Page 28 of Take My Name

Her breath hitches, but then something flashes across her face.

“You have nothin’ to lose unless you’re afraid I’ll prove you wrong,” I prompt when she doesn’t give me an answer.

“You’ll sign those papers after seven days? No bullshit?”

“No bullshit.”

“I’m not cheatin’ on my fiancé.”

“I don’t recall askin’ you to, but if you wanna get technical, you were my wife first. Stillaremy wife. You’re the one who’s been cheatin’ on me.”

She resists rolling her eyes, but I can tell she wants to by her glare. “We’re separated.”

I purse my lips. “I don’t remember agreein’ to that or gettin’ any documentation that you filed for a separation…”

She sucks in a slow breath, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. “I didn’t.”

“So…accordin’ to Tennessee law, we’re legally married.”

“By the law, yes…but I think not talkin’ or seein’ your spouse for years implies the separation.”

“I’m just sayin’…there must’ve been a reason you never filed for one,” I probe.

“There is, but it’s not because I didn’t want one.”

“How do you think your fiancé’s gonna feel if he finds out he’s been the homewrecker this whole time?”

She swats my chest, but there’s no force behind it. “Can you stop being insufferable? You’re the one who wouldn’t sign the damn divorce papers!”

“Gimme seven days and I will…” Then I smirk because getting a reaction from her is better than the silence she gave me for years. “But I’ll be citin’ adultery as the reason.”

Her eyes harden, and I know I’ve pushed too far.

“Jokin’!” I hold up my palms in surrender, but I can’t help the cackle that releases from my throat. “I’ll sign whatever you want as long as you gimme this one chance.”

Her tongue pokes through her cheek. It’s one of her tellsthat she’s thinking or frustrated. “As long as you’re aware nothin’ will happen between us.”

The corner of my mouth tilts up slightly. “If you say so.”

I don’t give a fuck about her fiancé or the giant rock on her finger. Maisie was mine first and if she’s agreeing to give me one week, I’m doing whatever it takes to get her back.

And if it blows up in my face, at least I’ll be able to say I tried everything. Maybe then, I’ll be able to let her go and move on.

chapter six

Maisie

I’m having a neurological episode.

It’s the only logical reason to explain why I agreed to his stupid deal, but it was also the only way he’d finally agree to sign the papers.

I can do this.It’s only a week.

Then I’ll get to relax and spend the rest of my time with my family before I fly home. I’ll file the papers before I leave and wait for the settlement agreement to go through. Since we don’t have kids and we’re not splitting assets or asking each other for alimony, it should be a simple process. And hopefully quick. With an act of God, it’ll be granted before Hayes’s and my wedding date.

He’s almost finished with his current novel, so being away for these two weeks will give him uninterrupted time to write, but he promised to check in at least once a day. He gets locked in for hours and doesn’t always realize how long he’s gone without eating or sleeping, so I always made sure to set timers.

Both of us being workaholics is whywe mesh so well together. Unless we have something specific planned in the evenings, we take a break to eat dinner together and sometimes watch a movie, but then we’re back to working until bedtime. When he’s in deadline mode, I usually sleep alone while he stays up for a few extra hours. Once he emails the manuscript to his editor, he can breathe easier and we’ll make up for the lost time.