Merritt used to feel sad when she thought about her start in life—left at a hospital when she was a baby, found wrapped in a blanket in a box by the door to the ER. But over the years, she had come to believe in her heart that her mother must’ve had a very good reason for abandoning her. When she imagined her biological mother, she pictured a scared teenager with no way of taking care of a baby, and she understood and didn’t begrudge her anything. She’d had a good life, people who took care of her, at least one loving parent, and she’d gone on to make something of herself. Many children in her situation weren’t so lucky, and she knew how blessed she was to have been adopted.
When she and her mom hung up, Merritt went inside and looked around her apartment. She had lived there for five years, and it was her haven, her sanctuary. She and Gus hadn’t discussed what to do with her place, but she didn’t want to give it up. Maybe she could rent it out for the year since she wasn’t going to be living there. That thought saddened her.
It’s only a year. You can do this.
A sudden knock on the door made her jump, and she took her time answering it because she knew it was him. But when she opened the door, Gus wasn’t the only one on the other side. Adelia and Giovanni were there with champagne and glasses in hand.
They took turns hugging, kissing cheeks, and giving their congratulations. Even though it wasn’t a real marriage, they would use any excuse to celebrate.
Merritt welcomed them all in, not making eye contact with her new husband.
Adelia went onto the balcony and everyone followed. She poured champagne and raised her glass. “Congratulations to a beautiful couple on a happy—” She started laughing. “I can’t say it with a straight face.”
“Nobody asked you to give us a toast,” Gus told her with a smirk.
She cleared her throat. “On a happy marriage.”
“Thanks, Deals—”
Adelia held up her hand. “I’m not finished.”
Gus and Merritt both groaned at the same time and laughed when they caught each other’s eye.
“May this be the best year of your lives.”
“To one year.” Gus raised the water bottle in his hand and looked at Merritt.
“One year,” she repeated as she raised her glass.
Merritt’s nerves kicked up a notch as she turned into the drive of the Schultz’s Malibu home. It was similar in size to Adelia’s—one-story with probably five or six bedrooms. She couldn’t tell from the outside. She’d insisted on driving her BMW there rather than riding in the Escalade with Gus and the others. No matter how much he hated her car, she wasn’t leaving it at her apartment, undriven for a year. She loved this car. She’d worked hard to earn the money to buy it on her own, drove it across the country, and had taken good care of it with regular maintenance and repairs, which lately seemed to be more frequent.
She got out of her car, grabbed her purse and a small bag containing her makeup and toiletries, and walked hesitantly across the drive as Gus and their friends grabbed the rest of Merritt’s belongings from the back of the SUV.
“Here!” Gus tossed a set of keys at her.
“What are these?”
He nodded to the shiny white Mercedes convertible parked on the other side of the driveway. “They’re yours.”
“What?”
“I told you I’d buy you a new car.”
“And I told you I love my car.”
He shrugged. “Drive it. Don’t drive it. I don’t care. But it’s yours.”
She stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Happy wedding day.”
She turned to look at the vehicle and moved closer, her gaze traveling along the sleek curves to the white leather seats within. She had never owned a brand new car before.
The driveway behind her grew quiet, and she realized everyone had gone inside.
She took a deep breath and followed. Everyone was talking and goofing around as if this was any normal day, as if she and Gus hadn’t just vowed to love each other forever and weren’t about to shack up after knowing each other for two weeks.
“Your room is down here,” Gus said over his shoulder as he led everyone along a hallway on the north side of the house with suitcases and plastic tubs in hand. He opened a door and stood to the side to let them enter, smiling at Merritt as she passed by.
The moment she stepped into the room, she instantly fell in love with the view. She had always loved that her apartment was so close to the ocean and the Santa Monica pier, but the view from atop the canyon was breathtaking. And it was so quiet and peaceful here. She could definitely handle this for a while.
Once the others had left her things and headed back toward the living room, Merritt moved closer to the windows to get a better look.
“Do you like it?”
She startled and looked back to see Gus standing in the doorway. “I do.”
“Good.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. “I’ll let you get settled in then.”
She was relieved to be left alone. This whole situation was beyond awkward.
As she began unpacking, Adelia came in and closed the door behind her.
“How ya doin’?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” Merritt opened the closet door and went about hanging up her clothing.
“Do you want some help?” Adelia grabbed a few of the shirts without waiting for a reply.
“Thanks, but I don’t have that much to put away. The movers are bringing the rest of my things over next week.” She took the shirts from Adelia and placed them next to the others.
“Hey, you know if you need to talk or just get away from here, I am right down the road.”
“I know.” She kept doing what she was doing.
“Merritt.”
She stopped moving and looked over at her friend.
“Look, I wasn’t exactly on board with this when you guys told me, but I think you’re doing the right thing.”
Merritt’s brow furrowed. “Am I? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve lost my mind.”
“You’re helping out a really good guy and making a good business decision in the process.”
“This is by far the craziest thing I have ever done, and I’m still not sure how I let myself get talked into this.”
“Gus can be very convincing when he wants something.” Adelia had a little twinkle in her eye, which piqued Merritt’s curiosity.
She paused with an empty hanger in hand. “Were you and Gus ever involved?”
Adelia laughed hysterically. “Never.”
“Did you want to be?”
“Not for a second. The tabloids like to make up stories about us, but none of it’s true. He’s like a brother to me. That would just be …” She shivered as she screwed up her face.
“Sorry. I was just curious. You two are obviously close.”
“We are. He’s important to me. You married one of the best guys I know.”
A sound of disgust escaped from Merritt’s throat.
“And I’ve heard he’s a really good kisser, so that’s a plus for you.”
“What? Why would I care if he’s a good kisser or not?” Merritt’s cheeks warmed.