Forever With The CEO: A marriage of convenience romance (The Whitley Brothers)

Nick: I’m taking care of everything related to the marriage license. I should have everything ready this week.

What a way to begin my day. I hadn’t even started sipping my coffee, yet my heart was already in overdrive. Then again, the past two weeks had been slightly insane. I felt like I was going through the motions. Every day seemed to blur into the next one. Even for a simple marriage, there were still a ton of things that needed to be taken care of.

Allison: Thanks for organizing this.

He called me the next second.

“Good morning.”

I chuckled. “How do you sound so chipper?”

“I’ve already had enough caffeine that I could run a marathon. Listen, Frances, my assistant, says that city hall needs us to choose which room we want to have the ceremony in.”

I blinked. “I thought it was going to be based on how many guests there are.”

“Yeah, about that.”

I found myself smiling for no reason. “You couldn’t talk your family out of joining.”

“Honestly, I didn’t even try. Whitleys love weddings.”

“Even a fake one?” I double-checked. “They know it’s fake, right?”

“Yep. Even that. I think my gran figures this is the only time she’ll see me get married and doesn’t want to miss it.”

That was sad.

“Maybe it’s a good thing. Especially since they know what’s going on.”

“Great. The family is excited to welcome you into our midst.”

I felt like a feather, as if I were weightless. “That’s incredibly sweet.”

“I think they’ve planned to do that ever since we lost Jim and Nora, but now even more so.”

“I’m touched, Nick.” I really was. That his family would support a virtual stranger warmed me all over. “Is anyone else coming from your side?”

“No. Yours?”

“Not sure. I told my parents, but they’re too frail to travel.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’ve told two of my friends about the wedding—not the truth, of course—but honestly, I’m not even sure I want them there. It’s weird, you know? All of them sort of went radio silent once I started caring for the twins anyway.”

I’d become very discernible with my friendships after losing Nora. Two people who I’d thought were my dearest, best friends had texted me a few times to coax me into going out clubbing. I told them that it wasn’t really possible for the foreseeable future but asked them to come over for a movie night. They told me that was boring. So much for that.

I had other friends, of course—I’d been living in Boston for close to six years now—but I didn’t want them involved at this stage of my life.

“Sophie and Bob will want to come. My plan is to drop them an email about three days before just to annoy them.”

Nick laughed. “You’re smart. I love that.”

“I feel like we’re in a movie or something. Like none of it is real. You?” I had to know that I wasn’t alone feeling this way.

“The more I have to deal with city hall, the more real it becomes for me too. By the way, we need to talk about something else. I think I should move into your place before we actually sign any papers.”

“Oh, oh, of course. I didn’t even think about it.”

Just like that, I felt as if I’d been doused in a tub full of warm water. It was strangely hot between my thighs.

“Wait, I actually have to order a pull-out couch first. This one is… tiny.”

“I can just bring the one I have at the penthouse,” he offered.

“It turns into a bed? I thought you had a lot of bedrooms.”

“I do, but this one actually has a bed function, and I’ve just never used it. It’s a comfortable couch, so I’m assuming it’ll be a comfortable bed.”

“Will it fit in my living room?”

There was a pause. “I have no idea.”

I laughed. “Are you bringing any other furniture?”

“Nah. Makes no sense. You’ve got everything we need. “

“Except space,” I replied.

“There’s plenty of space. You know what? I’ll sleep on the couch you have now. If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll bring the one from the penthouse.”

“All right.”

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. I couldn’t shake off that feeling.

“So, right. You’re taking care of the marriage license. What should I take care of? Are we missing anything?”

“Allison, you’re tense.”

I laughed. “That obvious, huh?”

“Your voice is different.”

I slumped my shoulders. “It feels like this is happening too fast.”

“We can postpone it.”

“No. Bob and Sophie keep reminding me that they want custody. And frankly, I don’t think I could get used to what we’re planning anyway. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be in knots for the foreseeable future.”

He tsked. “That won’t do. As your future husband, I can’t allow that.”

Butterflies roamed in my stomach. My heart skipped a beat and then seemed to grow in size.

My husband. Was it insane that I liked the sound of it even though I knew it wasn’t real?

“And what do you plan to do about it, future husband?” I teased.

“I won’t allow you to spend the next weeks stressing out.”

“I don’t think you can help it.”

“I disagree.”

“Of course.”

“The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, distracting you. Can you book Doreen for Friday or Saturday evening?”

My stomach somersaulted yet again. The sensation was already overwhelming me. “Sure.”

“That’s a good start.”

I was thrilled at the thought of spending time alone with Nick again. But was it smart?

Last time, I couldn’t stop ogling him. My body went into overdrive just because I was sitting next to him on a swing. Now more than ever, I should try to put some distance between us, because I’d soon be living with this man. Up until now, staring at him when he came to visit was harmless. He was hot as sin, and I was single, after all. But we had separate lives besides the two days a week when he dropped by. This was different. We were going to live together.

But did I come up with an excuse and turn him down? I did not. Instead, I said, “I’ll let you know when Doreen has time.”

“Perfect. If she has time Friday and Saturday, that would be great.”

“We’ll stay out late on Friday? Because then I should probably tell her to spend the night here.”

“Even better. Tell her that.”

“Okay.” My body was aching in all sorts of intimate places.

How long has it been since I’ve been with a man?

Too long.

“Gives me plenty of time to help you relax,” he added mischievously.

“You need two days for that?”

“Yes. I take my fake fiancé duties very seriously.”

“I’m liking the sound of that. Thanks, Nick.” I yawned.

“Early night?” he asked me.

“Yeah, that’s my glamorous life right now.”

“It’s going to be our glamorous life soon enough.”

I swallowed hard. How on earth were we actually going to manage living together?

It was on the tip of my tongue to cancel any plans for the weekend. But ultimately, I didn’t.

“I can’t wait to see you on Friday.”

“Me either.”