Page 31 of Hot Puck
“If you took me up on my suggestion, we couldn’t get married until I sever ties with my ex and I have to warn you, he has been difficult so far.”
“Why is that if your marriage is name only?”
“Money. He has none of his own and after we divorce, he won’t have an unlimited supply of it. All he will have is the amount I give him as part of our settlement.”
“And how much is that?”
“Two hundred and two million. Plus, a couple of houses around the country.”
“Two…” It’s my turn to shake my head because what the fuck? “You’re giving him that as a settlement?”
“No. I’m paying him that to sign the papers.”
“You’re buying him off?”
“If you want to look at it that way, yes, I’m buying him off.”
“Why?”
“Because for the entirety of our marriage, he hasn’t upheld our vows the way you say you would.”
“Prick.”
She grins. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Okay. So let me get this straight. To ease my mind about the girls and their lack of a second parental figure, you’ll marry me and provide them with one.”
“Yes.”
“And the union would be in name only and no one would know?”
“Correct.”
“Huh.” I scrub a hand over my head, fist my fingers in the over-long strands of hair. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I want you to play for the Rogues, but at this point, after spending the day with the girls, I want to give them the security of another adult in their lives. I’d treat them the way you do, as younger sisters.”
“You must know that Candace is going to look at us as her father and mother. She’ll have no others in her life.”
“I’m aware of that. But I assume Cassidy and Crystal calling us by our names would deter that.”
“It might, it might not. I’m okay with her thinking of me as her dad but I intend to discourage her from calling me dad.”
“I’ll take your lead on any parenting matters.”
I shake my head again. “Natalie. I have to be honest with you. The offer to play for the Rogues was blindsiding, but this? This is…hell, I don’t even know what this is.”
“You want security for the girls. You want to be able to live your dream, the one you’ve worked your whole life for. I can help you achieve both of those things.”
“So you say.” I study her again.
It seems to be all I’m doing tonight. I can admit she’s hot as fuck and I’m not sure being married to her would be a smart move when I think that.
“This would be complicated as fuck,” I mutter.
“Not if we set boundaries.”
“I assume we’d be living together.”
