KEEP ME IN LINE

I accidentally called my husband while he was betting with his friends. Whoever got a call from his wife first had to pick up the check.

Nathaniel Brewer and I were married for convenience. “Hey, honey. What is it?” His voice was cool and clear. I paused, then stammered, “When… when are you coming home?

If you don't come back soon, I'm locking the door.” Over his friends' teasing, he gave a low laugh. “All right.

I'll be home right away.” One accidental call sent our yearlong marriage of convenience spinning out of control for the first time.

Chapter 1 Nathaniel and I had been married for a year. We slept in separate bedrooms and generally stayed out of each other's way.

That day, I was at home when his assistant, Adam Cline, called. Nathaniel needed urgent surgery. I was his wife. I ought to be there.

When I reached his hospital room, Nathaniel was lying palefaced in bed. The doctor stood beside him. “You'll be going into surgery shortly.

Is there someone in your family who can come sit with you?” Nathaniel's face was white, his voice weak. “I can manage on my own.” The doctor looked taken aback.

Perhaps it was the sight of a man about to have surgery with no family beside him, only an assistant, still trying to tough it out alone. It was a little heartbreaking.

Adam spotted me. “Your wife's here!” Nathaniel turned to me in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief at my sudden appearance. “Doctor, I'm his wife.

I'll stay with him.” I hadn't expected my first real act as his wife to be coming to take care of him when he was sick. The doctor looked puzzled. “Your wife's here now.

Why insist on toughing it out alone?” Our marriage had begun with a date someone had arranged. I was the first woman he'd been set up with.

He'd been sitting back in his chair with his legs crossed, wearing a suit, his hair brushed back. Everything about him said wealthy, successful executive.

As soon as I sat down, he got straight to the point. “Marry me. We'll make a private agreement: three years. We stay out of each other's lives.

My only requirement is that you don't cause a scandal that damages my reputation. There will be occasions when I need you to accompany me.

I'll give you enough to live on every month. After three years, we'll divorce, and I'll give you a settlement…” I could tell he simply needed a wife to bolster his image.

I agreed without a second thought. As far as I was concerned, there was no downside. I worked from home yearround, which had my parents constantly worried I'd never meet anyone.

Every so often, they'd call to prod me about it. I'd gone on the date thinking I might as well give it a try. I hadn't expected us to decide to get married on the spot.

We didn't have a wedding. Nathaniel came home with me to meet my parents once.

Afterward, we signed our threeyear marriage agreement, and I moved into his spacious highrise apartment. We lived together, but we were more like roommates.

He went to work during the day and only came home at night, so evenings were the only time we saw each other. With separate bedrooms, we had even less contact.

It was hardly surprising that we weren't close.

The doctor left the hospital room. “What are you doing here?” Nathaniel asked, fighting through the pain. “Adam told me,” I explained. Nathaniel glanced at his assistant.

Through the pain, his eyes seemed to demand an explanation for why Adam had told me. Adam knew what Nathaniel's relationship with his family was like.

Under the circumstances, calling me was the best option. Chapter 2 At least I would come for him. He would have a family member there to look after him.

When Nathaniel was brought back to his room after surgery, he was still unconscious. I stayed beside him and watched.

For the first time in our year of marriage, I had the chance to study him quietly. There was a tiny scar in his left eyebrow.

Asleep, he looked less tense, less unapproachable than usual. When the anesthesia wore off, he woke up. “Go home and get some rest.

Adam can take care of me.” His voice was soft, his eyes still hazy and damp with sleep. He, too, was always mindful that ours was only a marriage of convenience.

I wasn't someone he could expect to nurse him. “Adam had something to do, so I told him to go.

I'm staying to look after you.” He paused, then said nothing more. “Your lips look a little dry.

Shall I dab some water on them?” He pressed his lips together, then gave a small nod. I dipped a cotton swab in water and ran it over his lips.

He stared into my eyes, his lips slightly parted. When I finished, his expression froze for a moment, and he flushed red around his ears. It was the first time we'd been this close.

A little awkwardness on both sides was inevitable. The doctor came by on rounds. “He can go home in a few days.

In the meantime, keep his meals light and make sure he gets regular rest…” Even being sick couldn't make Nathaniel forget about work.

He spent all day on his phone, calling and messaging people. “You're allowed to eat now. Have something first.” I set the porridge in front of him.

He took a few bites, then a call came in. He put the food down and never went back to it. He'd completely forgotten the doctor's orders to get some proper rest.

At nine that night, his fingers were still scrolling across his phone under the lamplight. The screen was packed with work messages.

Clearly, what the doctor had said had slipped his mind. It fell to me to offer a helpful reminder. “Give me your phone.

Then go to sleep.” My tone was even, but the words left little room for argument. Nathaniel's fingers stopped. His brows drew together instinctively.

