“I can explain, I swear. It’s not a real marriage. I only did it to make my father happy in his final moments.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “It’s the truth. It’s all he ever wanted. Yeah, by now, you know he was pushing for me to marry Lana and merge the companies. I refused. We butted heads over it more times than I could count.” His face crumples. “Please. Can I come in at least?”

  I drop my shoulders and step aside, so he can come in. It’s bad enough that Matt can probably hear every word. He doesn’t need to be able to look out the peephole to watch too.

  “Thank you.” He lingers near the door like he’s afraid to come in any further. “I meant every word I just said. I did it for him. My brothers had pressured me into it, too, but I knew it would make him happy. One last thing I could do before he went, so he wouldn’t be worried on his way out. He lingered another hour before he died.”

  The catch in his throat reminds me that, indeed, his father passed away overnight. “I’m sorry about that.”

  Though honestly, the guy acted like I was lower than dirt, so I hope I’m not supposed to shed a tear over that.

  I’ve shed enough of them to last me quite a while.

  “It’s been killing me all day, knowing you would probably hear about it somehow. Knowing how hurt you would feel until I explained that it meant nothing.”

  “You got married.”

  “For show. I can have it annulled.”

  “Paxton …”

  “Please, believe me.” He takes one step closer to me and then another. “You’re all I want. That hasn’t changed.”

  We both turn at the opening of the door.

  Matt lets himself in without knocking. “Okay, buddy, that’s enough of your horseshit. You might wanna pack it up and hit the trail.”

  Paxton’s head snaps back. “Excuse me, but this has nothing to do with you.”

  “You think so?” Matt folds his arms, sneering as he looks Paxton up and down. “Considering I’m the one who’s been listening to her crying all day over your sorry ass, I think it has a lot to do with me.”

  For a second, it looks like Paxton might hit him. I look at Matt, my heart in my throat, wondering if he could handle himself should it come down to that.

  After all, I’ve seen what Paxton is capable of down on the ranch.

  Then again, Matt is more than physically capable himself, and he has something else on his side—sheer hatred. It’s coming off him in waves, so thick that I’m concerned it will choke me.

  “Why’d you come here?” Paxton demands. “I’m having a discussion with Kitty.”

  “I know. The walls are thin.” He shoots a glance my way. “I thought I could offer a little further insight into the situation. Context, you could say.”

  “Get your sorry ass—”

  “No.” My voice rings out over Paxton’s. “This isn’t your apartment, and you don’t have a say in who stays and who goes. Matt, let’s hear what you have to say.”

  He looks downright smug, though I can’t blame him. Not now.

  “Isn’t it true that, as soon as word of your father’s heart attack spread, your company’s stock prices went into a free fall?”

  I turn to Paxton, surprised. “Is that true?”

  He shrugs. “That’s what happens sometimes when things are in flux. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that.”

  Matt nods. “You’re right. There’s nothing unusual about that. Except we both know that little wedding in the hospital wasn’t only for your father’s sake. It was for the sake of appearances. You needed some way to assure your shareholders that things were going to stabilize, and what better way to do that than to join your family business with another equally large company? You know, the merger you and your father spent all last week trying to convince the board would be a good idea.”

  “That was the company you were trying to merge with all along.” I cover my eyes with my hands. “Jesus Christ, I’m an idiot. I should’ve left during your father’s party.”

  “I’m telling you, the marriage doesn’t mean anything!”

  I drop my hands, which I’d very much like to use around his neck right about now. “Stop lying! You know it means something. And I bet, if I believed you now, you’d string me along for a while. Promising the annulment would come through any day. Swearing you didn’t care about Lana, that you had to stabilize the company and keep the shareholders happy. The whole week you were in town, your father bullied you about seeing me, and you spent the whole time pretending like nothing was wrong.”

  “I didn’t want you to know about it because I was trying to work it out!”

  I was right about that then. “And when I was there, at the ranch, you fought with him. Your brothers wouldn’t even speak to me. Because they knew a wedding was the only way to keep the company together and I wasn’t the right girl to marry. They probably bullied you into the wedding at the hospital, and you allowed it! You don’t care enough about me to stand up to them, and you know what? That’s fine. Business is business. People have married for less. But don’t come around me anymore. No calls, no texts, nothing. I want to forget I ever knew you.”

  “Kitty, please,” he whispers, eyes shining like he’s on the verge of tears.

