but it was hard to keep a straight face when he was flashing that coy smile. “More like a temporary pretend husband I’m hiring to help me out of a bind.”

He cocked a brow. “Are we talking silk bindings?”

“Zander, I’m being serious.” A laugh slipped out despite herself.