I swallowed the lump. "You mean I had a second option?"
"Still do." His grin was lopsided. "But you'll have to give the ring back and you won't get the spacious and elegant duchess bedchambers that adjoin mine in the castle. I'll give you a cottage near the orchard to live in, though."
"You buried the lede." I looked at the ring sparkling on my finger. I wasn't tempted to give it back. The thought of a comforting life with Noah was too appealing.
"I had to tempt you with the ring first. Do you want to back out? I pay fairly well."
"Not on your life," I said. "Is that really your castle? What's it called?"
"Hardison Castle. Our new home. Think of it, Gray. You grew up in apple country. You've wanted an orchard and cider operation of your own since your dad died and your family lost their orchards. With your experience, we could produce the finest cider in the world. Turn a huge profit. Win awards."
"Create a bunch of drunks?"
He laughed and took my hand again. "Neither of us have had any luck in love. Years ago, you said if you couldn't find a soul mate, then marrying your best friend would be the way to go. We can be happy together, Gray. Two friends on an adventure." He paused and handed me a legal file. "On the tails of my impressive plea, I hate to mention this, but it's one of the conditions of Hardly's terms." He held it out to me.
"What is it?" I took it reluctantly.
"A prenup." Noah winced. He held his hands up. "It wasn't my idea, I swear. Hardly's will demands it. The old man doesn't want a messy divorce screwing with his heir and legacy." He blew out a breath. "I tried to make it more generous. And failed. It was drafted precisely to Hardly's terms. You might want to have a lawyer look at it for you."
I pulled it out of his hands. "Noah. I expect a prenup. Didn't I say all those years ago that if I were to marry you for your title and money, I'd happily sign one? I'll have a lawyer look at it. But it doesn't sound like it's negotiable."
"Not really," he said. "I tried. I'm usually a damn good and fierce negotiator. "
"I know you are." I smiled at him and opened the file.
"I should have leverage, given how desperately Hardly wants me to save the dukedom. But he was apparently as firm a negotiator as I am."
He waited while I skimmed through the legalese. "In the event of a marriage that lasts less than a year, I walk away with nothing," I read aloud. "After one year, I'm entitled to a generous lump sum based on the length of the marriage, blah, blah, blah. I will never be entitled to any of the family heirloom jewels, but any new jewels the duke—that would be you—buys me, I may keep, as long as they don't bankrupt the estate. Blah, blah, blah." I stopped suddenly and covered my mouth with my hand to hold in a laugh. "There's a bonus if I produce an heir? And a lesser sum for a girl child?"
Noah winced. "Archaic. That's not me. That's that old relic who was born early in the last century. The guy who must have an heir so that his dynasty continues."
I leaned into Noah and batted my eyes at him. "Is that why you really proposed? Because I have good hips and look like a baby machine?"
"Do your questions mean I have a chance of making it past first base and get more than a kiss on the cheek?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"I think that all falls into the redefining our relationship clause. Didn't you mention I get separate quarters? I like to sleep in the middle of the bed."
"I know you do. And your leg twitches in your sleep." He got a devilish expression. "We'll work all that out later. Bat your eyes at me all you like," he said in a sultry voice. "I want your cider experience and I want it bad."
I slapped the file shut. "Well you have it, mister. I mean, your grace. Duke. Duke of mine. Dukey pukey."
"Call me dukey pukey again and I'll call this off and take my chances with a matchmaker and another ciderologist."
I laughed. It died quickly on my lips. Reality was beginning to hit me. "When do you want to do this?"
"We can apply online right now." His gaze held mine. He was completely serious and looking to see whether I'd balk.
Things were moving so quickly. Just an hour ago, I'd been a dejected, disillusioned almost-bride. Now I was marrying Noah. Surprisingly, the sooner we did this thing, the better.
"Gray?" Noah waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay? Is this too fast for you? You want your lawyer's advice first? More time?"
"I'm more than okay. I'm delighted. Excited. Totally onboard. You were saying?"
