Fiancée For Sale

by Lila Kane

  My shoulders relax slightly. If she got the rest of her things from the apartment, it means she’s staying here, not leaving.

  “Actually…” Her gaze travels to the window. Outside, lightning shoots across the sky and thunder grumbles. “It’s not even all my stuff. Most of it is Chet’s.”

  My jaw clenches. Chet. Again. The whole reason I had to take a step back.

  She seems to sense the tension because she shakes her head and holds up her hands as if to explain. “I’ve been doing a lot of work this week.”

  I nod. Both of us have.

  “Not just for my business, though that’s helped.”

  “Helped with what?”

  She gives a small smile, one that hits me right in the heart. I don’t know why. Sometimes I feel like we still barely know each other, but others it’s like this opportunity came along for both of us. Because we both need each other.

  “My identity. My new identity. I’m not Brianna from the coffee shop or Chet’s fiancée anymore. I get to be someone new. With a new career and a new life and—and…” Her gaze flicks to mine, but she doesn’t finish. “It sounds stupid, I know.”

  I take one step closer to her, trying to understand. In fact, I’m pretty sure I do. She’s moving on. “It doesn’t sound stupid at all. It sounds like you’re doing what you need to do.”

  She swallows and nods. “I am. Sorry for worrying you. I’ll get out of your way.”

  I grit my teeth, hating that we’re both feeling like this. I watch as she digs into the box and pulls out another box—a small one, black velvet. A ring box. When she turns to terrace door, I follow her.

  “Where are you going?” I ask.

  She stops just inside the door. Rain taps on the glass. “Not far. I’ll stay out of your way when I get back. I just need to do this.”

  “You want company?” I don’t know what makes me ask, but she looks like she could use someone—even if it’s just a friend.

  She angles her head and looks at me. Really looks at me. I’m ready to step back when she nods. “Thank you.”

  When she pulls open the door, cold raindrops hit us. But it doesn’t deter her. She walks to the rail overlooking the city, close enough I almost reach out for her.

  “Be careful,” I warn.

  To my surprise, she grins and holds out the box. “This is the engagement ring Chet gave me.”

  I take the box and open it to find a simple ring, diamonds in the band. It looks nothing like the one I gave her. Much simpler. Maybe even fake. I frown.

  “Go ahead,” she says, blinking up at me through the drops of rain that hit her cheeks. “Say it.”

  “What?”

  She sighs. “It’s not real. It’s cheap.”

  “Brianna—”

  “You won’t hurt my feelings, I promise. I know it’s cheap because I’m the one who bought it. It was all I could afford.”

  I bite back a curse. “You bought your own engagement ring?”

  “I know. It’s stupid. I should have just said I didn’t need anything. But it was a symbol, you know?”

  “It’s not stupid. You should have had something and Chet’s a major asshole for not at least buying this one himself. What a dick.”

  Her breath catches in a half-laugh, half-sob. “I know. A huge dick, right? And I think I knew it was over before it ever was but I was just hanging on. I don’t—don’t have family or anyone else who’s really close. Just Deb. And I guess I figured this was my shot. To have that family.” She takes the box from me. “A terrible reason to hang on to an engagement, I know. But that’s why I did. Sometimes I wonder if I ever really even loved him…Anyway, I needed to move on. You were right about Chet. I was hanging onto that hurt. Not because I lost him but because I lost that dream. So…I’m moving on.”

  She plucks the ring from the box and holds it up. The rain comes harder now, splashing on our heads, soaking through my suit jacket. Brianna looks like she doesn’t care—she’s so focused.

  “This whole week, that’s what I’ve been doing,” she says. “Clearing Chet from my life. All his things, his number from my phone, everything that reminds me of him.”

  I swallow, guilt hitting me again. I knew she’d been working hard this week, but I didn’t know this was part of it. If I had, I would’ve been here for her.

  “This is the last piece,” Brianna says, staring at the ring.

  In one smooth move, she hurls the ring into the air. I watch it until it vanishes in the rain, falling several dozen stories to somewhere below. Part of me is shocked she threw away her own engagement ring, and the other part, the more prominent part, is proud of her.

  No matter what happens with us, I’m glad she’s free of Chet.

  Brianna turns to me. I can’t tell if it’s rain or tears on her cheeks. She leans up, kisses me on the corner of my lips and says, “Thank you. For being here.”

  Then she walks back inside, leaving me in a swirl of emotions in the middle of a rainstorm.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Brianna

  I feel like a new person. I went shopping with Deb yesterday to get the perfect outfit for today’s auction, and told her about the engagement ring and my conversation with Michael. I am a new Brianna.

  Now I can only hope Michael’s willing to give us another chance.

  When I emerge from my bedroom in a fun cocktail dress, one that shows off my long, long legs, Michael just stares at me.

  My stomach jumps with nerves. This is a good thing, right? That he’s still interested. Only one way to find out.

  I walk to him, holding a folder with paperwork inside. Important paperwork.

  “I thought…” Michael clears his throat. “I thought maybe you’d decided not to go. It’s just a family thing.”