  This huge man. So strong and virile and masculine.

  But such a big, spineless baby.

  “Go. Get on your jet and fly away. Have a happy life.” I turn my back on him, shaking all over.

  He needs to leave now while I can still hold myself together.

  “You heard her,” Matt growls. “Out. Now.”

  “Fuck off,” Paxton snarls.

  But he leaves, and Matt doesn’t.

  Not until I need him to.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, turning my face slightly so I can see him out of the corner of my eye. “I think I need to be alone now.”

  “Okay. I’m right over here if you need anything.”

  I manage a small smile. “You’ve already done so much. I owe you.”

  “No, you don’t.” He closes the door with a soft click.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “I can’t lie. This one wasn’t so easy to get through.”

  Maggie clicks her tongue in sympathy. “At least you got through most of it before that snake in the grass showed his true colors.”

  I love it when she mixes her metaphors. “Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have made that comment about everything going easy. It all went to hell right after I said it. Lesson learned.”

  “Are you okay though? Honestly?”

  Honestly? For the better part of a week, I’ve cried a lot, eaten my weight in ice cream, drunk a lot of wine, and binge-watched two complete TV shows from beginning to end.

  But I survived. And I finished my book with a happy ending and everything.

  “Yes, I’m okay. Really.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I guess looks and money aren’t everything.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “You’re saying that like it’s some great, big discovery.”

  “Well, I’m sorry you had to go through this. Take it easy, and I’ll be in touch with you soon. We might have to think of a new plan.”

  “It’s okay, Maggie. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”

  “That’s what they say. Good-bye, Kitty.”

  “Bye, Maggie.”

  It’s easier to laugh now too. As soon as I stopped blaming myself for believing Paxton’s half-truths and delusions about being his own man, things got a lot better. Sometimes, it simply isn’t meant to be.

  I got two good weeks out of it. A fireworks show just for me.

  And some of the best sex of my life.

  Okay, I’m going to miss the sex. A lot.

  “Honestly, I think I’m pretty strong for deleting that pic he sent me,” I tell Hayley later in the day.

  It’s my birthday, and as such, we’re enjoying our customary drinks and junk food. She even has me wearing a Birthday Girl sash.

  “If you hadn’t done it, I would’ve done it for you. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.” She raises her glass to me. “To you. Best friend, best writer, best person.”

  “Stop. You’re gonna make me burst out crying, and everybody here will think we’re two girlfriends in the middle of a fight.”

  She laughs. “It wouldn’t be the craziest thing we’ve ever done. So, are you getting together with your grandmother later?”

  I shake my head. “No, she gave me my gift last weekend at the other party.” I hold out my wrist, so she can admire the charm bracelet.

  “It’s so pretty! Let’s see … there’s a typewriter here. A book. A little teapot …”

  “Since we always have tea together,” I explain. “The engraved heart has my parents’ initials. And she promised to add more charms over time.”

  “Beautiful. What a unique idea.” She looks up at me with a grin. “So, I have you all to myself this evening, Miss Valentine?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re not too busy to hang out.”

  “Not too busy for you, babe. I say, we go back to your place, order up a bunch of shit food to go with the shit we’ve just consumed, drink a bottle of wine apiece, and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ at the top of our lungs.”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve ever had.”

  We hurry to finish up and half-drunkenly giggle the entire way back to my building.

  It’s a beautiful April day. Warm, sunny, with the promise of summer on the horizon.

  I love my life. I really do. It’s days like this, birthday aside, that drive it home. I have terrific friends. I live in the best city in the entire world. I love my job.

  Life could be a hell of a lot worse.

  For starters, I don’t have to marry someone I don’t want to.

  “What’s this?” I stop in front of my door when I notice the door leading up to the roof is standing open.

  “Hmm. Probably nothing. Maybe Matt went up there and forgot to close it behind him.” She nudges me. “Hey, you wanna invite him to join us? It might look weird if we’re hanging out and being obnoxious and he can hear everything from next door.”

  “Eh, he’s getting his social life back on track. He’s been out the past few nights. I doubt he’d want to waste time with us.”

  “Even better. He’ll probably turn us down, so no harm done. Come on!” She starts for the stairs, running up before I can catch her.

  “Slow down! You know I can’t—”

  “Surprise!” Hayley jumps up and down, clapping. “Gotcha!”

  Yeah, she got me. So did Matt. And everybody else on the roof—Grandmother, Peter, Hayley’s family.

