Where Happiness Begins (Evermore #3)

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I ’m not ready for this.

In hindsight, asking him to come live with me was probably a bad idea. I could’ve suggested we go to his place. Or better yet, offered that we pretend to live together while staying in our mutual places. There must’ve been a solution that didn’t involve him moving in.

And yet.

As I plump a pillow on the couch for the seventeenth time this morning, the gold band on my finger catches my eye as it reflects the early spring light filtering through the window. I didn’t take it off after we left the courthouse yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure why. I know this is not a real union. I know the vows we spoke were not true. But for some reason, they felt solemn all the same. Like even if I don’t like it, a part of me truly is his from now on.

I’ve spent the entire morning cleaning around the house, partly because I needed to keep myself busy in order not to go into complete freak-out mode but also because I wanted the place to look nice for him. From an outsider’s perspective, it might appear dated and unkempt, and the last thing I want is for Carter to hate his new home for the next two years, although he’d be wrong to think the place has been voluntarily neglected. Dad always wanted to do some work on the house one day, but wanting to and being able to are two different things. He was a single parent who had to drive me three times per week to the hospital and who always had to work overtime at his accounting firm to be able to pay all the medical bills his insurance didn’t cover, so having a modernized house was never a priority. However, what this place lacked in beauty, it made up for with warmth. We were never unhappy here. I remember countless Sunday mornings kneeling over the shaggy living room carpet, completing puzzles while Dad sat behind me on the green-and-black checkered couch, going through his crosswords puzzle while an old vinyl of his played on the record player he’d kept from his teenage years. There was always music playing, conversations happening, or laughter ringing. I wouldn’t have changed that shaggy carpet or that checkered couch for anything in the world. And selfishly, I want Carter to feel the same way about the house. Like maybe if he sees how comfortable we are here, he’ll be able to overlook everything that needs to be done to it.

Even though I expected it, I jump to the ceiling when the first knock comes at the door.

I need to calm down. I can’t keep being shocked when he shows up to his own place.

Forcing a calm smile on my lips, I walk to the door, and after placing my hair behind my ears, I open to him.

And lose my breath.

No one should look this good in such plain clothes. He wears his blank T-shirts like some people wear evening attire, like he doesn’t need any artifice with his clothing because his face looks just that good. His strong nose might look overpowering on someone else, but on him, it only blends with his sharp jaw and smooth lips as if every single trait had been handpicked to balance the others and make a flawless whole. Today, his arms are exposed, and I get a glimpse of the dark patterns inked all over his skin for the first time. They automatically catch my attention, making me look for longer than is appropriate.

Stop watching him like that. He might be my husband on paper, but I still can’t drool over his physique, as nice as it is.

“Hi,” I say, and when he only blinks, I smile even wider. “Welcome in!”

He gives me the smallest of nods, then walks inside with a suitcase in tow and a duffel on his shoulder. Tough crowd.

I stare as he takes in the place, from the stucco walls lining the living room to the old-school wood paneling in the kitchen. Thankfully— thankfully —he says nothing as he turns back to me, and while I usually hate how expressionless his face is, today, I’ll take it.

“So this is the common living area, I guess. Feel free to use whatever you like, whenever.”

When he continues silently looking at me, I show him the staircase leading to the basement. “Want me to show you around your space?”

“Sure,” he says, almost sounding relieved. I’d thought after yesterday, he’d be acting at least a little more comfortable around me, but while he was never the happy-go-lucky type, today, his stiff posture and avoidant gaze make him look even more closed off. Maybe he’s just having delayed reactions, and only after we got married did he realize how big of a thing it was.

We go down the stairs, and once again, I stay back as he takes in the space I prepared for him. I made sure to clean out the clutter that had been accumulating in the guest bedroom at the far corner of the basement for years, and I even set up a living area with the television that used to be in my own bedroom so he could have a nice place of his own.

“I hope this is fine,” I say, fingers twisted together in front of me, “but feel free to make any change you want.”

“All right. Thank you,” he says, slowly walking toward his room to drop his stuff, I assume.

I leave some space between us as he explores, but I remain down here in case he has any questions, like a good B&B host. However, I regret that decision the moment I hear a familiar voice upstairs.

“Hey, Lil? You okay?”

Carter turns at the sound while I freeze. Shit.

I’ve been dreading calling Finn since I decided to go through with the wedding, but I guess I can’t escape him anymore.