Before this, anyone who dared interrupt his work would have earned a cold rebuke. But when he met my calm gaze, he swallowed the refusal on the tip of his tongue.

He locked the screen slowly without handing it over.

His fingers rubbed the edge of the phone as if testing the waters. “Just another half hour.” “The doctor said you can't stay up late while your incision's healing.” I wouldn't budge.

He watched me for two seconds. A flicker of indulgence passed through his eyes, unnoticed.

He obediently put the phone in my palm, adding quietly, “If a work call comes in, make sure you give it to me right away.” “Mmhmm.” I nodded.

For the rest of his hospital stay, I kept his phone unless someone called. I limited his screen time every day. He never objected; he accepted it all without a fuss.

Some business associates heard he was in the hospital and came to visit. I happened to be outside taking a call. When I returned, there were visitors in his room.

Nathaniel saw me and said with a straight face, “Honey… could I have my phone?

I—I need to make a call.” It was the first time he'd called me honey, and in front of other people, too. I knew it was for show, but it still caught me off guard.

I didn't respond until he spoke again. “It won't be long. Just two minutes,” he assured me. Flustered, I dug the phone out of my bag and handed it to him. “Mr.

Brewer, this must be your wife?” one of the visitors asked. Nathaniel gave a small nod. The moment he had the phone, he made his call.

Chapter 3 With nothing to do while I waited, I remembered it was time for his medication.

I picked up the pills the nurse had prepared, ready to give them to him when he finished his call.

As soon as he hung up, he handed back the phone, took the medication from me, and swallowed it. The whole sequence was seamless.

To anyone watching, it looked like a strict, wellestablished routine, carried out without the slightest hesitation or delay. The visitors stared.

They hadn't expected the headstrong, unapproachable business tycoon everyone knew to be so thoroughly under his wife's thumb.

They hadn't expected to see Nathaniel this gentle, this willing to do as he was told. Apparently, you only really saw what someone was like when they were with family.

Throughout his hospital stay, not one of the Brewers called or came to see him. Adam had told me in private that Nathaniel had always been distant with his family.

Before we got married, I'd visited their home with him once and noticed the divide between them even then.

On the day of his discharge, I went to take care of the paperwork, leaving him in his room to wait.

When I got back, I overheard him talking to Adam. “Boss, look how well you've recovered.

Having your wife here to take care of you really did the trick.” Nathaniel didn't reply, tacitly accepting what Adam had said. “By the way,” Adam continued, “why haven't you answered my messages these past few days?

You only answer calls.” “She has my phone. She only gives it to me when someone calls. The rest of the time, she won't let me use it.” Nathaniel's tone was matteroffact.

He sounded a little putupon and helpless, yet quite willing to go along with it. Adam gave a small, knowing sigh.

As far as he was concerned, someone had finally gotten his relentlessly hardworking boss under control. Once we were home, Nathaniel disappeared straight into his study again.

I knew how easily he lost track of time when he worked, so I would stop by to remind him to rest.

When I'd moved in, I'd figured there were only two of us, he rarely ate at home, and I could cook for myself. We hadn't hired anyone to cook.

I asked Adam to bring over some groceries and made a few light dishes. “Come eat!” I knocked on the study door. He came out immediately and sat down at the table.

During his illness, the distance between us had quietly shrunk.

Mindful that he'd only just come home from the hospital and was still recovering, I made a point of reminding him over dinner, “Don't eat too much.

Even if this is all easy on your stomach, you still need to take your recovery slowly.” He nodded. Lately, whatever I said, he did it without arguing.

That night, after washing up, I passed his room and saw him unbuttoning his pajamas, about to change the gauze over his incision. I stepped inside. “Let me.

Sit still.” He looked good with his clothes on. It turned out he looked good with them off, too.

Afterward, I was about to leave when I remembered something else and turned back. “Oh, your phone…” Before I'd even finished, Nathaniel handed it over with practiced ease. “No, I was going to say, remember to put it on silent.

Don't stay up looking at it.” He nodded, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes that I didn't catch. The next morning, I'd expected him to plunge straight back into work.

Instead, I found him sitting on a balcony chair, drinking tea in comfortable clothes. Without his usual hard edge, he looked easy and relaxed—a rare sight.

Chapter 4 The earlyfall morning was still a little chilly.

He'd just come home from the hospital; getting sick again would only set back his recovery. “It's a little cold out here,” I said softly. “Don't sit here freezing.” Nathaniel got up, carried his cup inside, and sat on the living room sofa.

He spent a full week recovering at home. I followed the doctor's instructions to the letter, cooking light meals for him. Throughout his illness, I took care of every little thing.

He always felt bad about it after meals and would start clearing the dishes on his own. His fingers had barely touched the sink when I hurried to stop him. “Leave those.

