Accidentally Married on Purpose (9 page)

“Why then?” she asked softly, and Tyler opened his eyes. She licked her lips. “If you didn’t do it to hurt me or embarrass me, then why? Why not just tell me who you were from the beginning, or correct me at any point during the weekend?”

His mouth lifted in a halfhearted smile. “I couldn’t chance it,” he admitted. “I wanted to be the roadie or the super fan, or whatever-the-hell it was you thought I was, just for a night. I wanted to be with a beautiful woman who looked at me and saw
me,
not my reputation. Not my bank account. I wanted a night without the fame and any expectations.”

Sherry’s guard came down again, this time revealing sympathy, and his hand brushed against her cheek before he could stop it. “Don’t go wasting your emotions on me, baby girl. I’m the jerk here. I don’t remember everything that happened, or whose idea it was to get married. We were both wasted. But I should’ve told you the truth in my hotel room. I planned to tell you that night and I’m guessing that never happened. Afterwards…well, I panicked.” He lifted a shoulder, knowing it was no excuse. “Even though I knew you were special, I had to get my team around me before I told you everything. Find out how to handle it. You know, on the off chance you were a crazed stalker or something.”

He attempted a grin, and despite accusing her of possibly being psychotic, she returned it.

Blowing out a breath, Sherry glanced out the windshield. Her hands tapped along the steering column and Tyler listened to the beat, waiting, until she turned back. When she did, she said, “I guess I can kind of see your side.”

That, he hadn’t expected.

“It must suck being hot and famous all the time,” she continued, with not a hint of sarcasm. “Not knowing whom you can trust. I get it. I don’t
like
it, but I get it.” The rest of her protective armor fell away, and a hint of the comfortable, laidback girl he knew in Vegas seeped through. She held up her ring finger with a smirk. “And clearly, this idea was mine. That night’s a total blur for me, too, but this sucker has me written all over it.”

She laughed at herself, and the tightness in Tyler’s chest lightened a fraction more.

“So now what?” she asked, lifting a shoulder. “The wedding may be a blank, but I do remember some choice moments of the wedding night. An annulment is out of the question.” Their eyes met, and lingering heat snapped the air. Clearing her throat, she scooted away and rested her head against the window. “A divorce then?”

There it was. Tyler’s opening. The question of how and when it would happen had kept him up all night, and she’d just presented him with the perfect opportunity. Shifting his weight, his boot crunched an old water bottle on the floorboard of her tiny car. He scratched the side of his jaw, prepared to lay it all on the line…and had nothing.

Shit. Why am I so nervous?

“I don’t give a crap about alimony, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said, clearly misreading his silence. “I don’t want a cent of your money. Just want the creepers out of my bushes.”

The reminder of the cameraman firmed his resolve. He’d already gotten her in this mess. Marriage to him, out in the open, would offer Sherry some kind of protection. He could insist on a bodyguard and even defend her himself over the next month. Let that guy show up again on Tyler’s watch. His jaw locked at the thought.

“I know you’re not out for my money, sugar,” he said, gazing at her from across the car. “You didn’t even know I had any until yesterday. That wasn’t why I hesitated.”

“It’s not?” When he remained silent, a curious smile touched her lips. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why
did
you hesitate?”

Her smile widened, probably wondering what the big deal was. Perhaps even thinking he’d lost his mind. In some ways, it sure as hell felt as if he had. But that wide, gorgeous,
easy
smile finally prompted him to go for broke.

“What would you say if I suggested we
stay
married?”

Chapter Seven

“Stay…married?”

For one brief, hope-filled second, the romantic in Sherry fantasized that somehow in the forty-eight hours they’d spent together, and the forty-eight hours since, Tyler had honestly fallen for her. That insta-love was real, cute babies shot arrows at people’s butts, and fairy tales existed in the real world. But then sanity returned, and she drop-kicked that part of herself to the curb. That had been the romance novels talking.

“Yeah.” Tyler gave a disbelieving sort of laugh, confirming her thoughts. “I know it sounds insane. Hell, it
is
insane. But see, I have a business proposal for you.”

Business proposal. The antithesis of the romantic kind.
Sherry almost laughed aloud at her previous girlish hopes.
Silly, naïve heart, won’t you ever learn?

The pragmatic man in her passenger seat shifted and said, “Listen, I know it’s asking a lot, but just hear me out, okay?”

Sheer, masochistic desire had her nodding, needing to kill any remaining hope. Tyler took a breath and let it out. “What I’d like is to deliver a press release and announce that we’re happily married.” Her eyes widened, and he rushed on. “See, the tabloids already got wind of the story. It’s out there, and by tomorrow, it’ll be everywhere. But what I’m saying, what I want
,
is for us to spin it
our
way. Control the story. Then after that”—he glanced away and then back—“well, I’d like to spend the month with you, here in New Orleans. Be photographed together. Really sell our version of the truth, you know?”

Sherry’s mind raced to process the verbal vomit he’d just thrown at her. Unfortunately, at some point wires must’ve gotten crossed, because what she finally comprehended was complete lunacy.

She shook her head and closed one eye. “I’m sorry, what? I think my brain must be broken. I could’ve sworn you just confused me with an actress. Or a mindless, starry-eyed groupie.”

Other than a slight wince, Tyler didn’t appear that fazed by her reaction. He just continued watching her watch him, an expectant look in his eyes. Maybe her new husband had a few screws loose.

“I know what you’re thinking—”

“No, I honestly don’t think you do.” She bit her lip and searched his face, trying to spot the crazy—and he laughed. That didn’t help her opinion of his sanity at all.

“Let me back up and explain.” He removed his ball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. It was long on top, and Sherry vividly recalled grabbing on to those strands. She shook the image away as Tyler twisted the cap around and replaced it on his head. Bright green eyes, unencumbered by hair or brim, worked their swoony magic as he stared into hers, and Sherry couldn’t help but think,
At least he’s a hot nutcase.

