Anyone But Rich (Anyone But..., #1)(65)

“Yes,” I said. The word came out with a rush of air, like I put every last bit my lungs could hold into saying it. I felt light-headed and giddy all at once.

“Yes . . .” he said slowly. “I want to be excited, but I also asked you if you’d marry me at least”—he held up his wrist and acted like he was doing intensive mental math as he checked his watch—“four hours ago. So are you saying yes to—”

“Yes. I’ll marry you,” I said. I cupped his face and kissed him.

When I pulled back from the kiss, the only emotion left was excitement. Yes, getting engaged this quickly was borderline crazy, but I didn’t care anymore. Besides, it wasn’t like the wedding was going to be tomorrow. Engagements usually lasted a year, and I’d have plenty of time to wrap my head around all of this later.

“You’re supposed to let me put the ring on you,” he said when I went in to kiss him again.

“Oh, right.” I let him take my hand and slide the ring on my finger. I looked down at it and bit my lip. I’d never been the type to want a caveman to bash me over the head and carry me back to his cave, but I had to admit part of me liked being claimed like this. His ring was on my finger, and now everyone would know I was taken. I was his.

“There’s just one more thing,” Rich said as he stood and winced. He shook out his leg and stretched his back.

I laughed at his little show of being sore. He had been kneeling for only five minutes at the most. Probably, at least. I guess I didn’t really know how long it had been. “You don’t think that was enough of a surprise for today?” I asked.

“Maybe you should sit down for this part,” he said.

I frowned. “What? Why don’t I like the sound of this already?”

“Because it’s going to sound like a really dumb, bad idea at first. But I need you to hear me out.” He took me by the shoulders and guided me to the steps leading up to my condo and sat me down. “I thought of a way to maybe get my parents off our backs.”

“Okay,” I said. I searched his face for some clue of what was coming, and all I could find was hesitation. Whatever he was about to say, he really thought I wasn’t going to like it. Not a good sign.

“So, the one thing my parents care about more than anything is their reputation. That’s what all of this is about in the first place. Stella’s family is well respected, so if I married her, it would boost my parents’ reputation. You and your family, well—”

“I get it. We’re like street urchins to them. It doesn’t offend me. Don’t worry. I know you don’t see it that way.”

He nodded and squeezed my knee. “Right, because I’ve never wanted to bend a street urchin over the nightstand and—”

“Rich,” I said with a smirk. “Are you focusing right now?”

He looked like he was about to make a case for himself but then shook his head and continued. “The point is that my parents don’t just want to stop us from being together. They want to stop anyone from finding out that we are together. Right now it’s rumors and pictures. That’s good enough for the public, but in their social circle, it won’t carry enough weight yet. Soon, the rumors will be too widespread to deny, even in their world. So my parents are going to be desperate to split us up before it reaches that point.”

“Oh my God, Rich.” I covered my mouth. “Are you trying to say we should hire hit men?”

“What is it with you and hit men?” Rich laughed. “No. I’m saying we should make sure nobody has any doubt we’re together. We make it known before they have a chance to stop us, and maybe that will convince them there’s no use in wasting time and energy keeping us apart. The damage will already be done.”

“What if it just pisses them off and makes them want to sabotage us even more out of spite?”

“That’s a possibility. But I think this is our best shot. The other option is we just hunker down, let them keep lobbing nasty shit our way, and hope they eventually get bored.”

“You’re right. That doesn’t sound appealing. So where does your dumb plan come in?”

Rich took a breath, and his eyes flickered across my face. I’d never seen him look so nervous.

“We make it look like I got engaged to Stella. We put a decoy ring on her, make announcements to the press. Plan the wedding. The whole deal. Except it’s our wedding we’ll be planning. When the day comes, everyone will be watching, and it’s not going to be Stella who comes down the aisle. It’ll be too late for anyone to stop us by the time they realize.”

I stared at him. “You’re right. That is a dumb plan.”

Rich’s shoulders slumped. “I thought you might say that.”

“But,” I said, “I must be dumb, too, because I think we should try it.”





Chapter 24





RICH


Looking my parents in the eye was surprisingly difficult. Part of me wanted to laugh in their faces, and the other part wanted to shout at them. Instead, I kept my expression neutral and sat beside Stella.

They’d reacted to the news that Stella and I would be engaged just as I’d imagined.

My father wore a smug look on his face. He kept spreading his hands as he spoke, like he was trying to be humble in victory and wanted us to be old pals again.