“I thought I should talk to her first. And now he doesn’t have to know since Sylvie turned me down,” Rene admitted. “Which brings me to the whole reason I brought this up. How do I change her mind?”
Remy’s brows rose. “You’re asking me how to convince our incredibly intelligent mayor to marry you so you can save your company.”
He shrugged. “That’s one layer of it. I need to get a ring on her finger before I ask for advice on how to keep it there. I wanted specifically to ask you and Armie because you’re both happily married.”
“Is this about the accident?” Armie asked.
He laid his cards down. He’d didn’t like to think about the day he’d nearly died. There were times he wished he’d hit his head or passed out so he wouldn’t remember what it felt like to look down and see his lifeblood draining away on the pavement. He’d wondered exactly what his life had been worth. His leg still ached from time to time, and he’d required serious physical therapy to walk as well as he did.
The scars from that day had faded. On the outside.
Sylvie had come to visit him several times. Mostly with her brother, but once on her own. It had been the one time he could remember since she’d come home that she’d willingly spent time alone with him. She’d walked into his hospital room and it was like the sun had shone again.
“I told you I intended to change my life after that day,” he explained.
“You told me if I didn’t go after Lila, then you would,” Armie pointed out.
He had to smile at that thought. “Well, you needed a push, brother. Although I do admire your wife. But I’ll be honest. I’ve always cared for Sylvie. Since we were kids. We’re both at an age where we should think about settling down and raising a family.”
“Please tell me you didn’t say that to her.” Remy took a long sip of his beer.
“Of course I did. I was laying out a case for why this would be advantageous for both of us.” Maybe he should have done a PowerPoint. That always worked for the board.
“You walked into her office and laid out a plan?” Armie asked in that way that let Rene know he was a dumbass.
“Yes. Sylvie is a very practical person.”
“Sylvie is also a woman,” Major said with a shake of his head. “Did you at least bring her some flowers?”
“I offered to take her to dinner.” And to father her children. That might have been where he’d gone wrong. What if she didn’t want kids?
It wasn’t a deal breaker. He’d always wanted a family, but now he had to wonder if he didn’t want her more.
It wasn’t about love. It was about something more important. It was about companionship and partnership. It was about building something they could both enjoy, something they could trust in. Having someone who would always be on his side.
Having someone to take care of. Someone who took care of him. That was important.
“Before or after you asked her to save your company and your family? And to take your name?” Armie asked.
Quaid sighed and sat back. “I’ve already been over this with him.”
“I didn’t tell her she had to take my name.” Though it would go a long way with his aunt. He was a modern man, but his aunt was somewhat stuck on traditional gender roles. Still, she likely wouldn’t ask to see Sylvie’s driver’s license.
Remy leaned forward, his expression somber. “So you walked into Sylvie’s office with no preliminaries, asked her to marry you, and please, dear god, tell me you framed it as her saving you and not as some kind of exchange where you paid her at the end of it.”
Rene winced. “Well, I didn’t want her to think it was all about me.”
There was a collective groan from everyone but Quaid. His friend and lawyer patted him on the back. “I’m pretty sure he mentioned that I already drew up the prenup.”
He’d been so sure she would say yes. “I should have played this differently. I can see that now. So how do I get her to change her mind?”
“Do you have time?” Major asked. “Because it sounds like this is going down soon.”
“I had hoped to bring her to a family gathering coming up in a few weeks. It’s my aunt’s birthday and we have to make an appearance.” It seemed like the perfect time to introduce Sylvie as his wife.
“He doesn’t have much time at all,” Quaid pointed out. “The vote happens soon. If Charles wins that vote, he and Cricket have two weeks to vacate the house.”
The thought turned Rene’s stomach. His mother loved this house. All her memories of his father were in this house.
So why couldn’t he force himself to do what he needed to do?
“I’ve got a whole list of women who would work,” Quaid continued. “I understand that Sylvie was perfect, but we have to deal with the reality of the situation.”
“I don’t trust anyone else,” he admitted.
“You don’t have to because I’ll make sure she signs a contract so she can’t get anything out of the eventual divorce,” Quaid explained.
And then he would have the same problem he had today, only a few years down the line. That was why Sylvie was perfect. He could see staying married to her, being happy with her.
“He doesn’t want to marry anyone else,” Armie said with a frown. “How did I not know you have a thing for Sylvie?”
Because he hid it well. Because the last couple of years had been hard. She’d come back into town and he’d decided to give her a month to get settled in and then he would ask her on a date.
Then his father passed that year and he was the one who’d needed time. Then his accident had happened and his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Talk to her,” Remy encouraged. “Tell her why you need her and not some random woman. Sylvie’s one of the kindest people I know.”
“And then you seduce the hell out of her.” Armie’s voice had gone low. “If you want to keep that woman, you treat her like gold, but get her in bed, too.”
He had every intention of doing exactly that. “I’m afraid that’s the problem. Sylvie and I had a moment back in college and I turned her down because she was a freshman and I was graduating. I wasn’t staying around. I didn’t have the right to go to bed with her. She deserved a real boyfriend. But I think she is under the impression that I didn’t want her.”
“Show her you do now. She deserves a real husband. Show her you can be one,” Remy said.
He wasn’t going to have the chance. Maybe after all this was over, he could show up on her doorstep again and it would be simple. He would ask her to have coffee with him and they could go slow.