Page 25 of Breakout
“No catching feelings? Remember.”
“Are you saying you would catch feelings if you married me, Peyton?” I tease her, but truthfully, I’m hoping her answer is yes.
“What? No. That’s not what I meant.” She denies it a little too quickly.
“So then there’s no reason not to do it. Come on, you saw him look at me when he said it. He already thinks we are a thing. Our friends tease us about being together. We can pull it off.”
I give her a minute to think it over even though the silence is killing me.
“All right, smart guy. What would we tell our friends? I don’t want this affecting our group.”
“Then we don’t tell them. They don’t need to know we signed a paper. We keep it to ourselves and handle business away from them.” The words kill me to say, but I’m desperate.
I’ll take her however I can have her.
“What would be in it for you? Money?” she asks.
“I don’t need money, Peyton. You know that.”
“I do, so why would you agree to it?”
For you.
“I can’t help a friend out?” I ask.
She narrows her eyes. “This is a big thing to help with, so no.”
I know I’m losing her, so I tell her a little nugget of truth.
“Honestly, this is perfect timing. It’s the solution I need, but I had no idea what to do. My father has been trying to set me up with some woman he thinks would be a good fit for me. I don’t want to marry or even date her. If I’m already married, that can’t happen. So see, you would be solving my problem too.”
She looks at me thoughtfully. “Is that what happened the other night?”
I nod, looking down at the table. “I don’t talk about him much, but my father has expectations, and I’m tired of meeting them. You could save me.”
She takes a deep breath. “All right.”
I already have my next argument ready, but it dies on my tongue.
“All right?”
“Yes. All right. I’ll do it. I don’t want the money, but I also don’t want this hanging over my head, so I’ll do it.”
Grabbing the straw, I take the paper off carefully, making it into a makeshift ring. Then I slide out of the booth and drop toone knee. “Peyton Anderson, would you make me the happiest man I have ever been and be my wife?”
She glares at me. “Beckett, get your ass up, people are staring.”
“Not until you say yes. Don’t break my heart, Pey.” I give her a puppy dog look.
She looks around before rolling her eyes. “Yes, now get back in your seat.”
Jumping up, I slide the paper ring on her finger before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.
Everyone claps as I slide back into my side of the booth.
“You’re fucking insane,” she whispers to me.
“For you, wifey. For you.”
