“This time it is.” I tap his nameplate with nervous fingers. “I’m married.”
He stares at me, jaw dropped. “What? To who? You didn’t mention any dates you’ve been on.”
“Because I haven’t been on any dates.” I hesitate for only half a second. “I married Scarlett.”
His brows furrow. “Scarlett who?”
Oh, how I wanted him to figure it out.
“Scarlett Ford.”
Darragh stares again, wondering if he heard right.
“Bradley Ford’sdaughter?” he chokes out through clenched teeth.
“That’s the one. She’s a third year in my class.”
“She’s your student?”
I nod.
Darragh presses fingers into his temples. “Cormac. Jesus Christ, you can’t marry a student.”
“I already did. And it’s not what you think,” I snap to stop him from whatever horrific accusations he’ll start shooting my way. “It’s a marriage of convenience. Paperonly. She used to date Pierce Langston. That little prick torpedoed her life yesterday. Got her loan called in and kicked out of her apartment. All so she can run back to him and be his trophy wife. He doesn’t want her to be a doctor. This protects her from that scumbag. And it gives me the relationship Ford requires of his professors.”
Darragh lets out a humorless laugh. “You want to explain to me how marrying Bradley Ford’s daughter, a student, will get you anything other than a termination letter? And possibly two broken legs when he runs you over with his car?”
“Bradley conspired with Pierce behind Scarlett’s back,” I fill him in more on the events of yesterday. “When I shamed Ford, he called an officiant himself.”
Darragh blinks. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not. Either way, I had him cornered. Brad never said I couldn’t marryhis daughter. I read that employment agreement carefully. It didn’t say I couldn’t marry a student.” I sit back. “Besides, the semester is almost over.”
“You trapped Ford with a technicality?”
“Exactly.”
“I hoped if you were actually going to do this, it would be with someone you at least wanted.” Darragh’s voice comes out low. “Not out of obligation or guilt.”
We make harsh eye contact, and I know what he means by that.
“It isn’t guilt.” My temper flares. “I… I care about her.”
“How?”
“I actually met her before I got the job. We spent one night together.”
That stops my brother’s breathing. “Oh my God. Then it’s not just for convenience.”
I lean on the desk. “The marriage helps us both. She’s got years of school ahead of her. And I’m still…getting my shit together. We both agreed the marriage would be temporary and platonic.”
“Do you know how many muscles in your face twitched saying all that?” He narrows his eyes at me. “And what do you mean by temporary?”
“You let me worry about that part.” Saying more might set something in motion I’m not prepared to confront.
Darragh studies me with softer eyes. “Does she even know about J.P.?”
I swallow hard. “No.”