"We have to show up in person at a community service center and show ID to get the actual license—"
I nodded. "Yeah, Christopher had to go in together in person to get the license—"
"Sorry." Noah looked sheepish. "Don't mean to mansplain. You've obviously just been through this."
"No, it's not that…I wonder if it will be a problem that I currently have a valid license to marry another man?"
Noah's brow furrowed. "I wouldn't think it would. You just don't use that license. I'll find out."
"So when do you want to go in?" I asked.
"Monday?"
"Monday. As in day after tomorrow?" I said.
He nodded. "Yeah. There's a three-day waiting period. If we go in on Monday, we can marry on Friday."
"Friday?" I turned the date over in my mind. I wasn't sure I expected things to move quite so quickly. But why wait? "Friday. I like Friday weddings. People can get off work early…"
"Gray?"
"Yeah?"
"You sure you're okay with this? You look a little shell-shocked."
"I was just thinking that it took a year to plan the wedding I just cancelled. And now I'll have less than a week—"
"You don't have to do any planning. Let me handle it. We'll keep things simple. I'm thinking justice of the peace. Bruce has a good friend who's a judge. They get booked weeks out, but I'm sure he'd squeeze us in."
I nodded, relieved. Planning the wedding to Christopher had been so stressful. I wasn't sure I could handle it again so soon. Not now that all my favorite wedding vendors were leery of me cancelling on them.
Noah saw my distress and took both my hands in his. "I'm sorry it won't be your dream wedding. It won't be big and grand with everyone celebrating with us." He side-eyed the piles of presents. "I'd give you that if I could. But time is of the essence. The clock is ticking. I have to be on a plane to London on Saturday."
"You're leaving on Saturday?" I said. "You mean, we're leaving on Saturday?"
"I mean me. I'll go first and get things set up. You can join me when you've settled things here. You'll need some time to close everything up."
He made a good point. I'd have to give my notice at the cidery, pack, decide what to do with the condo…
I raised an eyebrow. "No honeymoon?"
"Not now." He squeezed my hands, his eyes pleading with me to understand.
"Friday." I rolled the date around in my mind again while Noah sat silently next to me. Why not? I nodded. "Yes, keep it simple this time. That should be enough time to find a dress."
"Don't you still have one in the closet?" Noah said. "You look hot in it. I don't mind if you wear it."
"You don't think it's jinxed?" I said, trying to hide my surprise. I'd always thought Noah was a bit more romantic. "Considering I bought it to marry another man. And you've seen me in it already. A groom seeing a bride in her wedding dress before the wedding is supposed to be bad luck. We won't get that stunning first look."
"I'm not superstitious. You didn't marry another man in it. It's the fairytale wedding dress you always dreamed of being married in. You have it. It fits." His gaze flitted to the cake next to me. "Unless you polish off an entire cake all in one sitting."
"Come on. That's already an impossibility. You've had a bite."
He rolled his eyes. "There's no time to order another dress. Wear it."
I wiggled my ring finger again and watched the light play off the sparkling diamonds and gold. Impulsively, I threw my arms around Noah's neck again and kissed his ch
eek. "This is why I love you. You're such a good friend."
"Yeah," he said. "Don't ever forget it. By the way, I'm not wearing that tux Christopher picked out for the groomsmen."
"Good," I said. "I hated those things."
"We'll need a couple of witnesses," Noah said. "The wedding will have to be at four thirty or later. Judges can only use the courthouse for weddings before or after hours."
"Mom will insist on being there," I said, suddenly dreading her reaction to my news. She'd always liked Noah, but…
"And my mom and Bruce," Noah said. "And Thorne."
"Thorne?" I frowned.
"It's one of the conditions." Noah didn't seem concerned by it. "He has to sign the license as one of the witnesses. So there's no chance of me faking a wedding."
"You mean like medieval kings did to seduce reluctant young woman?" I asked.
