Page 24 of The Way We Collide

His eyes hold mine, and he frowns. “I don’t like the sound of that either.”

“Which part?”

“The quickie divorce. It sounds so… shitty.”

“It wouldn’t be a real marriage, though. And it would really help me a lot. It would help Haddy, too. I’ll sign a prenup, whatever you need—” Taking a beat, I swallow the desperation in my throat. “I can’t let her win, Hendrix. She did this to control me, but if there’s a chance…” The truth burns my eyes.If there’s a chance I could come out on top for once.“I don’t want to give up my dream. But I love that little girl so much.”

It’s quiet again, and this time even the dishwasher has stopped, the timer ticking like it’s waiting as well.

At last, he speaks. “You’d have to move to LA.”

My stomach jumps to my throat at his words. “Does this mean you’re considering it?”

“I mean…” He shrugs. “I’d like to get to know my daughter. She’s cute, and I could get you a job at one of the local news stations, so… you know, you could work on your dream.”

“How in the world could you do that?”

A grin curls his lips. “Not to brag, but I’m kind of a big deal in football.”

“Oh, are you?” I attempt to tease, but relief is hitting me so hard, my muscles are weak.

He’s going to help me. This might actually work.

“Yeah.” His face relaxes, and I think he’s catching up to the craziness of what I’m suggesting. “My place is huge, so you could have half the house to yourself.”

Now I’m starting to get excited. “And I promise not to intrude in your life or interfere with your plans… It’ll go by so fast, and then everything will be back to how it was before.”

Except I’ll be six million dollars richer.

The dimple appears in his cheek, and he walks closer towhere I’m standing. “One thing—wecannottell my family about this. They’ll go nuts, throw a party, insist we move back here.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen enough in two days to know what they’re like. It’s sweet, but it would seriously complicate my plans.”

“We’ll be far enough away, so they’ll never know.”

“But my dad has to know—and his lawyer and the trustee.”

We’re talking fast, and he seems as eager to help me as I am to accept his help.

“They’re in Atlanta, so that’s a good buffer zone. We’ll let them know, but otherwise…”

“It’ll be our secret.”

Reaching out, he takes my hand, pulling me to him. “Yes, Raven Gale, I accept your proposal of marriage.”

“It’ll be so easy. We already have experience walking down the aisle.”

“We’re old pros.” His expression turns sly. “We’re even pretty good in bed.”

“We made a baby!” I love that he’s strategizing with me, making it fun and not terrifying.

“How soon would you like to get started, Miss Gale?”

“The sooner the better.”

“We’ll do it for Haddy.” His muscled arm is around my shoulders.

“For Haddy.”

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