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I take a step back, causing him to let go of my face. “I told your mom we wouldn’t be long. Is there a reason your family thinks we’re happily married?”
Cash runs his fingers through his hair, which seems to be a family habit. “I was going to tell them what happened, but Presley noticed my ring before I could, and when I saw how happy my mom looked, there was no way I would disappoint her. It’s not that big of a deal.” He tries to brush me off.
“Not a big deal?” I raise my voice. “Cash, we got married. Even if it was an accident, we have to take responsibility for our error and fix it. Lying to your family isn’t going to make this situation better. We have to go back in there right this minute and come clean. That’s the only option.”
The last thing I want is to cause a rift between Cash and his family. From what I’ve seen in the past twenty-four hours, he has a laid-back approach to life. He loves his family, and has a big heart, but he doesn’t take things seriously, including himself.Everything is a game, and he doesn’t consider the consequences when he acts rashly.
In some ways, I envy his carefree attitude. He’s not afraid to take risks and doesn’t share my inability to roll with the punches.
“I didn’t lie, I just omitted some details,” he offers.
“That’s literally the definition of lying.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “If you’re unwilling to rectify this, I will.” I try walking past him, but he holds out his arm to stop me.
“Everly, it’s not that simp—”
We’re interrupted by the door creaking open and find Harrison and Dylan standing in the doorway with suspicious expressions.
They join us on the porch, and Harrison closes the door behind them. He folds his arms across his chest, studying us both with the intensity of a detective.
His black hair is styled in a tapered fade, and his muscular arms fill out the sleeves of his short-sleeve polo. The scowl on his face strikes me as odd, given that he was the approachable-teddy-bear big brother when we were kids. It appears we’ve all changed to some degree since then.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, Cash,” Harrison boldly states with a raised eyebrow. “Last week, you told Dylan and me on a conference call that you never wanted to settle down. Now, suddenly, you’re waltzing into Mom and Dad’s, announcing that you’re married—to Everly Townstead. It doesn’t add up.”
“Her name is Everly Stafford now,” Cash states with a confidence that makes me want to shake some sense into him.
“It’s still Townstead,” I correct him, not caring that I’m lecturing him in front of his brothers.
“Seriously, what is going on?” Dylan interjects. “The optics won’t look good if this marriage is fake and it gets out to the board of directors,” he says as he adjusts his glasses.
He’s sporting black slacks paired with a light blue polo shirt, and his black hair is cut short. With his thick-rimmed glasses, he reminds me of a modern-day Clark Kent.
The Stafford brothers have all aged like fine wine, all incredibly attractive, but admittedly, Cash is the only one who makes me weak in the knees when he looks in my direction.
Harrison pinches the bridge of his nose. “Dylan’s right. If the media or the board finds out, this could tank the acquisition.”
My heart sinks as I get the sense that I should know what they’re talking about, but I don’t.
“What acquisition?” I voice my confusion.
“She doesn’t know?” Harrison asks, alarmed.
Dylan snickers as he leans against one of the porch pillars. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
“What are they talking about?” I demand, turning to Cash.
One thing I cannot tolerate is being the last to know something, which happens often when my father is involved.
His eyes widen as he studies me. “You really don’t know?”
“If you would tell me what you were talking about, I could answer your question,” I retort.
He fiddles with his bracelet, avoiding eye contact.
“Stafford Holdings is in the process of buying out Townstead International,” he says reluctantly. “I was in Vegas to meet with our board of directors since Harrison and Dylan both had conflicts.”
I blink at him in confusion. “Come again?”
“Your dad approached me a few months ago with a lucrative proposal for us to buy Townstead International,” Harrison explains, trying to diffuse the tension. “Dylan’s team gave the deal a tentative green light, so we’re moving ahead with the acquisition.”