“What pet name?”
“Kitten.”
She squawks. “I don’t think so.”
“We’ll see.” I cock my head. “Either way, we’re going to need evidence that we’ve taken our vows in good faith. That way, my mother can’t try to prove otherwise.”
“What if she does?”
“Any kind of litigation could tie up my finances indefinitely,” I say. “Or at the very least temporarily freeze assets.”
Loren frowns. “Do you think she’d do that to us?”
Again with theus.
“Not if we take away the option,” I say. “Which means …” My voice drifts off.
“Which means what?”
“We should probably get married soon,” I say. “Before she can fly here to meet you. Or interfere in any way.”
“Wow.” Loren draws in a deep breath. “Guess we’re doing this ASAP, then.”
My jaw shifts, and I meet her gaze. “We don’t have to,” I offer, my voice deep and gentle. “Just say the word, and I’ll call?—”
“No,” she insists. “This was my idea.” She squares her shoulders. “What else do we need to do to make us look legit?”
Us.
My heart pounds, and my jaw shifts. “Under the circumstances, you and I should probably … cohabitate.”
“Cohabitate?” She lets out a snort. “You sound like a zookeeper teaching kids about animal behavior.”
“Fine. I think we should live together.” I press out a chuckle, hoping my voice doesn’t crack like I’m some teenager whose vocal cords are changing.
Loren glances around. “This apartment only has one bedroom. And your place isn’t much bigger. Which is better?”
My throat goes dry at the idea of seeing Loren every night before bed, her face scrubbed clean, hair pulled back. Shuffling off in my new favorite cow slippers. “Before we worry about where to live, we should probably figure out all the legal stuff. Like getting a marriage license. And making an appointment at city hall.”
Loren gives my shoulder a light punch. “Don’t forget, you promised your mom pictures and videos of your oh-so-beautiful bride.”
You are,I think.The most beautiful.
What I say is, “This is a lot to pull off in a short period of time. Calling in some reinforcements couldn’t hurt.”
Loren blinks. “Reinforcements?”
“The other half of our square. Sayla and Dex.”
Chapter Eight
Loren
I blink.
“Ummm. I thought we were going to keep this whole marriage thing a secret.”
Didn’t we say that? I thought we said that. I wish I'd said that.