Chapter Seventeen

David

“My aunt recently passed away and left me an inheritance with an unconventional stipulation,” Cat says cautiously, chewing on her bottom lip. “I have to get married.”

Ava gasps before the biggest grin spreads across her face. Duncan looks at me with wide eyes, his lip dipping at the corner. I swallow hard and turn my gaze back to Cat without glancing in Scarlett’s direction. Terrified of what I’ll find in her eyes. “David and I…” Cat falters.

“Agreed that a marriage of convenience could help both of you?” Ava gently finishes, her voice vibrating with excitement.

“Did you talk to Finn?” Duncan jumps in, his voice gruff. “Was this his idea?”

I can feel the weight of Cat’s gaze as she turns to me, and I shake my head. “It was mine.”

“Yours?” Ava and Duncan ask incredulously before turning intense, unbelieving stares my way. Then they turn toward Cat, who shrugs a shoulder. Looking back at me, their mouths slightly agape. “Yours?” Ava’s eyebrows quirk, just as Duncan mutters. “I don’t believe it.”

My lips twitch at their reaction, raking my hand through my hair. “Mine,” I confirm. I blow out an exhale. “It’s a solution that helps solve both of our temporary problems.”

Duncan’s eyes narrow, his gruff voice barely a whisper. “Are you sure this is the best situation for Scarlett?”

“Daddy.” My stomach knots at the sound of my daughter’s voice, and I turn to face her. Her hazel eyes unreadable. “You’re getting married?”

“Only for a little while,” Cat answers, before I can get words past the lump in my throat. “Your dad is helping me, and I’ll be helping him.”

Scarlett’s eyebrows knit together as her gaze shifts from Cat to me. “Will it be real?”

“Yes,” Cat answers softly. Her eyes filled with concern, and my heart flips at the care she’s taking with my daughter. “And no. Yes, we will be married, and yes, I will live with you and your dad, but it will be because we’re helping each other.”

“Will you be like a mom or just a friend who lives here?” Scarlett’s head tilts as she chews her lip, trying to understand.

“A friend,” I say a bit too quickly. “But everyone will think she’s your new mom.”

“It will be pretend,” Ava interjects, as she wraps her arms around Scarlett’s waist, pulling her close.

“Like you and Uncle Dunky?” She beams at Ava.

Duncan’s head drops to his hand, and he growls. “Scarrrlett.” Ava’s mouth curves up, and she reaches over and rubs Duncan’s back.

Scarlett’s eyes sparkle as she glances back and forth between me and Cat before asking excitedly, “Will there be kissing?”

Kissing? I shift my gaze to Cat, only to find her stunned expression mirroring mine. I swallow hard and clear my throat. Our eyes lock, before she quickly glances away and pushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“We haven’t…umm…talked about that yet,” Cat answers, her cheeks flushing pink.

“Doesn’t there have to be kissing, Aunt Ava?” Scarlett turns to Ava, whose smile is a bit more mischievous than I’d like.

“There does, but remember what we said about kissing and the movies?”

“It’s fake?” Scarlett responds. “But look at you and—”

“Scarlett,” Cat’s voice is soft as she interrupts my daughter. Everyone turns to look at her. “How do you feel about someone else being married to your dad?”

My heart stops before it sputters back to life. Cat’s question catches me completely off guard and yet it’s all sensitivity and perfection. I glance at Ava and Duncan, both watching Cat closely, Ava’s eyes glassy.

I bring my attention to Scarlett, and my heart aches a bit when my gaze meets hers.

The wisdom shining back at me is far wiser than her short eight years of life on this planet.

“Mommy wrote in her letters that she wanted you to find someone to love Daddy. She said one day a person would show up and I should give her a chance.”

All of the air has been sucked from the room and I can’t breathe. Once again, Fiona made sure to cover bases I never even considered. Her words, from Scarlett, feel like she’s here guiding me forward to a future that I’m not sure I’m ready to embrace.

“I think she would like Cat,” Scarlett smiles brightly and then turns toward Cat. “Just like me and Emmy do. Right, Emmy?”

An ‘oink’ breaks the tension, and the emotional moment is broken as shaky laughs ripple throughout the room.

Scarlett’s eyes light up as if she just came up with the best idea. She grabs Cat’s hand and yells, “You’re gonna be the best fake mom ever!”

I glance at Cat and see a flicker of longing that’s quickly replaced with a question. She’s silently asking me if I’m still okay moving forward. The tightness in my chest loosens, and I nod as the corner of my lips lift.

Yes, this is crazy, and no, I’m not sure I’m ready for it.

I’m worried about my daughter getting attached, and maybe if I’m honest, me getting attached too. Yet the certainty I felt that day in the park is still here.

Cat is the right person, at the right time, and we both need each other.

She grins at Scarlett, then turns back to me and nods. Her smile lingers a bit too long, and my pulse quickens. “Guess that settles it, we’re getting married.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Duncan’s voice is laced with concern as we wait in my truck for Scarlett and Ava. Emmy is at Love It and Leaf It since I figured that would be easier than bringing her with us to the ceremony. “Finn’s not always right, you know.”

I turn toward Duncan and narrow my eyes at him. His tight lips start to quiver, and lift at the corner before he shrugs sheepishly. “Okay, maybe he is. But this is big, David.”

I called Finn for additional details about Adam and Susie’s wedding before me and Cat went to the county clerk’s office on Friday for a marriage license. He told me about the location where they got married, which is beautiful, and then reached out to the officiant and photographer they used.

They’re meeting us there in an hour, and so is Finn.

