“Brendan, I don’t really care about your business deal,” she growled as she reached for another mushroom. “What kind of business deal?”
“Oh, now you want to know something personal about me? I wasn’t sure that you cared enough,” I pointed out with a cocked eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to make a connection with you. So that when I ask, again, about a divorce, you’ll give it to me.”
“I’m more than happy to give you that divorce. I just don’t want to give it to you now. I’ve been back at the ranch since our… um, separation. With my father’s death, I own it now.”
She blinked in obvious surprise. “You always talked about how much you hated the ranch.”
“We talked about a lot of things when we were young and stupid,” I said with a shrug. “But in the end, family duty doesn’t go away.”
“And the fact that it’s obviously made you rich doesn’t hurt.” Jillian looked pointedly at the expensive watch on my wrist. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the expensive car or the expensive bottle of wine?”
“We’re married. My money is your money.”
Her nostrils flared. “I don’t want your money, Brendan. I want—”
I held up my hand to stop her from saying that damn word again. “Do you think you can avoid saying the d-word until we at least get our steaks? I have a proposition for you that I think will work out for both of us. All I’m asking right now is that you listen to me. I won’t even ask you to answer.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked around the restaurant. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable. “Fine. What do you want?”
“First, let’s talk about what you want. A quiet, uncontested divorce? Maybe enough money to help start your own practice after you graduate? Maybe pay off your student loans too?” Her eyes widened, and it took everything inside me not to smile. “I’ve done my homework, Jillian. I want to offer you something that we would both find satisfactory.” Her eyes narrowed, but I forged ahead. “The land right next to my property is for sale. To protect my ranch, I want to buy it, but the owner is giving me some grief about some personal choices I’ve made.”
“What sort of personal choices?”
There was no point in lying about it. “It’s no secret that I haven’t been in a relationship since, well, you. But I’ve still had…”
“Relations?” she finished dryly. “I guess some things never change. You were a womanizer before we married.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t about to touch that subject with a ten-foot pole. “He wants to make sure that the new owner of his lands will put family first, unlike him. Seems in his golden years, he’s sorting through some regrets he has in his own life. Regrets about his family.”
She leaned forward, and her blouse gaped open the slightest bit, and my cock stirred even as I cursed my body’s reaction.
“That’s great,” she said, giving me a fake smile that took up most of her face. “Remind him that you returned to the ranch years ago because of family duties. Problem solved. He’ll love that.”
I leaned forward, linking my fingers together so that I wouldn’t reach for her. “He wants me to focus on the future, Jillian. On future family. As in wife and kids.” I said the words tentatively and as softly as I could, but she immediately paled. Gathering her napkin in her hand, she tossed it on the table and started to rise. I immediately leaned forward and intertwined her fingers in mine. A jolt shot through my body, and I quickly released her, but I could tell that she felt it too. She was already sinking back into her chair.
“I’m just asking for a few months, Jillie. Stay with me at the ranch. Pretend that we’ve decided to work things out. Pretend that you’re going to be that future Harry wants.” Something tightened in my chest, an emotion I refused to name. Clearing my throat, I went on. “In return, as soon as the ink has dried on the contract, I’ll happily sign the divorce papers and make sure that your future is taken care of.”
Her jaw dropped open, and she stared at me in complete silence. The sounds of the restaurant grew even louder as the seconds ticked by. The low hum of conversation. The clinking of silverware against ceramic plates. The distant clatter from the kitchen. Finally, she chuckled. “Is this a joke? You can’t seriously think that I would agree to that.”
“I’m not joking, Jillian. I need you.”
“Why don’t you just divorce me and find some other chick to take my place?”
Because I don’t want anyone else.
I lifted a shoulder. “Takes too much time.”
“The faster you sign those divorce papers, the faster you get the ball rolling,” she said as she smiled brightly and pushed to her feet. “Because there is no way I’m going to pretend to be your wife again.”
I stood up too. “Like it or not, you are my wife, and as you pointed out, I do have money and influence. In a way I never had… before.” Damn, we’d been so broke back then. “In fact, I’ve been invited to a rather large charity bachelor auction. I’m going to turn them down because I find the whole idea of being auctioned off like a horse distasteful. It’s actually pretty annoying how frequently I get invited. I should just make a public announcement to let them know I’m married and get my name taken off the list permanently.”
She glared and gripped the table as she instantly understood the underlying threat. “You wouldn’t.”
Guilt smacked me in the face, but I smiled through it as I practically blackmailed the woman who already hated me.
“The charity gets a lot of press too. I can’t imagine how many interviews I would have to do. Do you know what would be easier? If I just quietly turn down the offer like I normally do and head back to my small town where nobody cares if I’m married or not.”
Jillian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “And I guess the only way to get you to slink back like the snake you are is for me to agree to go with you?”
I flashed her my most charming smile. “Dinner should be coming up soon, sweetheart, and you don’t want to miss it, do you?”
“I think I hate you.”
