“Either that or we elope somewhere far away where nobody’s liable to show up. We could have a second ceremony as a vow renewal or skip it and take a honeymoon. Nobody’s likely to question it.”
“Speaking of honeymoon…” He trailed off, obviously looking for a polite way to phrase what he wanted to say.
“To be clear, I’m not talking about marriage in name only, if that’s what you’re wondering. I think it’s pretty obvious I’m attracted to you. If we do this, we are married, and I expect exclusivity and all the—shall we say, benefits—that go with it.”
His expression shifted to one of such hunger, Piper began to wonder if she could get an advance on those benefits.
“One way or the other, I’m not interested in being with anyone but you.”
“Same goes,” she agreed.
They stared at each other, her waiting, him apparently out of questions.
“And I thought the setup you pulled on Tyler and Brody was nuts.” Myles shook his head.
Piper shrugged with more nonchalance than she felt. “It was just a suggestion.”
“What if someone here finds out?”
“Which part?” Was he embarrassed about the idea of being married to her?
“The whole secretly married and not actually living together part. That brings up all kinds of questions and awkwardness. I don’t want to make things weird for you with your family.”
She snorted. “Sweetie, things are permanently weird for me with my family. The idea that I had a husband would be the first thing I’d ever done they thought was right or proper, no matter how it came about. I am the ultimate black sheep there, so don’t let that deter you. And either way, I don’t see how they’d find out. You’ve said yourself your family never comes here. Well, except apparently your sister, and it’d be easy enough to stay over when she does.”
Myles stared. “You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?”
“It’s just not that complicated.”
“Not that—Your mind works in devious ways, Piper Parish. It’s one of the things that fascinates me.”
“I’m not afraid of risk. You already know that about me, so none of this should come as a surprise to you.”
“Oh, I have a feeling you’ll still be surprising me in fifty years.” He scrambled up. “Be right back.”
Future tense. Not just the possibility of it. He was going to bite.
Oh boy.
Because her throat was dry, Piper popped the top on her Coke and took a long swallow. He was right. This was completely nuts. She’d just proposed what was essentially a marriage of convenience. It was well-intentioned, of course. But like all of her crazy schemes, it had the potential to backfire. Did she really want to go through with this?
What’s the worst that could happen? We get divorced and I lose his friendship. I’d hate it, but I got along just fine without him before. I could do it again. Isn’t it worth the risk to help him save his business and the jobs of everyone who works for him? And what if it turns out to be the real deal?
Myles crawled back inside the blanket fort, this time settling beside her. “Give me your hand,” he ordered.
She gave it without hesitation.
“You are, without a doubt, the single most interesting woman I’ve ever met. You’re funny, smart, gorgeous, and you’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I know. If you’re truly serious about this, I’d be honored if you’d be my partner in crime and marry me.” He held out a ring in his other hand. The diamond glinted in the glow from the TV behind him.
Piper’s mouth fell open. “You have a ring?” Her gaze shot back up to his. “Wait, why do you have a ring? Is there some failed engagement in your past I need to know about?”
He huffed a laugh. “No. Never got anywhere close to engaged before. It was my grandmother’s,” he explained. “Granddad got her a new set for their fiftieth anniversary and this came to me to pass on to the woman I want to marry. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. So, how ’bout it? You really want to go through with this?”
To actually marry this thoughtful, considerate, wickedly funny man in less than a month? “I really do.”
“Okay then.” He slid the ring onto her finger, then lifted her hand to his lips. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you won’t regret it.”
No matter what happened, Piper didn’t think she could possibly regret deciding to be with him. The weight of the band gave the whole situation an air of gravity she hadn’t expected. They both stared at it on her hand for several long moments.