We dressed for the lawyer’s office again on Thursday morning. I was nervous and excited. Last night, Harper had told me she wanted to go through with the marriage. It had made my heart beat out of my chest. She knew exactly what it entailed and it made me feel like maybe she was starting to consider a life with me.

After the night we’d had last night, a life with her was what I wanted, too. I still hadn’t had the courage to tell her how I felt. I had wanted to tell her last night, but like a pussy, I had chickened out.

She told me she wanted to do it anyway, and that told me that she was on the same page I was, even though we hadn’t talked about it. A rush of excitement coursed through me at the thought that we were together in a way. I was so happy.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked Harper when she stepped out of the bathroom. She had put on a dress suit; a pencil skirt with a matching jacket, a blouse tucked in and the black heels she had worn on our date last night. She was the perfect combination of sexy and professional, and if we had more time, I would have stripped her down naked and taken her again.

“Ready,” she said. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’m a little nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” I said. “All we have to do is sign the papers and that’s it.”

Harper nodded and we left the hotel together. We took a cab to Danbury’s office and arrived ten minutes early. When I saw Camden, I was filled with dread. I had hoped we could handle this without having him present. It was only a contract that needed to be signed, after all.

I didn’t want to talk to him. I sat down in the waiting area with Harper, not making eye contact, but Camden walked toward us, anyway.

“Hello, cousin,” Camden said.

“Camden,” I said. “I didn’t realize you were coming today.”

“I have to fight for what’s mine,” he said. “This is her, I presume?”

I was immediately pissed off. “Her name is Harper,” I said coldly, “and she is my fiancée.” I turned to Harper who had stood with me. “This is my cousin, Camden.”

Harper smiled. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand. Camden looked at her hand without taking it.

“I’ve heard about you,” he said. “And I hope you know this isn’t going to work.”

Harper looked at me and I could see the panic in her eyes despite her poker face. Camden wouldn’t pick up on it, but I did.

“Jealousy makes you nasty, cousin,” I said.

Camden laughed. “It’s not jealousy, Caden. It’s confidence. I know this relationship is fake. You’re only getting married for the money. I don’t know where you dug up a woman that is willing to do that for you. Did you offer her half the cash?”

I clenched my fists, wanting to punch him in the face. I wanted to wipe that smug grin right off. But we were in a lawyer’s office. This was the best place for Camden to sue me for assault. And he would probably do something pathetic like that, too.

“Let’s just get this over and done with, shall we?” I said, being the dick I wanted to be. Danbury opened his office doors and stepped out, calling us to the conference room where we had first met. Camden walked in, followed by a short, stocky man in a brown suit.

“He wasn’t supposed to be here,” Harper said in a panicked whisper as soon as everyone else was in the office. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to calm down and do what we came here to do. They have no proof of anything.”

Harper nodded, but she wasn’t calm. She was panicked and freaked out. Camden’s nasty attitude and the way he had talked about her like she wasn’t even with us had thrown her off.

I guided her into the conference room where Danbury was seated on one side, next to two open seats. Camden and the man I assumed was his lawyer sat on the other side of the table. Harper and I took our seats and Danbury introduced us to each other. I disliked Mr. Finch, Camden’s lawyer, immediately. He had shifty little eyes and a balding head that he tried to cover by combing his hair over it. His suit was an ugly brown and his tie had a stain on it. When he smiled his teeth were yellowed from years of smoking.

“Right,” Danbury said. “We’re here today to settle the matter of the Josephine Griffin estate.” He ran through the terms of the will again, pointing out that Camden would get the mansion and I would get the money, provided I was married.

“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Miss Donaldson and I’m more than satisfied with their declaration of love. This contract serves as a legally binding document.”

“Wait a minute,” Finch interrupted. “We’re not happy with the situation. I’m here to dispute the matter.”

Danbury looked irritated.

“Come now, Harry. We’ve been over this.”

