Page 20 of Grasp The Moment

Chuckling lightly, I save the text and press the FaceTimebutton. Cleo answers on the first ring, her face taking up the entire screen.

“Where’s your ‘husband’? Why wasn’t I invited? Whoisyour husband? Am I being punked?” she asks as soon as the call connects.

A small smile dusts my face. “He’s sitting at our table. I don’t even remember being invited to the wedding. Derek and I wish we were both being punked right now.”

Cleo’s always been the type to think before acting. When my words fully process for her, her eyes widen, and she gasps.

“Way to go, G.” She smirks, tilting the camera closer to her face. “Did you two have sex last night?”

“Ms. Jones, have you no shame?” I gasp, mockingly reprimanding her as she shrugs.

“Derek’s hot… I say jump on it.”

Rolling my eyes, I laugh. “I tell you that I got married last night to a man that I barely know, and the first thing you ask is if we had sex? Who are you and what’ve you done with my best friend?”

She giggles. “I’m asking the real questions. Plus, I figured you want someone to talk to you like you would talk to them. Besides, youcanget to know him. Sure, we alljustbecame friends last semester, but he’s not a bad guy. Sienna, Jace,andBlake trust him. That’s good enough for me.”

My heart swells because in a way, she’s right. If I had someone give me a stern talking to about this, I’d probably crumble. Seeing as my friends have been nothing but receptive to this new development, I think that I may be okay. Even if he and I only met in September… If my friends trust him and I trust him, then I should be okay. Right?

Nodding, I smile at the phone. “Thanks, CJ. I’ll tell you more when we get home… Right now, I think my ‘husband’ and I need to have a talk.”

In seconds, I’m sitting back down in front of Derek. He’s the perfect image of calm and collected as I go crazy in my mind.

“Listen… this whole thing is a lot, Dere. I came here with different intentions, and now in less than twelve hours, I’m going to leave here with a brand new life.”

He reaches across the table, grasping my hand in his. The feel of his rough, calloused hands has goosebumps erupting up my spine as we lock eyes. The darkness of his brown eyes sends shockwaves through me as they softly caress my face.

“We’ll get through this together, but what do you say? Will you stay married to me?”

8.Derek

You’d thinkthat I lost my mind with the way that Georgia is staring at me from across the table. Her left eye and nose twitch as she looks at me, her head tilted slightly.

“I’m sorry, but it sounded like you said we shouldstaymarried—I thought I misheard you earlier… but no, that was clear as day…” She gapes, her bunny teeth peaking out from under her top lip.

Taking a sip of the coffee I’d ordered while she was in the bathroom, I nod.

“Then you heard correctly, Blondie.”

She rolls her eyes, “Oh, don’t ‘Blondie’ me… You’re trying to tie me down and smirking while doing it.”

I chuckle lightly at her mocking tone before nodding again. “I am… The way that I see it, this marriage could be good for the both of us. An ‘I’ll wash your back if you wash mine’ ordeal…”

Georgia furrows her thick brows at me before clearing her throat. “I’m listening.”

That’s what I like about her—she’s always ready for any and everything. No matter how crazy the idea is.

“I need a wife, you need a buffer for your father’s wedding, and a way to get up in the fashion industry—I can help with both, Georgia,” I say, straightening up in the chair.

This arrangement between us can get me everything I need, plus more. I need a wife, a way to get my inheritance, and finally be secure enough for Delilah. And Deli needs a mom; she needs that maternal figure in her life. There have been a lot of things that my mother has been wrong about when it came to parenting my daughter, but that wasneverone of them. I can give Delilah everything in the world plus more, but she’ll always yearn for a mother.

She’s started asking more about her mom these past few weeks. Questions like “will I get to bring my mamá to dance class like the other girls?” and “will I have a mamá who can read me princess stories too?” have been plaguing both of our minds.

I want that for my daughter. I want someone who’d show up for her and be the caring maternal figure in her life, and Georgia is the right person.

She’s wild in a fun way, smart, and one of the most caring people I’ve met in a long time. Could she be a little less chaotic? Sure, but maybe that chaos is what we need to get out of our shells.

Marrying her would be like winning the lottery. She’s an emerald in a room full of diamonds—bold and electric.