My Unexpected Vow: California Billionaires Book 2 by Harlow James (children's ebooks free online TXT) 📗

“Your parents?”

“Yeah. They sat me down and my father started talking about retiring and wanting to hand over the company finally.” Wes stays silent, so I keep going. “But he told me that my mom and he are worried about me pouring myself into work more once he does and then started asking me about my future, whether or not I planned on ever getting married.”

“So you married my sister to get your father to give you his company?” he seethes, unbuttoning the wrists of his dress shirt and pushing the fabric up his forearms as if he’s preparing to pummel my ass.

“No. But since they started putting this idea in my head, and suggested I take time to think about what I want for my life besides working myself to death, it’s been the only thing on my mind. Subconsciously, it must have been there the night I ran into your sister and I reacted to it.”

“So how did Waverly get involved in this? I’m …” He shakes his head, staring down at the table while taking a deep breath. “I’m still not understanding.”

“Well, we ran into each other, right? She was throwing back shots of tequila with her friend and I joined in. They were at Dynasty, which is where I chose to spend the evening since I was in town checking on several clubs, anyway. One round of shots lead to another, and then at one point, she admitted she was in Vegas trying to stay away from her ex, so I told her part of the reason I was avoiding being home was because of the conversation I had with my parents. Naturally, she thought the idea of me being married was preposterous, so we had a good laugh, but then that’s the last thing I remember before waking up next to her and realizing she had a ring on her finger.”

Wes’s eyes widen as soon as I realize what must be going through his mind. “Did you… did you sleep with her?”

“God, no! Wes, she can’t fucking stand me, and do you honestly think I would do that to you?” But seeing her naked gave me enough reason for the thought to cross my mind a time or two since then.

His nostrils flare as a red tint to his skin travels up his neck. Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this mad. “No, but I honestly never thought you’d marry her either. Hayes, you’re my best friend, but not once in our lives did I ever think you would be this fucking stupid. You jeopardized my sister’s future and your own.”

“I know, Wes. I’m so fucking sorry, okay? But we agreed to make it work for the time being so as not to draw any negative attention to your family or mine. Plus, I know how hard she’s been working toward her career, and the last thing I want is to bury it before it even gets started.”

“And what do you get out of all of this?” he asks, leaning back in his chair, relaxing slightly, which is still making warning bells go off in my head.

“Well, my parents took the news pretty well. But I kind of told them we’re in love and that’s why it happened.”

Wes huffs out a laugh. “I’m sure your dad saw right through that.”

“Well, even if he did, by staying married to her I’m proving that I can be committed, or at least that I tried.”

“So when does this little ruse end, Hayes? Because you and I both know it will. The fact that you two haven’t killed each other yet is astonishing.”

“Believe me, I know, especially now that she’s living with me.”

His mouth falls open. “Excuse me? She’s… living with you?”

“Well, yeah. I can’t exactly live in a different place than my wife while trying to convince my parents that we’re in love.”

He shakes his head while biting his lip. “So how long is this going to go on?”

“We figured six months would be enough time to make it seem like we tried, and then an amicable divorce will limit unnecessary negative attention from the media.”

“The fact that I haven’t read or seen anything yet is shocking.”

“My lawyer got in contact with the chapel and made everyone there sign an NDA not to talk. I know the marriage certificate is public record, but this way when it does get out, we can put a positive spin on it.”

“I can’t fucking believe this. This,” he says, pointing his finger down harshly on the table, “this is why people shouldn’t fucking drink. Your mind does stupid shit when alcohol is running through your veins.”

“Believe me, Wes, when I say I’m so fucking sorry. I’ve been more worried about telling you than my parents. I let you down, but I promise I will do what I can to make this as painless as possible for Waverly. The girl may irritate my soul, but she’s like family.”

Wes eyes me skeptically as the waitress comes by and drops off our food. I glance down at my plate, noting that my appetite has essentially disappeared.

“My sister doesn’t deserve to be made a fool, Hayes. You’d better protect her the best you can in this, and I’ll do the same.” He pauses before sharing another thought. “She said she was avoiding her ex?”

“Yeah. Is that the same douche she brought around a few months ago?” Waverly hasn’t brought him up again since Vegas.

“Probably. Brett Maxwell. Piece of shit. He’s been hassling her to get back together with him since she caught him cheating on her.”

The minute the words leave his mouth, my pulse starts firing rapidly. Fuck that guy. Waverly doesn’t deserve that shit. And now that she’s married, maybe he’ll finally take the hint. Is that one of the reasons she agreed to this?

“Well, now that I know more, I’ll definitely keep an eye on her.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s over the moon about