Rock Solid by Samantha Hunter

would make it work, for both of them.
    In fact, in his mind, it was as good as done.
    He started to kiss her again, but Hannah pulled away, turning away from him, wrapping her arms around her middle.
    “I don’t know, Brody. I hear what you’re saying, but for me, it’s a much bigger lie.”
    The words cooled him down quickly.
    “How so?”
    She shrugged, walking over to the window where he had been standing before.
    “It’s one thing to stay here for a while, to be lovers...but I always loved looking at my parents’ wedding pictures, and I imagined I’d have pictures like them someday. With the dress, the flowers... Happy memories my kids could look back on when they were older, too. Marriage is...a promise. It’s not a business arrangement. If you have a way out before you even start, it’s not real on anything but paper.”
    Brody nodded, meeting her eyes. “You’re right, I know. My folks have been together almost thirty years. And maybe someday you’ll have that kind of marriage, too, right? You can still have all of that. But you said you didn’t want it now. That you wanted to change how you’ve always locked yourself down and that you’ve been too focused on a particular kind of life. I’m not a forever kind of guy, Hannah, you know that.”
    “Yes, I know, but—”
    “Even though the marriage would only be temporary, it wouldn’t be a lie. I do care about you. I want you, and I enjoy being with you. We’re good together. It could be the answer for both of us. It would help me with my public image, get Marsha and everyone else off my back. And I could help you break out of your rut, help your career. Give you time to figure out what’s next. Isn’t this exactly what you were suggesting to me earlier, only with more paperwork?”
    She chewed her lip, clearly unsure, but he knew she was listening to him.
    “This could be fun, Hannah. A lot of fun,” he added, seeing that she was almost with him.
    “I must be as crazy as you for even considering it,” she said, shaking her head.
    Now her eyes lit with that same spark he’d seen earlier. Brody made a silent promise to himself that he’d only encourage that spark, make it shine brighter. If he couldn’t give her forever, he could give her that.
    He met her at the sink, pressing her against it, not giving her another chance to rethink anything as he took her mouth in a hot, open kiss that promised nothing but more of the same.
    When he was done, she was breathing as hard as he was and was as ready for more.
    “Will you marry me—for a while—Hannah?” he asked again.
    She took a breath, giving him a look that made him feel as if she was handing him the world.
    “I must be nuts, but...yes.”

6
    “Y OU WHAT ?” A BBY SCREECHED . “Are you kidding me?”
    Hannah had to hold the phone from her ear for a second, but her smile was wide as she listened to her best friend’s response to her announcement.
    After she’d gotten over the initial shock of the entire incident, she realized Brody was right. Her resistance to marrying him for real, sort of, was because of the attitudes she’d held about the institution since she was young. It was the bastion of stability she’d always aimed for, and if there was one way to blow that bastion to bits, it was getting married—temporarily.
    It all made her feel reckless and young, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t also nervous about telling her friends and family. Brody was taking her out to dinner with his parents in a few hours to break the news to them.
    First thing that Monday, they’d gone to get the paperwork settled and scheduled the following Friday afternoon at the local courthouse, which was the earliest date they could get. Brody suggested Vegas, but Hannah nixed that right away. Vegas was too cheesy, and if what he needed was the impression of permanence and commitment, that wouldn’t work.
    Brody agreed that their wedding needed to look as real as possible to the outside