Page 11 of Unsteady in Love

“I haven’t spoken to my family since I left after graduation. I’ll admit if I had talked to a lawyer back then about what they were threatening about my inheritance, I would have found out everything they said was invalid. They knew it, but they were trying to scare me.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. “The one thing they weren’t lying about was getting your scholarship revoked. They would have done it. I have no doubt. I only wish I knew then what I know now. All of this could have been avoided.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I rasped out.

“Say yes,” his eyes begged.

“I’d ask for time to think about it, but you don’t have time.”

“We can go to the courthouse tomorrow,” he stated as if he had it all planned out. “Prue, I want to make up for leaving you. Let me do this. I’m hoping with time, you’ll forgive me, and we can be friends.”

I pointed at him, and if he’d been standing in front of me, I would have poked him in the chest. Hard. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you.”

“I know, Prue. I know. Don’t think that’s gone unnoticed. You’re probably in shock, but I’m going to take advantage.” He frowned. “I want to help you. When I get my inheritance, what I’m offering will be a drop in the bucket. We can sign the papers after we’re married and within a month, all your bills will be paid off, and you could be in a new house.”

“This feels wrong,” I said on a sigh.

“Because you hate asking for help, and you feel like it’s charity. Trust me, it’s nothing like that. Think of it as helping me get my inheritance and the benefits you’ll get for helping me.”

Shaking my head, a faint smile ghosted across my face. “You have plenty of time to find someone to marry you once you get back. To find love. You don’t need me.”

“I do need you because I know and trust you.” There was something in his look that told me there was more to it, but he wouldn’t tell me no matter how hard I tried. “I’ll give you until morning to think about it. I’ll pick you up around ten.”

“I haven’t agreed.”

“Yet. You haven’t agreed yet.”

6

HOLDEN

Prue fidgetedin her seat as I drove us to the courthouse. We hadn’t spoken when I picked her up. Instead, she’d been waiting by the door, ready to bolt out of the house when I showed up. I knew she had something to say but hadn’t worked up the nerve yet.

Was she going to back out?

“Don’t you think I should sign a prenup?” she croaked out, her throat raw.

Stunned, I briefly looked over at her. “I trust you.”

“You don’t know me anymore. The Prue you once knew is gone.” She rested her forehead against the window, staring out. “That should be obvious because the old Prue never would have done this.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but I could hear the hurt and sadness.

My heart lurched in my chest hearing the sadness in her voice. She didn’t want to marry me. Hell, she didn’t even want to be in the car with me. But I needed her tied to me, otherwise Prue would drop out of my life once I was deployed and I’d likely never see or hear from her again.

“I don’t think you’re that different. Neither of us are deep down where it matters.”

“You certainly look different. I hardly recognized you when you came up to me in the parking lot,” she muttered.

My appearancehadchanged, but fundamentally I was the same, or so I thought.

A grin tugged at my lips. “I could spot you from a mile away. You’re more beautiful now, but that doesn’t surprise me. You know the saying, everything gets better with age.”

“Oh, please, Holden. You don’t need to butter me up. I’m here aren’t I?” she gritted out.

For some reason, growing up poor had warped the way Prue saw herself. From the time we met, she could never accept a compliment and never believed me whenever I told her she was beautiful. Just like now. Her gorgeous, light-green eyes stared at me with emotion swimming in them. If she knew that I was marrying her because I loved her and didn’t plan to let her go, she never would have agreed.

“Don’t you have anything white or cream to wear? You look…”

Like you’re going to a funeral.

“I thought it was befitting the mood. Besides, it’s not like I’m a virgin. You saw to that,” she snorted.

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