“The answer is no, but thanks for asking,” she said, more lightly than she felt it. Because somewhere inside of her, there was the secret desire to say yes. To accept his proposal for a few months, to agree to anything just to keep him in her life. Her practicality, her self-preservation were the only things stopping her from running off the edge of a cliff that way.
At her building, he walked her to the door, leaned in and kissed her cheek, “Goodnight, Paige,” he said.
“Goodnight, Luke,” she answered, her voice hollow in her chest.
Chapter 18
LUKE FLICKED THROUGH the PowerPoint Magnus had sent him, a series of eligible women—right age, right education, suitably attractive and accomplished. Women likely to further their own careers through networking as his wife, through the increased visibility of being the Mrs. Luke Conners for a time. It felt dismal. He saw something wrong with each one.
The first one’s smile was too wide—she looked like a wolverine. The second one had a doctorate in anthropology, far too serious for him and his MBA. Definitely not the sort who’d wear a too-short dress to play pinball and eat pizza. The third candidate had a long history of serial monogamy but didn’t have a sense of humor.
He was comparing them all to Paige.
Luke rubbed his hands over his face, trying to clear his vision. He couldn’t have her. Couldn’t convince her to marry him. She was officially the first thing he’d ever wanted that he had failed to get.
He wasn’t in love with her. Not even close. He liked her. A lot. The thought of being married to her didn’t fill him with queasy dread, unlike all the others. In fact, it might be fun spending a few months in close quarters with Paige. He was sure if he could only have persuaded her to marry him that he could have gotten her to reverse the no-hanky-panky rule. She’d said herself that he could’ve had her last night right there on their date. She’d sounded miserable about it, like it was a personal failing on her part. That had bothered him for some reason.
He’d spent most of the day trying not to think about her. She wasn’t at work. He’d checked. He’d been trying to devise some other solution to his problem. He needed to go for a run and clear his head or something because he was stuck in a constant mind loop of Paige being the only answer. He pushed back from his desk and went to change for the gym. The door to his office swung open with no warning.
Ther
e she stood.
Paige.
She was a mess. Her hair was tumbling out of its messy bun. Her face was blotchy and red. Her eye makeup was either gone or smeared under her eyes.
Luke was at her side in an instant, ready to destroy whatever had made
her cry. He took her hands in his and held them.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
“I’ll marry you.”
“Is that why you’re crying? The thought of marrying me?” He stepped back from her, not knowing what to think. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No, that’s not why I’m crying. It’s Paxtyn. Her scans were bad. I find—“ She broke off, drew in a ragged breath. “I find myself in a position of...of needing to pay out-of-pocket for an experimental treatment. It’s the only thing that could save Paxtyn at this point. Even if she had decent insurance, it wouldn’t cover this. So, I’m lucky. Because there’s a way I can earn the money. I can be your temporary spouse. And I promise I’ll be the perfect fake wife. I can be convincing and everyone will believe me.”
“I’m sorry about your sister. Sit down, we can talk about this. I’ll help you. Whether you marry me or not,” he said, and he knew it was true.
He’d pay for Paxtyn’s treatments right now, cover all her bills without a single question if it could keep Paige from ever looking this frightened, this heartbroken again. But even as he said it, he knew she wouldn’t accept his help with no strings attached.
“No. That’s sweet of you, Luke, but I won’t take charity. I won’t take money I didn’t earn. You said before that I’d get a settlement after a year when we get divorced.”
“Prenuptial agreement. One million dollars tax-free, payable on the date of dissolution. If we stay married longer, that figure increases by half a million dollars at six-month intervals.”
“I’ll sign it today. I’ll marry you today. We’ll go to the courthouse.”
“Easy, tiger. Slow down. It has to be a society wedding. If we get married at a courthouse after two dates, that looks suspicious. It won’t help my image at all. I’ll advance you the money. Your sister will get any treatment she needs. But you don’t have to do this.”
Luke couldn’t believe he was trying to talk her out of marrying him. He must have lost his mind. She sank into a chair as if her legs wouldn’t hold her any longer. He sat in the chair beside hers, never releasing her hands.
“I want to. I’m thankful for the opportunity to save Paxtyn. I owe you twelve months—I owe you way more than that if this can save her. My sister is my world. She’s the only family I have left. And this deal you are offering me, well, it may just be the miracle I need to save her life. I’m so grateful, and I can’t thank you enough. I’m going to be the best fake wife ever! So when do we start?”
“I think we start by picking out a ring.”
“Can we do that online? I’m not exactly dressed for the mall.”