My father must have read that particular concern from my face as he tried to pretty up the picture for me. “Look at your brother, he wasn’t even close to ready to settle down and since his wedding, he’s already managed to get his wife with child – two children actually, since there are twins.” My father smiled at me. “They’re content and I’m going to be a grandfather, which makes me immensely happy.” My dad appeared absolutely giddy at the idea of becoming a grandfather. Of course, he would be. He loved kids and his three were all grown up now.

“That was a fluke, and you know it,” I argued. “Besides, now our cousin won’t speak to us, and your own brother is pretty pissed off about things too.”

“I don’t see why. It was Beckett who suggested the whole arrangement,” my father argued.

“Well, he assumed he would get his girlfriend back after Flynn managed to procure his inheritance.” I laughed, because I still thought he was an idiot for even suggesting what he did, but my brother and his new wife – my cousin Beckett’s one time girlfriend, or was it fiancé – seemed happy together now, so kudos to them for taking a weird situation and making it great. “My situation isn’t even close to the same,” I argued. “I don’t even believe in love and happily ever after, so that argument won’t work on me anyway.”

“Okay, then I don’t see why this is an issue for you. Call it a marriage of convenience. You will be taken care of. There will be a prenup to ensure you will always be cared for, even if things don’t work out. If,” my father’s face turned bright red as he spoke, “you so decide, you can even have an arrangement of discretion amongst the two of you.”

I gasped – yes, it was fake. “You mean, my betrothed and I can have sanctioned affairs so long as we don’t get caught?” I asked, while feigning being scandalized. “Whatever would polite society think of this?”

“Suddenly, this situation doesn’t seem as unacceptable,” a rather sensual voice called out from just behind me. My shoulders stiffened as my father puffed up his chest and got to his feet. I did not bother to turn around just yet because I wasn’t sure I was ready to face the man who would be claiming my future.

“Behave,” another man’s voice muttered. This man, I could see as his reflection shown perfectly well in the window before me. He was tall, broad shouldered, and only the tiniest bit paunchy as if he spent a little too much time kicking back the beer while out on the golf course. He had to be out on the course, or maybe a boat, often since his skin was tanned to a nice, deep leathery look. His head full of silver hair did not detract from his overall appearance though. Despite any of his flaws that my eyes tracked, because I was looking for them, he was still incredibly handsome for an older gentleman.