Page 61 of Waiting for Redemption

“Not fucking happening.” His jaw flexes with anger and instinctively I run my fingers along his jawline. His eyes soften at my touch, making the butterflies I had all but forgotten about flutter back to life.

“It might. Depending on what judge gets the case.”

“How is that even possible?” he asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

“They’re trying to make it seem like I’ve been keeping his child from him for six years, and since he’s got money, and a wife apparently, they’re painting it like he’ssucha suitable father. Which is the biggest fucking lie on the planet.” Flashbacks of the last time I saw him begin fighting for my attention, so I squeeze my eyes shut to will them away.

“What did your attorney say? Do you have a good one?” he asks, studying me as I feel every nerve in my body telling me to run out the door. I nod in agreement that I have one, but I clam up at the thought of giving him a verbal answer about what she said about the situation.

This is crazy. Asking a guy I once considered my best friend—who I thought I would fall in love with—who then became a stranger for most of the year, tomarry meso I can keep my kid. Why drag him into this mess? Sure he played along at the soccer field when I said we were, but he had no idea of the depth of the situation. How could he when I’ve never had the guts to tell anyone the entire story?

For all he knew he was helping me let someone down easy and that would be the end of it. But this is Hendrix we’re talking about, and if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I would doanythingto keep him safe. Including fake a marriage.

And I have a feeling Tank will do the same. For Hendrix.

“That being in a serious relationship… that having afiancé, could help my case tremendously. That it gives me less of anedgethan that of a single mother who works in a bar and relies on friends and babysitters to take care of her child.” I would laugh hysterically if I didn’t feel like I was dying on the inside right now.

“Fucking legal system.” He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“Tank…” He looks back down at me. “I told my attorney I was engaged... Toyou,” I admit sheepishly. His eyes widen slightly, though I can’t quite get a read on what he’s feeling.

“I think the only way I can win this is if I get married.” As if the nausea from this situation wasn’t bad enough, the vulnerability I am feeling right now is ten times worse. I’m not even sure I said it loud enough for him to hear me, and if I have to repeat it I might actually pass out.

My hands are shaking rapidly and my breath is stuck in my throat as he takes a deep breath in. Never breaking eye contact as he studies me closely.

“Okay,” he says, walking over to his kitchen counter. He grabs a stack of Post-its and a pen, tossing them onto the table as he nods for me to come over.

“What’s this?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.” Emotion wells from deep in my chest, making my eyes water.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Are you sure?” A deep chuckle rumbles out of him as he smirks at me.

“Ruby, I’ve always known you’d burn the world down for Hendrix, I’m just gonna be there to hand you the matches.” I smile in appreciation, wiping the tears that have spilled onto my cheeks as relief washes over me. For the first time since I got those papers, I feel like I may actually have a shot at keeping Hendrix with me—where he belongs.

“So what’s this for?” I point to the stationary on the table.

“Terms to abide by. Write down what you want, what you expect from me when we go into this, and we’ll sign our names to it.”

“On a Post-it? What if I have a lot of terms?”

“I have another stack in the drawer.” He shrugs, handing me the pen with a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and take it from him, then I write down my terms and we sign it.

“One last thing,” he says, tossing the pen on the table before grabbing my hand.

“What?”

“Ruby Ranes, will you marry me?”

Breathe, Ruby. Breathe. We don’t need another see/smell/feel moment right now.

Six words I never imagined I would hear, especially from Tank, but my heart still stops for a moment when I hear them come from his lips.

“You don’t have to do that, we both know this is strictly circumstantial. You don’t have to make it seem…real.” I drop my head, still embarrassed that I’ve dragged him into this at all, but all I hear is him snickering.

---