Page 78 of The Broken Note

“Shewillmarry me,” I say sharply.

“Are you going to kidnap her sister and threaten her?”

“Of course not.” If I touched her sister, Cadence would probably slit my neck in my sleep.

“Are you going to forge her signature on the court records?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not happening.”

“It is happening,” I say evenly. “She’s family now.” I glance between them. “And I need you both to help me convince her of that.”

“You’ll need a miracle to convince that girl,” Zane mumbles.

Finn looks thoughtful. “Cadence is stubborn. We did everything we could to get her out of Redwood, but she stuck through it all. And when we managed to kick her out, she came back. Getting her to marry you will be ten times harder than anything we’ve done in the past.”

“We don’t have a choice,” I growl. “I’m not marrying anyone else. Unless you both want to sign up for a wife?”

My brothers shut their mouths.

“Since there are no other takers, my wedding to Cadence is a sure thing.”

“Why don’t you get her pregnant first and worry about marriage later?” Finn suggests.

My ears perk up.

Even Zane looks intrigued.

“Mom didn’t specify in what order it had to happen, did she?”

“No.”

“If someone like dad can qualify for the inheritance,” Zane mumbles, “then I don’t see why Dutch can’t get started on the baby part before he signs the papers. It could work.”

“Having a baby could be what convinces Cadence to marry you too,” Finn says.

“It’s an option.” I rub my chin. The thought of pumping Cadence full of my children gets my blood hot. I can already picture her, legs sprawled, mouth open, eyes seeing stars as I impregnate her with our child.

“But she’s going to hate you,” Finn says quietly.

His words shatter my vision. I glance at my brother.

He’s staring at me with those eyes that see more than they say. “Lying to her about Sol is one thing. But if you lie to her about this…”

“It doesn’t matter. She can’t escape me.”

“What if she does?”

“I’ll drag her back,” I growl, staring him down.

“Is that love?” Finn wonders.

It sounds like he’s thinking out loud rather than accusing me, but I still get defensive.

“Who gives a damn about love? We’re talking aboutmarriage.Aren’t you terrified?” Zane’s eyes bug. “This isn’t a dare. This isn’t hooking up. This is marriage. This is being a father. Are you ready for all that?”

“I don’t know.”