  “I made an agreement. No, it’s not just that. I want to go.”

  His gaze flicks to the folder in my arms. “What’s that?”

  I set it on the counter and open it.

  His face hardens when he sees the contract inside. “I see. It makes sense to end this now but you still want to keep up appearances by going to the auction.”

  “No. Oh, Michael—that’s not.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to end this. I want to…start over. Re-sign the contract. Give this another try. Now that—that Chet is out of the way and I have direction, I want to try again. So I can give this what it deserves.”

  His gaze roams over my face, like he can’t decide whether or not I’m telling the truth. Part of me wants to reach out and touch him, reassure him, but I don’t want to overstep any boundaries. He has to make this decision himself.

  “You want to start over,” Michael says, voice low.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nod and flip to the back of the contract. “See? I had a new one printed up. And I signed it again. I’m ready for this.”

  His chest moves up and down with a few deep breaths before his eyes lock on mine. “Are you sure? I know I already asked that, but I need to be sure.”

  He’s protecting himself. I see that now. The same thing I was doing. Which shows me he cares. He did care, and I’d hurt him by being hesitant.

  I move a step closer and take his hand. “I’m sure.”

  Before I can blink, he swoops in, his mouth capturing mine. The heat between us is instant, a lightning storm of needs and wants. And, I realize, of trust.

  He crushes me against his chest, arms like bands of steel around me. My fingers clutch the lapels of his suit jacket. In this moment, all I want is to be as close to him as possible.

  “Michael,” I murmur, trying to draw a breath.

  His fingers squeeze on my hips. “Tell me you’re changing your mind.”

  “About…what?” I blink, trying to focus. “About the contract?”

  He smiles gently. “About the auction. Let’s stay here and figure this out.”

  I slap his chest playfully. “We can’t. Yo
ur sister put it together. Besides, I have a vested interest.”

  “What’s that?”

  I extract myself from his arms. “You’ll see.”

  “Ah. Mystery. I like it. But still. You could just tell me and we don’t have to go.”

  “Liv will miss you if you’re not there.”

  He reaches for me again. “She’ll probably be so busy she won’t even notice.”

  I back away before he can touch me. “It’s family,” I say gently. “That’s important.”

  His features softened immediately. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s not my place to say you should go, but—”

  “No. You’re right. She’s family. We’ll have a good time. Sign our names to ridiculous auction items. Get a little drunk. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”

  “I think it sounds fun.”

  “Me too.” He looks at the contract. “I’ll sign it.”

  “Good.” I pass him a pen and then turn for my bedroom again. “I have something else, too.”

  “Brianna—”

  “I’ll be right back!” I holler.

  I’ve been waiting for this all week, trying to prepare myself. Not just for him to say yes, but for him to say no. I have to realize, like with Chet, all I can do is my side of things. If the other person doesn’t reciprocate, it has no reflection on how much I gave on my end.

  I carry the small bag to the counter. Michael sets down the pen, and I see that he’s signed the contract again. My stomach flutters. I’m really doing this. No, we’re really doing this.

  I raise my eyes to his. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being willing to try again.”

  “I could say the same thing to you.”

  I smile and reach into the bag to pull out both the box with my engagement ring, and another box I picked up at the store when I was out with Deb.

  Michael angled his head in question. “What’s this?”

  “You gave me an engagement present, so I got one for you, too.”

  “An engagement ring isn’t a present,” he says softly. “It’s something you needed to have for this whole…agreement. But it’s something I wanted you to have, too.”

  “Well, this is something I want you to have, too,” I say, handing him the box. “I noticed you kept taking your other one off.”

  He opens the box and freezes. It’s a watch, a nice one—I asked the store clerk which would work best—but still, it’s not as nice as the one he already has. It was all I could afford.

  “I do keep taking my other one off,” he murmurs, pulling the watch out of the box. “I need to get it fixed. Brianna.”

  “Do you like it? I know it’s not as nice as yours. In fact, you probably have others, too.” I reach for it. “I can get something else—”

  “No.” He catches my hand before I can grab the box. “Wait.”

  My cheeks heat. It was a stupid idea. “I probably should have asked you what you want.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  My cheeks are burning now. I shake my head, feeling like a little kid.

  Michael tips my chin up so he can see my eyes. “You didn’t because you wanted to do something selfless and give me a gift. For no other reason than because that’s the kind of person you are. Thank you, Brianna. I don’t think I should accept this, but thank you.”

  “But—but you have to! You gave me something—”

  “I mean because it’s expensive. I love it, but—”

  “Then keep it. Please. Or we can exchange it for one you want. But I want you to have it,” I say, pushing the box back at him. “Please.”

  He looks at it again, and part of me is pleased. He seems to like it. I don’t care that it took the rest of my savings—it was something I wanted to do. I’ll make that money back soon, too, once I get my business going.

  “I’ll wear it today.” He surprises me by taking off his other watch and replacing it with the one I got him. He twists his wrist to examine it, and then says, “Brianna.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get upset, but how did you afford this? Did you use the credit card I gave you?”

