by Haley Travis
I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “She’s absolutely a keeper, and shut your mouth.”
He laughed, and I was glad to see that Mia wasn’t horrified. She seemed to think that it was just brotherly teasing. But I’d noticed that George grew extremely strange whenever I was seen with a girl over the past six months.
He handed me a folder. “I think this is the last round of Uncle Geoffrey’s paperwork. It’s the same old convoluted rambling crap. I just need you to sign it to say that you’ve read it.”
“Anything interesting?”
“Only that he was getting senile along the way. He goes on about ducks, birds, trains. I wouldn’t waste my time on it. Basically, you know you’re getting…” he glanced at Mia for an instant, “A little present on your thirtieth birthday, like I am. That’s pretty much it. You already know where it’s being held. So you just need to sign that you know this.”
I flipped through the forty-page document. “Looks like fun.”
“Want a pen?” George asked, digging into his jacket.
Mia kicked my foot to quickly get my attention while he wasn’t looking, mouthing the word, “No,” while glaring at the papers, then hard at my darker, shorter brother. Then she set her hand on my shoulder. “Weren’t we going to watch a movie?” She looked up at me with doe eyes, looking every bit the sweet girlfriend on a date.
I don’t know why I trusted her immediately. “Actually, George, I’ll take a minute in the morning to skim it. I like ducks. What the hell. To be honest, I’m a little curious how off his rocker he was.”
George chuckled, but it didn’t quite didn’t reach his eyes. “Whatever. I can pick it up or you can run it to Sam. But he needs it by tomorrow night.”
“Okay cool, thanks.”
“I’ll let you get back to your date,” he said, winking at Mia, then leaving quickly.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she said, “He’s hiding something.”
She was so certain that I couldn’t even question her. “Okay. How do you know?”
“He was looking in strange directions, and his shoulders and arm were too tight when he handed you the folder. He was desperate to appear casual.”
“How do you know these things?” I asked, as I led us to the couch.
“I read a lot of psychology articles. It’s just a weird habit. But please believe me, there is something he’s hiding in that folder and he wants you to sign without reading it.”
“I believe you.” She looked slightly surprised, then waited for me to open the folder. “Well, he was honest about it being a pile of rambling.”
I handed her a few pages. “Will you help me start going through this with a fine-toothed comb?” My uncle’s expression was ringing through my mind.
“You want me to help read your family’s private paperwork?” Her eyes were wide as she tilted her head curiously, but she leaned in to take the papers.
“Mia, if you’re going to be my wife in a month or so, you’re going to have access to everything in my life. We’re going to have to make a pre-nup, we’ll be doing lots of stunningly boring things together. And I trust you.”
She gave me a strange look until I laughed. “I know it’s weird, and we just met, but there’s just something about you. I trust you.”
“Okay,” she said, taking a skim of the headings. “What are we looking for?”
“Anything really weird. Numbers and dates, or anything that looks like a clue.”
“On it.” She took a big sip of wine, and began reading intently.
I was pleased that her automatic reaction was to get to work. I’ve known many women who would have just left me to it alone, which is why I rarely went on a third date with anyone. I love to spoil women, but everyone needs to pitch in when there is work to be done.
Reading a full page about the correlation between train schedules and duck migration, I moved on to the symbolism of full moons and the stock market.
“Hey,” Mia said, “Does cauliflower mean anything to you?”
I laughed. “Yes. Cauliflower is the harbinger of evil. If you see it on the table, it means that more horrid health food is coming soon, so you should look out and pay close attention.”
She giggled, and went back to reading. It was lovely that we were already fairly comfortable together, which was a good sign for our marriage.
“What does a bird pen mean to you?” she asked, sitting up straighter.
I had to concentrate for a moment. “Seventh birthday card. Hidden gift. Why?”
She showed me the paper which read, “Thirty-seven bird pens”.
“Holy shit.” I turned to page thirty-seven, which described the timing of the allocation of the assets in fine print, with the precision and meticulous detail of an engineering blueprint.
Suddenly I froze. Mia scooted over closer and grabbed my arm. “What is it?”
“I don’t believe it.” I held the paper out to her and pointed. “Please read that line to me and tell me it’s real.”
She followed my finger. “Although the house is traditionally given to the eldest heir, if the younger sibling were married before the eldest turns thirty years of age he would be richer in experience, so older in spirit. Therefore, the younger sibling shall inherit the estate of 37 Bridle Path if their marriage occurs before the thirtieth birthday of the elder.”
Mia looked at me, nearly shaking. “If we get married before George’s thirtieth birthday, you get your uncle’s house, as well as the money?”
I nodded slowly, setting the papers down. “Sneaky bastard.”
“And you said it’s a really nice house?”
