Chapter 4 - Rick #2
Well. And her harpy of a mother. But Rick had her legally bound so tightly he was amazed she hadn’t choked on all the clauses. In the event of his incapacitation, Zara would never be the sole guardian.
John, predictably, had been spitting fire at the idea of the contract. Apparently, it showed bad faith and mistrust.
Rick hadn’t said a word to him. His obligation was to marry Rosalia.
Nothing more.
Molly, for all her worrying and sputtering, had shown remarkable and surprising competency when explaining the various clauses of the contract to Rosalia.
She had patted the younger woman’s back and made a few flippant jokes about all the excellent nannies in her employ in Silvermist. Felix and Nicolas exchanged a wry glance.
Said nannies, now their mates, were through in the formal drawing room with Eva waiting for them to conclude their business.
Thankfully, they had left their…rambunctious offspring at Felix’s house under Dane’s protection and Lola’s no-nonsense care.
A lot of the pack was apparently gathering there as the Pine Shadow Club was still undergoing construction, ready to travel as one to the Pine Shadow Grove for the…
The ceremony.
He refused to think of it as a wedding.
Rosalia nodded seriously as Molly talked, occasionally interjecting with a surprisingly insightful question. Nothing combative, though. She was merely clarifying her position, as any sensible female would.
A slight eyebrow raise was the only acknowledgement she gave of the section to do with her salary. It was a sufficiently generous amount as befitted an employee of the Reinhardts, and he had made it explicit that her money would remain hers in its entirety.
He preferred such things to be clear from the start. And even he was not callous enough to ignore the insult that was the contract in the first place. Hopefully, such…generosity on his part would help ease the sting. It was, after all, not her he held any contempt for.
Just her sorry excuse of a father.
Well, that was, of course, unless she turned out to be his agent, playing some game that Rick was unaware of.
He had considered the possibility, but decided ultimately to give her the benefit of the doubt.
He would never allow her close enough to harm him, anyway, and if that was indeed her intent, it would become apparent eventually.
When it came time to sign, she didn’t flinch. Not visibly. But something in her gaze cooled, just for a moment, like a frost spreading across still water. But still, she signed the document with a gentle flourish, folding her hands neatly in front of her after giving the pen back to Molly.
“Righty then, it’s all official! Welcome to the family, my dear. I’m sure you’ll make a splendid nanny!”
Rosalia inclined her head. “Thank you so much for all your kind help, Molly.”
The woman flushed, flapping her hands, “Oh, there’s no need for any of that! I’ll be in touch later with a couple more documents to look through, employee handbooks, that sort of thing. But in the meantime, I’ll be on my way.”
She shook hands smartly with the males before bustling out. Rick didn’t miss the slightly wistful look Rosalia sent after her.
Now it was just her in a room full of alpha males.
Felix shifted his weight. “Perhaps you’d like to meet Eva now, Rosalia?”
Rosalia gave him a tight smile, avoiding Rick’s eye. “Yes, I would like that very much.”
His future wife was a dignified little thing.
Felix gestured out of the room, guiding her through to the formal drawing room. John stalked after, his expression still furious.
Nicolas hung back, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you coming through?”
Rick’s jaw clenched. The paperwork had been a marvelous distraction, if momentary. Now, he had to face the reality that his daughter was about to meet his future wife.
He didn’t reply to Nicolas, just stalked past him towards the sounds of chatter.
Inside the drawing room, Cassie and Daisy had risen to greet Rosalia, cooing over her cream dress and elegantly coiffed hair. Behind them, wide eyes trained on her future stepmother, Eva stood awestruck.
“Eva,” Rick said, beckoning her forwards, “come and say hello.”
Eva gulped, shuffling past Daisy, blinking up at Rosalia. “Hello, Rosalia. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Evangeline, but you can call me Eva.”
A smile cracked across Rosalia’s face. A genuine one. The first time Rick had ever seen her. She knelt down, accepting Eva’s hand in a solemn shake. “Hello, Eva. It’s lovely to meet you. I hope we can become very good friends.”
Eva’s face broke into a delighted grin, a bashful pink darkening her cheeks.
John cleared his throat, and Rosalia’s shoulders instantly tensed.
“Eva, this is my father. John Heath.”
Rick noticed that she didn’t move to let John close enough to Eva to shake her hand. She stood, remaining between her father and the little girl, her genuine smile replaced by a tense, worried one.
John exchanged a long, hard look with her.
Behind Rick, he felt Nicolas and Felix tense.
Something ugly and dark sparked in the air between father and daughter.
Rick’s wolf growled within him at the threat. It wasn’t tangible, wasn’t spoken, wasn’t human.
It was entirely animal.
Rosalia was defending a cub.
John Heath was a threat to a cub. To his cub.
Cassie, the only human in the room, exchanged a confused glance with Daisy, who gave a minute shake of her head before clapping her hands together loudly.
“I’m not sure what we’re all doing standing around here, we’ve got a wedding to prepare for!
Come on, Rosalia. Our friend Lola is arriving soon with your dress, and we’ll help you get ready! ”
Rosalia glanced down in confusion at her elegant, if understated, cream dress. “I thought the ceremony would be informal, conducted here?”
“Rick here insists on tradition with these things,” Felix replied with a friendly smirk. “We’ll be going to the Pine Shadow Grove in a few hours to carry out the wedding and swear you in as a member of the pack.”
Rosalia took in this information with the same serene acceptance, giving Daisy a kind, if slightly bland, smile. “Of course. I would be delighted for you to help me get ready.” Something warmer, more genuine, sparked in her eyes as she glanced down at Eva. “Would you like to join us, Eva?”
Eva’s mouth opened in awe. “Yes, please!”
“Come on then,” Cassie said, winking at Felix as she brushed past him. “Rick, I’m sure you don’t mind us taking over a few rooms?”
“Be my guest,” Rick said, wondering if it was too early to drink.
Rosalia didn’t look at him as she walked past, Eva trotting dutifully behind her.
He almost wished she had.