  I frown. “None of your business.”

  He laughs. “Your business is my business now.”

  He’s right. He’s taking care of me financially whether I like it or not. “I had some money in savings.”

  “Did you spend it all?”

  “That really is none of your business considering it’s my account.”

  “Which means yes, right?”

  I sigh. “Who cares? It’s a gift.”

  “Stubborn.”

  “What?”

  He shakes his head. “Nothing. If I’m wearing my gift, you have to wear yours.”

  “Of course,” I say, pulling the ring from the box. “But not just because of the agreement, but because I want to.”

  He smiles, a smile that transforms his face. For once, he seems truly happy. Then he takes my hand and kisses my knuckle, right above the diamond ring. “Please don’t throw this one off the roof.”

  I laugh, relieved that things have gone back to normal. “I won’t.”

  “And next time,” he says, guiding me to the elevator, “we go shopping together.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Michael

  L iv thought of everything when she set up the auction. With the botanical gardens as the backdrop, there are flowers everywhere. Tents and servers everywhere. Everyone is happy and talking and spending money on items they probably already own or can get for cheaper. But that’s the point.

  And even with all that, I can hardly look at anything or anyone besides Brianna. She dazzles, with her flowery dress and heels that show off her long legs. Her hair hangs in curls over her shoulders, brushing her shoulder blades every time she moves. Tickling my cheeks when I lean in to tell her something about the auction or who someone is.

  It kills me each time I do that because she smells like heaven. I hadn’t been lying when I said I wanted to stay home instead of coming to the party. Brianna had surprised me with her vulnerability yesterday, the contract this morning, and the gift. I hadn’t realized that in addition to working on her career last week, she’d been working on herself.

  All of it—but especially her selflessness—makes me want to start over. To do this right, despite the risks. Because it’s Brianna.

  But now we’re stuck at the party. I want to be here for Liv, but damn, Brianna is making that difficult. Every time she laughs or touches my arm, every time she leans up to whisper something in my ear, it turns me on.

  “Let’s see what’s being auctioned off,” she says, tugging my arm to the table.

  I oblige because I have to make at least a couple bids for the cause. But mostly I just watch Brianna while she browses, making comments about items she’d be interested in.

  “A weekend getaway in Aspen,” she says, pointing. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

  I pick up the pen and sign my name on the line.

  “Michael,” Brianna says, cheeks red. “I wasn’t suggesting that you—I mean, you don’t have to—”

  “I have to sign up for something. Might as well be something you’re interested in.”

  “No.” She glances around and lowers her voice. “I didn’t mean you were doing it for me or anything. Just—”

  “It is for you.” I bid a ridiculously high amount, making her eyes widen. “And if we don’t win it, we’ll go anyway.”

  Before she can protest, I kiss her on the lips. She responds immediately, mouth softening as I press my tongue against the opening.

  Hell. We’re going to have to leave early. There’s just no other way around this.

  “Look at the lovebirds,” Liv says.

  I pull back reluctantly to glare at her. I want time with Brianna and this whole party is making that difficult.

  She just smiles a
t me, and then turns her attention to Brianna, whom she clearly adores. “Your package already has half a dozen bids.”

  Brianna’s eyes widen. “It’s does? Really?”

  I squeeze my arm around her waist. “What package is this?”

  “She’s offering a web design package, which includes all sorts of social media goodies and marketing strategies and—basically you’re engaged to a genius,” Liv says. “I’ve seen her work—and I’m going to have her make me a website, too.”

  I smile at Brianna, amused to see her cheeks burning red at the attention my sister is showing her. “You’re offering your services and I didn’t even know?”

  She laughs. “You make that sound dirty.”

  Liv rolls her eyes and says, “Get a room,” before wandering off.

  “How come you didn’t tell me about this?” I ask, then shake my head before she can answer. “Never mind. We’re starting over, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Show me.”

  She pulls me to the end of the table, where I see her name on a marker just like the other items up for bid. There’s a detailed description of what she’s offering as well as a portfolio of her work.

  “You did all this?” I ask, paging through the pamphlet.

  “Designed the sites, you mean?”

  “I imagine you put together the pamphlet as well. It looks like your work.”

  She smiles at me. “How can you tell?”

  “It’s creative—no innovative. Classy. Simple where it needs to be simple. Elegant, but fun.” I lift my eyes to meet hers. I’m not just talking about her work. “Kind of like you.”

  “You definitely know how to flatter a woman.”

  I pull her into my arms. “Not just any woman. My fiancée.”

  The words are out of my mouth before I realize what I’m saying. There’s a lot about Brianna I like—a lot I admire. And yet I still feel like we hardly know each other. That’s something I need to remedy.

  “Let’s get a drink,” I suggest, hoping I didn’t make the moment awkward. “And see if we won a weekend getaway to Aspen.”

  We talk with Liv and her husband, and my parents stop by for long enough to be charmed by Brianna all over again. It’s not a ruse anymore. We’re not engaged, but other than that, I’m interested in Brianna. For the long term.