Finn Olsen has been one of my best friends ever since the moment he sat on that dialysis chair next to mine, almost ten years ago now. He might’ve been older than me by a few years, but I saw the fear and uncertainty in his eyes when he stepped foot in the room for the first time, and since I was used to the entire process, I took him under my wing and made sure he was distracted. I was only fourteen years old, but I could tell when someone needed a pick-me-up, and that teenager sure did. Luckily for him, he only needed a few months of treatment in my unit, but we never lost touch after that.

And I’m pretty sure he will kill me once he learns what I’ve done.

Carter’s watching me with a curious look, not moving either as if he’s waiting for my instructions on the next steps to follow.

Without breaking our eye contact, I call out, “Coming up, just a sec.” Then I whisper to Carter, “You stay here, okay?”

“What’s going on?” he says, having the decency to whisper back.

“Nothing. I just have to deal with this, but I’ll be right back.”

Before he can say anything, I climb the stairs and hope he listens to my command. I need to explain at least a part of what is truly going on to Finn before he sees this stranger in my house and starts freaking out like the big brother he likes to pretend he is.

“Hey,” I say, sounding breathless. “Didn’t feel like knocking today?”

Finn stands from where he was leaning against the back of the couch, an eyebrow quirked up. “There a reason I needed to knock?”

“Because I’m a grown adult and could’ve had someone in here?” I say, keeping the question hypothetical for now.

“I did knock, but then I saw that other car in the driveway, and when you didn’t answer, I got worried.”

I probably should’ve thought about the fact that we often show up unannounced to each other’s places before keeping a six-foot-two secret from him. I also should’ve considered that Finn would think another car in my driveway would be suspicious since I haven’t had new people over since Greg and I ended things.

“Sorry, I was in the basement.”

“I gathered,” he says in a slow drawl, his face turning even more questioning. He knows I never go into the basement. Even though I’m a big girl and live alone in my house, basements still scare the living daylights out of me. “So who’s there?”

“Huh?”

“The car. Whose is it?”

Of course he won’t let me play dumb. Finn knows me too well for that.

Swallowing, I say, “Wanna go talk about this outside? Go on a walk?”

If there was a hint of calmness in his face, it’s gone now. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I walk toward the door.

“You’re hiding something.”

I don’t bother denying it, and after slipping into my sneakers, I go outside. As predicted, he follows me. Once the door is closed, I go down the front steps and walk to the street, far enough that I know Carter won’t hear us from inside even if his ear is right next to the window.

“So?” Finn says, making me turn and face him. “You’re starting to scare me.”

“Nothing to be scared of.”

“Then why are you acting so weird?”

And that’s when his eyes land on my left hand—more precisely, on the ring there. His face blanches.

Now or never, I guess.

Heart in my throat, I breathe out, “I got married yesterday.”

A pause, then, “You did what?” His voice is calm. Too calm.

“I got married.”

He blinks. Blinks again.

“I’m sorry, I think you’re gonna have to repeat that again because my friend doesn’t even have a boyfriend.”

Not knowing what to say to that, I lift my hands in front of me. “Surprise.”

Another long moment passes. “This is a prank, right? Something Lexie put you up to? Yeah, it has to be that.”

“It’s not a prank, Finn.”

“Then I need you to tell me what the fuck is going on.”

So I do. Well, the story I crafted, at least.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of weeks on the down-low, and the other night he proposed on a whim and I said yes.”

Finn stares at me for so long that for a moment, I think he’s malfunctioning. “You want me to believe that?”

“Why not?”

“You, the person who never drinks and whose only brash decision in life has been to book a last-minute bus ride to Utah to join me on a ski trip, decided to get married to a stranger after dating in secret for no good reason?”

I don’t trust my voice, so I simply say, “Mm- hmm.”

“Is this some kind of ploy to get back at your dumbass of an ex?”

“Jesus, no!” I should probably have used the lifeline he just threw me, but I couldn’t pretend for even a second that I did what I did for freaking Greg.

“Then what? You needed company? You were alone?”

“No. I told you why.”

His eyes narrow. “You know what I think, Lil?” He takes a step my way, then another. “I think you’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen. Always have been, always will be.”

As he says it, I feel a blush cover my cheeks, a telltale sign that he’s right. Still, I hold my ground. “I knew you wouldn’t support it, so I kept it hush.” Not a lie, per se. I did know he wouldn’t approve of the wedding, even if it was for different reasons.

