Page 64 of The Husband Contract

I pull out my phone and call Katherine. Thankfully, she answers right away.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“I’m in Vegas,” I say, my voice trembling, “and I just got married.”

“Oh my gosh, youwhat?!” Katherine screams. “You did not! Brielle! Come here! I’m putting this on speaker.”

“Okay, Willow,” Brielle says. “What’s going on?”

“Willow just got married!” Katherine shouts.

“What?!” Brielle screams.

“I did. I know it’s crazy, but Sebastian asked me to marry him. I fell for him quickly, and I thought this was some fairytale—and I’m in love with him. So I said yes, and we just got married by Elvis. Two random people were our witnesses.”

“Oh my gosh, congratulations! That’s so exciting!” Katherine says.

“I don’t know, guys. I feel like he may already regret it. We literally just got married and he’s gone to take some calls. I think maybe he thinks he made a mistake.”

“Oh, Willow,” Katherine says. “You know men. He probably realizes he’s just changed his life completely and that he can’t be a playboy anymore. Give him an hour. Let him process. If he asked you to marry him, it means he’s serious about you. Helovesyou, girl.”

“Yeah,” Brielle adds. “I saw the way he was looking at you. That man had such an intense expression on his face. I was blown away. He wants you badly. I feel like you’re in his bloodstream.”

“You think so? I mean, I told him I loved him, and he didn’t even respond.”

“He’s probably waiting to tell you tonight when you get to the room,” Katherine says. “You know how men are.”

“Yeah,” Brielle adds. “Trust me, my brother Ben gets so scared of emotion when he’s in love. He’s probably just processing everything. Men take a while to express their emotions.”

“But he asked me to marry him.”

“Exactly,” Katherine says. “He’s going to tell you later. Come on now, girl. Think about it: you met, fell in love, and got married in a week. You’re living a fairy tale. He’s your Prince Charming.”

“You think so? You don’t think it was too soon?”

“For most people, yeah, it’s soon,” Katherine admits. “But he’s the love of your life. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. You deserve this.”

I sigh softly. “I just hope I haven’t made a huge mistake.I’ve always thought of myself as Cinderella, and I’ve definitely thought of him as my Prince Charming. But what if he’s not?”

“Listen to me,” Katherine says firmly. “That man loves you, and you love him. You’re about to live out your happily ever after. I only hope Brielle and I will be as lucky as you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Sebastian

There is a content smile on Willow’s face as she sleeps peacefully on her side in the large king-sized bed. I feel an odd sense of peace and calmness as I stare at her naked body. I feel something twitch inside of my heart. The previous evening had been weird, to say the least. This woman is now my wife, and in every sense of the word, I still can’t quite believe it.

She’s told me she loves me multiple times. Each time the words came out of her mouth, the desperation in her eyes was almost painful to hear. The wanting to be loved was apparent to see. I almost feel guilty about the fact that she so desperately wanted me to tell her that I reciprocated that love. But I’m not going to lie.

I was not surprised that when I got back to the room, I found her there in lingerie. I was positive that she would bemad at me. But we’d made sweet, passionate love for hours. I watch as she turns over, and her eyes flutter open. She blinks and looks around for a few moments, orienting herself to the room.

“Is this real life?” she says, smiling up at me, and I watch as she pinches herself. “Ouch. I guess it is.”

She laughs lightly, reaching up to touch the side of my face. “How is it that you look even more handsome in the morning, Sebastian?”

“I don’t know. How is it that you look even more beautiful after waking?”

“That’s a lie. I’m sure I look like death warmed up.” She giggles as she sits up and pulls the sheet over her naked breasts. “Wow. We really did it.” She looks down at her ring finger, at the ring I had brought along with me. “This is so beautiful. I didn’t even know you were going to propose.”