Page 19 of Four Money (Ever and Always 1)

“Let’s do it,” Brady added.

“I don’t want to say so in front of Trent, but this really is going to be the best night of my life.” Ford crushed Kari in a hug so tight it made her squeak while her toes lifted off the ground. And when he set her back down, he stole a quick kiss before a frown marred his elated expression.

“What?” She asked.

“We can’t all marry you. Technically.” He looked over his shoulder to his partners. “Which one of us do you want to be on the marriage license?”

Kari shook her head. “I’m not going to choose between you. I love you equally, you know that.”

“Guess we’ll have to rock-paper-scissors it.” Josh shrugged.

“You’re going to leave something that important to chance?” Holly was horrified. All her life she’d been a planner. Someone who mapped things out and worked toward her objectives with relentless determination.

Kari laughed. “Sure, why not?”

“There might be advantages to each of you from picking one or the other. Benefits, life insurance stuff, I don’t know. It would be irrational to choose on a whim.” She tried to get them to see reason.

“No offense, Holly…” Reed jumped in to defend his friends. “You can’t control everything in life. Look at us. None of us imagined this is where we’d be today, or any day, and I’ve never been happier. It’s great to have goals and to try to imagine every possible outcome of our decisions and what you’d do if they came to pass, but sometimes you just have to ride the wave and see where it takes you.”

The butterflies in her stomach calmed some as she realized he was exactly right. She was never going to get another chance like this. So she had to grab the gold wedding ring while she could.

Andi hugged her. “He’s smart, that husband of mine. You’re doing the right thing. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to stay married after the ninety days are up.”

That was almost a scarier thought.

What if she fell for Trent and all he wanted was a way to access his father’s cash? She’d have to make sure she guarded her heart because it would be too easy to imagine he gave a shit when he was only being his usual, charismatic self.

The way his best friends had rallied around, including her in their conversations, joking with her about Trent’s bad habits, and promising that by marrying their roommate she was getting a three-for-one deal, with them to look out for her and help her with anything she needed while she was staying with them… Well, that wasn’t going to make her any less likely to become too comfortable in her temporary home.

She glanced up in time to catch Lorenzo and Owen eying her with a blend of curiosity and barely veiled hunger but by no means objecting to Andi’s overreach.

“I got it.” Trent waved the paperwork over his head as he joined them in the chapel. He wasn’t smiling as he approached her, his face stony and determined. He stopped directly in front of her. “Last chance to change your mind. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

It wasn’t even a choice. Her mother needed this. She was doing it. “Absolutely. You?”

Trent hesitated, making Holly’s knees go weak. What if he backed out now?

Holly put her hand over his, which clasped the license hard enough to crumple it on the edge. “It’s going to be okay, Trent. I’ll be in this with you.”

“I know. Thank you.” He lowered his voice and stepped closer. “It’s just that I’ve been working hard to do this without my father’s money. Am I going to regret taking this path later?”

Holly squeezed his fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams however you have to get there. You’re going to change the world. Make life better for millions of people. That’s worth it. And when you’re rich and famous, you can set up a scholarship fund for people like you to do the same.”

Trent nodded slowly, as if he was really considering everything she had to say. “You’re right, Holly. Let’s do this. For you, for me, for your mom, and the future.”

“For the future.” It seemed natural to go up on her tiptoes and kiss him. While she only meant it to be a friendly peck, it appeared they weren’t capable of keeping things sweet between them. His arms came around her and he held her close as his lips slid over hers in a seductive promise.

She wondered if their unconventional wedding would end in a traditional wedding night.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing to ever happen to her.

Their friends cheered and whistled. Until Elvis entered, and joked, “Hey, usually we save that part for last. Is everyone ready?”

When Holly and Trent broke apart, his frown had been replaced with a wide smile, aimed right at her. It might not be her usual style, but it was obvious that she’d already taken this leap with him.

Kari spoke up. “We’d like to join too. Me and…”

Holly turned toward the lawyers in time to see Ford, Brady, and Josh wrapping up the best out of three. Ford’s rock smashed Brady and Josh’s scissors. He whooped. “That’s right, I’m getting married, suckers!”

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