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

up your game, Beaverly. I’m winning the fake marriage game. I’m the best fake husband there is right now.”

“You’re so full of yourself, Hayes. Your ego is way too large to be normal.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s large on me, sweetheart.” He winks and then climbs the last few stairs as my vagina starts to throb again.

Yup, I need a dildo—something solid and long, or anything adequate really, to keep me away from wanting to validate Hayes’s outburst with my own two eyes, or even worse—my vagina.

Chapter 10

Waverly

“Thank you for helping with the food drive today. I know you’re busy getting ready to go to Vegas again, but I love having you here because things always run smoother.”

It’s the middle of the week and Janet asked me to help with the food drive she organized a few months ago. At the time I didn’t know that I’d be living with Hayes or designing a club in Vegas, but since my schedule still allowed me to be here, I was happy to show up and help.

“Of course, Janet. You know I’m here if I can be. I’m already packed, so there’s not really anything else for me to do before tomorrow.”

“We had a great turnout today too. Your friend Emma sure helped spread the word.” Her sight lands on the boxes of food that now need to be organized and put away, but I know that job is a welcome one given how many donations we collected.

Smiling appreciatively, I focus back on the pile of silverware in front of me, preparing to wash and dry them. “Well, social media marketing is her specialty. She was happy to help.” Emma knows I volunteer at the shelter, but not to the extent of why and how much it means to me. Even though I know she wouldn’t judge me, I still like the idea of keeping this meaningful aspect of my life to myself.

“So, how’s married life treating you?” Janet asks, changing the subject, as I turn on the water at the sink, waiting for it to get hot.

With as much sarcasm as I can muster, I reply, “Oh, just peachy. My husband apparently doesn’t know how to close a cupboard to save his life, he signed us up for cooking classes since neither one of us can cook, and then when I accidentally kissed him and asked him to pretend like it never happened, he did for about a week, only to throw it back in my face.”

Janet’s eyes look like they’re about ready to fall out of her head. “Wow. Seems like a lot has happened since I pried for information last.” She chuckles. “Start from the beginning.”

I’ve been to the shelter at least twice a week since I moved in with Hayes, but I’ve been pretty vague on the details surrounding our arrangement and Janet hasn’t really pressed me for them because she knows how unsettled I felt after. But after Hayes’s recollection the other night about our kiss, my irritation for the man is humming louder in my veins and my thoughts at the moment.

Once I finish explaining the events that have led up to this moment, she hums. “Well, that sounds about right. Marriage can be infuriating, but your reaction speaks volumes about your feelings for him.”

I drop the silverware I was just holding, the loud clank of the metal hitting the steel as I whip my head to face her. “Excuse me?”

She just chuckles. “You’re so oblivious to the fact that he’s growing on you. I mean, hell, you kissed him.”

“I… I didn’t mean to. And besides, our marriage isn’t real.”

“How do you accidentally kiss someone?” she fires back.

“I got caught up in the moment. He was… we were… you know what, forget I said anything.” I twist my head back to the sink and reach for the silverware again, scrubbing them with the sponge in my other hand and then rinsing them under scalding water.

Janet’s warm hand gently clasps my shoulder, and I tense under her touch. “Waverly, there is nothing wrong with seeing Hayes in a different light. I hate to say it, but I told you this would happen.”

Sliding my eyes to her face, I exhale. “This was not part of my plan, Janet. My future was already fuzzy, and now with this added detail, I feel even more uncertain.”

She tilts her head at me. “Just because this wasn’t in your plan, doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort or any less pivotal in your life. Hell, I bet you never planned on volunteering at a homeless shelter in your life, but here you are.”

Janet’s smile has moisture building in my eyes. “Yeah, that’s true.”

“And if you never came inside, we would have never crossed paths. Sorry, but I’m not okay with believing that you weren’t meant to be here.”

“I feel that too.”

“So, just because this is confusing right now, doesn’t mean this isn’t exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

Dragging in a shaky breath, I bat the tears away that were building in my eyes and then drop my gaze back down to the dishes. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t feel sorry for feeling out of sorts. It’s part of growing up, part of the phase of life that you’re in. Hell, when I was your age, I was waiting tables and trying to keep a roof over my head, focusing on nothing but how shitty my life was. My husband and I were on rocky ground and we were barely surviving. And then this job came at the perfect time, showing me that money isn’t everything in life, that there are far more people with far less to be grateful for. We don’t leave an impression on someone by what we can offer them, we do it through the time we invest in them. When I realized that, I became a happier person. A stable income didn’t hurt either, but the point was, I felt fulfilled for