To my surprise, Finn didn’t encourage me to get married. In fact, our conversation was very similar to the one Duncan and I just had, which was…unexpected.

I’ve had plenty of time to look at what I’m doing, and although I have doubts, a bunch of them, this still feels like the right thing to do.

“It’s okay, Dunc, I want to do this.” I run my hands over the steering wheel, then push out a breath, lowering my head. “Cat and I both need this. I know it’s big, but I’d be lying if I said there isn’t something between us.”

He clasps my shoulder and squeezes. “That’s why I’m worried.”

I nod.

“Things can get blurry really quick,” Duncan mutters. “And after Fiona—” He blows out a heavy sigh, “You were a mess, David.”

“I know, Duncan.” The front door closes, and I hear Ava and Scarlett talking happily as they make their way over to the truck. I can see Scarlett skipping, and my mouth pulls up. “I can’t explain why this feels right, but it does.”

He squeezes my shoulder one last time and looks pointedly at me before nodding. “Just be careful.”

The door opens, and Scarlett slides in like someone just wound her up, and Ava’s gaze shifts between the two of us before meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. Unlike Duncan, her eyes are bright. She had talks with Fiona about this situation, and like Scarlett, she has a feeling about Cat.

Placing a hand on Duncan’s shoulder from behind, she squeezes. “Who’s ready for a wedding?”

“Meeeeeee!” Scarlett bounces in her seat.

Putting the car in reverse, I pull out of the driveway and start the drive to Lookout Mountain Park, ignoring the knot twisting my stomach.

The car is filled with Ava and Scarlett’s chatter which is, thankfully, making it difficult to hear the thoughts running through my head.

Entering the park, I see the lot Finn mentioned on the left. Turning in, I park next to Cat’s CRV to find her and Finn talking on the other side, and my breath hitches at the sight of her.

Her blue eyes sparkle, her skin is slightly flushed, and her brown wavy hair is down around her shoulders as the wind gently blows through it.

When her eyes meet mine, my stomach dips and I swallow hard. Killing the engine, I slowly get out of the vehicle. My gaze stays lingering on hers the whole time. I feel the corner of my lip pull up just as her eyes crinkle at the corner.

“Cat!” Scarlett climbs out of the truck and runs over to my bride, wrapping her arms around her waist. Cat pulls Scarlett close while looking down at her tenderly, and something in my chest melts. A warm flood of emotions moves through me, and I find myself being pulled toward the two of them.

Scarlett whispers something, and Cat chuckles. The sound sends tiny shivers down my spine.

“Hello, Mr. & Mrs. James.” My head whips toward Finn’s voice to find him patting Duncan on the shoulder before pulling Ava in for a hug, a warm smile on his face. “How’s married life treating you?”

I turn my attention back to Cat and Scarlett. My heart pounds, mouth dry as the Sahara. A past memory tugs at me…I was already part of a Mr. & Mrs.

What am I doing?

A wave of panic rushes through me, I can’t breathe, and the corner of my vision darkens.

“David?” Cat’s voice reaches into the abyss and gently pulls me toward the light.

Warmth spreads from her hand on my arm, and I let it course through me, washing away the lingering chill that’s been with me for years.

I rest my hand on hers, craving more of the heat, and lift my gaze to find her eyes exploring my face.

“We don’t have to do this. Everything will work itself out one way or another. I don’t want you to—”

“I’m good,” I interrupt. Her eyes are filled with an earnestness that settles my entire being, and the calmness I feel when I’m with her once again floods me. “Are you good?”

Her eyes search mine, and the worry that’s furrowing her brow releases. She squeezes my arm, and the corner of her lip lifts. “I’m good.”

When I look up it’s to find Finn leading everyone to where the officiant and photographer are standing.

My eyes take in the view for the first time and a gasp falls from my mouth.

It doesn’t matter how many times I see a view of the mountains spread out as far as the eye can see, it still takes my breath away.

“Wow.” The awe in Cat’s voice pulls me back to her, and a smile tugs at my lips. Her expression is filled with childlike wonder and amazement, and I give myself permission to let my eyes dart across her face.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” I’m not just talking about the mountains. Yes, they are a sight to behold, but so is the woman standing beside me.

“Daddy!” Scarlett screams from across the park. I glance up to find everyone waiting for us.

“Someone is impatient,” Cat chuckles, but the softness in her expression belies her tone.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Holding out my elbow to her, I ask, “Shall we?”

She stares at my arm before wrapping her hand around my bicep and giving me a shy nod. I pull my arm close to my body, cover her hand with mine, and make our way over to the group of people waiting.

Everything from that moment on is a blur. Standing up at the makeshift altar, surrounded by my family, agent, and the sound of subtle snaps in the background as the camera lens captures the scene, I can’t focus on anything.

When the officiant announces, “You may now kiss the bride,” I snap back to the present, and time stands still.

My daughter lets out an excited squeal, and my heart skips. My gaze drops to Cat’s shining blue eyes.

Suddenly, I’m brought back to a moment in time when the anticipation of kissing the person in front of me was as high as it is now. My heart’s racing, and there’s a buzzing in my ears. A warmth spreads through my chest, and I glance down to find Cat’s hand resting there.

Covering her hand with mine, I let my eyes glance down at her lips just as she blows out a soft exhale.

My gaze shifts back to hers and as if it has a will of its own, my hand raises to cup her cheek.

I move closer and let myself step into the warm embrace coming from the heat of her body, just as my lips are about to touch hers I hear.

“Kiss her, Daddy!”

Laughter surrounds us, and the tension gripping me eases. Until my mouth meets Cat’s.