Page 5 of Keeping You

“Where are you going? This isn’t the exit for my place.”

“I know, it’s the one for mine. We need to talk, and I figured you wouldn’t want to have this conversation in public.”

Her eyes narrow as she stares at me before she finally nods and returns to staring out the passenger window. Well, this is going to be fun.

CHAPTER 3

Hannah

What the hell is happening with my life? Am I stuck in some kind of nightmare? I have to be.

Over the last few days, I had to travel to a work conference with a man I can’t stand and I woke up married to him, and now I’m in his car as he takes me to his place to talk about our marriage. If you had told me a week ago this is where I’d be, I’d have laughed right in your face.

Why did he even show up at the airport? I said Liv was coming to get me, which was a lie, but I didn’t want to bother my friends. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home from the airport. I’ve been taking care of myself for years. That kind of happens when your parents start to not care or are just too busy. I don’t need help now.

I watch the city pass by as Grayson takes us to his place. I have no idea where he lives. I assume it’s somewhat close to the hospital, but that’s all. People bustle down the streets, enjoying the warm May sun. After the cold winter we just had and the reprieve from the usual rain we get, everyone’s enjoying the change in weather. Grayson pulls up to a large building andturns into the parking garage. I open my door and hop out. Grayson meets me at the front of the car with my bag.

“You can leave that in the car. I don’t need it.”

“I’m just going to bring it up,” he says.

I want to get upstairs and get this conversation over with so that I can pretend all of this never actually happened. I follow him into the elevator and watch as the numbers count up. It feels like forever before the number finally lands on thirty. The elevator doors open, and Grayson gestures for me to leave first. I step out and wait for him to lead the way to his apartment.

I watch the muscles of his arm move as he twists the key in the lock. I shake my head.

What the hell is wrong with me? I cannot be noticing things like this. I’m here to discuss getting an annulment, and then I’m leaving and avoiding him as much as I can.

I follow him, taking my shoes off at the front door. His apartment is surprisingly clean. Shoes are lined up neatly by the front door. His kitchen is to the left, and his counters are clear and there are no dishes sitting in the sink. There’s a small table on the other side of his kitchen island set for four. His living room screams bachelor pad. A large, black sectional couch sits facing a large TV mounted on the wall that looks like it’s connected to two or three different gaming consoles.

I slowly pad my way over to his couch, sitting on the edge of the seat as he watches me. The silence is killing me. It was like this in the car, too. I don’t particularly have anything to say other than I want an annulment, but I’ve got to break this silence.

I clear my throat and say, “You said you wanted to talk.”

He takes a seat next to me, resting his arms on his thighs as he taps his fingertips together. His gaze is focused on his fingers, watching them tap. I start bouncing my leg; the silence is getting to me.

“I want to make this work,” he finally says.

I open my mouth and then close it. That was the last thing in the world I thought he’d say. How does he expect us to make this work? He enjoys being able to sleep with anything that walks, and he’s hurt me before. He showed me two years ago that being with him wouldn’t work. The last thing I want is to be married to him. I’m not sure why he thinks things have magically changed and we can make a go of it.

“This can’t work,” I say.

He stares at me, his eyes brushing over every inch of me. My skin prickles as he takes his time. He seems deep in thought as he watches me. I move to stand, but his arm shoots out as he grabs my wrist and I wait. His touch and the feeling of his gaze pull me back to when it was good. When I wanted his eyes on me and to feel his skin against mine. I shake my head, reminding myself not to dwell on those feelings.

“Ninety days,” he rushes out. “Give me ninety days to prove we can make this work.” His voice is confident yet pleading.

I stare into his eyes, trying to decipher why. “Grayson, ninety days isn’t going to change anything. You’re drawing out the inevitable. Let’s just get the paperwork drawn up and signed. Let’s get it annulled.”

He opens and closes his mouth, and I stare into his eyes. They’re a deep blue like the Pacific Ocean. I remember sitting across from him in a restaurant two years ago and getting lost in them. The memory has the hurt that came after bubbling back to the surface. Going from a feeling of hope to betrayal was hard. I withdraw my wrist from his grasp and clasp my hands in my lap.

“Ninety days, and if I haven’t convinced you this can work, I’ll sign the papers uncontested. I’ll end it just like you want. But if we’re going to do this, I want to do it right. I want you to move in. We go on dates. No avoiding me. We both put the effort in.”

“What about my apartment?” I ask. “I’m still renting my place.”

He looks at me, hope in his eyes. “I’m not asking to give it up or to help me pay the rent here. I’m just asking that you move in and give this a real shot.”

If he were to fight the annulment, it could drag on for months, but uncontested, this would quickly be in the rearview mirror, and I could get on with my life. I remember how nasty my parents’ divorce was. It took them years to actually get divorced and be done with one another. They haven’t been in the same room since. I don’t want that for myself. I’ve seen the persistent side of Grayson before, and even if he didn’t drag it out to hurt me, he’d do it to get his way. The plus is Grayson and I don’t have kids who could get caught in the middle, but fighting this out in court for years is far from what I want.

What’s ninety days?

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