Granny lights up, and I hate to admit it, but it’s the most animated she’s been all day. She’s practically shooing us out the door. “Absolutely. You two have fun.”
But I’m rooted to the spot. The night nurse hasn’t gotten here yet. “Betsy–”
But as soon as I say her name, she comes through the door of G’s suite. “Betsy is here. You kids have fun.”
“I need to grab my purse.”
He nods. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
I nod and look down at myself in my jeans and T-shirt. “Do I need to change clothes?”
He shakes his head. “No, you look perfect, Bella.”
Again, I try to ignore the nickname he’s given me and rush off toward my room. I freshen up my mascara and lip gloss and run a brush through my hair before grabbing my purse and meeting Lucas downstairs.
He’s watching me closely, and I know he’s wondering if I’ve made a decision. “This is a good idea... to talk, I mean. After yesterday... I have a lot of questions.”
“Is Red’s okay for dinner?”
He names the busiest restaurant in Whiskey Run, but it’s not like there are a lot of options. “Yes, that’s fine.”
It only takes minutes for us to get to the diner and get seated. We both stumble through ordering, and it’s not until we’ve said hi to half the town who are here too for dinner before Lucas gets to it. “Before you give me your answer, I feel like I need to explain something.”
I put my hands on the table in front of me. “Okay.”
He pulls at the collar of his shirt. “So when I asked you to marry me... I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“Okaaaay... explain.”
He’s obviously uncomfortable. “I just mean that you know me. Marriage is not my thing, and I don’t want you thinking that this is a forever kind of thing.”
I sit back and let my hands fall to my lap. This is definitely not going how I thought it would. “Okay, so you’re thinking that because you asked me to marry you that I would think that you what? Fell in love with me or something? Trust me, I know my role in this. I know why you’re doing this, and I know there is an end to it. I don’t have the wrong idea.”
He sighs and visibly relaxes. Talk about a gut check to the ego. Damn. “Okay, so I guess now is as good as time as any to talk about the dos and don’ts of this, right?”
The waitress brings our drinks to the table, and even though she has eyes for Lucas (who can blame her?), he continues looking at me. When he tells her thanks, she walks away, and he takes a gulp of his water. “Okay, so terms of our agreement. It’s simple enough. While we’re married, you’ll be faithful.”
I try to hold it in, but a laugh bursts from me. “Okay.”
He shakes his head like he thinks I’m joking or something. “I mean it, no dating or other men.”
I resist rolling my eyes. “Got it. I can do that... or I guess I should say not do that.” Damn, he doesn’t realize how easy that one will be for me.
He continues, “And Granny will have to believe it. She’ll need to believe you love me and that we’re unable to resist our attraction to each other.”
I am drinking my tea when he says that one, and I almost choke on it. “Okay,” I mutter.
“Are you okay?” he asks me.
I nod. “Yeah, so here are my questions. Are you going to be faithful? I mean, are you planning on dating or whatever it is you do while we’re married?”
“No.”
I look at him skeptically.
He looks offended. “What kind of man do you think I am? If I’m married to you, I’m not going to be going out with other women or anything.”
I lean forward and talk low. All we need is for the town gossips to hear our conversation. “What do you expect me to think, Lucas? You’re telling me that this is a fake marriage. I know you don’t normally bring women to your house, but all I’m saying is that I don’t want to be made a fool of either. If you’re going to see other women, then I just want a heads-up. I want to know before I commit to anything.”
He reaches across the table and grabs on to my hand. “I promise you... I will be faithful.”
I stare at his two hands wrapped around mine before meeting his eyes. “How many people are going to know this is fake... or a marriage of convenience or whatever you want to call it?”
“My brothers, and that’s only because they know everything I do. To everyone else, this will be a real marriage.”
I pull my hand from his because it’s hard to think while he’s touching me. I hate to even bring up her name, but I’d be amiss if I didn’t ask about his assistant. “And Kelly?”