She's Not the One

Terran

He sighed. “Your yacht, your condo, the beach house, the cars? Aren’t all those things worth a ball and chain?”

I glared at him from behind my dark, thousand-dollar sunglasses. “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

He laughed. “It’s a wife. It isn’t a death sentence.”

“You don’t want to be married any more than I do.”

Zach chuckled. “No, but my dad didn’t put a clause in his will demanding I be married by thirty-five or I would lose my inheritance. He probably knew I’d never be able to do that. It isn’t in the Bailey DNA. Baileys were meant to be bachelors, enjoying all the women the world has to offer.”

I groaned. “My dad was one of the guys who believed you mate for life. He never remarried after my mom died. He was never interested in another woman. When I was ten, I used to appreciate that. I didn’t want a stepmom. I never knew he would insist I be like him. I’m not built to have only one woman.”

“Me either. Are you sure you can’t persuade the attorney handling the will to ignore the clause?” 

It was the same question I had asked myself several times. “I tried. He is one of my dad’s oldest friends. He won’t budge. I even offered to give him a chunk of the inheritance.”

“Shit,” Zach said, echoing my exact sentiments.

“I go back and forth between giving up the money and doing what he has demanded. I can’t seem to make up my mind.”

“It’s a lot of money to give up, but it isn’t like you’ll be a pauper,” he said. “You’ve made your own fortune.”

I nodded. “I know, but what if I put out one bad campaign? All it takes is one to lose your reputation in the industry. You know the ad world is cutthroat. I would like to have a backup plan in case I lose everything.”

“You’re not going to lose everything. You’re too damn smart for that. Relax.”

I shook my head. “Easier said than done.”

“Okay, so you have to make a decision within the next couple of months. Nothing changes today. Right now, you’re on your beautiful yacht filled with gorgeous women who would all love the chance to help you unwind. We’ll worry about all the other stuff tomorrow.”

“What if I can’t find a woman to marry me?” I asked, voicing one of my many fears.

Zach scoffed. “You know you are one of the hottest bachelors in the country. How you managed to get so damn tall is beyond me. Women are drawn to that whole tall, dark, and devasting thing, which I hate you for.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, because you’re really suffering from a lack of ladies interested in you.”

He laughed, knowing I was right. “Look, you know what you have to do. Hell, maybe your future wife is back there, waiting to meet you.”

I turned to face the opposite end of the yacht, my elbows resting on the railing behind me. I stared at the people milling about. I didn’t know most of them. I had put out an open invitation. My gift to Zach for his birthday was a party packed full of gorgeous women.

“Somehow, I don’t think my wife is one of these women.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s the searching that will be the fun part.”

I looked around the yacht and the luxurious furnishings. If I didn’t find a woman to marry within the next six months, there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to afford all this. Lenders loaned to me because they knew who I was and assumed I would inherit money upon my father’s death. They didn’t know the truth. If I didn’t get hitched, the inheritance would be divided up between several charities, and that would make the news. It wouldn’t be long before my very extended line of credit dried up.

“Maybe I could get a smaller boat and sell the condo,” I mused aloud.

Zach gasped in exaggerated horror. “You can’t sell the yacht!”

I shrugged a shoulder. “It’s kind of pretentious.”

“But it’s so awesome.”

“How often do I actually use it?”

“We’ll use it every weekend. Don’t you dare sell this thing until I’ve had a chance to talk you out of it.” 

“Why don’t you buy a yacht?” I asked.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Because you have one.”

I laughed, shaking my head at his reasoning.

“I’m going to get another drink. Join me. Let’s have some fun.” 

I shook my head. “I’ll be there in a second.”

He walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I turned around to face the water and thought about what my life would look like at this time next year. I would either be here on my yacht with a wife or no yacht and no wife.

I heard Zach’s voice behind me. “Ladies, this is Terran Maddox. He could use some cheering up.”

I turned to see who he was with. Two beautiful women had their arms looped through either of his bent elbows.

I gave them each a cursory smile. A blonde and a brunette. I was naturally drawn to the blonde, but she had that empty look about her. Throwing my usual standards to the side, I looked at her and gave her my best charming smile.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

The blonde, realizing I had picked her, stepped forward and came to stand directly in front of me. She was wearing nothing but a tiny bright blue bikini that showed off every curve and what I decided was a surgically enhanced set of breasts. She wasn’t my future wife, but she would be fun to pass the day with. She grabbed my hand and led me toward the party. As I passed Zach and his lady friend, he grinned and winked.

I would worry about my situation tomorrow. Today, I intended on having some fun and enjoying the last days of either my freedom or financial security.