Don't worry about it. You don't want to get the incision wet or pull on it.” He stopped. After a few seconds of silence, he turned and went back to his bedroom.

A little later, a bank notification appeared on my phone. He'd transferred twenty thousand dollars to me. I went to his bedroom to ask him about it.

At the door, I found him facing away from me, holding a towel in one hand and awkwardly trying to wipe his back. His movements were stiff and labored.

After days without being able to shower, he was clearly uncomfortable. “Give me that. I'll help.” I stepped inside and took the towel from him.

The moment my fingertips touched the firm muscles of his back, his whole body went rigid. His back straightened, and his ears quickly flushed red.

He didn't dare turn to look at me the entire time, keeping his breathing light. I had to admit it: broad shoulders, a narrow waist.

He cut a trim figure in clothes, and beneath them was firm muscle. I broke the silence. “Take the money back!

What you give me every month is enough.” “It's payment.” His tone was flat but left no room for refusal. “You've gone to a lot of trouble for me.” When I finished wiping his back and turned to leave, he spoke again, quietly. “You don't need to return it.

I want you to have it.” If the man paying the bills wanted to be generous, I could only accept graciously. I didn't want his kindness to go unappreciated.

Once he was mostly recovered, he went back to work as usual.

I got up early one morning and caught him on his way out. “Remember, no drinking if you have a business dinner,” I reminded him kindly. “And get plenty of rest.” Nathaniel gave a small nod of agreement.

After he left, it occurred to me that I might be worrying too much. He was an adult. He knew what the doctor had told him.

While he was still unwell, checking on him had been a matter of kindness. Now that he'd mostly recovered, it was unnecessary. I'd done my duty. I should stop telling him what to do.

But that day, while I was working at my computer, my finger slipped, and I accidentally called Nathaniel. He picked up almost immediately. “Hey, honey.

What is it?” His cool, clear voice came down the line. In a panic, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “When… when are you coming home…?

If you don't come back soon, I'll… lock the door.” Teasing voices rose in the background. Nathaniel gave a soft laugh, his voice yielding and indulgent. “All right.

I'll be home right away.” After that, he abandoned his habit of coming home late. Every day, he came back early, abiding by the curfew I'd set.

Then, unexpectedly, he was late again. I had come out of my room to get something when our eyes met. He held his suit jacket in one hand and looked a little tired. “Sorry.

Something held me up at the office. That's why I'm late,” he explained. He was explaining himself to me. I stood there, unsure how to respond.

It seemed like a good chance to clear up the misunderstanding from that phone call. We'd agreed to a marriage in which we stayed out of each other's lives.

Chapter 5 Taking his money and then bossing him around wasn't a good look. Even if he didn't mind, I still wanted to be someone who honored an agreement.

I was silent for a moment, my eyes avoiding his as I chose my words carefully. “The other day, I called you by accident. I don't know what got into me—I just blurted that out.

I wasn't trying to give you a curfew. It doesn't matter how late you come home. I wouldn't be awful enough to lock you out.” I raised a hand and swore, “Don't worry.

I'll stick to our agreement and stay out of your business. I'll keep up appearances, too. You have nothing to worry about.” Then I made a quick escape to my room.

Why did I feel so guilty? At least I'd said everything I needed to.

That ought to prevent any trouble later, or any of those lines the heroes were always throwing at the heroines in melodramatic romance dramas about rich families: “Do your job.

Stay out of what doesn't concern you.” What I didn't know was that Nathaniel stayed where he was for a long time, looking utterly lost.

Every word I'd just said about honoring our agreement and deliberately keeping my distance had stung. Over the next two or three days, the apartment grew strangely cold and quiet.

Nathaniel still came home early every day, but he stopped starting conversations with me.

I made a point of avoiding time alone with him, staying in my room to work whenever possible and eating at different times.

We lived in the same apartment, but we were back to sharing it like strangers, just as we had at the beginning. We endured a few days of that carefully maintained distance.

Then my best friend, Georgia Eaton, sent a message inviting me to an amusement park that evening. Eager to escape the strange atmosphere at home, I agreed at once.

We had a great time at the park. I didn't get home until eleven.

Not wanting to disturb Nathaniel if he was already asleep, I opened and closed the door as quietly as I could, crouched to change my shoes, and went into the living room.

A dark shape on the sofa made me jump back and turn on the light. When I saw that it was Nathaniel, I let out a breath of relief. His head was lowered.

The bright light woke him, and as he looked up at me, a tangle of emotions I couldn't name filled his eyes. “Where were you?” His voice was low and rough. “Um… just out having fun with a friend,” I said casually.

I started toward my room to get some sleep. Then another quiet question came from the sofa. “Are you really done keeping me in line?” I stopped for a moment, thinking I'd misheard.

Before I could turn around, warmth pressed against my back and two hands slipped around my waist