Page 43 of The Reason I Married Him
I shake my head. “It’s not.”
“What’s the real reason? Maybe this time you’ll be honest with me.”
Here it goes.
“I want to marry you,” I say.
The words fly out of my mouth and float between us, creating an awkward tension. I know she heard them because she’s having a hard time blinking as she stares blankly at me.
Consider her shocked.
Stunned.
Probably wondering what sort of fifth dimension she just walked into.
“Uh . . . what?” she finally asks when she finds her voice.
“I want to marry you.”
“Yeah.” She nods. “Heard that part. But why?”
“Because I’m in love with you.”
That makes her face fall flat. “You know, if you’re not going to be serious about this, Wyatt, then you’re wasting my time. You either tell me the real reason you’re here or just freaking leave.”
“I want to marry you.”
She stands from her chair on a huff, grabs her muffin, and heads toward the door. I pop out of my chair just as quickly, and before she can exit, I grab her by the wrist and pull her back into the middle of the office.
Her eyes flash down to where I’m gripping her and then back up to me. “Do not touch me.”
“Don’t walk away,” I say, matching her tone, growing more serious so she knows I’m talking business.
Her chest rises and falls as her eyes match mine. “I’m not staying here if you’re not being serious.”
“I’m being serious. I’m asking you to marry me.”
“Stop it,” she says, attempting to pull away.
“I need you to marry me,” I say this time, which causes her to pause.
She wets her lips before she says, “What do you mean, youneedme to marry you?”
“If you sit down, maybe we can talk about it.”
“No, tell me here, now.”
Knowing I won’t win with this woman, I say, “My family owns a cabin that is supposed to go to the first grandchild who marries. My cousin, who I absolutely hate and who cares nothing about the cabin, is now engaged and rubbing it in my face. I need to get married before he can take possession of the cabin.”
“You’re serious?”
“Never been more serious,” I say.
“Then why not ask some random girl on the street? Maybe a friend? You don’t even know me.”
“My one friend I could ask is gay, and my cousin knows that. I need someone who would make sense. You would make sense.”
“Uh, no, I wouldn’t. We’ve barely spent any time together. And also . . . I’m not marrying you.”
