Page 74 of A Dangerous Proposal

Cami gave her a funny look. “You don’t know him.”

“I know he is stupid hot and ridiculously charming when he wants to be.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Cami glared at her.

“I’m not like you, Cam. I didn’t dream of my wedding as a little girl. You’re the romantic, not me.”

“Still…”

“Look at the divorce rate in this country. I’m sure ninety-eight percent of couples think their marriage will last forever because they are in love… Did you know the divorce rate for arranged marriages is only four percent, whereas the national average is around fifty for so called ‘normal’ marriages?”

“This isn’t an arranged marriage.”

“It is. By me.”

“What about kids? You might never talk about getting married, but you’ve always wanted a big family,” she said triumphantly.

Madison held up a finger. “First of all, I said that before I knew how hard having a child is. But...” she said when Cami gave her an ‘oh really,’ look. “I do want more children. I want Jax to have siblings. Opal had her problems, but she was my sister.” Madison roughly cleared her throat. “I want Jax to have that.”

Cami’s eyes bulged. “You’re saying this fake marriage is really a?—”

“There will be nothing fake about our marriage.” Somehow, repeating Alex’s words brought her a level of comfort she hadn’t expected. He might never love her, but for reasons she couldn’t explain, she knew he’d be the perfect partner for her.

“What you and James have is rare. You don’t see it because you’ve loved him your entire adult life. Not everyone gets that. When all is said and done, I’m marrying a rich, intelligent man who has promised to help me keep my son.” She waggled hereyebrows, trying to lighten the mood. “And it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot as hell, and it’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“There’s more to marriage than?—”

“I’m done talking about this,” Madison interrupted. “If you can’t bring yourself to come to the ceremony, I will understand.” Her lip wobbled. “But I hope you’ll still be my friend.”

Tears filled Cami’s dark eyes, and she crushed Madison in a fierce hug.

“You’re not my friend. You’re my family. Of course, I’ll be there, and I willalwayssupport you.”

“It’s next Saturday.” She held up her hand when Cami spluttered. “You got married two weeks after getting engaged.”

“That’s different?”

“Why?”

“Because James and I knew each other. You just met Alex.”

“I met Alex four months ago. And you and James knew each other a decade ago, and only found each other again a month before he proposed and six weeks before you got married.”

Cami’s mouth opened and shut several times. Madison felt a little guilty as her friend reached for a rebuttal. The two situations were radically different, and she knew it. Cami and James had loved each other even when they were apart.

“I want this, Cami.”

“You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything.”

Madison relaxed into the embrace, only just realizing how much Cami’s response meant to her. “Have you thought about what you want? It’s so fast I’m assuming small, but if that ring is any indication, Alex doesn’t have any hesitation about spending money on what you want.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Madison pressed her thumb to the panel next to her open window and watched as the large wrought-iron gates swung open. “We’re home,” she said softly, as she parked near the front steps of the house.

Home?

Jax wiggled with excitement as she unbuckled him, and he stretched his arms up toward her.

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