Page 11 of The Awakening (The Morton Family Saga #3)

Chapter Nine

Ellie

Gavin stepped into the den and headed straight for me. “I hope you haven’t told my wife all the family dirt just yet.” He was followed by his brother, Rob.

They were both strong, handsome men, but Gavin’s beard had grown scruffy over the past couple of days, and he had hair—dark and shiny and just a little too long—that any woman would want to run her hands through.

Would I ever get to experience that firsthand?

Although I wanted to deny it, I secretly hoped so.

He was nothing like Ray, thank God, and asking for anything more seemed out of the realm of possibility, but it couldn’t stop it from crossing my mind every now and again.

Gavin was tall and broad. He made me feel safe.

Ray was shorter than me, and though the two men were probably around the same age, he wasn’t as well maintained as Gavin was.

His balding head and beady eyes didn’t illicit any response in me.

But the man I was looking up at now? That was a different story?

“Can I steal my bride away?” Gavin rested his hand on my shoulder and ran his thumb along my neck, eliciting a shiver from me.

It’s all a show, Ellie.

Ellie? He even had me calling myself by the nickname now.

Regardless, he was putting on a performance for his family and when we were alone, he would, no doubt, drop the act and go back to his regular self. Not that he was a bad guy at all, but we would fall back into our reality when we didn’t have an audience.

He’d married me to get me away from my family, except maybe that wasn’t the only reason.

But why hadn’t he told me he needed to be married by forty?

It seemed like an important detail to leave out.

But if anything, it only confirmed that this was temporary.

I’d told him my secrets, and he hadn’t let me in at all.

“We should get unpacked before supper, and I could use a quick shower.” I stood and set my plate on the table. “Thank you all for the wonderful welcome. I truly appreciated it.” Sliding my hand into Gavin’s, I let him lead me out of the room.

Thankfully, the stairs were just outside the den entrance, so we were able to escape any other prying eyes quickly.

Gavin closed the door behind us, and I flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling fan.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life—no, that’s not true. The night my father showed up is right up there with this.” When he didn’t respond, I turned my head and found him staring out the window into the damp, gray day.

Something felt different between us in that moment. Even if I was his wife on paper only, he’d done so much for me in such a short amount of time. In return, I hoped I could keep him happy.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I murmured. He probably wouldn’t open up, but I had to try.

“I don’t even know what I’m thinking.” He turned from the window and looked at me, his brow furrowed, and his nose scrunched. “My father asked if you had any skeletons, so I told everyone about the baby.”

My heart raced in my chest. They knew? What did they think? Would they talk Gavin out of our arrangement?

“They all think it’s mine. Don’t worry.” He came closer, his facial expression softening, and placed a hand on my cheek.

I soaked in the heat from his palm. He’d lied to his family, and for some crazy reason, that put me at ease when it should have had me panicking.

It was one thing to pretend we were married, but he may have gone too far by getting their hopes up about the baby.

I’d only just met them, but the idea of telling them the baby wasn’t Gavin’s, then walking away seemed cruel.

Knowing I was in the early stages of my first trimester, I’d figured I could get out of Dodge before started showing and his family would be none the wiser, but he’d gone ahead and spoiled that plan.

Still, there was something about this man that his family didn’t understand.

As much as he could set my body on fire with a glance, he could also put my mind at ease with about the same amount of effort.

The more time I spent with him, the more I saw past the tough exterior he’d constructed for himself to deal with whatever life threw his way.

As our time together went on, I got more and more glimpses of the little boy who wanted to be loved for who he was.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have come. I can go back to Montana. I’ll deal with whatever consequences come my way. I don’t want you to face any more wrath for making the mistake of marrying me.”

“You aren’t leaving. I will never send you back to those people.” He moved his hand off my cheek and pulled me into a hug. “What you and I did isn’t normal, but I wouldn’t call it a mistake. As long as I have a say, you’re staying right here with me, understood?”

I searched his eyes. Was he serious? Or was he making a joke that I didn’t understand? Why did he care so much about me? I was a virtual stranger.

But in his eyes, I found nothing but fierce honesty.

I stepped back from him. “I need to clean up. Where’s the bathroom?”

He pointed at the wooden door I’d thought was a closet. “The en suite bathroom is through there.”

I shook my head and huffed out a laugh.

Of course, he had an en suite. It would take time to get used to living in this kind of luxury, but maybe it was for the best if I didn’t allow myself to get too comfortable. Not when we both knew it would eventually come to an end.