Bride Unwanted

3. Callie

CALLIE

He is notwhat I expected. Well, if that’s not the understatement of the century. His tall body hovers around me, almost protectively. I can barely bring myself to look at his handsome face without blushing. And every time he touches my hand, a million butterflies take flight in my stomach. I’m attracted to my new husband, and though that should calm my anxiety, it only makes me wonder what he hides under this perfect appearance of his. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Something must be wrong with him.

He is young, tall, and handsome. From looking around his mansion, he is clearly not hurting for money either. So what brings a man like him to pay for a bride like me? What could I possibly offer him he couldn’t get for free from any woman in the city?

“I had the chef prepare a special dinner for us. We’ll eat alone so we can get to know each other,” Talon says, matter of fact. Which is something I’ve noticed he does a lot. He doesn’t ask questions or ask for permission. He is sure of himself and whatever he says.

“What restaurant are we going to?”

“The Lastrada,” he tells me, and my mouth pops open. I’ve heard of this restaurant, but I never thought I would actually go inside. Not only is it known to be one of the most expensive places in New York, there’s also a waiting list a mile long.

“Maybe I should have changed into some else?” I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before, but I’m still in my wedding dress, going to a very fancy restaurant that’s going to be packed with people. “I’m sure everybody will look at us with me still in my wedding dress.” I giggle.

“I’m sure they would stare either way,” Talon says, looking out of the window. I’m not quite sure what he means by that, but before I have the chance to ask, the limo stops in front of the Lastrada.

I look up at the bright neon sign in awe that I’m actually here. The driver gets out of the car and walks around to open the door for us. Talon steps out first, holding out his hand for me. I put my small hand in his much larger one. He closes his fingers around me as he helps me out of the back of the limo. Once again, his touch ignites something in me, an electricity I’ve never felt before. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I can’t help feeling that there is some kind of connection between us. A connection beyond the fact that we got married.

“Have you been here before?” Talon asks.

I can’t help but laugh at the question. “Oh god, no. I couldn’t even imagine before. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a fancy restaurant like this.”

Something unreadable washes over his face. I can’t figure out if he feels sorry for me or if he is just surprised. Either way, his facial expression changes quickly into a soft smile.

“You’re going to love it. Chef Pascal is the best, and he promised to prepare a once in a lifetime meal for us.”

All I can do is grin from ear to ear. What else could I possibly say as he whisks me inside the restaurant, where we are greeted by the prim hostess?

“Welcome back, Mr. Ricci. It’s a pleasure as always,” she greets Talon before giving me her full attention. Her eyes go wide as she takes in my wedding dress, but she quickly recovers and gives me a wide, friendly smile. “Oh, wow, you look stunning, Mrs. Ricci.”

I almost correct her, telling her that’s not my last name when I realize it is, in fact, my last name now.

“Thank you,” is all I can muster up to say as I nervously run my hands down my dress.

“Please follow me to your table,” the hostess turns and starts walking away. Talon never lets go of my hand as we follow the hostess through the quiet restaurant into a large empty room. In the middle of the room is a single elaborately decorated round table with two chairs.

“You will have complete privacy here; your first course will be served in a few minutes,” the hostess explains.

“Thank you very much, Maria.” Talon addresses the hostess by her name, and I wonder how often he comes here to know the staff that well.

He pulls out the chair for me, and I sit down, my belly filled with excitement as I get comfortable in this over-the-top restaurant.

Just like the hostess announced, we don’t have to wait for the service to start. Two waiters enter the room to take our drink order as soon as we get settled in.

“I’ll have my usual, and my wife will have a glass of your finest white wine.” Talon orders for both of us without consulting me, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Is this how it’s going to be? Will he be taking all my decisions away from me? I don’t have much time to think about it because my new husband starts bombarding me with questions as the first course is being served.

“Tell me, Callie, what do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?”

“Oh, not much,” I answer honestly. There has been little time for fun in my life lately. “I mostly go to work and spend time with my mom when I can. The only time I spend on myself is when I go to the gym or go on a run in the park. I guess that’s not much of a hobby, though.”

“I disagree. I enjoy working out too. It calms me down when I’m stressed.”

“Me too!” I say a little too excitedly by the fact we have something in common. “When I go on a run, my mind clears, and I feel like I can breathe deeper than before.”

Talon nods before taking a sip of water. “You mentioned spending time with your mother. May I ask why she didn’t attend the wedding ceremony?”

