Substitute Bride Read online

  “Well, I can look through this and tell you what I think, but it’s really up to you,” Alex finally said. “I mean, in the end, you have to make the final call.”

  Nita clapped her hands. “Can I help? I love playing matchmaker!”

  Trent nodded. “Sure. The more input, the better.”

  “You got their pictures?” Greg asked.

  “No. I want this to be based solely on their personalities,” Trent replied.

  Greg sighed. “That’s no fun.”

  Nita giggled. “You don’t have to get married so you don’t have to worry about it.”

  “It’s still nice to see what these girls look like,” Greg told Trent. “I mean, what if you end up with someone who’s ugly?”

  Trent frowned. “I assumed they’d all be decent to look at.”

  “Never assume.” Greg shivered. “I still remember my blind date with Tonya. All I can say is that I will never go out with someone unless I see her first.”

  “Okay. You have a good point. After you guys tell me which two girls sound best, I’ll ask for their pictures and then show them to you.”

  The server brought them their drinks, so Alex took a sip of her soda before she said, “I’m sure they look fine, Trent. The chance of you ending up with someone you can’t stand is slim. Besides,” she began as she threw Greg a pointed look, “Tonya was going through a bad acne phase at the time. She’s actually pretty now.”

  “Maybe, but I still don’t want to take any more risks,” Greg replied.

  Alex turned her attention to the papers and noticed the three graphs where Trent had mapped out where he and each girl had similarities and differences. She glanced up at him in amusement. “Do you chart things out at your job when you counsel couples?”

  “No,” Trent replied. “I’m doing that for my benefit. The more I have in common with my wife, the better our chances are for a successful marriage.”

  “In that case, Cindy’s your best choice,” Alex said, noting that Cindy had nearly a 100% score on similarities.

  Nita peered over Alex’s shoulder and chuckled. “You can’t graph out who is best suited for you.”

  “I know,” Trent said. “That’s why I have samples of their emails as well. I don’t expect this to be solely based on facts. I’m hoping you will get a vibe about them.”

  “Don’t you have your own vibes?” Greg asked as he set his drink back down on the table. “Let me see the graphs.”

  As Alex handed Greg the graphs, Trent said, “I do have a certain vibe about them, but I want to know what you think.”

  “Alright.” Alex read through the three emails and finally shrugged. “They all sound good, Trent. I don’t see any red flags here.”

  Nita folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “Trent, don’t you feel a closer connection to one of them?”

  He shrugged. “I kind of like Barb, but she and I rank at 50% for similarities. I don’t think there’s enough there to sustain a good marriage. It’d be like Kevin marrying Tammy. Those two were obviously wrong for each other. I didn’t have to be around them for longer than five minutes to see it.”

  “But you could tell Kevin and Alex were right for each other?” Nita asked.

  “Are you kidding? With the way Kevin looked at her, there was no doubt who he really wanted to be with, even if he was too dumb to figure it out himself. But you see, that’s my point. I don’t want to be too dumb to pick the right one.”

  Alex wondered if she should speak up and say something about Trent saying Kevin was dumb but then thought he had a point. If Kevin hadn’t spilled the beans about the money, she doubted Tammy would have accepted his proposal. But still, dumb was such a harsh word. “I wouldn’t say Kevin was dumb,” she finally said. “I’d say…” She glanced at the ceiling as she searched for the right word. “I’d say he was naïve.”

  Trent laughed. “Okay. Naïve it is.” Turning to Nita, he said, “That’s the kind of wife I want. Someone who can overlook my glaring flaws.”

  Nita stirred the straw in her soda. “You haven’t known Kevin and Alex long enough to understand that they’ve always been ready to defend each other, even when there was no romantic spark between them. It’s because they were best friends since forever.”

  “There you go,” Alex said. “You should pick a girl who seems like she’d make a good friend.”

  “No offense, Alex, but that sounds like a boring approach,” Greg replied. “A guy isn’t going to want to sleep with his friend. He’s going to want to sleep with someone he’s got chemistry with.”

  Alex frowned. “Then why did you do all that stuff in the kitchen?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “To fan the flames of desire.”

  Sighing, Alex scanned the emails and said, “I like Sydney. If I was going to hang out with someone at the mall, I’d choose her. She doesn’t sound like a drama queen—”

  “That’s the last thing a guy wants,” Greg inserted.

  “And she’s not superficial,” Alex continued. “She seems more interested in who you are than the others do. She asks more questions about you.”

  “Sydney, huh?” Trent nodded thoughtfully. “She and I have enough in common where it could probably work.”

  “Hold up,” Greg said. “Before you commit to anything, you got to see these girls. You have to know if the spark is there or not.”

  “So ask Barb and Sydney for their pictures and decide which one best suits you,” Nita added.

  “Why not Cindy?” Trent asked.

  “Because even if she’s ultra-compatible with you, you don’t sound as excited about her when you say her name.” Nita gave him a pointed look and sipped her drink. “Greg is right. You have to feel a spark with her, and there’s nothing you can do to force it. Sometimes you can be perfect for someone on paper, but it doesn’t work out in real life. You can’t be afraid of your differences.”

