Chapter 3

Morgan

He said yes.

He said yes to my crazy plan.

I'm kind of shocked and weirdly flattered by that. I mean, I can't deny that I'm attracted to Alec. I'd have to be dead to not be. I mean, the man is drop dead gorgeous and he seems like such a sweetheart. I could tell that he was a good man from the moment he stopped me from slamming into his chest. He was so gentle with me.

I think that my crush on him started the moment he saved me from careening on my skis all the way into town. The more that I'm around him, the deeper my crush on him goes.

When I came up with this crazy plan, I kind of figured I would come to my senses or not be able to find anyone to ask, but then I met Alec.

And he said yes.

I need to get this conversation back on track.

"It would be fake, obviously," I rush to add, and he looks like I just slapped him.

"Obviously?" He asks, and I swallow hard.

"I mean, no one gets married at first sight like that, right?" I ask, a nervous laugh passing over my lips.

"Right," he says, but his voice sounds almost disappointed.

"It's my parents," I rush to explain.

"They're making you get fake married?"

"No, they want me to get married for real… to one of their friends. I just, I can't do it," I admit.

He reaches over, laying his hand on mine on the table, and I break down then and there. I tell him about my parents and their neglect. I describe how surprised I was for this trip and then them dropping the bomb on me that I'm supposed to marry Randolph here. I lay it all out, including my theory that I'm only here so that I'm trapped and will go through with it. I pour my heart out to Alec, knowing that he deserves to hear all of this before we decide anything.

"I'm sorry, Morgan. They're idiots to have treated you like that for so long. It's not right."

I blink back tears, nodding, and he squeezes my hand.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that. I'm sorry that you feel like you're trapped here, but there are other options. I can give you the money to get away from them. We can find you a different place here in town, somewhere they can't find you. I have a spare room, or if you don't feel comfortable with that, I know that any one of my friends and their wives would let you stay with them."

"It won't matter. They'll try it again, and next time, they won't give me any notice beforehand."

"They can't force you to say yes," he points out, and I shake my head.

"They can. Susan, my old nanny, they pay the bills for her nursing home. They'll threaten to cut her off. They've done it before."

He frowns, and I can see him searching for another way out.

"Getting married will stall them. It will give me time to make other plans for me and Susan. I'll say that divorce proceedings are going slow or something until I can figure something out."

"You've really thought this through," he murmurs, and I nod.

"I have. I know my parents and I know that this is the only way for me to stop them."

Alec nods, and I take a deep breath as I study him. I strangely feel better after telling someone else about what's been going on. I wasn't really close to anyone in high school and when I went to college, I just wanted to forget about my parents and crappy childhood so I never really opened up to anyone there. I met a few people in college, but we're not super close, especially now that we've all graduated. I've always had a hard time trusting people, probably because of the way I was raised, but with Alec, I do trust him.

Alec runs his hand through his hair and I can see that he's searching for words. I find myself leaning forward, hoping and praying that he'll still say yes to marrying me.

Maybe it was my trust issues, but I've never been interested in anyone. When I was growing up, I was so focused on making something of myself so I could take care of Susan and not rely on my parents and their money anymore. I never dated in high school and I never wanted to. When I went to college, my goal was the same, and none of the guys there ever tempted me to stray from that.

I've never felt this way about anyone before. Not until I looked up into Alec's green eyes. It's more than just his good looks that have me hooked. It was like we had this instant connection, this energy between us that I can't even describe. It's this feeling deep in my gut that says that he's one of the good guys and that we're meant to be something to each other.

Please say yes.

He takes a deep breath, his green eyes locking with my blue ones, and I hold my breath as I wait to see what he'll say.

"I'll still marry you. If you want me to."

Euphoria, relief, and surprise all surge inside of me and I grin, laughing as I slouch back in my seat.

"Thank you, Alec. Really," I tell him sincerely, and he nods once.

"I just have one condition," he says, and I blink, staring at him.

"What's that?" I ask hesitantly.

"You give me a chance to make this marriage real."

My mouth drops open, but I find myself nodding before I can think it through.

"Alright," I agree, my voice soft, but he hears me.

"Then it's a deal."

He holds his hand out, and I slide mine into it, shaking his hand once.

This isn't how I thought my marriage would begin, but I can't say that I have any regrets.

At least not yet.