As pissed off as I was about my mother’s meddling and her harebrained scheme, I could admit it was a quick way to resolve our predicament, which only made me angrier. Not at my mother, but at the situation in general.
I had given little thought to a family over the years. I suppose I assumed it would happen naturally. Although, I’d ruled out anyone from town, and no matter how many women I met when traveling, I’d never given any of them a second thought.
After living with the example of my parents' marriage, I was a one and done kind of guy. I hated the idea of being divorced; it felt like a four-letter word that left a foul taste in my mouth. But I would not stay in a loveless marriage, even if it disappointed my mom.
And there was no way I’d make my future wife sleep in the same bed as my ex, so I’d need to get some temporary furniture.
With a sigh, I poured myself another shot and tossed it back. This Christmas season had gone downhill extremely fast. I lifted my chin to the bartender on duty, receiving a nod of acknowledgment and meandered back to my office.
I sat down in my desk chair and booted up my computer to order a bed and whatever else I might need. As I perused mattresses, a thought suddenly hit me over the head. What the fuck was I doing? Just because I married the woman didn’t mean I had to sleep with her. I only needed her to wear a ring until the purchase of the town was complete.
If we didn’t consummate the marriage, that opened up the door for an annulment.
Buoyed by my revelation, I closed the tab for the furniture depot and opened a new one. I wanted to start things off on the right foot with my “bride,” which meant letting her know this was a marriage “in name only.” The fair thing to do was to let this woman know about it up front. This way, there would be no misunderstandings or expectations of forever.
I did some digging, recalling every tidbit my mother had mentioned about the service, and I eventually found it. I crafted a message to the owner and hit send. Pleased with myself, I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the desk, crossing my ankles.
It was the perfect plan.Chapter TwoWinterStaring at the quaint office building sandwiched between skyscrapers, I rubbed my hands together in excitement. My closest childhood friend thought I was being reckless, but I was looking forward to the adventure ahead of me as a mail-order bride. Whitney blamed all the romance novels I liked to read for my impulsive decision when I saw the advertisement online, and she might’ve had a teensy tiny point. As a hopeless romantic, my gut told me that I had been meant to see the ad that day. When my application was accepted, I felt as though it was proof that my instinct had been right.
I’d been running around like a chicken with its head chopped off for the past two weeks, trying to get everything in order so I’d be ready for the big move. Holly Huckleberry, the owner of Mail-Order Brides For Christmas, had called me several times, trying to set up a time for us to meet. Since we’d already worked out all the details for my upcoming nuptials, and I felt as though I had a million things left to do, I kept putting her off. But last night, she’d insisted that I needed to come into her office this morning since I left town for my new home tomorrow. I had apologized profusely for postponing our meeting until the last minute and agreed to be there first thing.
I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish my packing. Other than my appointment with Holly, the only thing on my schedule was to choose a present for my soon-to-be husband. I didn’t know much about Christopher yet, and Christmas was still an entire month away, but I wasn’t sure what my shopping options would be like once I got to Snow Valley. I didn’t want to run the risk of not having something to put under the tree for him. This would be our first holiday season together, and I wanted everything to be perfect.
Rushing inside the office, I flashed a big smile at the receptionist. She shooed me straight into Holly’s office, who rose from the chair behind her desk to greet me. “Good morning, Winter. Thanks for coming in to see me.”
“My pleasure.” I dropped onto the corner of the loveseat Holly guided me toward. “I’m sorry it took me so long to return your calls. When you’re picking up and moving to a different state, the to-do list seems never-ending.”