Chapter 3

• Even though he understood his uncle’s motives, the sense of betrayal gradually eroded his peace. Finally, one of his only family members had used him as a pawn.
• Nick made a shaky motion with his head. He should have anticipated this. Uncle Earl had spent the last few months of his life preaching the value of family, and he had thought Nick’s response was lackluster. Nick was perplexed as to why his uncle was surprised. After all, his family should have served as a public service announcement for birth control.
• As Nick drifted in and out of relationships, it became clear that all women desired marriage, and marriage meant messiness. Fights over feelings. Children are tearing them apart, wanting more attention. Needing more space, until the end of the relationship became the same as any other. Divorce. With children as the victims.
• No, thank you.
• As his thoughts raced, he pumped up the incline and adjusted the speed. Uncle Earl clung to the hope that a woman would save his nephew’s life until the bitter end. The heart attack had come on fast and hard. When the lawyers finally descended like vultures on the scent of blood money, Nick assumed the legalities would be straightforward. Maggie, his sister, had already stated unequivocally that she did not want anything to do with the business. Uncle Earl had no other family members. So, for the first time, Nick believed in luck. He’d finally have something entirely his own.
• Until the will is read by the lawyers.
• Then he realized he’d been played.
• As soon as he married, he would inherit the majority of the Dreamscape shares. A prenuptial agreement was acceptable, and the marriage had to last one year with any woman he chose. If Nick refused to comply with his uncle’s wishes, he would keep half of the company; the rest would be divided among the board members, and Nick would be nothing more than a figurehead. Instead of building things, he’d be stuck in meetings and corporate politics, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do with his life.
• And Uncle Earl was well aware of it.
• So Nick had to find a wife now.
• He flipped the switch, and the incline fell. He slowed down and evened his breathing. His mind scanned the possibilities with methodical precision, cutting through the emotional emptiness. He stepped off the treadmill, took a chilled bottle of Evian from the minibar, and returned to his chair. He sipped the icy, clean liquid and set the sweating bottle on his desk. He paused for a few moments to collect his thoughts. The gold pen was then picked up and rolled between his fingers.
• He scribbled the words, each one a nail driven into his own coffin.
• Find yourself a wife.
• He wasn’t going to waste any more time whining about injustice. Nick decided to make a detailed list of the qualities his wife would require and see if he could come up with any suitable candidates.
• An image of Gabriella flashed through his mind, but he squelched it. He was currently dating a stunning supermodel who was ideal for social functions and great sex, but not for marriage. Gabriella was a sharp talker, and he enjoyed her company, but he was afraid she was already in love with him. She’d hinted at wanting children, which was a deal breaker. Emotion would ruin a marriage no matter how he laid out the ground rules. She’d become envious and demanding, as any normal wife would. Once she felt betrayed, no pre-nup would ever stand up to her greed.
• He drank another glass of water and ran his thumb around the rough edge of the bottle top. He’d read somewhere that if a man made a list of all the qualities he admired in a woman, one would appear. Nick frowned as he clung to a fleeting thought. He was almost certain the theory had to do with the universe. Returning what you put into the universe. Some metaphysical nonsense that he didn’t believe in.
• But he was desperate today.
• He placed his pen on the left edge of the page and began writing his list.
• A woman who does not care about me.
• I don’t want to sleep with her.
• A woman who does not come from a large family.
• A woman who does not own any pets.
• A woman who does not wish to have any children.
• A woman with a self-sufficient career.
• A woman who sees the relationship as a business opportunity.
• A woman who isn’t overly emotional or rash.
• A woman I can rely on.
• Nick went over the synopsis. He was aware that some of his desired characteristics were stubbornly optimistic, but if the universe theory was correct, he might as well write down everything he desired. He required a woman who saw the venture as a business opportunity. Perhaps someone looking for a large payoff. He intended to provide numerous perks, but he only wanted the marriage in name. There is no jealousy when there is no sex. There is no love if a woman is overly emotional.
• A marriage with no messes is a perfect marriage.
• He sifted through every woman he’d ever dated, every female friend he’d ever spoken with, and every business associate he’d ever lunched with.
• He couldn’t think of anything.
• His nerves were frayed by frustration. He was thirty years old, attractive, intelligent, and financially secure. And he couldn’t find a single decent woman to marry.
• He only had a week to find his wife.
• His phone began to ring. Nick took it up. “Ryan.”
• “Hello, Nick. Maggie.” She took a breather. “Did you find a wife yet?”
• His lips were strangled by a chuckle. His sister was the only woman in the world who could consistently make him laugh. Even if it was occasionally at his expense. “Working on it now.”
• “I think I found her.”
• His heart rate increased. “Who is it?”
• Another brief pause. “You’d have to agree to her terms, but I don’t think they’ll be too difficult. Maintain an open mind. I understand that’s not your strong suit. But you can rely on her.”
• He completed the last item on his to-do list. In his ears, a strange buzzing hummed, as if forewarning him of his sister’s next words. “Who is it, Maggs?”
• For a beat, silence fell over the line. “Alexa.”
• 6 The familiar name from his past caused the room to spin in a dizzying blur. Over and over, his only thought flashed like a mantra in bright neon.
• No way, no how.