Wrapped Up: A Triple Threat Sports Romance (4 page)

“You should probably make a quiet exit tonight,” she told me, obviously catching the look in my eyes. “Otherwise, you might be here all night. I’ll cover for you and let my father know you weren’t feeling well. Come, I’ll see you out.”

I didn’t think leaving was a great idea, but staying didn’t seem like one either. I took the lesser of the two evils and let Brooke walk me to the door, where my car was waiting for me just outside.

I hugged her and considered kissing her again, but the moment had passed. We were back on official terms.

“I’ll let you know what he says,” she told me as she pulled away from the light, superficial hug and sent me on my way.

I was starting to feel unsure about our arrangement again, but at least Brooke and I were on the same page. I knew that had to count for something.

Brooke

I needed to talk my father down. I knew there was no use in talking to him the night of the big dinner, so I waited. I needed to talk to him soon, though, because I could tell Jake was starting to get cold feet after hearing my father’s declaration that we were going to definitely have a big, flashy wedding.

I couldn’t allow him to run off my one chance at getting the company. I had to remind him that we had agreed to a small, comfortable ceremony. I also wanted him to save his money for when I really got married.

I came back to the house the next afternoon to find my father sitting at the desk in his personal office. He was reviewing paperwork spread out neatly in front of him, obviously reviewing some legal documents related to his will or to the company.

“Brooke,” he welcomed me warmly. “Please, have a seat.”

I pulled back one of the chairs in front of his desk and sat down, obeying my father.

“It’s a shame your fiancé had to leave like he did last night,” my father stated.

“Yes, but he wasn’t feeling well, and he had an early practice today,” I lied. The truth was I had sent him away just because I could tell he wasn’t comfortable hanging around much longer.

“I hope he can stick around long enough to make it to the wedding,” he added. It felt like he was taking a jab at my arrangement, hinting that he didn’t actually buy the sudden engagement and coming marriage.

“I think he was expecting something a little more intimate last night, honestly,” I finally admitted.

My father laughed smugly. “Isn’t he a big shot football star? He should be used to big events by now. He’s certainly been to plenty of them, I’m sure.”

“True, but he likes to keep his personal life private,” I argued, and I could see that my father was considering what I was telling him.

“Either that or he doesn’t want everyone to know he’s getting married. Maybe he’s keeping secrets, Brooke.” He looked right at me with a serious tone in his voice and a stern look in his eyes.

“Think about it. When have you heard anything about Jake Hall’s personal life in the news or on TV? The only thing you ever see from him is his performance on the field or what he does for the team off the field. His personal life is usually left out. Not even any scandals.” I tried to reason with the old man.

“That just means he has more to hide,” he insisted stubbornly.

“Fine. My future husband is hiding things. He’s a big-time professional athlete who probably has women waiting for him in every major city where the team plays,” I said, waving my hand dismissively at my father.

“I’m serious, Brooke. If he doesn’t want people in his business, it’s probably because he’s up to something he shouldn’t be.”

I sort of hoped Jake
was
up to something shady. I hoped he had girls in every city just waiting for him to come back through so they could have another night of wild passion. I hoped he had some sort of drug problem or
something
that would make it easier to divorce him when the time came.

I couldn’t believe what I was thinking! On paper, Jake was the perfect candidate for what I was trying to do. He was going to make the perfect fake husband, and I was going to be his perfect fake wife. Together, we were going to have a perfectly staged life that would allow us to keep everyone off of our backs.

At the same time, I was intrigued. I knew my father was probably right. There had to be a reason why someone with such potential to be a big celebrity tried to keep his personal life quiet. My interest was piqued.

“While that may be true,” I said after a moment’s contemplation, “I think you should honor our wishes. We both would like to have a small, private wedding. We just want to invite our
closest
friends and family, and I don’t mean invite every wealthy socialite in the city. We just want a handful of people there.”

“You want a small wedding? But it’s your
wedding
! This is supposed to only happen once in your lifetime. It’s supposed to be a big deal,” he argued.

“It’s supposed to be the way the bride wants it,” I told him flatly. “And I want it small.” I was afraid he was going to challenge me on it until I had no choice but to admit to him that it was just a staged marriage anyway.

“What kinds of thoughts has that fiancé of yours been putting in your head?” he asked with a hiss.

“None.” I sighed. “I’m not like you. I don’t like these grand gestures that you like to make about everything. Sometimes, it’s nice just to relax and enjoy life without having to put so much effort into everything.” While it was true that I felt that way, I did
not
feel that way about my wedding. I wanted a big wedding, but I wanted that for my actual wedding. I wanted something small so that there would still be money left for my real wedding, but I also wanted it big enough that there would be witnesses to our blessed union. What good was getting married for show if there wasn’t some kind of show?

“Fine, if you want a small ceremony, you can have one,” he finally said. “Just don’t expect me to fork over the money for a big one when you find the right guy and realize that marrying the football player just because he was available was a bad idea.”

“Thank you,” I said graciously as I got up from the chair in front of his desk.

