Chapter 2 : Marry Me

I stared at the man like he was out of his damn mind because surely he had not just said what I thought he had.

“I’m sorry,” I laughed, “did you just ask me to marry you?”

I expected him to break out into a fit of laughter but his face stayed serious. He just stared at me with those eyes that seemed far too brilliant to be real.

“Yes, I did.” He just sat there casually like he was talking about the weather.

“You…you…I can’t marry you. I don’t even know you.”

“My name is Miles. There, now you know me.”

I rolled my eyes, “I think I would need a little more than just your name in order for me to marry you. And you don’t even know me.”

“Well, that’s not all the way true.” He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees. “You seem to be kind and sweet soul, possibly too kind and set for this calloused world. And if I’m being quite frank those kinds of people are far from murderers and con artists. Besides, you have this nervous look in your eyes that makes me believe that you aren’t the criminal kind.”

I just stared at the man completely and utterly enamored by his words. It felt like he could see me—the real me. The me that was often overlooked or dismissed.

“That doesn’t mean that you should marry me.” It was absurd that we were even having this kind of conversation right now. “And besides, how do I know you have the kind of money I need? What if you’re trying to traffic me in broad daylight.”

He arched his eyebrow. “Do I look like I could stronghold you into a white van?”

“You could be faking the wheelchair,” I pointed out. “And you could have goons just waiting around the corner to come and nab me when I’m least expecting it.”

The tips of his lips tilted up again. “I assure you that I am not trying to traffic you. I am in need of a bride and you are in need of some cash. I think this is a win-win situation here.”

This was crazy. Was I in a movie right now? Am I being recorded? Surely this had to be one of those reality shows when they play jokes on unsuspecting people. And I’m that unsuspecting person.

“I’m sorry.” I got to my feet and grabbed my bag. “But I can’t just marry you. Thanks for listening but I need to go now, Miles. Have a great rest of your day.”

I turned to walk away from him but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

“It’s not for life. It will only be for a year and then we will get divorced. Your mother will get her surgery and I will get my bride.”

I looked down at that man. Those blue eyes swam with sincerity and slight desperation.

But then I thought of my mother. My sweet mother had done no wrong to this earth except for choosing the wrong man to marry. She didn’t deserve this and she needed a second chance at life.

I was likely going to regret this and I could still possibly be trafficked but I would be willing to go through anything for my mother. She was the most important person to me.

“I may regret this but fine, I will marry you.” I pulled my hand out of his grasp. “But we need to lay down some ground rules. And we need some kind of contract so that I know you won’t screw me over down the line.”

“I can assure you that I will not screw you over. And of course, a contract can be drawn up and arranged.” He said it so easily like we aren’t about to make a life-altering decision.

My mother had always told me that the person you choose to marry will be the most important decision you will ever make. But here I was just picking one off the side of the street. A stranger.

“What are your rules?”

Okay, so we were going straight into it.

I bit down on my lip. “Well, as soon as we sign the marriage certificate the money for my mother’s treatment will be transferred into my bank account.”

“Done. Anything else?” he asked, his eyes bright as they looked up at me.

“Since we will be making this known to the public to some extent I will need you to not be galavanting with women while married to me. I know it’s a fake marriage but you still need to respect me.”

“That was a given either way. I will do nothing to humiliate you or harm you.” It was hard not to get lost in this man’s eyes when he stared at you like you were…something special.

I shook my head, breaking the little trance I was in.

Focus, Dove. Focus.

“Okay.” I leaned my back against the wall of the building. “Any rules you have for me?”

“Not many—just three,” Miles said, folding his hands together on his lap.

“Let’s hear them.” I didn’t know why but my heart hammered hard in my chest.

“One, as my wife you will need to wear your ring at all times. We will need to seem like a married couple to people and a married woman wears her ring at all times.”

I nodded. Easy enough. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Two, you may be obligated to come with me to some functions through this year of marriage. There won’t be many but there will be a decent amount. We will need to act like a couple. Hand holding, the occasional kiss here and there, and—”

“Kiss?” I nearly choked on my own saliva. “We have to kiss?”

“Most married people do. But it will only be for show. It will never be while we are in private. When we are in private it will just be Miles and…”

I realized he was waiting for me to say my name. “Oh, Dove.”

I couldn’t believe that I was set to marry this guy incredibly soon and he was only now learning my name after talking for the past ten minutes. This was a crazy plan but what other option did I have?

“Miles and Dove.” He smiled. “When it’s just you and me, it will be Miles and Dove.”

“Okay, I think I could do that. What’s the last one?” I asked, my tongue darting out to lip my dry lips.

He paused, his eyes focused on mine. “You will need to move in with me.”

My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as my mouth formed a small ‘o’. “What do you mean move in with you?”

“We will be married, Dove.” He said it so matter-of-factly.

The way my name rolled off his tongue was so attractive. To be quite frank with you, everything this man did was attractive.

“My wife can’t live separately from me. That would be odd.”

I sighed. “Okay, fine. I will live with you but I will have my own room. I can’t share a bed with you.”

“Of course, whatever makes you feel most at ease.”

I let out a heavy sigh and kicked off the wall. I held out my hand. “Looks like we just got engaged.”

He took my hand in his. It was surprisingly soft but much bigger than my own. The contact causes this warm bubbling sensation to filter into my stomach. I ripped my hand from his grasp and shuffled on my feet nervously.

“So, to the courthouse?” He didn’t even wait for my reply. He just started wheeling himself away. “It’s not too far away from here.”

I gaped at him, my heart pounding in my chest. “Wait, right now? You want to get married right now?”

He looked over his shoulder still wheeling himself away. “No time like the present.”

Then he came to a halt and turned to face me. I forced my legs to move in his direction, my brain still trying to catch up to what was currently happening.

“Oh, and I almost forgot, here.” He handed me a black card once I had gotten close enough. “Use this to buy the rings. I, unfortunately, have to travel out of town as soon as we are done at the courthouse. There is some business I have to attend to.”

Never in my life had I seen a black card. If I had been struggling to believe that this man had money, I was far more convinced now.

“I can’t take that.” I was looking at the card like it was a gun. “You buy the rings. I’m sure you will pick wonderfully.”

“No, you need to buy them.” He grabbed my hand and placed the card on my palm. “Once we leave that court house you have to have that ring on your finger. It’s part of the deal, remember?”

Oh yeah, it was.

I clutched the card in my hand and placed it in my bag. “Okay, let’s go get married.”

One minute I had been crying over the fact that I had no money to pay for my mother's medical bills and now here I was marrying a total stranger—for said money.

But what other choice did I have? This was my only option if I wanted to ensure that my mother could live to see another day. I’m doing this for her.

The walk to the courthouse felt like I was being led to the slaughter.

But little did I know that this would be the beginning of the wildest ride I had ever been on.