"Yeah, exactly like that," Noah said. "I guess you could say the late duke didn't trust me. I can't blame him. If there was a way to get what I wanted without the conditions…"
"If it's a condition," I said. "I guess there's no arguing with it." I paused. "How many more conditions are there?"
"I guess we'll find out."
I looked around at the piles of sorted presents. "Want to place any bets on how many of my friends and relatives will tell me just to keep the gifts from them and apply them to my new marriage?"
Noah shrugged. "Sounds like a smart plan. Let me be the first—you can keep the gift from me."
I playfully shook my head. "Gee, thanks."
We sat in silence, both of us digesting our sudden change in fortunes.
"Gray, Hardison Castle is reportedly haunted."
I looked at him, startled from my thoughts. "Are you still trying to scare me off?"
"Just being honest," he said. "And getting all potential deal breakers out upfront. You aren't afraid of ghosts, are you?"
I was—ghosts from the past. But I kept that little nugget to myself. "No. But I'd prefer the duchess quarters aren't haunted. I like my privacy."
"I haven't heard that they are." He grinned. "If you have a problem, we'll call a ghostbuster."
"Or an exorcist or a priest or something." I laughed. "Or politely ask it to relocate. Or maybe not. A haunting is a feature for an old castle, isn't it?"
We lapsed into silence.
"Noah?" I took a deep breath. "We're really doing this?"
"I think we are." He picked up the abandoned fork and dug into the cake, holding a bite out to me. "Happy birthday, Gray, soon to be your grace and mine."
He inelegantly fed me the cake. Crumbs tumbled onto my T-shirt. I got frosting on my upper lip and around the outside of my mouth. I had to swoop my tongue out like a frog catching a fly to keep the whole bite from bouncing off my chin into my lap.
"We'll work that." I ran my tongue around my lips and used the back of my hand to wipe my face.
"And buy napkins." Noah laughed. "Sorry. My aim was off."
I raised an eyebrow.
Noah pulled his laptop out of his bag. "There's no time to waste. We have to get on this wedding. First item—apply for the license. After that, I'm taking you out for a birthday lunch. Anywhere you want to go."
"Anywhere?"
"Sky's the limit," he said. "I'm a wealthy duke now." He studied me. "When was the last time you ate a real meal? Something healthy?" His gaze fell to my sweats and T-shirt. "Or put on real clothes?"
I made a show of counting on my fingers, glad it was Noah seeing me like this and not anyone else. "Two weeks and a day."
"Sounds about right. Jokes about eating cake aside, you look a little pale and gaunt. Have you lost weight?"
I shrugged. After an initial chocolate binge, I hadn't been eating. Until cake today. "I'm not going out like this. I'll have to shower before lunch. And put on my makeup. And do my hair."
"It's your birthday," Noah said. "I have nothing but time for you."
"Noah?"
"Yeah?"
"We're going to have to tell our parents."
He looked solemn. "Yeah. It will be hard to get them to the wedding otherwise."
"When?" I bit my lip.
"We'll call them after lunch."
I took his arm. "Mom will be shocked. Expect some pushback. It's not that she doesn't like you." I hesitated, trying to decide whether I should actually spill Mom's confidence to him. "Mom has actually told me from time to time that I should just marry you. That best friends make good husbands."
"Let me guess," he said. "She tells you this after one of your breakups?"
I winced.
He looked cynical. "I don't think she meant it literally." He covered my hand with his. "Linda will come around eventually once she sees how happy we are running our orchard and acting regal."
I laughed. He always made me feel better. "Noah? Why do I feel like a pioneer trying to prove up on my hundred and sixty acres?"
"There's a certain similarity."
"What happens if we don't prove up on this castle claim of ours in a year? If we don't turn a profit?"
"Then we return to our regular lives, I guess. Richer for the experience."
"I mean, what happens to our marriage?" I was serious.
The mask went up again. "I don't know. We cross that bridge when we come to it. But I don't mean to come to it."
"But if we did?"
"Are you already looking for an out?" His expression and tone were neutral.
"Truthfully?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know. Maybe."
