I give her a crooked smile. “Well, the story goes that we’ve been dating for months. So in that case, while an elopement is still a surprise, it’s not totally crazy.”
Her face says are you kidding me? louder than words. “But in reality, not the lies we’ve fed the media, we’ve only known each other a few weeks, and this is all just for show.”
I want to ask, “Is it though?” but I bite my tongue. She wants it to be just for show. She needs it that way. And I’m here to give her what she needs in exchange for getting what I need. That’s our deal, after all.
Nodding, I squeeze her fingers once more before releasing her hands. “Then we continue the show. If that’s all this is, then eloping is just the next step. We’ll get a prenup that protects us both, and when the time comes, we file for divorce and go our separate ways. Simple.”
She stares at me, her lips pale, her eyes bouncing back and forth between mine, weighing my words. “Simple. Right.”
I wait for a moment, wondering if she’s going to say more. When she doesn’t, I ask, “So does that mean we’re going to do it?”
Another long moment where she stares at me. She clears her throat. “Yeah,” she croaks and clears her throat again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I rub my hands on my jeans. “Did Delores say how soon? Or where? Or … I dunno, anything?”
She crosses her arms and rubs them like she’s cold. “She said something about next week. To call her after I’d told you and she’d arrange everything.”
I nod, mentally adjusting my expectations of reality. Next week.
Next. Week.
Holy shit.
“I’m gonna have to tell my mom,” I breathe.
And for some reason, that sets Alexis off. It starts as a giggle, but she clamps her lips and shuts it off. But another laugh bubbles out. And another. Soon she’s bent double, waves of laughter rolling over her.
More out of reaction than anything else, I start laughing too. A chuckle at first, then I’m lying back on the couch, shaking with laughter, both of us barely able to catch our breath.
She calms sooner than I do, each shotgun burst of laughter getting farther apart, until she lets out a soft “Whooo,” as she catches her breath. “Oh my god. Thank you.”
Still chuckling, I roll my head over to look at her. “For what?”
She picks up a hand and lets it drop. “For that. I was hoping you’d take everything in stride and that you could pull me back from the brink. But then you being so calm and businesslike about it actually just freaked me out more.” Her eyes scrunch closed, a tear leaking out as she starts laughing again. “And then—“ More laughter. “And then you said, ‘I have to tell my mom,’ with the most panicked look I’ve ever seen on the face of a grown man.” She fans her face, trying to calm down. “I’m just glad I’m not the only one freaking out.”
I’m laughing again too, though not as hard. “Glad I could help.”
Reaching over, she tangles her fingers with mine, her laughter dying away, and her face becoming more serious. “You did. You are helping. Thank you.” The last two words are imbued with extra weight.
I flip my hand over and lace our fingers together. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Fourteen
Alexis
Things start moving at warp speed after Delores’s announcement that Colt and I should elope. I call her back while Colt is still at my apartment and let her know he’s on board.
“Great,” she says, like she had no doubt about his agreement. Which is fair, I guess, since I’ve given her no reason to doubt either of our commitment to this plan. “Come see me tomorrow. We’ll review the prenup. I think we should do an intimate ceremony on the beach. It looks more romantic, and the pictures will fetch a higher price that way. Sound good? See you tomorrow at three.” And she hangs up before I even really have time to agree.
And then it’s a series of meetings and reviewing selections that Delores has made. I’m not sure what to make of my agent being my wedding planner, especially since she seems to expect me to rubber stamp all her decisions.
I’m doing this for my career, I remind myself at regular intervals when I feel overwhelmed. And like this crazy train is about to derail. This isn’t