Chapter 13: Still a Yes

Giovanni’s gaze settled on him.

"What about ours?"

Alex paused.

"What about it?"

"Our engagement."

Ah.

That questionable partnership.

Giovanni continued watching him.

"Does that fall under the same category?"

Alex picked up his coffee, only to discover there was barely anything left.

"I was hoping we could pretend that particular conversation didn’t happen until I had enough caffeine to deal with it."

"No."

Of course not.

Alex sighed.

The truth was, he’d already thought about it that morning.

Quite extensively, actually.

He’d been perfectly sober when he asked Giovanni to marry him.

He’d been perfectly sober when Giovanni accepted.

And he’d certainly been sober when he walked into that private lounge afterward and finally told Dominic exactly what he thought of everything the man had done.

Alex had no convenient excuse to blame for any of those decisions.

More importantly, he didn’t want one.

After finally getting some proper sleep, he’d woken up with a clearer head and discovered that he still agreed with the man he’d been yesterday.

Dominic had ended their engagement through his own actions.

Alex was done cleaning up after him.

Mercer Group was worth seriously considering as a business partner.

And somehow, perhaps most questionably of all, marrying Giovanni Mercer still seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea.

Alex looked across the table.

"I meant what I said yesterday."

Giovanni’s expression remained unreadable.

"Which part?"

Alex narrowed his eyes.

"How many life-changing proposals did I make to you?"

"One."

"Then that one."

Giovanni gave an amused smile.

Alex sighed.

"Yes, Giovanni. I still want to marry you."

"Good."

Alex stared at him.

"Again with the ’good’?"

"What would you prefer?"

"I don’t know. A little enthusiasm might be appropriate when someone confirms he still intends to marry you."

"I already said yes."

"You’re remarkably difficult for someone I’m offering marriage to."

"And yet you’re still offering."

Unfortunately, he had a point.

Alex held out his hand.

"Fine. I still want to marry you. Do you still want to marry me? Let’s put it on paper before either of us develops common sense."

Giovanni looked at his hand.

Then he took it.

"Agreed."

There.

Apparently, Alexander Vance was now officially engaged again.

That had been disturbingly easy.

Alex was about to retrieve his phone when a thought suddenly occurred to him.

An extremely important thought.

One that, in retrospect, probably should’ve occurred to him sometime before asking another human being to bind himself to him legally.

Twice.

Alex cleared his throat.

"By the way..."

Giovanni waited.

Alex suddenly found the cookie on his saucer remarkably interesting.

"Are you currently in a relationship with anyone else?"

Silence.

Alex looked up.

Giovanni was staring at him.

"What?"

"You’re asking me that now?"

"Well, recent experience has taught me that these things are apparently worth confirming."

That shut Giovanni up for a second.

"No."

Alex blinked.

"No, I shouldn’t ask?"

"No. I’m not in a relationship."

"Oh."

Giovanni continued staring.

Alex picked up his cookie.

"Good."

"Anything else you’d like to know before marrying me?"

Alex opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

Actually...

"Yes."

Giovanni waited.

"A lot of things."

That earned him a slight lift of an eyebrow.

Alex put the cookie back down.

"If we’re actually doing this, I don’t want assumptions."

"About?"

"Anything that could eventually turn into one of us saying, ’I thought you knew.’"

Giovanni was quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Fair."

"And no affairs."

"That needed to be specified?"

"Apparently."

Giovanni’s mouth twitched.

Alex ignored him.

"No secret relationships. No conveniently undefined relationships. No lovers waiting somewhere who suddenly turn out to have been around for two years."

"Very specific."

"I’ve recently developed opinions on the subject."

"So I’ve noticed."

Alex gave him a look.

Giovanni relented.

"Fine. Complete fidelity."

Alex paused.

He hadn’t expected Giovanni to agree quite that easily.

"Even if this marriage starts as an arrangement?"

"If I marry you, I’m married to you."

The answer came so simply that Alex found himself staring.

Giovanni took another sip of coffee.

"What else?"

Alex recovered.

"Financial independence. Our personal assets remain separate. Anything involving either company stays subject to the same approvals it would require if we weren’t married."

"Agreed."

"Neither of us interferes with the other’s company simply because we happen to share a marriage certificate."

"Agreed."

Alex narrowed his eyes.

"You’re making this suspiciously easy."

"You haven’t said anything unreasonable yet."

Yet.

Interesting choice of word.

Alex thought about it.

"No using the marriage to force the other person into a business decision."

"Fine."

"No speaking for the other person publicly without discussing it first."

"Fine."

"And if either of us wants out..."

That one took a little longer.

Alex’s fingers tightened slightly around his cup.

"We say so."

Giovanni looked at him.

"Directly."

"Yes."

"No disappearing."

Alex gave him a dry look.

"I wasn’t planning to."

"No sending your father to explain it for you."

That actually made Alex snort.

"Fine."

"And no leaving the other person waiting at a Marriage Bureau."

Alex’s amusement disappeared.

Giovanni didn’t look away.

Then Alex slowly nodded.

"Especially that."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Giovanni broke the silence.

"I have conditions too."

Alex blinked.

Of course he did.

He was Giovanni Mercer.

"Go ahead."

"If something is wrong between us, you tell me before you tell your Board."

"That seems reasonable."

"Before your father."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Getting ambitious."

"Before the press."

"That one should go without saying."

"Apparently we’re specifying things that should go without saying."

Alex stared at him.

Fair enough.

"Anything else?"

"Yes."

Giovanni set his cup down.

"If we’re going to be married, neither of us gets to disappear into work whenever something becomes inconvenient."

Alex frowned.

"That sounds suspiciously targeted."

"It is."

"Giovanni, I run a conglomerate."

"So do I."

"I work long hours."

"So do I."

"Then you understand."

"I understand the difference between working and hiding at work."

Alex went quiet.

That one landed a little closer than he would’ve liked.

Giovanni had known him too long.

"Fine," Alex eventually said. "We make time for the marriage."

"Regularly."

"You’re already negotiating amendments?"

"I’m clarifying the provision."

Alex stared at him.

Then, despite himself, he smiled.

"Anything else, Counselor?"

"I’m a CEO."

"You could’ve fooled me."

Giovanni ignored that.

"One more."

Alex gestured for him to continue.

"If one of us eventually decides this arrangement isn’t working, we end it properly."

Alex’s smile faded slightly.

"No public humiliation," Giovanni continued. "No affairs. No making the other person find out from somebody else."

That, Alex, could agree to without thinking.

"Fine."

"And until then, we act like we’re actually married."

Alex paused.

There was something about the way Giovanni said it that made that particular condition sound considerably less straightforward than all the others.

"What exactly does actually married mean?"

Giovanni looked at him.

"We can have Legal work that one out."

Alex stared.

Then he laughed.

The bastard.