Chapter Twenty-Eight—Jace

Lidia's hands were intertwined together, resting on her lap with a bouncing knee and her lip tucked between her teeth. She'd been nervous before, but this was beyond it.

I couldn't take another minute of denying that I loved her. She deserved to know the truth no matter the outcome. Her being her, her being true, was enough to make me need to tell her how I felt.

The silence in my car weighed heavily on me as we drove away from the gallery. I didn't even care about my phone dinging from text and emails or shutting down early.

Lidia and I needed to talk about … us. It took all my courage to consider being more than a causal relationship with her, but the thought of not having her trumped all of it.

She nervously slid her palm down her thighs, straightening her dress and clearing her throat. "I—I what changed your mind? I don't want to be together if you're here because you think you hurt my feelings—I mean, the thought of not being together does hurt—but that can't be the reason you're giving this a try, Jace. I can't let you do that to yourself—"

"Lidia," I interrupted, turning the air conditioner vents toward me. "I'm doing this because I truly love you, and I've never felt that before."

Lidia smirked, and I felt myself relax into my seat. "Ya know," she said coolly. "I warned you not to fall in love with me. I guess my charm has its way, huh?"

Easily, I ran my fingers through my hair with a chuckle. "Oh, we both know that you fell for me first, Lambert."

She palmed her chest. "Oh the contrary, Sir. And it's Mrs. Archer to you. I own half of this gallery now, according to our fake marriage license. You had better watch out. I may take you for all your worth."

"I'm shaking in my boots."

She gave me the side eye. "So, about the other day."

"Which day?" I asked.

"The day we found the tape recorder," she said.

I tapped the steering wheel, remembering that day for completely different reasons. "Ah … that day."

A dark blush traveled up her neck to rest against her cheeks. "Yeah. I … I—well, I mean—I haven't stopped thinking about it."

Neither had I.

"What are you saying, Mrs. Archer?" I asked, my body began to hum with anticipation. I didn't want to take her virginity until she was ready, but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't want to me the man to take it.

Lidia tucked her dark hair and nervously fiddled with a stray string on her dress. I reached across and slid my palm over the top of hers. "Calm down," I said. "We don't have to rush—"

"I want to," she blurted out. "I know I've said for the longest time that I want to wait until I got married but … I mean, you said you loved me, and everything flipped upside down for me. Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, panicked.

The smile on my face was a mile long. Even though I respected what she wanted as a woman, it didn't change the fact that I wanted her in every way she would give it to me.

"I'm just … interested in this topic," I said smugly.

Lidia's laugh broke the awkward tension she'd had riding her tongue. "Don't get the big head now, Mr. Archer. I mean, I am your wife."

"Don't feel pressured," I said gently, not wanting her to feel cornered. "I can wait, and I will if that's what you want."

A smile eased onto her face. "I know that, and I appreciate it."

We rode in a comfortable silence the rest of the way to my apartment. The ever-longing feeling of having Lidia swarmed me from the inside out.

I'd wanted it to be special for her, and I tried to think of what champagne I had at home, and what to do. I hadn't taken a girl's virginity since eleventh grade.

And this was different. Lidia was different.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I pressed the ignore button and swallowed my overconsuming thoughts. We made it to my apartment, and I felt an electric pull tugging at my back while I let her inside.

Her scent slid over my skin like silk, leaving behind a thirsty feeling of need. Lidia dropped her purse on top of the kitchen counter, and I pinned her against it.

A small sound slipped from her throat causing my hands to twitch. "We don't have to do this," I whispered, feeling my urgency grow. It took all my restraint to hold myself back. I braced my palms against the granite on either side of her to keep myself from touching too soon.

I needed to touch her. Lidia's mouth opened at the same time I saw movement from my living room. I jerked upward, moving her around to stand behind me.

"Oomph," she said, catching herself against the refrigerator. "Okay, Jace, I'm all for some hair pulling but I'm new to—oh," she said.

