Her Reluctant Husband by Erica Marselas (summer beach reads txt) 📗

don't know how you wrap everyone around your finger after what you did,” Alex barks. “Including my aunt.”

"Excuse me." I squeeze Kelley’s hand and move out of the office, ignoring Kelley’s calling for me to stop. I refuse to, there’s only so much resentment I can hear in a day.

“Let her go. It’s what she does best when she can’t face the music. She runs and hides,” I hear Alex bellow as I charge down the hall. I roll my eyes because if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. Where has he been? Plus, he’s the one who didn’t want to ever see me again, so I gave him what he wanted, so how is it on me?

The muggy air of the late May afternoon in Kinder Falls hits my face as I push out the screen door and rush down the steps to the grassy field. I run to the horse barn, the scent of hay, fresh cut grass, and humidity over taking my senses, drawing me back to the many times I would cross this field to escape and hide so no one would see me cry. So, no one would know.

I push open the large wooden barn doors and step in; it’s always welcoming here dirt, smell, and all. I would spend many of my nights, usually after a drunken bender and after Deacon had his way with me. I just never felt like I could go into the house afterward. I knew I couldn’t tell anyone, forced to believe no one would believe me, so I would hide here till the sun came up. In a way, it was my only safe place.

Elsa runs up to the gate when she sees me. Elsa is Liz’s favorite horse, named after the ice princess from Frozen because she’s all white with a long mane she braided. “Hey princess,” I say as she snorts her greeting. “You should have told me what she was up to?” I berate her and then giggle at myself for talking to a horse about Liz’s master plan. I would find her many times out here talking to Elsa like she was one of her kids.

“Aunt Liz, what were you thinking?” I mumble as I pet Elsa’s nose. She neighs in response. I just wish she’d told me. Confided in me, so I could’ve been prepared for Alex’s wrath. I’ve been living with her for six months and she never hinted at this madness. “She should have known I would do anything for her,” I sigh.

"You can't tell me you’re okay with doing this,” Alex grumbles from behind me, startling me. He could always creep into the room like a ninja, making no sound.

I close my eyes and ask God to give me strength. The strength Liz expected me to have to handle what is coming. I don’t know what she saw because I always feel so close to breaking. I spin around, putting a tight smile on my face, to look at the man I used to look up to—who I used to have a crush on, and who lastly became part of my nightmares.

"I'm not chomping at the bit to marry you or stay in your presence longer than I need to, but I don’t want to lose this house to be dozed down by Bookings.”

“I can probably fight it.” He rubs the back of his neck.

“If you can't?” I know realistically there is no way he can fight this in the week we have to get married. Liz knew what she was doing. She always did.

“I don't know.” He sighs. “What did your note say?”

“That’s not really any of your business, but it mainly said not to fight what she was going to do and that she loved me.”

He snorts. “She loved you?”

“Why is that so hard to believe, Alex?” I cross my arms over my chest, urging him to challenge me.

“Because you haven't been around in five years. Practically fallen off the face of the earth as if June Madison hasn't even existed.”

Oh, this is rich. He has no idea. “What? You've been keeping track of me?

“No,” he scoffs as his eyes dart away from me.

“Okay,” I bite out sarcastically, though I find myself elated he did care about me deep down inside—somewhere. “And if you remember correctly, you told me to never come back.”

“Then you should have listened. In fact, why couldn’t you have stayed gone? I don’t understand why she would leave you the house when you haven’t been around. You spent years disappointing her, to only end up a disgrace to her.”

I swallow down the large lump in my throat as he again goes for the jugular. I did disappoint her often, and I destroyed her when she thought I took Kathleen from her. But she opened her arms to me when she found me in trouble. And though that was two years after the accident, she finally listened to me about what happened. She got me help, found me a therapist because I was so sick and skinny from the stress, and she was there again six months ago after my mom passed. She’d demanded I come to live with her because she refused to let me be on my own and couldn’t bear making any more mistakes when it came to me.

“Damn, Alex, you’re really trying to throw all the punches today. The thing is, it’s not what you think. If anyone hasn't been around as much lately, it was you.”

“So, you saying I don't deserve it?”

“I would never say that Alex. Just because you hate me, doesn’t mean I feel the same about you.”

He rubs his nose and refuses to look at me. I really wish I knew what Liz was thinking when she said to get married. How will this help him move on? If