I nod his way. “You first.”
He takes a big breath before slowly letting it out again. “Well, I thought we should probably have a moment to talk before we go out there and…you know”
“Get married to a stranger?”
He rubs the back of his neck again, an obvious tell of his. Realizing that he’s nervous, I find it endearing and yes, a little cute.Wait, am I allowed to find my soon-to-be ‘not real’ husband cute?
“Yeah. That.” He smiles and this time it seems like an honest-to-goodness one. My heart skips a beat at the sight.What’s that about?“Look, I know this is a lot and it’s the last thing you thought might happen today. But?—”
“You mean youdidn’twake up thinkin’ you were goin’ to marry the only daughter of your rival family today? Huh, color me surprised,” I tease.
“Not so much,” he replies before his eyes widen. “Not that I’ve changed my mind or anythin’ —or that I regret askin’ you. I need you to know that about me. I don’t just do things I don’t want to do, especially not somethin’ as big or as important as this. Never done anythin’ like this before.”Now his rambling is sweet.
“Well, that’s good. I’d hate to think you’re the type to just go around town proposin’ to anyone and everyone.”
He cracks a wry grin at that one. “Nope. First proposal I’ve ever made. I swear on my life.”
Warmth spreads through me knowing that. “Glad to hear it.” I nod at the envelope clutched tight in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m hopin’ this isn’t where things get awkward.”
“Jude, we’re about to get married to ‘put the mountain back to rights or whatever Dad thinks it’s goin’ to do. I think we’re past awkward at this point,” I tell him.
A dry laugh escapes him. “Yeah. You’re probably right about that,” he says with a sigh before steeling his shoulders and lifting his head to look me dead in the eye. “The ranch—Cooper Ranch, I mean—it isn’t just mine. It’s my brothers too. We’ve got to live together on the mountain for two years before it’s officially ours on paper and everythin’, but it’s still ours. And although this rivalry business is not our beef?—”
I snort. “I think we can both agree onthat.”
That gets a lip twitch.Also not at all cute, I tell myself.
“I think it’s smart that we look out for ourselves and our families by signin’ somethin’ to say that whatever happens, we’re both protected no matter what.”Whatever happens?
Dare’s words from earlier come back to me.“...not everyone has the same thoughts as you when it comes to marriage. For most people, it’s a big commitment, one they don’t enter into lightly. For some, it can mean a lot more than for others.”
“Jude, I?—”
He presses on. “And Iknowthat we hardly know each other?—”
“Slight understatement,” I mutter.
“But I’d like the chance to get to know you. This weddin’ is for your dad, but I meant what I said about not lettin’ you regret tyin’ yourself to me.” He holds out the envelope to me. “This ispart of me keepin’ that promise and lookin’ out for you and yours too.”
There’ssomuch to unpack and process about what he just said, but the open and honest way Jude is looking at me right now must be doing something to my brain because I hold my hand out for the letter before I can stop myself.
Opening it up, I read what looks like a fairly standard prenuptial agreement. As Jude said, it states that whatever we own going into the marriage is all we will be entitled toifwe go our separate ways.If? What does he mean if?
“Wait—”
“Look, I know this seems like it’s a lot. And you’ve got more than enough on your plate right now with your dad and everythin’. I just want you to know that whatever happens, my intentions are true. I don’t want anythin’ more out of this than you’re willin’ to give me. There aren’t any ulterior motives. This is just?—”
“You marryin’ me to make my dad happy,” I say, half-heartedly because unexpectedly, I’m actually seeing that Jude’s actually a good guy.Then again, did I really think Dad—or Derrick, for that matter—would let this happen otherwise?
And just like earlier with my big brother, I can see something else working behind Jude’s gentle smile.Am I missing something here?
“OK,” I say, closing the distance between us. I lean over his shoulder to grab a pen. Except when I do, my hip brushes past his arm and tingles course through me; hot, undeniable, can’t ignore ones, making my breath catch. What I don’t expect is for him to feel it too.
Quickly grabbing what I was looking for—and trying to distract myself from whateverthatjust was—I straighten, putting much needed space between us at the same time Jude slides his chair back to give me room.
“We just sign this thing and it’s done?” I ask, feeling his eyes on me.