Grandfather stood in the center of my living room, hands shoved down into his expensive slacks and a deadpanned look on his face. It wasn't just that he'd gotten into my apartment without setting off the alarm that worried me.

It was Seth standing behind him. Bastard.

"Don't stop on our account," Seth said, a sneaky smile spreading across his face.

Lidia cleared her throat. "Umm, Jace," she whispered, shoving my shoulder.

"What are you doing in my house?" I asked, fighting my anger. "And why did you think it was okay to be here?"

Grandfather chuckled humorlessly. "I think the better question is … who do you think you're fooling, Jace? We've had this discussion. A fake relationship—a fake marriage—isn't going to make this contract go away. What is this celebration you've invited us to? Why would you go to Florida of all places to elope? You must think I'm stupid."

"I don't know, Grandfather. You believe Seth got married because he loves what's-her-name, so I don't know what to think about you. Seth got married to make sure he got my job."

Grandfather. "Seth courted her—"

"Seth is manipulative and has you wrapped around his finger, and he will run the gallery into the ground—"

"It looks like it's already going into the ground," Seth said with a smile. "Someone painted a mural up your wife's dress in the front lobby—"

"What?" Grandfather barked.

"That was me," Lidia stepped to the side and said. "Don't blame Jace for that. I did it. It was a joke. Ha. Ha," she said softly. "Wait. So … you've been to the gallery recently?" she asked, tilting her head.

Seth smirked. "I've been busy with my wife, so no, I haven't—"

"Rebecca told you?" Lidia interrupted.

A strange look traveled across Seth's face, and it hit me hard in the chest. Seth hired Rebecca to take care of figuring us out. That meant Seth talked to Rebecca.

What newly wedded husband kept up with another woman so closely?

Grandfather sighed deeply. "If you host this party, and tell people this lie, I will expose you, Jace. All I ever wanted for you was to be happy. To marry and have kids. I never did this to be cruel to you. I didn't want you to end up lonely like me."

I am happy! I wanted to scream it at him, but I knew it wouldn't matter. Grandfather knew this was fake, even though it wasn't anymore.

Grandfather walked passed me, stopping to brace his palm on my shoulder. He didn't even speak; the disapproving look hanging over his face shunned me.

Seth walked passed him, slowly, leaving behind the stench of shit and expensive cologne.

Once the door shut, Lidia's footsteps drew quickly against the floor, where she started tossing pillows. I watched her race toward my bedroom and bring out my laptop a few moments later.

"What are you doing?" I asked, stopping behind her at the kitchen bar.

Lidia glanced over her shoulder at me. "I'm about to bust Seth and his wife. Remember their wedding? She had no family there. No one. Isn't that weird to you?"

I shrugged, bracing my elbows against the counter beside her, rubbing my tired eyes with the heels of my palms. "Yeah, but what are you getting at?"

Lidia typed in Seth Archer and Leanne Archer, pulling her maiden name from the newspaper article that appeared. "Leanne Cox. Give this to your friend, have him do a background check. I've got a bad feeling that something isn't legit about their marriage."

I blew out a huff of air. "Lidia, we watched them get married—"

"Why would she show up with no family, unless it was a secret?"

I shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't have one."

She shook her head. "Even if, she has to have a friend. A co-worker or someone that cares a little bit about her, Jace."

"I guess," I said, taking the piece of paper she offered me. "I'll send it to him and see what he comes up with." I shot him a text and shoved the paper back into my pocket.

Lidia tilted her head. "What are we going to do about the party? I mean—do you really think your Grandfather will out us?"

Of course I did. "What does it matter?" I asked. "My birthday is in days, and if I'm not married, Seth gets my job. He'll probably hire Rebecca to be his assistant … I mean unless he lets you keep your job to taunt me. That's very likely."

Lidia got up from the barstool and walked around behind me, wrapping her small arms across my waist. "We have two days," she whispered softly. "I'm sorry you choose the wrong girl for this."

I turned to look down at her. "What does that mean?" I couldn't imagine this with anyone else.

She shrugged, suddenly finding her feet interesting. "Ya know, someone that doesn't take marriage seriously would have just got hitched with the idea of getting divorced afterward."