  “What is this?” I don’t know what to look at first. The lights strung up over the roof. The birthday cake sitting on a table near the roof’s ledge. The chairs set up around it.

  Matt’s smile is wide. “This is what we were originally going to do for you, but …”

  My eyes fill with tears. “You planned this for me?”

  “It’s not an entire jazz club, and the music will come from my phone, but yeah.”

  It’s the best thing I could have imagined. So much better than what Paxton planned. Sure, that was nice, but anybody can throw money around. This took real work from my friends.

  And my grandmother.

  I give her a hug before shaking a finger in her face. “Now, what business do you have, walking up six flights of stairs before climbing up to the roof? With your heart problems?”

  Peter chuckles. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t that bad.”

  Grandmother sneaks a glance over at Matt, who’s setting up the music. “He carried me the entire way to your floor.”

  I don’t know what surprises me more. The fact that he carried her or the fact that she allowed it.

  “I know.” Peter laughs before giving me a hug. “I was as stunned as you are. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you so much.” My head is spinning. I don’t know which end is up.

  Matt knew how much it would mean to me, having her here. So, he made it happen.

  It doesn’t take long for the dancing to start up. Matt’s playlist is fun, made up of music from the ’50s and ’60s.

  “Come on,” he urges my grandmother, holding a hand out. “I promise I’ll take it easy on you.”

  Kylie joins me in watching them dance, grinning from ear to ear. “Wanna know a secret?”

  I gasp. “You’re pregnant?”

  “No! Good Lord, girl. Do I look pregnant or something?”

  “Sorry, sorry. I was already three drinks in when I got here, and now, I’m on number four.” I hold up the beer from the cooler beside me. “What’s up?”

  “You look much happier and more relaxed than you did at the other party. Like you actually want to be here.”

  “Because I actually do. This is much more my speed.”

  And now that the sun is setting, the lights crisscrossing overhead look downright magical. Everybody’s happy, smiling, having fun together. A slower song plays while Hayley is dancing with Zack so Brandon takes Kylie’s hand to lead her to the dance area. When Peter steps in to dance with Grandmother, Matt concedes which leaves just the two of us without partners.

  “It only makes sense, Valentine.” He holds out a hand. “Come on. I get one dance with the birthday girl.”

  It’s strange to be this close to him, to be so aware of him. I know it would be entirely wrong for me to get all caught up in feelings for him, especially right now.

  It would also be entirely too easy, what with me being on the rebound and everything.

  Which is why I have to keep a cool head and my hormones in check. Though the drinks flowing through my system aren’t helping either of those things.

  “Thank you for this,” I whisper, looking around. Grandmother looks so happy, so at peace. “Thank you for making sure she could make it up here too.”

  “Oh, she told you about that?”

  “Please. You should’ve known I would pounce on her for walking up all those stairs.”

  “She put up with letting me carry her so long as it meant being here for you. This was something we all wanted for you.”

  “I couldn’t love it more. I mean that.” I look up at him, his face all aglow from the twinkle lights, and damn, it’s hard to keep a cool head.

  Why have I ignored the feelings he stirs up in me for so long? Am I that dense? Or just stubborn? Or afraid of rejection?

  “I’m glad. I’m glad you can have a nice birthday party on your actual birthday. I’m glad you know how many people love you.”

  My breath catches even though I know he means it as a friend.

  Doesn’t he?

  Good thing the song ends when it does and turns into something more upbeat because another ten seconds and I might’ve kissed him. And I’ve already seen the damage that can do.

  Though really, considering the man put together a surprise party with my best friend, there couldn’t be too much damage.

  Just the same, I catch his hand and hold him in place for another moment. “You know how you said I had my happy ending?”

  He winces. “I wish you wouldn’t remind me. That was low.”

  “No, it wasn’t. You were right.” I take another look around. “This is it. This is my happily ever after. And if this is the best life has to offer, I’ll take it. Because this might be the happiest night I’ve ever had.”

  “I hope you mean that.” His fingers close around mine. “I really do.”

  “Come on!” Hayley waves us over. “It’s time to light the candles and tear into this cake.”

  Matt grins down at me, pulling me toward the table with the cake, where Zack and Brandon are lighting the candles. “Do you know what you’re going to wish for?”

  Yes, I think I do.

  Read the next book in Kitty’s dating adventures in Kitty Valentine dates a Hockey Player

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