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Eden

I took my pajamas out of the drawer, grabbed my toiletries bag, and crossed to the bathroom.

I had no idea why the thought of Bishop with Susannah annoyed me so much. It wasn’t like he hadn’t told me about her. The relationship was the entire reason I was married to him in the first place. It was the only reason he’d agreed to help with my problem.

So why was I furious with him?

Because he gave the impression of being someone who wasn’t swayed by someone offering him sex. And that was the only reason I could think of for why he’d been with Susannah.

I slammed my toiletries bag onto the countertop.

It certainly wasn’t for her personality. The woman was as horrible as her husband.

“Eden.”

My eyes snapped up and met his through the reflection of the mirror.

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

He propped a shoulder against the doorframe and folded his arms. “I can see that.”

“Then why are you still in here?”

“When I met Susannah, I was on my way back from another job. It had been … taxing. The woman I’d been relocating was the daughter of a mafia boss, and there had been threats made against her life. I was almost killed twice. Once was an attempt by the woman herself. I was tired and giving serious consideration to retiring. I met Susannah in the bar of a hotel. She was funny and easy to be around. She made no demands on my time, caused no drama, and it worked for me.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I don’t want you to think my head was turned by a beautiful woman and the promise of sex. It was a no-strings relationship … until it wasn’t. The last time we met up in a hotel in Nevada, she forgot to remove her wedding ring. I ended it. She caused a scene. Screaming at me for wasting her time … and I realized that the woman she’d been when we were together wasn’t who she really was. It was an act. I’m not sure what her end game was, but I don’t think it was marriage and babies.”

“Is that what you were imagining?”

He snorted. “Absolutely not. Like I said, it was a no-strings thing. But I do wonder if she wanted something. I don’t believe for a second she had any intention of leaving her husband, but I did begin to question whether the timing of our meeting wasn’t as accidental as it appeared.”

“Dana and Tallulah know she has affairs. They think her husband knows about them.”

“I don’t think he knows about me. I’m pretty good at reading people and—”

I laughed at that. “Not as good as you think, otherwise you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation, would you?”

He inclined his head. “Point taken. In normal circumstances, I can read people then. Maybe I just didn’t want to see the truth.”

I continued to clean the makeup off my face, eyeing him through the mirror.

“You told me that you were coming to this party and that’s why you wanted a wife. But Crosby said he hadn’t expected you and you didn’t confirm until you said you were coming with a plus one.”

He remained silent.

“You lied to me.”

Still nothing.

“When did you really tell him you were coming?”

“After the wedding.”

“You arranged everything once you knew you had someone who you could use to put between you and Susannah.” My voice was flat.

“I saw an opportunity that benefitted both of us.”

I spun to face him. “ You lied to me. ”

And that’s when it dawned on me that him lying was the reason I was so angry with him. Not for falling for a woman like Susannah, but because he’d lied to me.

And it was a stupid lie. One that didn’t even matter or change the circumstances around us. But it was a lie. And I’d heard enough lies to last a lifetime.

He pushed away from the doorframe and moved deeper into the bathroom. “I did, and I’m sorry.” His apology, unlike the last one, sounded sincere.

“How many other lies have you told me? Can I trust the contract you had me sign?”

“You can trust it.”

He didn’t ask why I was making such a big deal out of a tiny white lie—because that’s all it really was. He didn’t accuse me of being dramatic or try to turn it around on me. He stood there and let me yell at him, even though I had no right. We weren’t really married. I wasn’t a jealous wife, and he hadn’t cheated on me or lied about anything big.

I turned back, found my toothbrush and I squeezed toothpaste onto it.

“Promise me that during the rest of the time we’re married you won’t lie to me again. No matter how small or stupid it is.”

He didn’t even hesitate. “I promise.”