Page 24 of The Troublemaker
“I could find you someone.How about one of the DICs?”
My shoulders slump.“Easton, I’m not looking for a real marriage.”
“I get that, but I’m not husband material.”
“You’re not going to be a real husband.This is anI scratch your back, you scratch minesituation.Just paperwork without the feelings.”I put up my hands and swivel my body to face him better.“You can still do whatever you want.Just don’t get caught.”
“I’m not a cheater, Hadley.”
The line on his forehead from his narrowed eyes, as if I’ve somehow offended him, throws me for a moment.
“You wouldn’t be cheating.Our marriage would be just signatures on a piece of paper.”
He runs a hand through his hair.“I can’t.Marriage means something to me.”
Of course it does.How many times have I heard about his big family in Alaska and his parents and aunts and uncles and their real-life love stories?
I can’t give up now, though.I have to convince him somehow.“Come on.I’ll do something for you.You name it, and it’s yours.I’ll be at your beck and call.Easton, if I don’t get this bookstore, I lose her.All of her and her legacy.”
Say yes.Just say yes.
His eyes lock on mine, and I see understanding there, kindness.
If he says no, I have nothing.
A slow smile pulls at his lips, and I want to jump into his arms because I think he’s going to agree to this crazy act, but suddenly, his face twists and his smile shifts to a conniving one.He looks as though he has something for me to give him, and he’ll be getting the better end of the arrangement.
Maybe having Easton trying to pair me up with one of the DICs is the smarter play because this suddenly feels like I’m about to lose.
ChapterEight
Easton
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
I can’t believe I’m actually entertaining this idea, but I’m clearly as desperate as she is.
In less than twenty-four hours, I need to report to the clubhouse for practice.The start of my season is only days away, and as of right now, I have a six-month-old son who needs to be cared for.
“I’m supposed to meet my brother and go over financials for the bookstore.”
“Well, I need a babysitter.”
She finishes her beer and sets the bottle down, her gorgeous smile spreading the more she thinks about my offer.“You’ll marry me for a year, and all I have to do is babysit your kid for a day?”
She’s excited because she’s missing the big picture.I hate disappointing anyone, most of all Hadley.We have a lot of fun together, and I genuinely like her.
And it’s not just the physical aspect between us.She could be my best friend, although I will say she does have an amazing ass.
A hollow laugh escapes me.“No.But it’s a start.”
“Okay, but fair warning, I know nothing about kids.”
“You’re an aunt.”
“And you’re an uncle.It doesn’t appear to me that you’re exactly killing it here.”She sweeps her gaze over the room, her eyes landing on me as she lifts her eyebrows.
I live second by second and clearly haven’t figured out how to clean as I go.“He’s alive, isn’t he?”
