We sat on a bench outside the law office of William Danbury. The weather was beautiful. The sun was shining, a light breeze rustled through the leaves and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

Harper sat next to me, her hands clenched in her lap. She looked nervous. She wore long black pants and a white blouse. She looked tall and important in her monochrome outfit with her flaming red hair. She looked like the woman she was meant to be. Everything about her was different, now. It was as if she had realized who she wanted to be and had stepped into that role. 

“Are you ready for this?” I asked.

“I am,” she said, nodding. “This time, I’m ready for them.” I believed it. Not only did she look confident, she looked determined. Everything had changed.

We had arranged with Danbury to come in again. He had told us that he had to let Camden and Harry Finch know that we were coming. He had made a lot of excuses, none of which I wanted to hear. After the spectacle he had allowed the last time we met, I had lost respect for him. This time, we knew what was coming and we were ready for it.

We had taken time off from the restaurant, calling on Zach to help us out again. He had been more than happy to help, especially when I had explained what we were up to. He understood more than anyone what it was like to be in love, and to find that one woman that would change everything. I appreciated my friend more than ever. We had flown down to LA to take care of business after we had sorted out the necessary paperwork. Now we were here, taking care of the last of it.

“Remember, there’s nothing they can say. They have no proof of us doing anything wrong. Because there is no proof.”

Harper nodded, “It’s different this time.”

It was completely different. This time, it was real. We weren’t pretending to be in love, we really were. We weren’t trying to convince everyone that we were a couple for the sake of the cash. It was all true.

“Okay, time to go inside,” I said to Harper. She nodded. I offered her a hand when I stood and she took it. We walked into the offices together, attached and in love. I felt her pawn shop ring against my fingers. I had to get her a different one, I thought. I had to get her one that mattered, one that she liked. I had to get her one that she deserved.

Danbury was waiting for us in the conference room when we arrived. He was jittery, more nervous than he’d been before. He wore a gray suit with a dark blue tie and he kept smoothing his blazer down as if he was paranoid it would wrinkle. After our last meeting, he seemed eager to please us. And he had to. I was paying him for his services, now. 

“Thank you for coming again,” he said. “I assure you, it won’t be like last time.” He was nervous about me and my reaction to his attitude. Good. I wanted him to know that no matter what, I would protect Harper. I would take care of her and ensure that no one treated her badly. She was my queen.

“You’re right, it won’t,” I said. Danbury swallowed hard, as if it was a threat, but it wasn’t. Harper and I had this covered. We would make sure that nothing went wrong. We were ready for Finch, in a big way.

Camden and Finch arrived, looking smug. Finch was dressed in another tasteless suit and he had a shitty grin on his face. He walked toward us. I put my arm around Harper and I felt her straighten, but the look on her face was determined this time.

“You managed to convince her to come back,” Camden said. “Did you offer her more money? Or favors?”

I wanted to fuck him up for saying it. Harper put her hand on my arm as if she knew and I blew out a breath, trying to release tension.

“Not everyone needs to be bought if you’re a great guy,” Harper said. “You might realize how far you can get with manners if you try using some.”

Camden narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, you developed some cheek. It’s not going to help, you know. Rent-a-crowd doesn’t get very far in cases like these.”

Harper pulled up her shoulders as if she didn’t care. I was proud of her for being so nonchalant about it. It helped that we were prepared this time. I was still annoyed with Camden for being such a dick. I hadn’t seen him since we were kids, and he’d had a lot of time to become a complete asshole.

“There are only two days left,” Camden said, when neither of us said anything. He was picking a fight but we weren’t going to give it to him. “It’s not enough to do anything. You can’t get married in that time, even if you really were in love. But seeing that it’s all a scam, its better we stop this here and now. You’ll need cash for a divorce and I’m not paying for it.”

I still wanted to fuck him up, but I had to keep calm and be the bigger man. I was sure we were going to win, anyway.

“Time will tell,” I said. It was the best I could do with my anger so close to the surface. Camden pulled his shoulders up and opened his mouth.

Danbury called us to order before Camden had a chance to respond, and we sat down around the table in the seats we’d had before. Camden glared at us. Finch glared at Danbury. It was as if they all had something against us when we were really only here to take care of business. Danbury was still nervous, and even worse under Finch’s scrutiny. I wondered what the history was between those two.

“Right,” Danbury said. His hands fluttered over the contract like birds and he kept glancing at the other lawyer. Finch was smug, sitting in his chair like it was a throne and he ruled the conference room. “Where were we?” Danbury continued.

“We were talking about how Miss Donaldson doesn’t commit, ever, so it’s unlikely that she’s committing, now,” Finch said, looking at Harper. Damn, I wanted to punch that smug grin off his face.

“You’re right, Mr. Finch,” Harper said, catching the man off guard. “I never used to commit. Sometimes, it takes a real man, like Caden, to show a woman that it’s okay to give her heart away, and that not everyone will stomp on it.”

Finch snorted. “You can tell me stories about valiant men, Miss Donaldson, or we can get on with this.”

“No, you’re right,” Harper said. “On the topic of wasting time, a man like Caden is hard to find. Which is why when I found him, I needed to make him mine as soon as possible.”

Harper opened her handbag and pulled out the marriage certificate we had obtained at the court after saying our vows. She put it in front of Mr. Finch, who blanched.

“This can’t be,” he said.

“What is that?” Camden asked, picking up the piece of paper. He was suddenly furious.

“This is fake!” he cried out. “It has to be!”

“You can have it verified, if you like,” I said.

Danbury’s mouth curled into a smile. “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “That’s all I needed to see. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, you don’t even need to sign the contract now. The money is legally yours.”

“This is bullshit!” Camden shouted and spun around to Finch. “You said we could win this. You said the money was as good as mine.”

“I didn’t think they were going to get married,” he said. “But I can’t change the law on that.”

“You’re fired!” Camden shouted and jumped up. He stormed out of the conference room. Finch turned toward us.

“I’m very sorry about my client,” he said. “Congratulations to the both of you.” He turned to Danbury. “I’m sure I’ll see you again, Willie.”

“Without a doubt, Harry,” Danbury answered. Finch stood and left the conference room as well. When it was just the three of us, Danbury sat back in his chair and shook his head.

“I must say, you had me worried there for a moment, Miss Donaldson. Or Mrs. Griffin, I should say. The last meeting didn’t look promising at all.”

“I felt attacked,” Harper said. “It’s not every day we have to sign legal documents that are so important, and Mr. Finch isn’t subtle.”

Danbury chuckled. “No, he’s not.” His face fell. “You do realize Camden will try to fight this. He’s going to try to prove that your marriage is fake, and that you’re only together for the sake of the money.”

I nodded. “I know my cousin, now. He’s a son of a bitch, to put it lightly. But I’m ready for him.”

“You’ll have to make this work between you for a while to convince everyone that it’s what you wanted.”

I took Harper’s hand and looked at her. She smiled at me.

“That won’t be a problem,” I said.