"If things don't work out, we can always get a divorce." He began typing on his laptop. "As spelled out in the prenup. But the main thing is—I insist on this—we remain friends. Always."
"Always, Noah. Absolutely." I relaxed. "We're on the same page there. Friends forever. I can have that engraved on your wedding ring if you like."
"Better put a rush job on it." He pointed to his laptop. "Ready to do this thing?"
Chapter 4
Noah
I walked into my apartment late in the afternoon after lunch and dropped my keys on the console table just inside the door, exhilarated. Things were going my way. I'd have the title, the castle, and the girl. I wasn't planning to fail. I'd do anything in my power to succeed. That included using any means, fair or foul.
I plopped onto my sofa and stared blankly at the wall, focusing my thoughts on the events of the past few hours. Unrequited love was a bitch. I'd played it patiently and thought I'd lost to Christopher. Now I was playing it brilliantly. Old Hardly, and that sociopath Christopher, couldn't have handed me a better situation if they'd tried.
The next duchess had been Hardly's main concern in this whole arrangement, Thorne had told me. The right woman for the job was crucial. The new duchess had to be driven, savvy, smart, charming, and fertile. Look, I didn't make the rules. But I could see how that dating profile request would go over…
I didn't know about fertile, but Gray was perfect in every way.
Before he died, Hardly had made a list of British women he approved of for the job. One in particular had his special endorsement. He offered incentives if I married her. And gave me a high-pressure sales pitch through Thorne.
I resisted, insisting I wanted to make my own choice. I wanted Gray.
When pressed, Thorne had been upfront with me. Before his death, Hardly had been studying me, as well as my late father and brother. Hardly knew my dating history and about my friendship with Gray. I wondered how much he knew or surmised. Had he guessed I loved her? Hardly hadn't been fond of my choice of women in the past. Neither had I. None of them were Gray.
When I suggested to Thorne that Gray's broken engagement was our opportunity, he "ran a thorough background check on her."
I didn't want to know what that meant or entailed. But part of giving Gray time to grieve for her relationship with Christopher was giving Thorne time to do his due diligence on her. Not that I was going to yield to any veto power Thorne thou
ght he had over my choice of wife. All I knew was that Thorne was pleased and gave his blessing to the idea of her being my duchess and business partner. His only qualm was the heir-making part of the bargain. I needed an heir. I may have de-emphasized that condition to Gray.
I convinced Thorne that Gray had long ago suggested we marry at thirty if neither of us had found the right person. And that she meant a real marriage in every sense. She wanted children as much as I did. I told him in one of our almost daily meetings since our first that if Gray had ever needed a sperm donor for any reason, I'd be the first guy she came to. I wouldn't hesitate to give it to her. And she'd make me part of the child's life. Gray and I had actually talked about that one time. How was this really different? Other than the method of conception?
I ran my hand through my hair. A grin spread slowly across my face. It had taken extreme measures, but…
I pushed any dark doubts about my actions aside. I'd made a risky choice, putting everything on the line. But I'd gotten what I wanted. I was a multimillionaire at thirty. I was going to marry the woman I was in love with. The terms of the contract were well on their way to being met. With Gray and me working as a team, we wouldn't fail.
Lunch had been a simple affair. Gray hadn't wanted anything fancy or far from home. We'd had lunch at her favorite sushi bar and come home to her place to call the parents. Of course, my parents weren't shocked. Mom and Bruce already knew that I'd inherited the dukedom and the terms I had to meet. I'd filled them in on everything and even sought their advice.
Since Gray and I met each other as babies in daycare and held hands as two-year-olds, Mom had been convinced that Gray was the woman for me. Her only reservation was the timing. Although Mom was convinced Gray would eventually realize she'd always loved me, Mom didn't want my heart broken. And Mom, of course, was pragmatic. After marrying my father for passion and a sense of romance, and discovering his dark side, she'd married Bruce because he was her best friend. That had turned out well, and I had no doubt they loved each other, too.
Castled: Duke Society Series Page 3