Misadventures of a Backup Bride

“All for show,” he replies. “I don’t ever like being outmaneuvered, but even less by someone I should be able to plot circles around. So I’m giving you the opportunity to make a decision. Honor the agreement you already made, accept my magnanimous gesture of a free wedding for you and Ms. Hope, or marry no one and forfeit an extra five percent as penance.”

Somehow, Gregory Shaw has found a scenario in which he wins no matter what Carson picks. Unbelievable…

“And what happens to Kendra?” Carson asks. “If Ella and I get married in two weeks, how will you keep your daughter from all the terrible consequences you mentioned earlier?”

“That’s an insightful question. Her beau of the moment, Brayden, seems like the first solid man she’s ever voluntarily dated. He comes from a poor family and his father suffers from chronic medical issues, and they lack the money to pay the bills. Quite sad…”

I doubt very much that Shaw actually cares. He sees the man’s condition as leverage against Kendra’s latest flame, nothing more.

“You’ll only be buying her a husband for three years,” Carson points out.

Shaw shrugs. “I’ve done my digging. Brayden’s a smart, cautious man. He’ll temper Kendra. That’s all I care about. A lot can happen in three years. They might even become deeply attached…”

I stare at the man, still stunned. He’s not only comfortable in the puppet-master role, he relishes it. I don’t see an ounce of moral discomfort anywhere in his expression. He genuinely believes he’s justified and that he knows better than the rest of us. In fact, I bet that if I baited and shoved a bit, he would commend himself for improving Kendra’s—and Carson’s—situations.

And I’m unimportant. Expendable. The means to an end. No matter what Carson and I elect to do, Shaw either gets a solid son-in-law or more money. He comes out ahead.

I want to rail and hate him. Mostly, I just shake my head at his misguided manipulation.

“Get out,” Carson insists, stepping forward. “I think you’ve said enough. I want you gone and—”

“Yes, I’ve obviously overstayed my welcome.” Shaw pours the rest of his coffee down the drain and sets the mug on the counter. “There are a few caveats, of course. If you marry Ms. Hope, you must cohabitate and stay married for a minimum of ten years or I’ll take immediate possession of that additional five percent of Sweet Darlin’. You can’t be unfaithful—either of you—for that same period of time. Don’t think I won’t be watching.” He cocks his head. “That covers everything, I believe. You have until noon tomorrow to decide.”

CARSON

The moment Gregory Shaw shuts the door behind him, I look over at Ella. She’s shell-shocked. The silence is so complete, the absence of sound is almost a buzzing in my ears. I don’t know what to say. After the corner that bastard just put me in, I’m angry. I’m furious on her behalf, too. I even feel sorry for Kendra. She probably does need a guiding hand, but she doesn’t need her father forcing one on her. She needs time to mature and some real-world experience. Maybe she even needs a good failure or two in her life. I doubt she’s ever had one. Her father wouldn’t allow it. Maybe he should.

But Kendra isn’t my problem now. I need to focus on Ella, on what we do next. I need to say the right thing. What is that?

“I’m sorry.” I wrap my arms around her.

To my relief, she hugs me back. Somewhere in the back of my head, I worried she would resent that I’ve inadvertently dragged her into this fucked-up mess.

“It’s not your fault and not your doing. I hate the position he’s put you in.”

“Me, too.”

Ella sips her coffee. “Hungry?”

After a night of sex, I was. But following a visit from Gregory Shaw… “Not so much.”

“You need to eat. Let me make you something. While I do, we’ll talk. Maybe there’s a scenario we haven’t explored yet that won’t leave anyone in a bind.”

I nod, but I don’t think it’s possible. Shaw isn’t stupid. He’s thought of all the angles. I feel perpetually one step behind the asshole, and I need to catch up. He’s been manipulating me toward the outcome he wants. I have to figure out how to maneuver him to my conclusion instead.

“Thanks.” I sit on a barstool and watch Ella make herself at home in my kitchen.

I’m usually more of a loner, but I’m glad she’s here. When I first made the agreement with Shaw to marry Kendra, I stewed in bottled-up silence because I was in the untenable position of having to wed a stranger or lose my father’s legacy. This time, I’m not swimming in the cesspool of crap alone.

She rummages through the refrigerator. “Spinach and mushroom omelets okay?”

Nothing sounds terribly appealing at the moment… “Sure. That sounds great.”

“Liar.” Ella laughs. “You don’t have to coddle my feelings, Carson. Just tell me how you see this situation with Shaw unfolding next. You can choke down the omelet if you need.”

“Choke?” I frown.

“I said I would cook. I didn’t say it would be gourmet.”

Even when everything is shitty, this woman still makes me laugh.

But my temporary mirth runs out. I sigh. “I can’t marry Kendra. Really. It would ruin both our lives. I know Shaw doesn’t see that. But she would come to resent me, and I have no doubt I’d feel trapped and angry and, over time, bitter. Even if we split up in three years when she got her trust fund, I…” I shake my head. “I don’t want to be without you. I wouldn’t ask you to wait for me. It’s not fair.”

As Ella whisks the eggs in a mixing bowl, I see her expression. That’s her thinking face. Lips slightly parted, tongue just touching her bottom lip, a little frown furrowing between her brows. “Well, nothing about this is fair, so let’s remove that word from this conversation.”

Her observation makes me chuckle again. “You’re right.”

“As it happens, I think marrying Kendra is your worst option. It’s the choice in which no one is happy except Gregory Shaw. I mean, I don’t know your—I hesitate to use this word—fiancée very well…”

“Ex. I’ll make that official ASAP,” I assure her. I have to.

“I think that’s a wise choice. I’m sure it will give both of you some relief. You wouldn’t have hired me in the first place if you’d been even slightly excited about making her your wife.”

It’s true. “So that leaves me trying to choose between the two least shitty options in a steaming pile of poo.”

“And they both smell to high heaven.” She sends me an empathetic glance.

“Exactly. If I give that bastard ten percent of my company, I’ll never be rid of him. He’ll keep trying to exert his influence and stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. He knows most of my executives and plant managers. He’ll try to persuade them that, as a partial owner, he has rights and he should be involved at every level of the organization. With only five percent, most of them will laugh him off. But at ten?” I wince. “It’s not a controlling interest, but it’s a more effective argument since no one but a Frost has ever owned a smidgen of Sweet Darlin’. I can also buy his five percent back if we stick to the original terms of the loan. And honestly, the last thing I can afford to do is give Shaw a glimpse of my recipes or plans for the future.”

“You’re right. Can anyone else help you financially?”

“I’ve had several offers to buy the company, but they were all crazy lowballs. If I took one, I’d feel as if I were cashing out because it was easy. I don’t want easy. I want amazing. I want rewarding. I want to control my own destiny. That means helming the company that’s mine, not to mention choosing my own wife.”

“That’s understan

dable. And I don’t want you to dishonor your biological father’s memory. The connection you’re forming with him, even posthumously, is important to you, I can tell. You shouldn’t have to give up something that’s become meaningful. So that leaves one option.” She bites her lip. “I don’t know where you’re at emotionally, Carson, but I have to be honest. I’m not ready to commit to getting married. Besides all the reasons we’ve already identified, I…” She shrugs and tosses her hands in the air. “I think a couple should know each other more than four days before they decide to exchange forever vows.”

She’s absolutely right. My mother and Edward Frost are a great example of what happens when you marry someone you’re passionate about but don’t know well enough to determine if you’re truly compatible. I’d rather not wind up divorced, especially if there