Chapter Seven
Everett couldn't stop the smile forming on his face as he and Isabel left the Shipleys’ and silently walked away from the house.
"Would you like to come see where I'm staying?" he asked. "It has a great view."
Isabel didn't answer but her pace picked up, forcing him to adjust his stride to match.
"I think things went well back there, don't you?"
"Ha!"
He didn’t bother restraining his chuckle and continued to match pace with her ever-increasing stride. "I'd say I fit in quite well. Your family's adjustment to me being your husband shouldn't be too much of a stretch."
She stopped so fast he nearly stumbled in his effort to do so as well. Turning to face her, he took note of her fisted hands and the way her chest rose and fell with every exasperated breath.
Before leaving her apartment, she’d changed into a flowy maxi dress with a V neck and pockets, along with low-heeled boots. She wore a long necklace and dangly earrings, and he liked the simple yet elegant look on her.
"They aren't going to know you're…that we're… Theycan't."
"Because?"
She blinked up at him at the question.
"We can't have this conversation on repeat. Everett, what's the endgame here?"
"Pardon?"
"The endgame," she repeated. "What do you want? Why do you continuously say these things when you know our marriage was an accident thatwillbe corrected as soon as I can hire an attorney since you seem determined not to?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets and regarded her from behind his sunglasses. "Isabel, I believe we can make our marriage work."
"What?"
Sensing a couple coming up behind them, he gently snagged her elbow in his hand and tugged her over to an empty bench. "You said you didn’t want your parents to know you’d messed up.”
“So?”
“You're not the only one who doesn't like failure, Isabel," he said. "And even though we didn't intend to get legally married, now that we are, I see no reason why we can't move forward as a couple and see where things go, regardless of whether or not you’re pregnant."
"You're joking."
"I'm not." He tugged at his ear before yanking the sunglasses off in the hope that she could see his sincerity. "Are you seeing someone?"
The report hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend, but given that it had been culled so hastily, there was always a margin for error.
"No, but—"
"Neither am I. So what's the issue? You're free. I'm free. We know we're compatible sexually—"
"We. Are.Strangers."
He nodded as she emphasized every word. "That can be easily rectified."
"You think it's that easy to make a marriage work?"
"I think it's a start. Let's spend as much time together as we can, get to know one another, and see what happens."
"Everett, I have a life. I have to get back to work. My rent—"