Ted MacTaggart's overbearing father is still trying to control his life, even from the grave. His will insists that, in order to inherit the family company, MAC Superior, Ted must be married by his twenty-fifth birthday -- and the marriage has to be "real." As in the board of MAC has to sign off on it.<br><br>Ted could fight the will, but then the handsome, artistic Ryan Costa, an old friend from school days walks back into his life, offering to be his groom-of-convenience. Ted draws up the contracts and Ryan, who has family medical bill problems, agrees gladly to the terms. Ted, emotionally walled off and afraid of his attraction to Ryan, also suggests they should keep their relationship strictly professional. Caring for people has always proven a weakness for him. Now isn't the time to start.<br><br>It's not long before Ryan's charm breaks through Ted's walls, but Ted isn't his own worst enemy in this case. Other forces are vying for MAC Superior, and even when their relationship is becoming the real deal, its shaky foundations land Ryan and Ted in trouble.

Poor Little Rich Boy

“I like them all,” Ryan said easily, leaning against a wall in the realtor’s office, drinking bad coffee she’d knocked up for them.


Ted couldn’t bring himself to finish his, but he sipped at it politely, anyhow. Enough that when she came back, she’d think he’d just had enough. “Well, we really only need one, though I suppose we could take all three.”


Ryan laughed. “You gotta have a favorite.”


Ted shrugged one shoulder. “I like the one with the high ceilings. Taking up a whole floor of the building has appeal, too.”


“You say this like it’s a surprise,” Ted deadpanned. “You’re marrying a multi-millionaire. You’re supposed to make the most of it.”


Chapter 18