with a look of determination that confused him.
"What?" he prompted.
"Do we have to?"
"Have to what?"
"Call off the wedding."
"Are you out of your mind? Of course, we do. I can't marry you."
Vivienne's lip trembled, but she pressed on.
"Why not?"
"Because you're a lesbian! And I have a penis! Or didn't you notice?"
"It doesn't change how good we are together. You said it yourself a million times. We fit."
"That was before I knew you were gay. I was wrong. Clearly."
"Were you? What makes us work is that we want the same things."
Nick smirked. "No. Ironically, that's what makes us not work."
"Stop and think for a second, Nick. The life that we wanted, we can still have. I can still be a great wife to you. We get along. We make each other laugh. We're friends. Our sex life isn't great, but we already knew that. We still make a good team."
"Being buddies is not a reason to get married."
"No, but over the long haul, working toward the same goals is. You may not believe it, but I do love you, Nick." Vivienne touched his arm, and Nick yanked it back.
"That's not the kind of love I want. We'll never be happy if what you want is another woman. And, I want someone who wants me. I can't live my life without feeling that."
Nick thought about the compromises he'd been willing to make. Suddenly, it all seemed questionable even without considering Vivienne's sexuality. How had he gotten to the point where he was so blindly focused on his career and his social standing that he'd accepted having a marriage without passion?
"Some couples have arrangements," she said. "They make allowances for each other."
"You sleep with other women. I sleep with other women. That's what you call a marriage?"
"There are all kinds of marriages, Nick." Vivienne sniffled, peering down her pert, aristocratic nose.
"I don't want an unconventional marriage with built-in infidelity. That doesn't make me some unsophisticated simpleton."
"Is it so unconventional? I'm not naive. You think my father is a paragon of sexual virtue? My mother lets him live his life, and they stay together in a solid marriage where they take care of each other and partner together."
"No offense, Vivienne, but I've never aspired to have your parents' marriage. I didn't think you did either."
"I don't. Ours wouldn't be. We care about each other. Our feelings are rooted in friendship."
Nick faced Vivienne squarely, placing his hands on either side of her face.
"No. Vivienne, that's crazy. Is this about your parents?"
Vivienne grabbed his hands and clasped them in hers under her chin. "I've been thinking about this and thinking about this. I'm telling you because I'm hoping you can help me handle these threats and make sure that no one else ever finds out." Vivienne looked a bit panicked again. "I can still help you get what you want. With my dad's business, you'll have no problem making partner. You'll be family. I can still give you exactly what you want."
Shame engulfed Nick. It had been what he wanted, but it wasn't all that he wanted. He loved Vivienne. He did. Was it a passionate love? Maybe not, but he'd wanted to share his whole life with her. Somehow she thought all he wanted was her family connections.
"I want success, but I want a real family, with real commitment. I'm not getting married so that I can date other people. Look, Viv, we don't have to give anyone details about why we're not getting married. We can say it didn't work out. It's not anyone's business."
"You don't get it, Nick. My parents won't let this go without a reason. You don't know how they are."
"I have some idea," Nick said, firmly setting his jaw.
"You think you have an idea. They want me married. They're already wondering why it's taken me this long. Single in my thirties? My mother thinks that's ridiculous."
"Jonah's not married."
"Oh, you heard what he said, and he's right. He gets to do whatever he wants, going through woman after woman and never settling down. At some point, my
"What?" he prompted.
"Do we have to?"
"Have to what?"
"Call off the wedding."
"Are you out of your mind? Of course, we do. I can't marry you."
Vivienne's lip trembled, but she pressed on.
"Why not?"
"Because you're a lesbian! And I have a penis! Or didn't you notice?"
"It doesn't change how good we are together. You said it yourself a million times. We fit."
"That was before I knew you were gay. I was wrong. Clearly."
"Were you? What makes us work is that we want the same things."
Nick smirked. "No. Ironically, that's what makes us not work."
"Stop and think for a second, Nick. The life that we wanted, we can still have. I can still be a great wife to you. We get along. We make each other laugh. We're friends. Our sex life isn't great, but we already knew that. We still make a good team."
"Being buddies is not a reason to get married."
"No, but over the long haul, working toward the same goals is. You may not believe it, but I do love you, Nick." Vivienne touched his arm, and Nick yanked it back.
"That's not the kind of love I want. We'll never be happy if what you want is another woman. And, I want someone who wants me. I can't live my life without feeling that."
Nick thought about the compromises he'd been willing to make. Suddenly, it all seemed questionable even without considering Vivienne's sexuality. How had he gotten to the point where he was so blindly focused on his career and his social standing that he'd accepted having a marriage without passion?
"Some couples have arrangements," she said. "They make allowances for each other."
"You sleep with other women. I sleep with other women. That's what you call a marriage?"
"There are all kinds of marriages, Nick." Vivienne sniffled, peering down her pert, aristocratic nose.
"I don't want an unconventional marriage with built-in infidelity. That doesn't make me some unsophisticated simpleton."
"Is it so unconventional? I'm not naive. You think my father is a paragon of sexual virtue? My mother lets him live his life, and they stay together in a solid marriage where they take care of each other and partner together."
"No offense, Vivienne, but I've never aspired to have your parents' marriage. I didn't think you did either."
"I don't. Ours wouldn't be. We care about each other. Our feelings are rooted in friendship."
Nick faced Vivienne squarely, placing his hands on either side of her face.
"No. Vivienne, that's crazy. Is this about your parents?"
Vivienne grabbed his hands and clasped them in hers under her chin. "I've been thinking about this and thinking about this. I'm telling you because I'm hoping you can help me handle these threats and make sure that no one else ever finds out." Vivienne looked a bit panicked again. "I can still help you get what you want. With my dad's business, you'll have no problem making partner. You'll be family. I can still give you exactly what you want."
Shame engulfed Nick. It had been what he wanted, but it wasn't all that he wanted. He loved Vivienne. He did. Was it a passionate love? Maybe not, but he'd wanted to share his whole life with her. Somehow she thought all he wanted was her family connections.
"I want success, but I want a real family, with real commitment. I'm not getting married so that I can date other people. Look, Viv, we don't have to give anyone details about why we're not getting married. We can say it didn't work out. It's not anyone's business."
"You don't get it, Nick. My parents won't let this go without a reason. You don't know how they are."
"I have some idea," Nick said, firmly setting his jaw.
"You think you have an idea. They want me married. They're already wondering why it's taken me this long. Single in my thirties? My mother thinks that's ridiculous."
"Jonah's not married."
"Oh, you heard what he said, and he's right. He gets to do whatever he wants, going through woman after woman and never settling down. At some point, my
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