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“So I’ll get vetted. And you need to register a new address anyway.”
She shakes her head frantically, already shutting down my solution.
“Look at me,” I demand gently. I lift her chin until she meets my gaze. “I want to do this.”
“But why?” She genuinely looks confused.
“I told you. I’d do anything for you and if that means becoming a vetted person in the household, I’ll do it. They can run a background check and they’ll see that I have no criminal record or history of violence or abuse. I’ll get character witness statements—”
“Cole, it's not that simple. They are always suspicious of having men around who aren’t family. They’ve already marked me as an unstable single guardian. Adding some strange man into the equation doesn’t help things.”
“But I’m not just some strange man.”
She shakes her head again. “They won’t see it that way. You’re still not family. They’ll be worried that it’s not a stable home for Zander. I doubt the government takes ‘friendship’ seriously.”
“So let’s make it serious. Let’s show them that we are family.”
Her brows knit in confusion again as she struggles to find the words. “How? What we’re talking about is really complicated. It’s a long-term commitment. I don’t understand why you’d go through all of that trouble. I’m not anything to you.”
That’s where she’s wrong. She’s everything.
“So become my wife. Marry me,” I say matter-of-factly.
“WHAT?? Are you crazy? I can’t just marry you.” Zoe throws her hands up in exasperation. I can’t tell if she realizes I’m serious or not.
“Why not?”
“Because... it wouldn’t make sense! You’d be taking on a huge responsibility. I know you want to help, but why would you ask me that? What would you even get out of marrying me?”
I’d get all of you. But something tells me she isn’t ready to hear that answer just yet.
That’s when I think of it, a way to get her to let me help that seems ‘even’. I never thought I’d be grateful that Uncle Buckee put that ridiculous clause in his will, and now, I couldn’t be more thankful.
“I need a wife,” I say bluntly.
She blinks. “What? Why? And why would you choose me of all people? I have nothing to offer you in return.”
Convincing her may be more difficult than I thought, but I know that I will. I have to. Not only do I want to help her and Zander, but I can’t imagine marrying anyone else. I want to wake up every morning with her in my arms. I want to hang out with Zander and build toy trucks. I want to smell her chocolatey scent after she’s spent a day baking in my kitchen, and I want to taste more batter from her fingertips when she’s excited for me to try a new recipe of hers. Suddenly my life seems so empty, and now I know that Zoe and Zander are what’s missing. I want us to be a family. But more than anything, I want it to be real. I can convince her in time. I know I can. She must feel this too, but her walls are up so high that I won’t be able to get in unless I make this logical instead of emotional.
I take a deep breath as I prepare to explain.
“My Uncle Buckee put a clause in his will that we have to get married to inherit our portion of the ranch. He’s convinced that it’s the push we all need to go after what we really want—a family.” I purposely leave out the part about needing to have children. One thing at a time. And maybe Zander would count; I’ll have to ask.
Zoe crinkles her nose as she tries to process this.
“I don’t get it. You could have anyone, anyone you want. And I’ve seen your cousins. You all could. So why would your uncle issue such an ultimatum? Wouldn’t you all have families by now if you wanted to?” she asks.
“I wouldn’t say I could have anyone I want,” I say. I try to sound teasing, but the longing I feel for her has made its way into my voice. But I can tell she’s not ready to hear that she’s who I want, and I can tell she wants to ask, so I hurry to argue my case before she has the chance. “Besides, we don’t know how long Buckee has left. This is perfect for both of us. I’ll get the ranch, and you’ll have somewhere safe to stay with Zander.”
The moment I utter Zander’s name, I can see the crack immediately forming in her resolve.
“I don’t know...” Zoe hedges.
I know I’m about to play dirty when I say this, but she needs to hear it. “If we were married, Child Protective Services would see that you’re settled and that you can provide a stable life for Zander.”
That gets her attention even more. She looks up at me with hope in her eyes, but she still has too much pride to say yes right away. She’ll never make anything easy for me, so it’s a good thing I love her stubbornness and have enough of my own to keep up with her because I’m never backing down.
“But what about when you meet someone you really want to marry?” she asks nervously, looking down at her feet.