  “Yeah,” Alex began as she handed the papers back to him. “Sometimes it’s the differences that balance a relationship out.”

  “Good point.” Trent placed the papers back into his folder. “Cool. I’ll get their pictures then.”

  While the server brought their meals, Alex said, “The choice is yours, Trent. You can’t let someone else pick your wife.”

  “I know.” Trent smiled and picked up his fork. “And I won’t.”

  Content with his answer, she turned her attention to her meal.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Kevin got home that evening, he tossed his backpack next to the chair by the door and smiled at Alex who had a textbook open on her lap. He loved coming home and seeing her. It made his life complete. Whatever was he thinking when he believed he could marry someone else? Alex was perfectly made for him.

  She glanced up from her book and smiled. “How was your day?”

  “Long.” He sat next to her and kissed her. “I didn’t realize how hard it is to be away from you. All I kept thinking about was coming home and being with you.”

  “Aw, that is so sweet.” She gave him a kiss back. “I missed you too.”

  “So,” he began as he traced his hand up and down her arm, “what are you doing?”

  Sighing, she playfully nudged his hand away. “You know what I’m doing. I’m studying for my test tomorrow. I need to focus on it.”

  “I’ll help.”

  She rolled her eyes but laughed. “Sure, Kevin. Just like you helped me so far?”

  Chuckling, he said, “Okay. I admit I didn’t do a good job. I kept getting distracted by your hot body. But I’ll be good this time.”

  “I don’t trust you.”

  “What a horrible thing to say to your husband!”

  “It’s the truth and you know it.”

  “Oh, come on. Give me some credit. I can keep my hands off you for a couple of hours so you can study.”

  She didn’t look convinced but said, “Okay. I’ll give you one more chance.”

  “That’s all I need.” He t
ook the book from her and stared at the boring content. “Exactly what made you pick Business for a major anyway?”

  “I thought it would be useful when I open up my own business to teach children how to play sports. Ideally, these sports will be volleyball, swimming, kite flying… You know, all things related to the beach. I might even venture into surf boarding for older kids.”

  “Oh yeah. I remember you said something about that last year. I think that’s awesome. Hey, and you don’t have to worry about your student loans. When we get the inheritance, we’ll pay them all off. Then you can start your business in the black.”

  She leaned toward him and gave him another kiss, this one longer than the first. Her breasts brushed his arm. How he wanted to make love to her, but he promised to be good, and he would honor his word.

  “Thank you, Kevin,” she whispered when their kiss ended.

  He brushed the hair over her shoulder and rubbed her back. “Hey, it’s not my money. It’s our money. So you’re really only paying yourself.” Forcing his attention off of her pretty face, he turned to the book. “I just ask you the highlighted parts, right?”

  She settled onto the couch and nodded.

  Reading from the book, he asked, “What is a sole proprietorship?”

  “It’s where one person owns the business and takes full financial and legal responsibility for it. The business and owner are seen as one and the same. It’s the cheapest and easiest way to run a business.”

  He glanced at her. “There’s one other owner who can be in the business.”

  “Oh, right. The spouse can be co-owner, but no one else can be or else it’s a partnership.”

  “Why do you think you need to study? You already know the answers.”

  “I know that answer. It doesn’t mean I know all the answers.”

  He looked at the book and thumbed through the pages that marked the rest of the chapter. With a wicked gleam in his eye, he said, “I have an idea. For every answer you get wrong, you have to take off a piece of clothing. For every answer you get right, I have to take off a piece of clothing.”

  “Kevin!”

  “What?”

  “This is serious.”

  Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, “So am I. Look, it’d be more fun to read all this dry crap if we were doing something interesting, don’t you think?”

  “But one thing will lead to another, and we’ll end up making love. Then I won’t get any studying done.”

  He groaned and threw his head back. “You’re killing me. I haven’t seen you all day, and now that I’m with you, I can’t have any fun.”

  “Kevin…” She gave him a pointed look and pointed to the page in the book. “Focus. You promised to be good, remember?”

  Sighing loudly, he turned his attention back to the boring material in front of him. He was so glad he opted to go into education. “What is a partnership?” he asked as he set his hand on her thigh, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

  “It’s like a sole proprietorship except there are two or more owners.”

  “What is a corporation?” His hand slid higher up her thigh, and he cursed the fact that she wore jeans. If she had shorts on, he could slip his hand under them.

  “Um…it’s a separate legal entity…”

  He nodded. “Go on.” His hand traveled higher and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she noticed, or if she’d protest. He felt the tightening of his groin and wondered if she experienced anything similar to what he was going through.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Reluctant, he read, “Corporations can live beyond the life of any individual owners. Corporate owners are called the share holders, but these share holders don’t have to run the business. They can hire someone called a corporate director to manage the business.” His hand reached the area between her legs which he stroked. “The owners are not legally responsible for any losses, debts, or other junk that owners of a sole proprietorship or partnership are.”

  She laughed. “The book doesn’t say ‘junk’.”

  He tossed the book aside and pinned her to the couch with his body. Kissing her, he pressed his hips against hers and groaned. He cupped her breasts in his hands, noting their softness. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he moved on top of her, his erection throbbing with the need to be freed from his pants.