“I’ve heard those words before. They didn’t bother me then, and they don’t bother me now,” I lied with a shrug. “But this doesn’t just benefit me. With the power I now hold, I can make our dissolution of marriage disappear in a way that I wasn’t able to do before.”
I watched her process that news. “So, I can really pretend that I never met you without worrying that my bad decisions will come back to bite me in the ass professionally.”
She finally eased back in her chair, and from the tight line on her lips, I could tell that even if she agreed to my plan, she really did hate me for it.
I had hoped to not have to blackmail her. In fact, I’d hoped that our little reunion would go quite differently. I’d hoped maybe she’d see my little proposal as the win-win I thought it was.
But I couldn’t let her anger stop me. It would only be for a few months, after all.
First, I’d reclaim my wife.
Then, I’d let her go.
Again.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jillian
Two days had passed since Brendan Ward completely shattered my life.
Again.
I was in a daze. I couldn’t focus on my dissertation. I couldn’t focus on work. I was avoiding Danielle because I knew that she would pick at me until I finally told her the truth.
Brendan was still my husband. Brendan wanted to continue to be my husband. Brendan wanted me to move to the middle of nowhere and pretend to be his loving wife.
What had happened to my life? All of my plans were crumbling, and it was all his fault.
Technically, it was the fault of some down and dirty scam artist of a lawyer, but I couldn’t blame him, and I needed to blame someone, so Brendan was the target of my wrath by default.
Aimlessly flipping the page in my notebook, I tapped my pencil on the table. The computer screen was dimming, so I nudged the mouse and
sighed. I couldn’t hide in the library forever, and if I was going to keep spending my days here, the least I could do was perfect my dissertation in record time.
Groaning, I slowly lowered my forehead to the table. What was I going to do? My career would tank before it even began if my impulsive marriage and sham of a divorce came to light. On the other hand, I couldn’t go live with Brendan for a few months. The idea was absurd.
“If that’s the attitude that you’re taking with your dissertation, it’s no wonder you haven’t completed it yet,” Don lectured as he approached me.
Inhaling sharply, I sat up. “Don, what are you doing here?” I’d never seen him in the library before.
“Your friend called,” he said in a clipped tone. He hated Danielle. “She said that she hasn’t seen you in a few days, and she’s worried. Ridiculous emotion. I told her that you were focusing on your dissertation after the abomination of a draft you turned in before. I expected better from you, Jill.”
Every cell in my body prickled in a rush of rage. “Wait, you spoke to my advisor? He shouldn’t be telling you anything about my paper. You certainly shouldn’t be reading it.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t be absurd. You should have known that I would take an interest in your paper, and I do work in the department. What is this attitude of yours, Jill?” He looked around, clearly unhappy as he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.
Was he inviting me to tell him my problems? That was new. “I am frustrated about my dissertation, but I’m also dealing with some personal stuff.”
Don grunted and held up his hand. “No, Jill. When you are focused on academics, you are not focused on your personal life. It is always and will forever be about compartmentalizing. You are not the kind of woman to get distracted by your feelings. What has gotten into you?”
Brendan had gotten into me, and not in a good way.
Immediately, my cheeks heated. The last thing I wanted to think about was Brendan being inside me for any reason. “You’re right. I’ll push everything else aside.”
“Good. Please call your friend. I do not like it when she interrupts my day.” He stood. “I suggest that you eat a snack. Maybe your blood-sugar level is dropping, which is why you are so emotional.”
I wanted to tell him to stuff it, and that it wasn’t a sin to contract his words, but I was fairly certain he would consider that emotional. Instead, I forced a smile and nodded. “I’ll make sure to do that. Thank you, Don.”
“Excellent. We shall have dinner tomorrow night. The university board members are in town, and I know they have reservations after their meeting. Dinner will be at eight, a little late, but I want to make sure that I am seen. Wear something flattering.”
Unnerved, I stared at him. Wear something flattering? Was he trying to show me off like some sort of trophy wife?
No, Don wasn’t like that. Maybe he was right. I did need something to eat.
“Dinner sounds great, and we’ll get a chance to talk.” I really did need to tell him about Brendan. I imagined Don would have some moral issues with dating a married woman.
He walked away, and I wasn’t even sure if he heard me. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my bag. It was Danielle again. She’d called me nine times that morning alone. If she’d called Don, she really was desperate.
Quickly, I texted her to let her know that I was coming home for lunch. I figured that she’d be at work, but her response was immediate. She would meet me there.
Collecting my things, I logged off the computer and headed outside. The sun was bright, and the air was warm, but I couldn’t shake the dismal cloud hanging over me. I couldn’t help but feel that there would be dire consequences to whatever choice I made.
I was so distracted that I didn’t even remember riding the bus home. I was on auto-pilot. Danielle’s car was already in the parking lot, and she lit into me as soon as I opened the door. I always knew when she was worried because she was both super pissed and concerned at the same time.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I haven’t seen you in two days, and we made a pact. This is a dangerous city. We’re not supposed to go twenty-four hours without telling the other what’s going on.” Her eyes widened as she examined me from head to foot. “Oh my god, did Don do something to hurt you? I will kill him with my bare hands.”