I grinned. “It’s a fifteen thousand foot mansion with a cobblestone path down to the ravine, a koi pond, a pool room, and three fireplaces.”
“So that’s what he was hiding from you.” She sounded positively disgusted with George, and rightfully so.
I stared down at my hands for a moment. “I don’t know. Do you think he knew, and was trying to get me to sign to prove that I had the opportunity to see that information? Or did he just skim the folder and want us both to sign to get it over and done with?”
Mia shook her head. “He was hiding it. He knew. I’d bet you twenty bucks, and I never, ever bet more than a nickel.”
She was quiet for a moment while I attempted to process this. Then she softly asked, “When is George’s thirtieth birthday?”
“September thirteenth.”
Her jaw fell open. “That’s less than two weeks away.”
“Yes.”
“So basically you need me to marry you right now.”
“Yes.”
We sat together in silence for a moment. Her manner of being very still was extremely calming. Then I grabbed my phone, pulling up a photo of my uncle’s house, holding it out to her.
“Wow,” she breathed.
I scrolled through, showing her a few pics of the charming kitchen, the grounds, the massive old fashioned fireplaces.
“He wants to modernize this?” She sounded horrified, her eyes wide. I nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
My gaze locked with hers. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I can live in an alternate universe and be pampered for a year to save a gorgeous house like that. I’m in.”
My arms circled her in a bear hug before I could even think. “Mia, you’re amazing.” At first I had only meant it to be a friendly hug, since I was so excited that I couldn’t control myself. But then I smelled her hair and realized that my arms were around her. Was her body pressing into mine? Everything about her was so lovely it was hard for me to get a grip.
Sitting back on the couch, I took a sip of water. “Do you have to be home tonight at any particular time?”
“No. But the last subway is at one-thirty.”
“Don’t be silly, I’ll send you home in a car.” I tried to smile reassuringly, but she looked unsure. Then I noticed that she was staring at her notebook strangely.
I
could see in her eyes that she had another question but was afraid. “Listen, Mia, this is going to be truly intense for both of us. The only way that we’ll get through this is if we’re a team, and we’re honest with each other. We’re going to have to do a lot of lying to others, especially to our closest friends and family. That is really going to suck sometimes. We’re going to have to stick together.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“So please, say the thing that you’re hesitant about. You can’t offend me.”
Her round eyes turned to me with a shy glance that filled me once again with the desire that I’d been trying so hard to ignore. “Um, okay,” she said, taking a sip of water and trying to be brave. “Living with a strange guy is going to be, um, awkward. And...” She looked so uncomfortable it was breaking my heart.
“Please,” I said, picking up her hand from her lap and giving it a little shake before I could stop myself. “Please tell me everything now. It will make things easier later, I promise.”
“I’ve never lived with a guy before and I don’t know if you’re expecting me to prance around in my undies and entertain you or whatever,” she blurted.
She looked so nervous and fragile that I desperately wanted to wrap her in my arms and make her feel safe, but that certainly wouldn’t help at the moment.
I dropped her hand. “That’s a very reasonable concern, and I’m glad you brought it up.” Leaning back a bit, nodding, I said, “I’ll admit, you caught my eye because you’re positively gorgeous.” She blushed so prettily, her rosy lips taunting me. “Being your husband is going to be an absolute honor, and you seem like a sweet person. Living with you for a year might be challenging, but I’m sure we’ll find ways to make it work, and even have some fun. But I will not expect anything from you beyond looking cute and married in public. I will do everything in my power to make you as comfortable as possible at all times.”
She seemed to be listening very intently, analyzing every word I spoke. “Mia, I would never hit on you because it would be wrong in this situation. And I wouldn’t risk us both losing the money, the house, our reputations. And I would never, ever want to hurt or offend you.”
She nodded, smiling a little. “Okay.” Her shoulders unclenched as she took a deep breath.
“Now, having said that, we’re going to have to act like we’re madly in love. Which means we’re going to have to kiss a few times in public, cuddle, and reach for each other all the time. It’s going to have to seem natural.” I reached over to hold her hand, and she didn’t seem to be put off. “When we’re in public, I’m going to hold your hand, put my arm around you, and whisper in your ear to make you giggle. You’ll have to act the part too. Can you do that?”
Her sweet grin made me melt, but she seemed determined. “It will have to seem automatic. Like we can’t stop.”
“Precisely.”
She squared her shoulders, as if she was about to begin a difficult mission. “Tell me something that drives you crazy. If you lose your train of thought in our web of lies, what’s something I could do that would instantly make you feel so mushy that it will diffuse the situation?”
“Great idea,” I said with genuine admiration. I stood up, pulling her with me, and guided us to the open area by the window. Confessing something so personal to her was actually making me a bit nervous, but knowing that she would have to reciprocate would make it worth it.