  “Kevin.” She groaned and wiggled away from him. “I’m serious. I really have to study. We can do this later.”

  “Ten minutes. Five if you don’t want to climax right now.”

  She shoved him away and sat up. “No way. We tried doing a quickie yesterday, remember?”

  “It was quick.”

  “Sure. The first time. But then you wanted to snuggle and talk, and the next thing I knew, we were at it again.”

  He grinned at the memory. “That was great. We did a new position too. I like it when you’re on top but facing away from me. I got such a great view of your hips and back. You got a nice butt.”

  “So you can see why we can’t start this until I’m done studying!” She picked up the book that had fallen to the floor and opened it to the page she needed.

  He sat back on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. “Ugg. Now I’m picturing you in that position again. What’s it called?”

  “Reverse cowgirl.”

  He was going to get blue balls for sure if he kept playing out the memory of last night. “Man, you are so hot.”

  She giggled. “You’ll survive, Kevin.”

  “Barely.” The knocking at the door took his mind off of how great she looked naked. Glancing at her, he asked, “Is someone supposed to come over?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He stood and went to the door. When he opened it, he frowned. “Camden? What are you doing here?” Again? And uninvited?

  Camden adjusted his backpack that hung over his shoulder. “Is Alex here?”

  “Yeah. She lives here now. We did get married.”

  Camden laughed. “I was there at the wedding. Great food at the reception, by the way.”

  Alex stood up from the couch and walked over to them, still holding the book in her hand.

  Camden turned his attention to her. “Do you want to study for tomorrow’s test? I’m having trouble concentrating, and it’d help if I had someone to study with.”

  Looking relieved, she nodded and waved him into the apartment. “I could use a study partner. Kevin’s too much of a distraction.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Kevin replied, not sure whether this would be a good thing or not. Why on earth was Camden showing up to their apartment all the time? Was this going to become a habit?

  “Kevin,” Alex said, giving him an expectant look. “Camden can’t get in when you’re blocking his way.”

  Inwardly groaning, Kevin moved aside while Camden entered the apartment. “Just how long are you staying?” Kevin asked as he watched Camden pull out his textbook and sit beside Alex on the couch.

  “Until we’re done studying,” Alex said. When Camden bowed his head to peer into his backpack, she mouthed, Be nice.

  Camden brought out a notebook and his textbook. “I hope I took good notes this time.”

  “Cool.” She picked up his notebook and started flipping through it. “Oh good. I missed the second week.”

  Realizing this might be a long night—one in which he was going to have to wait until she and Camden were finished studying before he could be alone with her—he resigned himself to his fate and sat down in the chair to turn on the TV. He turned it on mute and added the closed captioning option so he wouldn’t disturb them.

  “You guys got anything to eat?” Camden asked.

  Rolling his eyes, Kevin shook his head. “Are you kidding me? It’s late. Didn’t you already have dinner?”

  “Well, yeah, but I like to snack on something when I study.” With a hopeful smile, he added, “Do you mind?”

  “Fine.”

  The only r
eason Kevin went to grab the pretzels and soda was so that Alex would hurry up and get her studying done. He couldn’t wait for school to be over so they wouldn’t have to take any more tests. Then when he came home from work, he could spend all evening in bed with her.

  As he gave Camden the bag of pretzels and set the sodas on the table, he took a good look at Camden and wondered how he was going to get Camden to stop coming over all the time. When he was single and roommates with Greg, it was no big deal. But now he was with Alex, and he had no intention of letting this continue.

  He decided that he wouldn’t deal with it tonight. Alex had to study, and the sooner she studied, the sooner she’d be free to spend time with him. He would have helped her study if she wasn’t so incredibly hot. Just how was he supposed to keep his hands off of her? How did he manage it all those years? What had he been thinking when he thought of her as ‘just a friend’? He was an idiot to not make a pass at her. Seriously, she was the best a man could get. Forcing his eyes off of her, he settled back into the chair and stared at the TV.

  Chapter Fifteen

  On Saturday, Kevin ran his laps around the track, took a shower, and then decided to go visit Alex at work, even if he’d have to buy another souvenir. The Maine brochures came in the mail that day, and he was anxious to look over them with her. A two week honeymoon in Maine. Far away from anyone barging in on them and far away from any annoying tests. He smiled as he tucked the brochures under his arm. He couldn’t wait!

  As he stepped out of the apartment, he saw Camden heading down the hallway in his direction. Enough was enough. Kevin couldn’t take it anymore. He and Alex married last weekend, and Camden was coming over three times to see them in one week? This had to stop!

  “Hi, Kevin,” Camden called out. “Are you heading out?”

  Kevin shut the door. “Yeah. What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I came over to see if you and Alex wanted to hang out. You know, go out to eat or see a movie.”

  “Camden, did it ever occur to you that I might want to be alone with Alex?”

  Camden blinked. “Why?”

  He tried to judge whether Camden was joking or not, but judging by the serious look on his friend’s face, Camden didn’t seem to have a clue. Kevin didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Finally, he settled for chuckling. “Because she’s my wife.”