10. Capri
C apri~
Much to my surprise, Ares hadn’t insisted on going back to his place or inviting himself to mine.
Instead, he’d said that he’d had some work that he’d needed to catch up on, and so I had seen myself home after signing all the necessary documents that Father Daughtery had presented me with.
Honestly, I’d been surprised that Ares hadn’t forged my name, so credit to him for not dragging a priest into this mess.
At any rate, since I hadn’t slept a wink last night, when I’d gotten home, I’d gotten out of my ‘wedding’ outfit, had thrown on some sweats and a t-shirt, then had promptly fallen asleep on the couch, not caring that I was married now.
If going back to work was more important to Ares than navigating the aftermath of what we’d just done, then a nap was more than acceptable after the past few days.
Nevertheless, the pounding at the door had ripped me out of my much-needed sleep, and if I wasn’t feeling so damn exhausted, I’d laugh at the familiar voice yelling at me through the door.
“I swear to God, you better answer this damn door, Capri!” Tori shrieked. “How dare you get married and not tell me!”
I stood up from the couch, stretched until I didn’t feel eighty anymore, then padded my bare feet across the living room. When I opened the door, Tori looked like a wild beauty, close to losing her shit. In fact, I barely had time to move to safety before she stomped her way into my condo.
“Well, how are you this fine afternoon?” I drawled out sarcastically.
Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “I will murder you.”
For the first time in days, I grinned and meant it. “It’s not what you think.”
She scowled. “So, then what the hell is that on your ring finger?”
I turned to glance at the clock on the wall, and even though it was barely noon, I didn’t care. “Do you want a drink?”
“Hell, yes,” she squawked.
As I walked past her towards the kitchen, I asked, “How did you even find out?”
Following behind me, she said, “It’s all over the goddamn internet.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
I turned to face her. “What?”
“Not sure if you have your phone on silent or not, but there are pictures of Ares Cormac walking into the church this morning, and then walking out a little while later,” she informed me.
“Only the pictures of him exiting the church show the man sporting a brand-new, shiny, expensive wedding band on his left hand. There are also pictures of you entering that same church.”
“Jesus,” I muttered as I ran a hand through my hair. “I...I honestly hadn’t expected it to get out so quickly.”
Tori’s blue eyes widened. “You better start talking, Capri,” she threatened. “Now.”
As my best friend got comfortable on one of the bar stools tucked under my kitchen island, I grabbed two wine glasses and one of my best whites for the occasion.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if one bottle was going to be enough for this conversation, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Tori and I had gotten drunk in the middle of the day.
Plus, tomorrow was Sunday, so I’d be able to enjoy my hangover in peace.
At any rate, once we were both settled in with our glasses of wine, I told her everything, not leaving a single detail out. After all, Tori was my best friend, so if anyone was going to help me get through this nightmare, it was going to be her.
When I was done, she looked absolutely flummoxed. “Are you fucking serious?”
All I could do was nod. “Yep.”
“So...so, you’re really, actually, for sure married to Ares Cormac?” she asked, and I could hardly blame her for having difficulty trying to process the news. Hell, I was still trying to process it. “Like...you’re really fucking married to the man?”
“I am,” I confirmed, nodding again. “I am married to Ares Cormac.”
Tori just stared at me, and I understood exactly how she felt; I really did.
When I had finally made my decision to marry Ares, I had called my father, then had gone to visit my grandfather.
It’d been late, but Grandpa Yoseph was always down for spending some quality time together, and because there would have been no way to keep this marriage under wraps for long, I’d told my grandfather about Ares’ proposal, both my father and I letting him believe that it was a love match.
If my grandfather knew the truth, he’d spit in Ares’ face, willing to lose it all just to see me happy.
Unlike my father.
Tori eyed me. “So, how does it feel to be married to one of the richest and most powerful men in the country?”
“Not sure,” I admitted. “I came home after we exchanged vows, then took a nap until you started banging your fists on my front door.”
Her expression was picture-worthy. “You took a nap?”
“It’s been an exhausting week,” I reminded her. “I was in dire need of that nap.”
I watched my best friend drink her wine in one swallow before grabbing the bottle to pour some more into her glass, and getting drunk really did sound like the answer to all my prayers right now. If nothing else, I’d get one hell of a good night’s sleep out of it.
“So...so, what now?”
“What do you mean?” I asked before taking a drink of my own glass.
“Are you moving in with him? Are you...I don’t know,” she stammered. “Are you going to have babies with him?”
That got a laugh out of me. “I’m already thirty-eight, and my responsibilities at Martha Holdings just doubled with my father retiring,” I pointed out. “I’ll also have to figure out who’s up to taking my position now that I’ll be the CEO.”
Tori shook her head, and she looked genuinely troubled, “I don’t know, Capri,” she muttered. “I just...this feels like it has disaster written all over it. I mean, this is Ares Cormac that we’re talking about.”
“I’m aware,” I replied sardonically.
“You’re not concerned over his motives?” she asked. “Marrying a complete stranger is...that kind of shit only works out in rom-coms or romance novels, Capri.”
“Well, as much as I hate to admit it, he was right when he’d said that his motives were irrelevant,” I answered. “It was either marry him or watch him dismantle Martha Holdings, and I just...I couldn’t do that to our employees, Tori. They deserve better for all their years of loyalty.”
“No, you’re right,” she sighed. “I just don’t know how you’re not freaking out right now.”
“Because Martha Holdings is the priority,” I explained. “It’s always been the priority; Ares Cormac is secondary.”
She took another drink of her wine before saying, “I don’t know how you’re managing it. I’m happily married and absolutely adore my husband, but even I can see that Ares Cormac is hotter than all the flames in Hell.”
I barked out a laugh. “Wow.”
“Are you seriously going to tell me that you’re not attracted to the man?” she challenged.
“I never said that,” I hedged. “However, he’s also a world-class asshole, so that goes a long way in keeping my attraction to him in check.”
“Which just means that he’s probably phenomenal in bed,” she retorted. “Everyone knows that sex is the only way for a jackass to redeem himself.”
“I didn’t know that,” I corrected, grinning.
“It’s true,” she insisted. “Look it up.”
After a few seconds and another drink of wine, I said, “Look, I know that you’re worried about me, and I even understand why, but it’ll be okay. As long as the truth doesn’t get back to my grandfather, that’s all I care about.”
She shook her head again. “God bless you, Capri Cohen.”
“Look, I’ve dealt with worse, and I don’t crumble under pressure,” I said, trying to make the both of us feel better. “I can handle Ares Cormac.”
Tori grinned. “Famous last words.”
“Well, if he gets to be too much, I can always leave him,” I pointed out.
“I thought you said that he was against divorce?”
“Yeah, but he never said anything about legal separation or simply not living together if it gets to the point where we can’t stand each other,” I replied, grasping at straws, but still needing to feel like there was some hope in my decision to marry a man that I didn’t know.
“Well, just remember, I’m only a phone call away if it gets to be too much,” she said loyally. “Henry might even be able to get you a new identity if your new husband is serious about the no divorce thing.”
For the first time in days, I actually laughed.