Page 37 of Her Fantasy Husband

“He’s her step-grandfather.”

Josh straightened his shoulders. “And I’m her husband. You’ll agree I have slightly more say in the matter. Up until now, Lexi has been overly generous. But money doesn’t last forever, and we need to check that the investment is solid. So if you could send us a written report, we’d be happy to consider it. Now, I’m sorry, but Lexi and I have a luncheon date.”

He stood up, strolled to the door, opened it, and stood waiting.

Lexi watched in silence. Finally, her grandmother rose to her feet, and Daniel followed her out. Neither looked happy, and Lexi had to bite back a grin. This wouldn’t be the end of the matter. No doubt she would hear more. But for now, the two of them had been silenced.

For a fake husband, Josh was a true protector. Which was so not helping her control those warm fuzzy feelings.

As the door closed behind them, she leaned back in her chair and let out a huge sigh.

“Do you usually give them money when they ask?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated. Anyway, I have a lot and they don’t.” Her grandmother had once pointed out that if Lexi had never been born, then the money would have all been hers. She’d been eight at the time. She suspected that her grandmother would have been happier if Lexi had died in the car crash with her parents.

“And they are my only family.” She didn’t know why she was trying to justify herself to Josh. It was her money. She could do what she liked with it. Hadn’t that been the whole point of marrying him in the first place? She didn’t need him to come along and tell her what she could and couldn’t do.

He shook his head, his expression still disapproving. “You’re right. It’s your money. Let’s go get some lunch. I’m hungry.”

“Okay. And thanks for…not giving me away to grandmother. I know she suspects something.” She got up, grabbed her bag, and then the laptop. She’d give her little presentation over lunch.

…

“So,” he said as they settled into a booth in what Lexi had described as her favorite pizza place. “Does your grandmother ask for money often?”

“Once a year.” She nibbled on a breadstick. “I visit once a year, and they ask once a year.”

“And you always give it to them.”

She nodded. “It’s easier. And if I do, they leave me alone the rest of the time.” She must have seen something in his expression. “She is my grandmother.”

Perhaps it wasn’t so bad not having any family. Though that wasn’t quite the truth. He had a mother somewhere, but unlike Lexi, he’d cut her out of his life. She’d tried to contact him once, but she’d eventually gone away when he’d made it clear he no longer considered her family. Then there was his sister—except he no longer had a sister. His mother had seen to that.

Which one of them was right? Him or Lexi?

It occurred to him that both of them were as screwed up in their own way by their families. After all, it was hardly normal for an eighteen-year-old to enter into a marriage of convenience with a total stranger, however much money was involved. Besides, he was starting to believe that whatever else motivated his wife, it wasn’t money. Suddenly he had an inexplicable urge to understand what made her tick.

“So tell me,” he said. “What’s with all those people at your house? Don’t they drive you crazy?”

“I love it.” At his look of disbelief she continued, “I always wanted a big family.”

“You don’t have any brothers and sisters? What about Harry and Melissa.”

She pulled a face. “Luckily, they didn’t come into my life until I was seventeen. Before that, it was just me and grandmother, and whichever husband she had at the time. She had a lot of them, and they all ended badly, so I decided a long time ago that I was never going to get married—not for real anyway. So this is my way to have a family.”

“You just collect them?”

She grinned. “Sort of. I inherited the house from my maternal grandmother, and Jean already lived there. She’s an artist and has a studio in the garage. There didn’t seem any point in asking her to move out. The others sort of…turned up. They’ll move on when they’ve got their lives together a little more.”

Their food arrived, and they were silent for a little while. Lexi attacked the pizza with enthusiasm, eating with her hands. She caught him watching her and licked some sauce from her fingers. “What?” she asked.

“You’re not what I expected.”

She picked up another slice of pizza and looked at him over it. “What did you expect?”

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