“Hayden.” Evie’s smile wobbled. Her blue-eyed gaze darted from his face to her mother’s. “Are you ready?” The way she asked…it sounded more like, “This is your last chance to bail.”
Hayden hesitated.
I won’t get hurt if I don’t get married.
Evie’s smile weakened. They’d both had something to lose—Evie, her freedom; Hayden, his grandmother.
But my heart’s safe for six months.
By his reckoning, it took much longer to fall in love.
Nellie peered at him curiously. Almost…suspiciously.
That’s when Hayden remembered his role in this marriage was to help convince the world, including Evie’s mother, that he and Evie were in love.
“I’m ready.” Flashing a smile he didn’t feel, Hayden took Evie’s soft, warm hand in his and stared at her as if she was the most precious thing in his world. And just that innocent connection made the spring morning feel even brighter. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Evie.” He pressed a soft kiss to Evie’s knuckles, noticing her sharp intake of breath, proud that he was the cause. “Let’s get hitched.”
Together, they walked toward a short-term future.
His pulse raced.
But try as he might, Hayden couldn’t attribute his rapidly beating heart to not wanting to get married.
*
The courtroom where they were to be married was chilly.
Eve had goosebumps on her arms.
Katie sat on Irene’s lap in an office chair pushed up against a wall. They both grinned like the devil. Eve’s mother sat next to them, smiling stiffly like this was a dreaded medical procedure she had to endure.
And Hayden…
He stood next to Eve, taller than she remembered, more handsome than she remembered, colder than she remembered.
Vi was right. This is a mistake.
Eve glanced at Katie. Her daughter waved her small bridesmaid’s bouquet, a smile splitting her little cheeks. Her little girl could find the bright side of any situation, even with a father who’d shunned her for the better part of a year.
I love Hayden. I should be ecstatic, like Katie. I should look like a blissful bride.
If only Eve felt that way. But somewhere between thinking a marriage in name only was the answer to her problems and this morning, Eve had realized loving someone and keeping that love hidden was a nearly impossible task.
But I have to. Or he’ll divorce me and break my heart.
Of that, she was certain.
Eve snuck a peek at Hayden’s strong profile once more. He looked untouchably handsome in a black suit, a new haircut, and a black cowboy hat. Closed to love. Just the thought of his rejection was gut-wrenching.
Eve must have made a noise because Hayden shifted, seeming to stare at her out of the corner of his eye.
She faced the judge, who was reading from a scrap of paper tucked into a bible. When she’d married Steven, they’d had a church wedding, presided over by a minister. They’d held hands during the ceremony, grinning at each other like love-struck idiots. Today, Eve felt like an idiot of a different kind.
She considered making a run for it, ditching that idea almost immediately. But the nerves, the doubts, and the fears remained.
All I need is a sign from Hayden that we’re doing the right thing.
Just then, Hayden turned toward her, tenderly taking hold of both of Eve’s hands. His touch was warm and sturdy. He looked at her with what she told herself was fondness. He smiled softly, as if they were in this together.