My elated mood darkens in an instant. “She isn’t well enough to leave the hospital at the moment. Cancer is a bitch.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Talon sounds genuine. “If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“Thank you.” I want to say you already did. Your money is helping pay for treatment, but I don’t want to spoil the mood by the reminder of how we got here.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“No, it’s just my mom and me. My dad passed away a few years ago.”

Talon’s eyebrows draw together. “Sounds like you’ve had a few rough years.”

“You have no idea.” I laugh humorlessly. I’m about to ask him a question when he beats me to it once again.

“So, what brought you to marry a stranger?” He asks the biggest question of all. The same question that has been burning on my own tongue all day.

The most truthful answer would be because of the money, but I just can’t bring myself to say the words out loud. So I say the next best thing instead. “I want someone to take care of me. I’m twenty years old, and I haven’t been doing a great job of taking care of myself and my mom. I guess I’m just desperate for help.” I didn’t realize how true the words were until I spoke them out loud. My throat clogs up with emotions as I think about it.

“It’s not your job to take care of your mom.”

“If I don’t do it, no one else will. It’s just me and her… and I wish she could have been there today walking me down the aisle,” I add sadly.

“Maybe we can visit her tomorrow, and you can introduce me.”

“Umm, yeah… I just have to tell her first that I got married.” I giggle nervously.

“You didn’t tell her? How come? Are you ashamed of me?” He questions with a grin.

“What? No! Of course not… it’s just. I didn’t want her to think I did this because of her.”

“But you did, at least partially, and there is nothing wrong with that. Quite the opposite, I believe. What you did is amicable. You got married to a stranger to help your mom and yourself. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Thank you for saying that. It actually makes me feel a lot better about the whole situation,” I admit.

“I’m glad,” Talon says just as the waiters bring the main course and set it in front of us. The savory smell of seared steak and roasted vegetables fills my senses, and I know that this meal is going to be the best I’ve ever eaten before I’ve taken the first bite.

For the rest of the dinner, we talked more about my mom and how my parents used to be before fate dealt us bad cards. We also talked about my many jobs and how I’ve been getting by with working back-to-back shifts at the grocery store. It isn’t until we’re almost finished with dessert that I realize we’ve been talking about me, but he hasn’t really told me much about him.

“So what do you do for work?” I finally get to ask.

Talon stiffens. He tightens his fingers around his whiskey glass before bringing it to his lips, almost like he is trying to buy some more time before telling me. What is he hiding? Is this the part where the other shoe drops?

“You really don’t know who I am, do you?” He sets the whiskey glass back on the table.

I stare at him in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you’ve never heard of my family before? We make the news all the time,” he explains, like he expects me to understand.

“I don’t have a TV,” I say, feeling terrible that I can’t afford one.

“My family owns a lot of different businesses,” he explains. “This restaurant is one of many.”

“Wait, you own this restaurant?” No wonder we got this special treatment.

Talon nods. “My father oversees our entire operation, but now that I’m married, he’ll be more keen to retire like he was supposed to years ago. You can say we’re a very traditional family, and he will not step down until I’m close to producing an heir.”

“An heir.” I almost choke on my own spit.

“Yes, you’re okay with having kids soon, right?”

Kids… soon…

My mind is reeling. I haven’t really thought much about kids. Not because I don’t want them, but I’ve never thought I could afford them. Kids are expensive and until now, I have had no money to support one. I guess money is not an issue anymore. So am I to say yes? Because I just met Talon today and though he is very attractive, the thought of having sex is a little bit daunting.

“Are you okay with having children?” Talon repeats his question.

“Yes! Sorry, I was just a little shocked, I guess. I would love kids eventually,” I add.

“Good, because I’m planning on starting to try tonight.”

I gulp. “Tonight?”

“I’m going to be very honest with you, Callie. For most of the day, I’ve been thinking about going to the courthouse and getting this wedding annulled. This whole thing was my father’s idea, and it was my sister who found the agency. I went through with it for them. I never thought I would actually find somebody I like. But now that I’ve spent a little time with you, I’ve changed my mind. There won’t be an annulment, and tonight we will consummate our marriage.

“And you just decided that without consulting me?” I ask, a bit annoyed at how he assumed I would sleep with him the first night.

“You told me you wanted someone to take care of you. Let me do that. Let me take care of you the only way I know how. And in return, you give me an heir,” he says, like it’s the most logical thing in the world.

“Can you do that, Callie?”

Without thinking about it too much, I nod. I have to go through with this, whether I want to or not.

Lucky for me, I think I might just want to do it too.