Page 7 of Logan

But why would being set up make Logan so angry? I couldn’t figure that part out but I was definitely curious.

I thought about it a couple more times throughout the rest of the day, but I tried to make myself focus on my job. Logan wasn’t big on sharing his personal life at the office, so I’d likely never get the full story anyway.

As five o’clock drew near, I was eager to just get home and relax. Kicking off my heels and soaking my feet in some steaming hot water sounded like heaven. Getting up from behind my desk, I straightened my skirt and headed into Logan’s office. I’d already had him sign the budget increase for Eric, so I just needed to make sure there wasn’t anything else that needed to be done before the end of the day.

I knocked three times and when Logan called me in, I found him standing at the window, looking out at the New York skyline, his hands buried in the front pockets of his navy slacks. He’d removed his suit jacket after lunch, and the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up to just below his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.

He didn’t turn around when I came in. “Mr. Reid? Is everything okay?”

He didn’t respond for a moment, and I started to worry. He was acting so strangely…

“Yeah,” he said on a sigh, finally turning to look at me. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to talk to you. Take a seat.”

He looked stressed, with his clenched jaw and tense muscles. I did as he said, lowering myself into a chair in front of his desk, wondering if I was about to be fired. What else could possibly make him look so serious?

Logan came around to the front of his desk and leaned against the edge, his arms folded across his chest. “I have a proposition for you.”

I blinked at him in surprise. “A…proposition?”

“Well, more like a proposal.” He almost smirked. “I want you to marry me.”

What?

CHAPTERTHREE

Logan

I couldn’t believe how nervous I was about this. I wasn’t asking Mia to spend the rest of her life with me or confessing undying love. I just needed a favor.

A reallybigfavor.

Mia stared at me with wide eyes, trying to comprehend the words I just said. I couldn’t blame her. A marriage proposal had to be the last thing she expected.

I was almost surprised by it myself. I had been thinking about my conversion with my brothers all day, trying to figure out what to do. They had a point. Faking a marriage to get my inheritance was probably my best option. Once I accepted that, it was easier to wrap my mind around the idea.

I didn’t like the thought of lying to my grandfather, but he wasn’t leaving me much choice. Besides, seeing me married would make him happy, which I cared about a lot, especially with his health rapidly declining. It was a win-win.

The more difficult part of all this was choosing a woman to fill that role. I briefly considered asking one of my exes, but none of my relationships had really ended on good terms. It was usually my fault, so I doubted any of them would want to help me out.

I never went into my relationships intending to break a woman’s heart, but commitment wasn’t easy for me. I just couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone like that. So, most of my relationships reached a point where the woman I was dating wanted to talk about the future, maybe move in together or discuss marriage. That was when I ended things. I tried to be nice about the break up, but there were a couple of women scorned.

I was sure that none of them would want to pretend that we were happily married, even for a short period of time.

There were a limited number of other women in my life, but there was only one candidate that I could imagine actually asking to do this with me. It was probably a terrible idea, but the more I thought about it, the more that Mia seemed like the perfect person to be my temporary wife.

She was smart and beautiful, so she’d be completely believable to my family as a woman that I’d legitimately fallen for. She was also never afraid to call me out on my bullshit, which I hoped meant that she would have no problem handling this arrangement. Because if she agreed, we’d be spending a lot of time together until I officially inherited the company.

I needed someone that was strong and independent, yet soft and caring when it came to grandpa, and I knew that Mia was all those things, and more.

She was still staring mutely at me, so I continued on before I lost my nerve. “I can tell that I’ve caught you by surprise, so let me explain. You know my grandpa’s sick, that he doesn’t have long. Yesterday, he…” I trailed off, chuckling despite the fact that this wasn’t funny at all. “He told me that I won’t inherit the company unless I get married before he dies so . . . yeah, I was thinking that maybe you and I could, well, tie the knot.”

Mia’s jaw dropped open. I didn’t think it was possible for her to look more shocked than she already did, but she managed it.

Then, she narrowed her eyes at me. “Is this a joke?”

“I wish it was.” I rubbed a hand along the back of my neck. “I think we both know that I’m not going to find a real wife anytime soon. So, the way I see it, my only option is to find someone to fill the role temporarily.”

“You mean, you want a fake wife?”