Emotion sprang to my face at how concerned she looked. “I…” I couldn’t finish, didn’t know how to finish.
Dropping my bag, I managed to steel myself just as she threw her arms around me and pulled me close. “You can tell me. Did he roofie your drink? Did he threaten you? Blackmail you? Did he bore you to tears when he talked about the honor code of the university?”
I laughed softly and stepped away when she let me go. Sniffing hard, I walked to the fridge and opened it. My stomach rumbled as I pulled out some leftover pizza, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I hadn’t eaten all day or if it was because I was still tied in knots.
“Actually, it has nothing to do with Don, but it does have something to do with blackmail.” I popped open the Tupperware and stared at the cold pizza inside. “Brendan.”
Her eyes widened. “Brendan. As in Brendan Ward, Brendan? Your ex-husband, Brendan? The love of your life, Brendan?”
I cringed. “Yes to the first, but no to the other two.” He had been the love of my life, but he wasn’t my love anymore.
“Right. You know you…” She trailed off and narrowed her eyes. “Wait. You said ‘no to the other two?’”
I nodded, taking a generous bite of the pizza. “Yep.”
“Since I know you’re lying about him not being the love of your life, I’ll have to assume this is about the ex-husband part?”
I didn’t even try to argue with her. “Correct.”
“Are you telling me that he’s also not your ex-husband? So either you two didn’t actually get married, which I gather you would be overjoyed to share. Or you two didn’t actually get divorced, which would explain why you’ve been hiding for two days.”
I grunted, taking another bite of pizza.
Her hands flew to her face, palms pressing against her cheeks. “Oh my god, you’re still married to Brendan!”
Having lost my appetite, I tossed the pizza on the counter and stumbled over to the kitchen table. Sinking into one of the chairs, I propped my chin in my hands. “Long story short, we were young and dumb and hired a scam artist instead of a real lawyer. I thought I’d put this all behind me, Danielle. I just can’t revisit it.”
“So, what’s the problem? Hire a divorce attorney now.” She waved her hand in the air like she was waving a magic wand. “Presto-chango. Your divorce will be final.”
I looked at her, pure misery pouring out of my every cell. “It isn’t quite so simple.”
“Why not? If he does anything to stop it, I’ll kill him. Slowly,” she hissed.
“You’re bloodthirsty today,” I muttered. “I’m kind of digging it. But, no. He’s offered me a divorce. And I get to choose which kind I want.”
Danielle shook her head. “A choice?”
“Yep. Option A is to get a loud and very public and messy divorce right now. Or, option B is a nice and quiet one in a few months… if I do him a favor.”
She rubbed at her eyes. “A favor? What kind of favor?”
“He needs a wife, and conveniently, he has one. He wants me to live with him for a few months and pretend that we’re working on our marriage so he can impress some landowner into selling his land to him. The whole thing is ridiculous, and I wouldn’t even begin to go along with it except…” I rolled my head on my shoulders, trying to release some of the knots in the muscles.
“Except what?”
“Except that a loud and messy divorce might sidetrack my career before it even gets started.” As pain washed over me, I pressed a hand to my stomach.
Danielle narrowed her eyes. “How many times have I told you how stupid that is?”
I wrinkled
my nose at her. “I’m not sure I can count that high.”
“Exactly. So, what else is bothering you?”
I threw up my hands. “I just don’t want anyone to know, okay? I was young and embarrassingly stupid, and I don’t want to be judged based on my past.”
“And what else? There’s something else, isn’t there?”
She knew me so well. “Yes. He said that if I’d go along with this crazy scheme that he’d pay off my student loans and help me set up my own practice.”
Danielle’s jaw sagged open, and she lowered her hands to the table. After a good solid minute of drumming her fingers on the wood, she said, “Actually, this whole idea isn’t so bad.”
I stared at her, wondering if my best friend had officially lost her mind. “How?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Live with your sexy not-so-ex-husband for a few months? I say go for it. The semester is almost over, and you have the whole summer off anyway. You can live off his dime while working on your dissertation.”
I frowned. “I don’t want to live off his dime.”
She lifted her hands. “Why not? Since the ranch is, what, over four hours away, you won’t be able to work here, meaning you can quit working for that asshole at the clinic and spend all your time on your research.”
Danielle had a point.
It would be wonderful to focus all my attention on my dissertation, so I could begin the fall semester with most of it behind me, allowing me to enter the final year of my M.S./Psy.D program a little ahead of schedule. And with Brendan’s newfound wealth, he might be able to make the records of our marriage and divorce disappear. Which would take so much pressure off my back.
“Besides…” she went on, “you have to start the full-time doctoral internship in the fall, right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She smiled. “See? It’s actually perfect. He benefits, and you benefit. The timing couldn’t be more perfect since finals are next week.”
But she had forgotten something very important.
Reclaiming My Wife Page 5