“The day I met you in Vegas,” he began, “my publicist gave me an article that called my credibility into question. Apparently, relationships are the new aphrodisiac. At least in country music.” His upper lip lifted in a sneer that spoke volumes. “Sherry, I’m not sure how much you know about me, but I’m not what you’d call a relationship kind of guy. Music isn’t just my career. It’s my life. Emotional entanglements of any kind would just get in the way. But that’s why our drunken mistake is sort of a blessing in disguise.”

Sherry snorted. “Wow. Damn boy, you really know how to woo a girl.
Emotional entanglements.
Are you for real?” She shook her head, sure that she was either still asleep or someone had slipped something seriously funky in her morning coffee. The world no longer made any sense. For no other reason than utter curiosity, she tilted her head and said, “What
exactly
are you proposing? A press release and a month of staged photos, and then…what?”

Tyler regarded her for a moment, then exhaled heavily and scratched the side of his jaw. “First off, the photos wouldn’t exactly be staged. We’d be out, living life, you going about your normal routine with me in tow, and the photographers would capture that. As for after next month…” He trailed off and cleared his throat.
Not a good sign.
“We’d stay married for a year or so, more than likely maintaining separate residences in different states,” he added, lifting his hand in the air for emphasis, “with just a few targeted photo ops in select national magazines.”

The boyish, innocent smile he slid her was at once highly confident and a touch uncomfortable. A mix he pulled off remarkably well. Sherry laughed aloud. “Oh, is that all?” With another shake of her head, she fired up the engine. “Why on earth would I agree to that?”

He was silent for a long beat before quietly answering, “Because you’re the only one who can.”

Reversing out of her space, she turned to look at him and saw that he meant it. “Seriously? A woman you barely know. Aren’t women lined up in Nashville to fill this very position?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged a shoulder and faced front to buckle his seat belt. “But I trust
you.
”

Dammit, that wasn’t playing fair. Words like that called on every feminine instinct she had. Coming to a stop in front of the garage pay window, she searched for a way to reply without sounding like a bitch. Before she could, though, he added, “And I’d really like to help you, too.”

“Me?” She slid the lady in the booth a ten dollar bill and accelerated past the gate after being waved on. “How can you help
me
?”

“With your event-planning business.”

Sherry blinked. “I-I told you about that?” She wracked her brain, trying to recall when she’d revealed her biggest secret, let anyone in on that hidden wish, and came up with nothing. She hadn’t even told her family about it, because there’d be no point. It was a stupid pipedream. Nothing would ever really happen.

And she’d told
him
?

“Yep. Mentioned it somewhere between the fourth and fifth round of margaritas, I think.” She looked over, surprised, and he shrugged. “Gets pretty fuzzy after that, but the job part I specifically remember. Your eyes lit up, a smile took over your face, and you said that if you could do anything in the world, that’d be it. You called it your dream.” He paused. “That’s what music is for me. And with my help, we can make your dream come true too.”

A neighboring minivan honked, and she swerved back into her own lane. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks, and she fluffed her hair to cover her face. She suddenly felt exposed. And more than a little insulted.

“Tyler, this isn’t freaking
Pretty Woman
. I don’t need your white knight ass swooping in and rescuing me. I already told you I didn’t want your money. If I wanted to do this, I could do it myself. I have a savings account.”

An account she’d nicknamed “For My Dream” and had been building for years. Last time she checked, her nest egg had enough zeroes to make more than a decent-sized dent in her plan. She was just too chicken shit to do anything about it.

What if she told her brother and sister about it and they were disappointed? The restaurant had been in their family for
years.
A business they ran
together
. The thought of letting them down was too much. And that wasn’t even the biggest stumbling block.

What if she did go for it, honestly try, and put everything into making the dream happen…only to completely crash and burn?

That would be too devastating to come back from.

No, it wasn’t money keeping her from stepping out. Drive and heart weren’t the problem either. The only thing holding Sherry back was herself. And a super-size portion of fear.

“I wasn’t trying to insult you,” Tyler said. “I honestly want to help, and if not with my money, then with my name. Plan events for me this next month, come up to Nashville at some point and throw a party. Build your resume, gain experience, and use me to get your own name out there.” His voice sounded off somehow. Soft and sincere. Unguarded. “Hell, no one else has a problem using me. And unlike with the others, I actually
want
you to.”

She snuck a glance, shocked to discover the look on his face was
hurt
. That didn’t make any sense. Why did it matter to him if she did the business or not? They might be married in the eyes of the law, but in the space of her car, they were practically strangers. “Why do you even care about this?”

“Because I believe in you,” he answered, surprising her with the conviction in his voice. “Because I saw your passion in action and read about that auction last fall. The article I read said you more than doubled ticket sales, and made a local charity a fat load of cash. That’s impressive, sugar. More than that, it’s good business. In my industry, you learn to trust your gut, and mine says you’d be incredible at anything you set your mind to. I want to be a part of it.”

His words made the center of her chest ache. He believed in her, and he barely even knew her. She sat there, uncertain how to respond, and he shrugged.

“I just need your help too.”

Sherry held his gaze for a second, then sighed and turned back to the road.

Tyler Blue, internationally famous country star, cared about her silly pipedream. Moreover,
his
dream was important to him. He’d called it his life. Colby felt that way about being a chef. Cane loved running the restaurant. Sherry had no clue what that kind of passion was like. Waitressing, managing the staff, it was a job. A paycheck at the end of the week, and a way to support her family. But if she ever
did
risk it all and go after what she wanted, how would she feel if it were suddenly threatened? And not even over anything she’d done, but because of her personal life?