Reaching down, I lifted her chin with my fingers. "I've never been prouder to be with someone that takes marriage seriously, Lidia. That's something to be proud of, Sweet Girl, not ashamed of."

"It would have worked out better for you if I didn't take it more seriously. Would you have gone through the trouble of actually getting married if you were promised a divorced?"

I hadn't thought about it. Until Lidia, the thought of marriage always felt like a trap. Some woman wanting my money, or my family's name. Now—now it seemed nice to think of being with her … forever.

"I doubt I would have," I said softly. "But that doesn’t mean I wouldn't now. You've redirected my life, Lidia Lambert, and I hope you know that there is nothing you can do to change it."

Lidia lifted upon her tiptoes and kissed me softly. Being interrupted by my family had knocked me out of my train of thought, but it only took a moment for Lidia to bring down my anger and put us on cruise control.

When she pulled back, she whispered, "What are we going to do about the party? We've invited everyone …"

"We're going to have the party," I whispered. "And if my Grandfather's balls are big enough, he can try and call us out—who cares anymore, right?"

Lidia opened her mouth, but I stopped her with an aggressive kiss. I didn't want to talk about my family anymore, or the deal, or the thought of losing my company.

I wanted to taste her mouth, show her how much she meant to me. Tangling my fingers into her hair, I pulled her mouth closer to mine, finding a seat on the barstool behind me, I drug her up into my lap.

She made a small sound that traveled down to my dick. Every small tug of her hand and maneuver on my lap felt like a step closer to being with her.

Lidia pulled away from my kiss, her lips puffy from mine, and whispered, "Why don't you take me to your room?" she whispered.

I searched her face carefully, nodding slowly; I carried her with her legs wrapped around my waist to my bedroom. When I sat her down, she nervously tucked her hair. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back."

I watched her slip into my bathroom and shut the door behind her. Nerves shot down my spine and I fumbled around my desk drawer for some gum when I noticed Lidia's backpack from her staying a few nights.

I opened the drawer to grab a stick of gum and knocked her bag over onto the carpet. I bent down to place it back when I noticed her journal splayed out in front of me.

I wasn't the nosy boyfriend—jealous, yes—nosy, not so much. I read over the list of movies she wanted me to watch, and her goofy drawings of a stern looking guy in a suit. When I stood up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror—I didn't recognize myself.

That wasn't me anymore. I was no longer the guy overworked man that didn't believe in love. Lidia changed me. No, I'd fallen in love with her.

My eyes swept the page with a racing heart. At the bottom was a small sentence that took my breath away.

Wait until marriage—no matter how much you want Jace Archer to ravish you. It'll be worth it.

The toilet flushed so I shoved it back into her bag and sat it back down. All my hormones raged against my decision making process. I wanted Lidia more than air, but I needed to respect her.

She wanted to wait, and I would wait. Because it was evidentially clear that I would marry Lidia Lambert, and we wouldn't have to wait any longer.

Lidia walked out with a shy smile on her face. "Sorry, I'm nervous—"

I debated on how to tell her that we couldn't do it without saying I read through your stuff. I shoved my hands into my pockets, and a frown formed on her face.

"What is it?" she whispered. "Did you change your mind?"

I went to open my mouth when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it and took her hands in mine. Her pretty eyes searched my face, and I pressed my thumb down the center of her bottom lip. "Baby—"

My phone buzzed again, I growled and answered the call. "What?" I barked.

Adam scoffed. "What a thank you for someone ruining people's marriages."

"Sorry," I huffed. 'I'm in the middle of something—"

"I found Leanne Cox," he said with a laugh. "Looks like your brother isn't really married."

My eyes widened. Lidia tapped my shoulder and started hoping up and down. "Tell me. What is it? Tell me!"

I put him on speaker phone. "—Leanne Cox isn't her maiden day, Jace. It's her married name. Their marriage isn't legal … because she's already married."

Lidia's mouth popped opened. "Son of a monkey."