I stop short at the mention of his niece. “What about Sophie?”
“She needs someone she knows to be here for her. I’ll be tied up for months trying to step in for Dmitri. I’ll have to learn his duties and start running a company I never expected to inherit. I want Sophie to have someone with her, someone who loves her as much as I do.” He leans a little closer and I catch a whiff of his cologne. It’s woody, masculine. A hint of citrus. “I know you’re fond of her, Harper. And she’s fond of you as well.”
I nod. Sophie’s only five years younger than I am, and we became friends during the years Mitch worked for Dmitri. “Of course I am, Jayson. I’d be happy to help with Sophie.”
He nods. “Good. I’ll sort out the arrangements. A civil service with a justice of the peace seems like it’ll be the quickest, easiest way.”
I put up my hand. “Hang on a second here, Jayson. I didn’t agree to marry you. Why should we get married just so I can help with Sophie?”
The intensity of his almost-black eyes makes me squirm as he stares at me. “You know that Sophie lost her mother three years ago when she had an aneurysm.” At my nod, he continues. “Of course Dmitri loved Sophie, but you know how busy he was, and when he remarried, there was even less time for her.”
“Not to mention, Sophie didn’t get along so well with Ione,” I add ruefully. Ione was her mother Althea’s social secretary. After his first wife’s death, Dmitri hired her as his assistant, and he married her less than a year later. Ione was a beautiful young woman, and she wanted no competition from her beautiful young stepdaughter, either for Dmitri’s attention or anyone else’s. Sophie ended up at boarding school within months of the marriage.
“In a sense, everyone Sophie loves has abandoned her. Some by choice, some by fate.” He rubs his face once more, then runs his hand through his dark hair. “I need to provide her with a strong foundation.”
“I’m not going to leave her until she’s recovered,” I say.
Jayson shakes his head. “No way. She needs more permanence, more security, than having just a companion could provide. Not to mention, living in my home would destroy your reputation if we aren’t married.”
I gape at him. “Are you serious? It’s the twenty-first century. Who cares about that sort of thing?”
“I care,” he says coldly, making me flinch. “People will think you’re my mistress, and I can’t have that. You’ll have several new duties, including taking over some of Ione’s charitable affairs. In my social circle, you won’t receive the full respect you’re due if people think you’re sleeping with me without being married.”
I wince at his not-so-subtle reminder of the difference between our social classes. Jayson is a billionaire, and I’m just the daughter of a worker. But I can easily imagine the disapproval. The people Jayson knows are pretty self-important. “Why don’t you hire a social secretary? My school is forty minutes away. Sophie can move in with me for now, and we can reevaluate when she’s healthy.”
Jayson stands up, coming around the huge desk to sit on it near me, until he’s far too close for comfort. “You won’t be returning to school,” he says bluntly. “Your father left you no money for tuition. Your private college is expensive, and they don’t participate in federal financial aid programs.” At my surprised look, he says, “I checked.”
I gulp. “But… you said you would help me.”
“And I will. If you help me. You be my wife for three years. Once Sophie is off to college, we will quietly divorce and go our separate ways. You can return to your schooling, or travel the world. Whatever you decide to do with the money I offer is up to you.”
My mind whirls with confusion. It’s a crazy plan, but I can understand Jayson’s reasons. Sophie absolutely needs to come first right now, and he’s honest enough to acknowledge he can’t do it all on his own. I admire the fact that Jayson hasn’t just sent the girl to Greece, or hired a nanny to watch the fifteen-year-old, and then gone about his business.
Still, no matter how much I’ve fantasized about him in my life, this is never how I thought my wedding would be.
After a long moment, I nod. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“Let’s get married,” I say with a forced smile. I never let myself even dream about any sort of real relationship with Jayson, yet here I am, about to become Kyria Jayson Satyros.
Surreal, to say the least.
1
JAYSON
I look up from my laptop at the sound of Sophie and Harper giggling loudly. Again. How can a man get any work done with those two carrying on? I’m about to chew them out when their conversation catches my attention.
“…has an excellent pre-med program, but they’re in Virginia. Maybe I should go to a university somewhere around New York City. William & Mary is so far away.”
“You’ll be fine, if that’s where you decide to go,” says Harper. “Selfishly, I’d rather have you in New York, but you have to do what’s best for you no matter what anyone says.”
“NYU has a good pre-med program too.” Sophie nibbles on her lower lip, clearly undecided. “And you? Are you going to NYU in the fall?”
As I’m listening for Harper’s answer, I click some random keys into the search bar so she won’t know I’m eavesdropping on their conversation. “I’m not sure. I might return to Adamsville and finish my botany degree, or I could go to another school. Maybe a couple of universities around New York.” Harper shrugs. “My decision depends on your decision.”
“Would you be happy at Adamsville?” asks Sophie. “You said it was an all-girls’ school, full of girls you don’t have anything in common with anymore.”