Finch shook his head. “I did my research on Miss Donaldson.” He turned his attention to Harper who seemed to shrink in her seat. “I don’t believe you’re being genuine. Are you in love with this man?”

“Are you challenging me on my commitment?” Harper asked, but her voice was small.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Finch said. “I’ve looked into your background, Miss Donaldson.” Harper paled. “I see no proof of commitment anywhere. You haven’t had a serious relationship, you haven’t held a job for much longer than few months.”

“She’s worked for me for a year,” I protested.

“And you have no responsibility. You don’t even own a dog.”

Harper frowned. “I didn’t realize it was a prerequisite to own a pet to get married.”

Finch shook his head. “You don’t commit to anything.”

“Is this allowed?” I asked Danbury. “He’s bullying her.”

Danbury opened his mouth to speak but Finch filled the void instead. “I think this is a fake engagement. Mr. Griffin believes his cousin has lied about being engaged, and it’s apparent to me that this is a setup, a ploy to get the money.”

“You’ve got the damn house,” I cried, looking at Camden. Harper was silent next to me, shrinking in on herself. I had never seen her like this. It wasn’t only because the lawyer was badgering her. She hadn’t expected any of this. I hadn’t either and it was getting to me, too.

“Mr. Finch,” Harper said, and her voice was thin. “I don’t believe you have the right to challenge me on my feelings for Caden and how we choose to spend our future together. There is no law against getting engaged or being married. We are both American citizens. How and when we fell in love is not your concern.”

“It is when one point two billion dollars is at stake,” Finch said. “It’s my right as a representative of Mr. Camden Griffin to investigate the case if I find it to be suspicious. And you, Miss Donaldson, are very suspicious. Tell me, how many relationships have you had in the past?”

Harper was getting paler by the second.

“That’s not of your concern.”

“It’s every bit my concern,” Finch said.

“That’s enough,” I shouted. But the damage had been done. Finch had mentioned the one thing I knew Harper had a problem with. Tears sprung to her eyes and she stormed out of the conference room.

I was furious. “You have absolutely no right to badger her like that,” I said to Finch “You have no proof that we’ve done anything wrong.”

“I was doing my job.”

“You were bullying her! And you,” I said, pointing to Camden. “You’re a lowlife piece of shit with no integrity. I don’t know what Grandma Josie saw in you to leave you anything at all. I’m going to fight for what’s mine on principle.”

“Are you going to hire another actress?” Camden asked.

“Fuck off, Camden,” I sneered.

Turning to Danbury, I was steaming. “You shouldn’t have allowed this. Not for them to be in here for the signing today and not for them to treat Harper like shit the way you did. I still have time left before my thirty days are up. I expect you to keep that document for me until I can straighten this out with my fiancée.”

I stormed out of the conference room. I was livid. I was so fucking pissed off I saw red. I wanted to strangle Camden for what he had done. I wanted to strangle all of them.

Harper had been thrown to the wolves in there and I hadn’t been able to protect her. I felt terrible for what she had been through and I didn’t know how to fix it. I cared for her and I hoped she cared for me, too. After this, I didn’t know where we stood. I needed her in my life. I didn’t give a shit about the money, Harper was all I cared about. I hoped that it wasn’t too late now. I hoped this hadn’t changed her mind.

While I waited for a cab, I dialed Harper’s number. She didn’t answer. I tried again and again but I reached her voicemail every time.

“Dammit!” I shouted, when I couldn’t find a cab to take me to the hotel. I started at a jog down the road. A suit wasn’t exactly running gear, but I had to get to her and as long as I was standing here waiting for a cab, she could slip through my fingers.

Finally, I found a cab. The traffic was a horrible due to an accident. Everything was going wrong. The more time we wasted, the more time Harper had to get away from me and I couldn’t let that happen.

When I finally arrived at the hotel, I stopped at the front desk.

“Is she here?” I asked and gave them the room number.

The concierge nodded and I ran to the elevator. I could still talk to her. I was terrified that she’d left without saying goodbye.