“That’s all you wanted?” he asked.

“That’s all. Is there anything else you had for me?”

“No, but make sure he doesn’t run out on your engagement the way he ran out on dinner last night. You can’t get your inheritance unless you actually go through with the marriage,” he reminded me.

“Thanks. I know.” I turned and walked out of his office. Part of me had hoped that he would have at least started moving things around for me once I was engaged, but his last statement made it clear he was going to hold out until I actually had the ceremony.

While I was thinking about all the stipulations, I went home and looked over the document he had prepared for me. It did say that I had to be married prior to having ownership of the company shifted into my name. It did not, however, say how long I had to remain married. I knew Jake would love to know that, and a new plan started brewing in my mind that would please both of us.

I called Jake up.

“Brooke!” he answered, surprised to hear from me.

“Hey, I’ve got some news for you. Meet me at that café again,” I told him.

“Sure thing.”

We hung up and I hopped in the car. I wanted to give him the news in person and tell him my new plan. I wanted to see his reaction. Hell, to be honest, I just wanted to see him, to know that we were still on for the engagement and wedding. I didn’t want to imagine him running off and finding another fake girlfriend somewhere, someone who didn’t require so much of him.

Jake greeted me with a hug at the same table where we sat before.

“I’m glad we didn’t run you off last night,” I joked with him as we sat down.

“It takes a lot more than that to scare me,” he said. “What’s the news?”

“Oh, you’re going to love it, but let’s order some coffee first.” Instead of waiting for someone to come by the table, I hopped up and went to the counter to order a couple of coffees for both of us. They were prepared right there in front of me, and I took them back to the table.

I had a caramel mocha latte, and I ordered just a plain latte for Jake. I preferred a little extra flavor in my coffee. He enjoyed his pretty straight up, just cream and sugar.

“So, what’s the news, Brooke? You’re killing me here,” he persisted.

“Alright. I was able to talk my father down. He said he’ll pay for us to have a small wedding.”

“Is that all? You could have told me that over the phone. You didn’t have to drag me out to the café for that.”

Is that so, Mr. Hall? What are you hiding?
“I know, but there’s more.” I couldn’t contain my excitement.

I also couldn’t contain my desire. Was he always dressed so immaculately? His short-sleeve, button-down shirt hugged his chest and arms, showing off how muscular and contoured his body was. I had caught a glimpse of his thin khakis when he stood up, and while they weren’t tight enough to show off his athletic legs, they did show a tempting bulge between his legs. I wanted him to throw me down on that small round table and make me his right then and there, though I knew sex would lead to an attachment which would destroy the whole arrangement between us. It almost felt worth it.

He watched me for a moment before saying, “Okay, what’s the other part?”

“I went back over my father’s paperwork, the document he presented to me as our agreement that I would marry in order to take over the company from him in full, and it only states that I have to get married first. It doesn’t state how long we have to be married,” I explained.

Jake’s ears perked up. “I’m listening.”

“So, what I’m thinking is we get married, and we keep it going long enough for me to get the company, maybe long enough to satisfy your team’s new owner, and then we divorce.” What I didn’t include was the thought that once we got divorced, we could actually start seeing each other again. After our marriage had ended, we would be able to drop the whole
just business
aspect of our relationship and give each other another chance. I was fairly certain that Jake wasn’t going to go for that idea.

“That’s actually perfect,” he said. “I really like that idea. But, like you said, we have to stay married long enough to make sure everyone is satisfied with our marriage.”

“I agree wholeheartedly. Now, I know you’re feeling a little nervous about it all right now,” I told him.

“Nervous? Not me. I just ask that there aren’t any more surprises like last night,” he replied, trying to save face.

“What I was going to suggest was drafting up a prenuptial agreement stating the terms of our arrangement.” It seemed like the right time to bring that up.

“That’s not a bad idea either. What exactly are our terms? You know, if we put them together in an actual document, I would feel a little bit better. At least we would have them written down, as a kind of reference. That way, if anything changes, we can amend it. It doesn’t have to be anything official or legally binding.” It sounded like he was starting to backtrack, and I didn’t like that too much. I hoped the idea of the prenup would bring him back.

“Well, so far, the only thing we’re really agreeing to beyond just getting married is getting divorced once I have the company in my name and once your bosses are off your back about presenting a better image,” I told him.

“You know what? Let’s just go with whatever you think is best,” he said. His tone sounded like he was giving up. “You’re the one who needs to get married. I just need a beautiful, steady woman on my arm. If our marriage will allow me to do that, I don’t care what else we have to do.”

I finished my coffee and stood up to go. “I’ll let you know what I decide, then,” I told him, turning to leave before he could stand up to hug me. If we were going to keep it just business, then that was exactly what I intended to do.

I wasn’t too excited about creating any official documents that would leave a paper trail for our arranged, fake marriage, but if that was what it was going to take to get him to continue to play along and put his mind at ease, fine. I left without saying anything else.

Keeping it impersonal should have made it easier, but it was only making it harder, and I could feel it pushing us away from the goal, and from each other.