His jaw ticks. “Lilianne DiLorenzo, either you tell me the truth right this second or I walk in there and go clear up matters with whoever’s in your basement.”

Oh God. That’s probably the worst thing he could do right now, and knowing Finn, I have no doubt he’d go through with his promise. Mix his brazen attitude with Carter’s roughness, and we’re in for a real treat.

The words stay in my throat as I watch him, pleading with him to let it go, but when he shrugs and takes a step toward the house, I blurt out, “Fine. I needed the insurance.”

“What?”

“I don’t have any money anymore, Finn. All the life insurance I got from my dad? It’s gone.” My voice is not as steady at the end of the sentence, and I force myself to breathe in before continuing. “I tried to work things out, but in the end, this solution was the only possible one.”

His shoulders fall. “Fuck, Lil. Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve—”

“Helped? Yes, Finn, that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. You and Lex have enough worries of your own. You don’t need mine.” I add a smile, hoping he’ll take my bait. “Plus, you have a wedding to plan.”

That doesn’t distract him. “You should’ve told us.”

“Well, now I have. I’ll call Lex later.”

He rubs a hand over his scalp. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with that stranger, though.”

“He agreed to marry me so I could go on his health insurance policy.”

I don’t need to tell Finn to keep this a secret. He’s smart enough to know that and also to understand why I didn’t want to tell him at first.

“Fuck,” he repeats, and while he might not be happy about this, his tone tells me he understands why I did it, and that means everything to me. He won’t try to baby me. He knows if I did what I did, it’s because I thought things through.

“It’s okay. It won’t be forever. Just until I find a job with insurance.”

He studies me for a moment, then his brows furrow. “So what? Is he like, using you in exchange? For sex?” The face of my kind, usually easygoing friend changes to something glacial. “I’m going to kill him. ”

“Wait!” I shout, holding his arm as he goes barreling up the driveway toward the house. “Calm down, you crazy slug!”

That gets him to listen. “Crazy slug?”

“He’s not using me for sex.” In fact, that idea never even crossed my mind, which probably makes me a little na?ve, but too late to realize this now. “I’m doing promo for his band.” Easier to explain it like that.

That seems to get him to calm down, but before we can continue our conversation, the front door opens, and out comes my husband, socked feet padding down the front porch. In a gruff voice, he says, “Everything okay here?”

I don’t know what to expect from Finn, but he somehow finds a way to surprise me the most.

He laughs out loud.

“We’re quite all right. Thank you, good sir.”

Carter turns to me as if to confirm I’m fine, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I kind of want to burst into flames at the moment.

“We’re good,” I say. “Carter, this is Finn. Finn, this is Carter.” I clear my throat, then say in a low voice, “My husband.”

Even though he understands my reasoning, every bone in Finn’s body screams his discomfort at the situation.

He trudges back toward the house, and while I quickly follow him, I’m not fast enough to put myself between the two of them.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Finn says as he grabs Carter’s hand and starts shaking. Carter winces, probably from a grip that’s way too tight. “And if you even think of putting your hands on her, I swear to God I’ll make your life a living hell.”

Oh my God.

I don’t know how to stop this, so I can only watch in horror as the two men continue to shake in the most awkward contact I’ve ever witnessed.

I only exhale when Finn finally lets go of Carter’s hand. “Actually, I might let Lexie handle him. That’d be even worse.”

I snicker. He has a point. I wouldn’t want to go past him, but fighting his fiancée, who’s an Olympic gymnast with a body made out of rock, would be way, way worse.

Finally, some lightness seeps into me. Finn knows, and the world didn’t explode. And as annoying as he is when he gets all protective like this, I’m grateful to have someone like him by my side.

Finn hugs me quickly. “Come by the apartment later. Lexie will have lots of questions.”

I’m sure she will. I don’t expect Finn to keep this secret from his fiancée, and I know he’s grateful I’m not asking him to. Plus, Lexie is like a tomb. Whatever you tell her to keep for herself will go with her to the grave.

I nod, and after throwing Carter one last murderous glance, Finn walks to his car and drives away. I don’t even know why he came here in the first place, but I guess it wasn’t important.

“Well.” I spin on my heels to face Carter, chuckling awkwardly. “Welcome home!”