Page 88 of Wild Then Wed
I shift beside Wren and rest my arm across the back of her chair, not touching her, but there. Solid. Present.
Molly’s voice breaks the silence. “And you, Sawyer?” she says softly, her eyes landing on me. “How do you feel about all this?”
I shift in my seat and rest my arm casually along the back of Wren’s chair. She glances at me, surprised, but doesn’t move. “It’s mutually beneficial, like I said,” I say, looking directly at Molly. “We both get what we need out of it. And Wren and I…we’re friends. That’s it. We’ll go on living our lives just like we do now. It’s just a piece of paper.”
Wren cuts in, as if she’s been holding it back. “But I’m going to move in with him after the wedding.”
That gets Sage’s attention. “Youare?”
Boone doesn’t say a word, but I can practically feel the heat coming off him.
I nod. “If we’re doing this, we’ve got to sell it. To everyone. The town, the council, the people watching. A real marriage—on paper and in person. That means a real wedding. Wren moving in. All of it.”
Sage opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.
Molly exhales slowly. “This all feels like a big lie.”
I glance at Wren before answering. “It is,” I say honestly. “But it’s one that keeps both our families afloat. And if I have to fake a smile through a wedding to make that happen, I’ll do it.”
Wren looks up at me, and something passes between us—quiet, charged. Her expression softens just a fraction, her voice steady but lower when she says, “I will, too.”
For a second, I forget where we are. Her eyes don’t flinch. They stay locked on mine like they’re daring me to flinch first, and the only thing I can think is—shit. She’s beautiful.
Not just in that obvious way, but in the stubborn, impossible-to-look-away kind of way. It’s the sort of moment that makes you forget the whole thing is fake. That it’s not real.
I feel it in the way her pinky nudges against mine under the table. Accidental, probably. But I don’t move either.
She turns her gaze back to the table, her cheeks a little pinker than they were a second ago. “Anyway,” she says, clearing herthroat. “I’ll still be around the ranch most days. Nothing’s really changing there.”
I nod, leaning back in my chair. “And I work long hours. I won’t be around much during the week.”
Boone scrubs a hand over his jaw, his eyes fixed on the grain of the table and lets out a cold laugh. “Dad never would’ve gone for this.”
Wren snaps before I can say a word. “Yeah, well, dad’s not here, Boone.” Her voice doesn’t raise, but it hits harder because of that. “If he was, we wouldn’t be in this position in the first place.”
The room goes quiet again. Even the kids are suddenly silent in the other room.
Molly’s the first to speak. She breathes out slowly and looks between the two of us. “Well, if you’re really serious about this…then I guess we’ve got a wedding to plan.”
Wren just stares at her, her lips parted. “Wait—really?”
Molly gives a tired smile and shrugs. “You said you’ve thought it through. I might not love the idea of my daughter marrying someone who’s practically a stranger to her, but I’m your mother. I’ll help however I can.”
That tightness in my chest loosens just a little. I nod. “Thank you.”
Molly’s eyes flick to Boone and stay there until he finally mutters, “Yeah. I’ll be around. Whatever.”
Wren raises an eyebrow at him but doesn’t push. And honestly, I’m surprised he even said that much.
Sage leans forward, chin propped on her hand. “So…does this mean I get to be a bridesmaid?”
Wren laughs. “Maybe.”
I grin. “I vote yes. You’ll keep things interesting.”
Ridge leans back in his chair with a smug tilt to his mouth. “I’m in charge of the refreshments at the reception, by the way.”
Sage snorts. “So…beer. All beer. Just buckets of it in wheelbarrows.”
