Page 10 of Yours, Forever

Good thing the butterflies were in my chest, contained in the cage of my ribs.

"This is going to cost you millions," I said. "What's in it for you?"

"I told you I'm rich." Max shrugged and cleaned an invisible fluff from his knee. "Does it matter what I'm getting out of it?"

"Of course it does." Determination filtered through my voice. "What did I promise?"

"All you need to do is stay married to me, remain monogamous, and live together. Don't worry—" he lifted a hand my way in a conciliatory gesture— "only as roommates. We would have to fake being deeply in love in public, but not when alone, of course. Or when your two friends are around."

"How long would this last?" I asked. "Not... forever?"

The word hung in the air; his eyes locked with mine again.

And I waited for his answer, a little more willing to negotiate on that part of the deal.

"I have to be married for at least one year by the time I turn thirty-three." Max pursed his lips. "That is thirteen months plus a few days from now. You should be free to divorce me six months or so after that."

"Eighteen months doesn't sound too bad," Daniel said.

Ale punched him on the shoulder. "Honestly! You heardinvestments for the Townand you folded, didn't you?"

"It's a great deal," Daniel insisted. "An eighteen-month investment for a life of comfort, and the seeds of everything we wanted for Laguna Island."

I glanced at Daniel, then Ale. Finally, I studied Max. Could I sacrifice my love life for all that he offered?

Yes, I could.

Maybe the alcohol had helped me agree to this ridiculous plan while in Vegas, but I had to wonder if I would have entered it completely sober, too.

"You said roommates?" I asked.

Max nodded again, and crossed his legs in an elegant move. "I need to convince a number of people that this marriage is real, hence the NDAs. None of you can talk outside of this circle and put that at risk. You and I, Eva, we need to pretend we fell in love at first sight while in Vegas, and that we plan to be together—forever, like you said. Even if the four of us and a select few know this is a sham. That means that, to everyone else, we fell so utterly in love that night, that we moved in together from the start."

Ugh. That was doable. A few lies and unwarranted fake affection while people surrounded us were no match for the offer he placed in my hands.

Only one thing remained on the docket of my doubts.

"Why in hell does anyone need to do something like this?" I leaned toward him to study his face carefully as he gave me an answer.

His handsome face showed no sign of hesitation. "Because my father is a selfish asshole, and he has his own team of over-prepared lawyers, who helped him put it all in ironclad documents. If I don't fulfill the requirements of those papers, I lose half my inheritance, I lose my chance to shift our businesses to be ethically-focused, I lose access to critical funds, and my dad gets to live the rest of his life thinking he won."

Max's voice showed the first signs of real emotion in the inflection of his words. The statement alone, without the feeling inked in its intonation, would have sounded selfish. As it was, the passion had my blood ready to sign my agreement.

I believed him. This mattered to him, too.

I took a deep breath. "There's more to that story, isn't there?"

"Yes, but I don't want to share it. You know enough to make up your mind."

"We're talking about marriage, here. Is this crossing a line into the illegal?"

"No. We're not breaking laws. What we are isusing my dad's stipulations against him. As long as we're happily married, we're following the letter of the arrangement. He never said anything about love."

A key turned and clicked open somewhere deep in my brain. Like a safety lock mechanism, his words pushed on the right combination. This wasn't about love. Ours was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

He might not have known it, but he spoke straight to my practical heart. Could romance, the fantasy of a potential love interest in my future, be enough to entice me away from being set for life? Not really. I still could look for my person afterwards, and do so while never having to worry about my future ever again.

"I don't even know you," I muttered, but if I could hear the acquiescence in the tone of my voice, so could everyone else.