Page 30 of Our Broken Pieces
My eyebrows pinch. “What?”
“Nothing.” He stands from his chair, rubbing his eyes. “Fuck, Marcus, this is such a bad idea. Did you two come up with this while you were drunk?”
I shake my head. “No, do you honestly think I would seriously consider it if we had already been drinking?”
He paces back and forth. “I don’t know if I can process this.” He walks to the fridge, pulls out a bottle of water. “You think your father will believe it’s real?”
I peel the label from the bottle in my hands. “She actually had a good plan. He’s already met her. We say I had a thing for her all along, but waited until she was finally single to make a move. We date for a while, get married, then after the business is mine, we start having issues, and go our separate ways.”
“Not a horrible storyline. But Marcus, this is Gigi. It could get so messy.”
“I know.”
“I mean, you would both essentially put your love lives on hold for God knows how long. Is she going to live here that whole time?”
“Yeah, she is. I already have her set up in Millie’s room. It would just be a bit more permanent.”
He shakes his head. “I know you were nervous about getting out into the dating world, but what if you’re just agreeing to this because you’re scared?”
“I’m not fucking scared. I actually asked a woman out at the gym this morning.”
“So, what about her?”
“I only did it because I felt like I had to take advantage of the opportunity. It felt so forced, so uncomfortable. I hated it. What if I end up rushing into something with a woman because of this bullshit and then I break their heart once I figure out I’m not attracted to them? Would it be fair to them? I don’t have the time to properly vet out a partner.”
“Shit, I never thought of that.”
“This way, when everything is handed over to me and it’s all finished, G and I have an agreement to part ways to find what we want. Friendship intact, and no broken hearts to feel guilty about.”
Linc gives me a sideways glance. “You agreed to no sex?”
“Of course I fucking did.”
“I still don’t know, man. This is huge. It’s fucking marriage, Marcus.”
“We know. I said the same thing. But she was adamant that she could handle it. And I think I can too. I mean, if I have to do this, why not with one of my best friends?”
Linc gulps down the last of his water. “Just keep your dick in your pants and don’t lead her on about anything. I don’t want to have to kick your ass if you get real feelings mixed in.”
“You’re an asshole. You know I would never hurt her.”
“Alright. I’ll hold you to that.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gigi
In my head, I’m awake, but it’s hard to open my eyes. I have a headache from hell.
I haven’t been that drunk in a while. But after Marcus agreed to my crazy plan, I wanted to drink and forget the past couple of days. Probably not the healthiest way to cope, but it is what it is. I slowly sit up and open my eyes. I can see the first hint of a sunrise through the blinds. My mouth feels like a dry cotton ball. I need water.
I move to put my feet on the floor and see a bottle of water and two ibuprofen in a plastic baggie on the nightstand. Marcus is the best. I pop the pills in my mouth and drink half the bottle of water. Thank God my stomach is holding up.
I look down and see I’m still in my clothes from yesterday. I take off my shorts and shirt, shift through my suitcase for my favorite pajama pants and a tank top. Thank fuck I already have off today.
I open my door to go to the bathroom, and when I’m done, I notice light coming from the kitchen. I walk down the hall to see Marcus sitting at the table, coffee already made.
“Hey.” My voice sounds rough.