“When a woman touches me behind the ear, or strokes my earlobe between her fingers, I absolutely lose my train of thought.”
Her eyes lit up as if I just handed her a bowl of her favorite candy. “Well, I’m just going to have to test that to be sure.”
She stepped toward me, and watched my pupils dilate as she ran her middle finger along the back of my ear, then gently stroked the earlobe between her thumb and forefinger. My breathing instantly hitched, and I could almost sense my eyes glazing over.
“Wow,” she giggled. “That is hilarious.”
“You could stop now,” I said quickly, and she dropped her hand immediately. “Seriously, that sends shivers up my spine and I feel it in my knees. Please don’t use that unless it is absolutely necessary.”
She crinkled up her nose for a second. “I suppose it’s my turn, then.”
I nodded, trying not to seem too eager. She exhaled a deep breath as if she were steeling her will, forcing herself to share. “I love it when a guy gently runs his hand over my hip bones. It’s sort of intimate, I guess, but it’s also sort of, um, possessive somehow.”
“May I try, to gauge your reaction?”
She nodded, but I couldn’t tell if her slight reluctance was due to embarrassment, or the fact that she knew she was about to be turned on. I walked around to stand beside and slightly behind her. “So if we were at a party, and I needed to get a reaction out of you…” I put my arm around her casually, resting my hand on her waist. Then I let my fingers wander inward, finding her hip bone, splaying my fingers to very softly give her a bit of a grabbing sensation.
She gasped softly, and I could feel her entire body soften. It felt so sexy, so right to have her in my arms like this, even for a second.
“Wow,” I said. I released her immediately but then set my hand between her shoulder blades. “I love stroking a woman’s back,” I said gently. “It’s not supposed to be a sexy area, but it’s always such a wide, soft, delicate expanse of skin. It’s incredibly calming to just trail my fingers along while someone is trying to maintain a conversation.”
Mia laughed. “That feels really nice, actually. Maybe that could be our little thing to calm each other down if we get rattled.”
She turned to me, spinning out of my arms but staying very close. “We’re going to have to work out code words and signals, so that we can help each other out if we get lost. We’re also going to have to create an entire back-story, of how we met, why we fell in love so fast, and all that.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Should I go grab some pens and paper, and we can start writing our story?”
“In a second,” she said. She looked up at me, determined, exhaling a shaky breath. Then she started speaking very quickly. “There are a lot of things that we are just going to have to get used to, and I know that I’m a really shy and nervous person, and you’re going to have to coax me along sometimes, but I will really try hard to play along, and remind myself that it’s not just for your family house, it’s for your seven million, and my one million, and I’m just gonna have to get over a lot of things.” She took a quick breath, then suddenly wrapped her hands around my shoulders. “And we’re going to have to tell the story of our first kiss, so we might as well get that over with so that we can tell people it was right here in your front window in the moonlight.”
Mia tipped up her chin, and slowly, hesitantly, brought her lips to mine. My hands instinctively wrapped around her lower back, cradling her as we shared a soft, tentative kiss. Her beautiful full lips tasted like vanilla and honey, and having her in my arms like this was causing a rush of possessive, intimate feelings that I was trying to shove back down.
I swear it felt like she was reacting as well, as she didn’t stop. Pressing against me, her fingers lightly stroked the back of my neck as she parted her lips, drawing me in.
When she pulled away, I was afraid she would actually see stars in my eyes. She seemed completely lost as to what to do next, so I tried to lighten the mood. “I hope that kiss was worthy of a fabulous story to tell your girlfriends,” I grinned, instantly rewarded with a little giggle.
Our arms still around each other, I began to sway back and forth. “We also have to practice dancing. But can we skip that forced ballroom dance at the wedding?”
Mia seemed extremely relieved. “I’m not a dancer,” she said. “I’m totally fine with that.”
“Moving you in, getting to know each other a lot better, and planning a wedding within a month – that’s going to be a lot of work.”
She nodded, concentrating.
“Well, maybe I could skip a few shifts at the coffee shop, since I guess I won’t have to pay for rent while I’m here?” She looked up at me, suddenly horrified. “I mean, I’m sorry – that’s what you said, right?”
I burst out laughing and she looked confused. I led her back to the sofa, sitting close beside her. “Okay, we’re going to have to have the money talk right away.”
She nodded, looking like she was about to get into trouble and be assigned detention. “You’re going to have to get used to the idea that I have a ridiculous amount of money. I mean, not buying and selling countries sort of money, but I am quite wealthy. This condo is completely paid for. Of course you can live here for free. I’m also going to be giving you a credit card, and you can buy absolutely anything you want. The bill will be paid every month. If you want a new top of the line phone, a new car, clothing, jewelry – it’s all yours.”