Page 65 of From Ice to Grace
“I’m getting married,” I repeat, the words tumbling from my mouth with more ease than I expected. It still sounds strangely ridiculous, but a part of me is excited by the prospect of having a solution.
Granted it’s a solution that includes Declan Murphy, but after the past twenty-four hours, that doesn’t sound too bad either. For some reason there’s a comfortable…rhythm between the two of us. Which could be a testament to my desperation or maybe even Declan's.
“Oh,” EJ says, laughing. Obviously he’s thinking this is some kind of joke. “And how did you manage to find a fiancé in twenty-four hours? Plus, he’s kind of cheap, because I don’t see a ring.”
“Well, it’s not really the conventional type of marriage,” I say, glancing down at my left hand. I haven’t even thought about wearing a ring. “Besides, I wanted to tell you about it before anything else happens.”
He’s still chuckling, his gaze searching mine for a hint of amusement. He finds none. His laugh slowly dissipates as he realizes I’m not joking in the slightest. The shock in his eyes is clear as day.
“EJ—”
“Are you insane?” he asks, jumping up from the couch, now glaring at me with wide eyes. “You can’t get married for a green card. That’s not a good enough reason to get married. Not to mention I’m pretty sure it’s a felony.”
Is it a felony?
“I tried the conventional way, remember,” I toss back, crossing my arms. “It didn’t work out so well, so this seems like the best option for me. By choosing this, I don’t have to crawl back to Sweden with my tail between my legs. I get to stay here, on my terms.”
“Avah,” EJ groans, wiping his hands over his face. “You can’t do this.”
“Well, I am doing this. And I only told you, because you’re my brother. I want you to know the truth before the rest of the world finds out. Because, it’ll have to look like a real marriage to everyone else, it would have to look like we’re in love. And I didn’t want to lie to you.”
He frowns. “I’m not following…”
Wringing my hands, I look down at them, wondering how I’m going to tell him the rest. I take a deep breath.
“The person I’m going to marry…” I wince slightly before finishing, “Is Declan.”
EJ is quiet, his features frozen in shock.
“Murphy. Declan Murphy.” I gesture toward him, like it’ll help him understand better. “Your teammate. The one in need of a nice girl who’s marriage material.”
I’ve never seen my brother’s face this white before in my life. His jaw tightens, his fists ball at his sides before he turns away from me, heading toward the kitchen where the bowl with all his keys is resting on the counter.
“I will kill him. What did he do to you, Avah?” he asks, rummaging in the bowl for his car keys. “How is he pressuring you into this?”
I get up, taking the bowl with all his keys away from him. “You’re not going anywhere and he’s not pressuring me, EJ.”
His gaze snaps to me. “It has to be, Avah, because I can’t understand how you would willingly agree to something this stupid. You know better than to marry someone only to stay away from your ex-fiancé. You do hear the insanity in this? Please tell me you see it?”
I turn away from him, unable to look at him when he’s looking at me like this, like I’m certifiably insane.
“Why do you insist on running?” he asks.
I huff. “You’re one to talk. You haven’t spoken to Axel either.”
He walks toward me, spinning me back around to look at him, the keys in the bowl clinking in the process. “That’s because if I talk to him, I’m going to kill him.”
My gaze narrows. “Your hitlist is getting pretty crowded there, EJ.”
He shakes his head, a mirthless laugh escaping him.
Perhaps my brother doesn’t fully understand my side of it, but he definitely gets why Declan would want to do this. If he can’t get the emotional side of it, maybe appealing to his love for hockey and his team will convince him this is worth a try.
“Declan is on the verge of getting traded, and you need him. He’s the best defenseman the Rangers have had in the past ten years. And Harry knows that. But with Declan’s reputation…he’s willing to risk finding someone else for the sake of the image of the team. He’s even bringing in a PTO, EJ. I can help him stay on the team.”
Incredulity paints his features. “You think I’m willing to marry off my sister for the sake of my hockey team?” he asks. “Getting traded comes with the territory! Every NHL player knows that at some point he’ll have to move. We deal with it and move on.”
Perhaps it’s hard for him to understand because he’s not in my shoes. He isn’t the one whose heart got ripped out and stomped on. He’s not the one who gave parts of himself that he shouldn’t have. I’m the one who's broken and I get to choose how I go about putting myself back together again.
