A Very Exclusive Engagement(55)

“Liam, would you have ever considered marrying me if your aunt hadn’t forced us into this situation? I mean, would you even have asked me on a date after what happened between us in the elevator? Honestly.”

Liam frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. “No, I probably wouldn’t have.”

At least they were both telling the truth now. Nodding, she turned away and hauled her luggage down the stairs. It was time for her to go home and pick up the pieces of her life.





Thirteen

Liam signed Angelica’s termination paperwork and pushed the pages across his desk. He thought he would be happy to see this issue put to bed, but he wasn’t. He was the most miserable newlywed in history.

For one thing, he hadn’t seen the bride since their wedding night. It had been a long, lonely weekend without her there. He’d quickly grown accustomed to having her around. Now his town house felt cold and empty.

The office wasn’t much better. Francesca didn’t greet him first thing with coffee and a kiss. He wasn’t even sure if she was at work today. He wanted to call her. Email her. But he knew he shouldn’t. It would make it easier on her if he took a step back and let her have the space she needed. She deserved that much.

But he missed his wife.

How quickly she had become that in his mind. She was no longer his employee. She was his wife. There was no differentiation in his mind about the terms of their marriage. Their engagement may have been a ruse, but the wedding and the marriage felt real to him. Frighteningly real.

Liam had never given much thought to a wife and family, but the minute Francesca walked out the door, a hole formed in his chest. It was as though she’d ripped out his heart and taken it with her. All he was left with was the dull ache of longing for her.

That didn’t feel fake to him.

Yes, he’d been pushed into the marriage to please his aunt. He had to admit that much to Francesca because it was true. But now that he was married to her, it felt right. It felt natural. He no longer cared about Aunt Beatrice’s opinion on the matter. He…was in love with Francesca.

“I love my wife,” he said out loud to his empty office. There was no one to hear him, but saying it had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. Unfortunately, admitting the truth was just the first step.

How could he prove to Francesca that he really did love her? That this wasn’t about the network or stock deals? There was no way for her to know for sure that he wasn’t just playing nice for appearances.

The only way to convince her, the only sure path, would be to take the stock deal and the network woes off the table. If his aunt had no negotiating power over him, then he stayed married to Francesca because he wanted to, not just because he had to.

But to do that without risking the company would mean that he needed enough stock to control ANS without his aunt’s shares. That seemed virtually impossible. Unless…

Liam grabbed his phone and leaped out from behind his desk. He had to find Victor Orr before they returned to California. Francesca had mentioned they were staying on a few days to tour the Smithsonian, so if he had any luck, they were still in D.C.

It took two phone calls and a drive to their hotel in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but Liam was finally able to track down Francesca’s parents. He was standing at the door, waiting for them to answer the buzzer, when he realized he didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to them. He would have to admit the truth. And that would mean that a very large, angry Irishman might be beating him senseless within minutes for hurting his daughter.

Victor answered the door with a frown. Without speaking a word, he seemed to realize something was wrong. Why else would his new son-in-law show up alone just days after the wedding? He led Liam into their suite and gestured for him to sit down in one of the chairs in the living room.

He watched Liam through narrowed eyes for a few minutes before Liam gathered the nerve to speak.

“There are some things I need to tell you,” Liam said.

“I’m sure there are.” Victor leaned back in his chair, ready to listen.

Without knowing the best way to tell the story, Liam chose to start at the beginning. He began with the stock arrangement with his aunt, delicately skipping over the elevator debacle, and followed with Beatrice’s later demand that he marry to keep control of the network.

“And my daughter agreed to go along with this phony engagement?”

“Yes, sir. She seemed hesitant at first, but apparently she saw a sign that she should do it. A ladybug.”