Chapter 19

Gavin Lawson was his secretary.

I stayed quiet, and Jace looked down. “Rea, what do you want me to do? Just tell me, okay?” He sounded powerless, helpless, even despondent. Seeing him like this was rare.

“Jace, we’ve broken up. You don’t need to worry about this. Take care of her however you want,” I said.

He shook his head and stepped closer, trapping me between the sink and his chest. “Don’t even think about it. We’re getting our marriage certificate tomorrow.”

“Jace, do you really want to marry me?” I remembered his conversation with Steve and spoke directly. “We know each other too well. So well that you have no interest in even sleeping with me, right?”

“I told you it was just a joke. That night, I was—”

“Jace,” I interrupted, not wanting to revisit that night, “that night is a shadow that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Do you get that?”

His eyes narrowed, and he asked helplessly, “What do you want me to do so you’ll forgive me and not break up?”

I’d already told him, yet he kept asking. I didn’t want to repeat myself.

I pushed him. “Move aside, I’m hungry and need to eat.”

“Fine, I’ll never contact Tanya again,” he said, taking out his phone and blocking her on all social media and from his contact list. “Happy now?”

Hearing the irritation in his voice, I gave a bitter smile. “Jace, are you just worried your parents will freak out if I tell them we broke up? I can wait to tell them.”

“That’s not what I mean. I really want to marry you.” Jace paused, then added, “Even though we haven’t gotten our marriage certificate, had a wedding, or even been in a relationship like that, in my heart, you’ve always been… my wife.”

My heart skipped a beat at the word “wife.”

When my parents were alive, my dad always introduced my mom as his “wife” in public. He said “wife” was the highest and most respectful title, far more special than girlfriend or partner.

If Jace called me his wife, he must really mean it. My heart started to soften.

“Rea, we heard about what happened at the company yesterday and gave Jace a good talking-to. He knows he messed up,” Lindey said during dinner.

“It’s fine, I didn’t let it get to me,” I replied. Even though I thought of them as my parents, I couldn’t act as openly as a real daughter might, showing my feelings.

“Rea is a smart girl. She and Jace have known each other for so long; they get each other,” Matthew added.

“That’s why I’m so scared of losing such a great girl. Jace needs to marry her ASAP,” Lindey said, smoothly changing the topic to getting the marriage certificate tomorrow.

Jace looked at me, his eyes full of worry.

I met his gaze. “Jace, tell your parents again. Do you really want to marry me?”

“What kind of question is that, Jace? Answer her!” Lindey cut in.

Jace kept his eyes on me, filled with emotions I couldn’t read. “Rea, I want you to be my wife. Please, don’t say no.”

After he spoke, everyone looked at me, waiting for my response.