Page 24 of The Marriage Clause

And then she followed me upstairs.

Offered to marry me.

Climbed into my lap.

Kissed me.

And now we’re here.

Jeremy’s phone buzzes again. Then again.

"What do you want me to tell the media?" he asks, scrolling through the incoming texts. "They’re already asking for comments. Everly’s PR team wants to know if we’re confirming the engagement tonight or waiting."

I straighten in my seat.

"Confirm it," I say. "Yes, it’s real. No further comment."

Jeremy’s fingers start moving again. "Half of them want confirmation. The other half want the timeline."

"Tell them Aria and I fell in love over the six months she worked for me," I say.

Beside me, Aria goes very still.

I keep going.

"Tell them I let her go last week so we could go public without compromising workplace policy."

Jeremy nods once, already typing. "Clean. Respectable. The press will eat it alive."

Aria folds her arms. "Wow. You made that lie sound alarmingly practiced."

I turn to look at her fully then.

She’s trying for flippant, but I can still see the adrenaline moving through her. The rise and fall of her chest. The way her fingers grip at the leather seat in the back of my town car like she needs something to hold onto to steady her.

"You kissed me in front of cameras," I say. "You don’t get to complain about the story we have to sell."

She narrows her eyes. "I did not just kiss you in front of cameras."

My brow lifts.

She glares harder. "Fine. I launched myself with purpose."

Jeremy lets out a snort. I look away before the corner of my mouth does something unhelpful.

His phone buzzes again. "Christian and Everly are both blowing up my phone. They want to know what the hell is going on."

"Tell them to meet me at my house tomorrow morning."

Jeremy glances back. "Both of them?"

"Yes."

He nods and goes back to typing.

Then I look at Aria.

Whatever impulsive, champagne-fueled courage got her into this car is going to wear off eventually. When it does, she needs to understand one thing, that this is no longer a reckless idea thrown across a desk or a kiss detonated on arena steps. It’s public now. Real in all the ways that matter.