The car pulled to a stop and Henry opened the door for them.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Emily said, her voice wavering. David grasped her hand and squeezed it tight.
“Thank you so much for doing this.” He looked at her, the loose knot on the back of her head was falling out and bobbed up and down with her steps. Her face had paled, and she squeezed his hand back.
“This is crazy, you know that, right?”
David nodded; his mouth was suddenly dry. Emily gave him a pointed stared, proceeded push open the doors to the justice of the peace.
“Okay, as long as we both agree.”
“You may now kiss the bride.”
David was feeling jittery as he leaned down and softly pressed his lips onto Emily’s. Even though the situation was forced and under a stressful time restraint, the action of kissing Emily felt like the most natural thing in the world. As if David was born to kiss her. And only her. For the rest of his life.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Marks.” David and Emily broke apart and he looked at the tiny woman who’d married them, then he turned his heard to the sound of clapping. Henry, Robert, and Joffrey were the only other people in the room. He caught sight of the mild disapproval in Joffrey’s eyes but ignored it. He knew he’d been reckless. Legally, Emily was his wife and they had not signed a prenup; he was now exposed and vulnerable.
But there wasn’t any time to dwell on the situation. David took Emily by the hand and lead them out into the streets of New York.
“Time to meet your new family.”
Chapter Seventeen
Confessions
I just married David. I just married David. I just married David!
No matter how many times she thought it in her head, she couldn’t comprehend it. Had she just made a mammoth mistake? All sense of reason escaped her as they hurried down the steps, and she bit her tongue to stop from laughing as they got into the car.
Emily was not raised in a loving family. Affection and words of appreciation were rare to find—even from her own parents. It made Emily cautious of trusting people and opening up her feelings. But when she looked at David, her heart warmed. He was gentle, and kind. He made her feel… everything. It was like she found an old friend from a forgotten past. Maybe soul mates are real?
“Well, it’s going to be a lot easier to tell people I’m your wife now,” Emily said brightly, pulling herself out of her thoughts. She rubbed the side of her pinky across the engagement ring on her wedding finger and eyed David carefully. He appeared to be having an internal battle. A slight smile flashed across his face before setting into a serious brooding expression.
“Hey,” she said as she placed her hand on his knee. David looked at her. “I did this willingly.”
David’s expression relaxed and he nodded.
“I’m just sorry we had to go this far… it makes things a lot more complicated.”
Emily looked out of the window and nodded in thought. Just over two weeks ago, they were perfect strangers when David came in to find a wife. Emily sabotaged that plan and ended up becoming his wife. She bit her lip against the grin invading her frown.
It didn’t seem all that complicated to her. Yet, she supposed it should. The investors were onboard, there was no need for her to officially get married. But she did, happily. She was doing that to help David with his situation. But this was more than doing David a favor now. She was truly happy.
I married David and I’m happy about it.
The thought made her giddy inside.
Emily looked at his tormented expression and her smile faltered. She guessed he was feeling guilty about dragging her into this. But he didn’t know the lengths she went to ensure he did. She needed him to stop looking at her like she was the victim. He deserved to know the truth. She bit her lip and looked out of the window.
As the car swung round the corner and they neared their destination, Emily turned back to David, resolved. She was going to tell him the truth. Without wasting another moment.
“David, I have a confession to make,” she said in a low murmur. David’s eyes widened. As if he never expected her to have anything to confess. She swallowed and took his hand.
“I set you up on some really stinky dates.”
David laughed.
“It’s okay. It all worked out in the end, didn’t it? You more than made up for it.” He squeezed her hand. He didn’t get it. Emily shook her head.
“No, I mean, I set you up on those dates… on purpose,” she said, looking at him apologetically. David’s brows knitted together as his eyes narrowed at her.
“Okay….”
“The investors… oh gosh, this is hard to explain without sounding like a jerk.” She took a breath. “Right. Okay, I’m just going to say it.” She raised her right hand and pulled out the metal clasp that was digging into her scalp. Her hair fell past her shoulders and she shook her head in relief.
“Just before you came into my office, I had a call with the investors. They told me that they wouldn’t invest in the expansion of my business because I wasn’t married—as though I didn’t truly understand being a matchmaker without
