The Arrangement Page 5

  It wasn’t until the night of the car accident he’d finally pushed his father over the edge. He could still remember his father yelling at him while he lay in a hospital bed with a broken arm. Tears had filled his eyes as his father finally read him the riot act. David hadn’t said a word about the brand new BMW that was beyond salvaging. “We both lost your mother. We can’t lose each other, too. I couldn’t survive that, Ash. It’s time for you to stop acting like a damn child and grow up. Your mother wouldn’t want this for you.”

  Ash had been twenty-one. That was when he finally realized how much his father had been hurting. But he’d held himself together because his focus had been on helping Ash to cope. After Ash was released from the hospital, he tried to quit smoking for the first time. He’d started smoking at sixteen in an act of defiance. He was angry at his mother for dying of cancer, at his father for not falling apart, and at God for taking his mother. Their family money came from tobacco. His mother had hated smoking. Her own father had been a smoker and died from lung cancer. Joanna had made sure that they no longer had any ties to the cash crop. She had never smoked a day in her life, but she had died of breast cancer.

  He had tried to quit smoking again and again only to fail. It was only until Ariadne’s offhand comment about his car that he’d finally been able to kick the habit.

  Terri greeted him at the door with a warm smile and a welcoming hug. Terri wasn’t anything like his mother. His mother had been fair with light green eyes the same shade as his own. Tall and slender, she had done some modeling in her teens. Terri was short and rounded in a way that made her appear younger than her fifty plus years of age. She kept her dark brown curls clipped close to her ears whereas his mother’s hair had never been shorter than waist length. Sometimes Asher wondered if his father had chosen Terri because she was so very different.

  Whatever his reasoning, Asher didn’t think his father could have found a more perfect wife. Terri had lost her husband to cancer as well. The two had met in a grief support group and had become good friends. Terri was a genuinely kind woman and she made his dad happy.

  “You’re just in time for dinner,” Terri said as she drew back. “I didn’t know you were home.” She took a moment to look him over as she closed the door. “Your tan is fantastic. How are your friends? Everyone is well?”

  “They’re great. Ted and Erika are talking about starting a family.”

  “That’s wonderful. Your father is going to be so jealous. You know how he wants grandkids.”

  He followed her through the house. “He has Lizzy and Abby.”

  Terri smiled. “It’s nice of you to say so, but you know it’s not the same.”

  Lizzy and Abby were her daughter Tara’s children by her ex-husband. Though they weren’t his father’s biological grandchildren he treated them as though they were. “Where is Dad?”

  “He’s in the family room with Tara and the kids.”

  That gave him momentary pause, but he supposed it was for the best. He could tell everyone at once. The family room was the most casually decorated room in the house. It had comfortable sofas, a large screen television, and an area off to the side that they had filled with toys for the kids. When they walked in the girls were playing with dolls while Tara and his dad were discussing his political rivals.

  “It’s Sunday,” Terri interrupted them. “Give it a rest. The two of you can talk shop tomorrow.”

  His dad looked up. “Ash,” he said, standing to greet him, “I didn’t know you were back.”

  “Just last night,” he answered, moving into his father’s embrace. As soon as his father stepped back, his legs were attacked by two tiny girls chanting his name. They were five and four. He scooped them both up and gave them a twirl before setting them back down. They giggled. He demanded kisses from them each before they returned to their dolls.

  “Ash,” Tara said softly, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. Whereas her mother was plump, Tara was very skinny. The two women actually bore very little resemblance. Tara had dyed and straightened her hair so that the one thing that they had in common was gone. Ash thought it was a shame since Terri exuded a natural softness and kindness that drew people in. Tara had a fragile kind of beauty that she liked to emphasize by acting ultra-feminine, but beneath the act, he knew lay pure steel. She was a scheming, conniving bitch, but she disguised it well until one got to know her better. That made her a perfect campaign manager for his father, but Asher had no intention of becoming romantically involved with her.

  He knew that at one point that she had set her sights on him as a potential husband. It didn’t take her long to realize though that he didn’t have the ambition or the drive that she wanted in a husband. Simply put, he was a slacker as far as she was concerned. He couldn’t have been happier when she’d moved on. Since her divorce a year ago though, he’d noticed that she’d become interested in him again. He still wasn’t ambitious or driven, but he was at least mature enough now that no one had had to bail him out of jail in the last few years. Oh, and he was rich. One could not underestimate the appeal of money.

  “The sun agrees with you,” she went on, her hand on his chest.

  He removed it and took a seat in one of the lone wing chairs to ensure that she couldn’t join him. “Thanks.”

  “How are Ted and Erika?”

  “They’re doing well.” He paused. “As is Ari. I asked her to marry me.”

  “What?” came the incredulous question from the three adults in the room. They stared at him with openmouthed astonishment. Ash couldn’t help it. He laughed until he was doubled over with mirth.

  “You’re kidding right?” Tara asked.

  “No.”

  “What did she say?” David asked.

  “We got married.”

  “What? Already? No wedding? Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Dad, she said yes. I wasn’t going to give her time to change her mind.” Which was the absolute truth. Given even a day, he was terrified that she might back out on him. Especially since Ted and Erika had been determined to talk them out of getting married. He still could hardly believe that she was his wife. “We can have a wedding later.”

  “Wait,” Tara said, “Is this because of what I told you?”

  “It played a part in it, but no, not really.”

  David frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Ash gestured to Tara. “She thought it would be best if I were married and settled before your run for office. There’s nothing even slightly shady about your past. Your one weak spot is me.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t consider you a weak spot. You didn’t have to do this for me.”

  “Dad, if there was even a chance that my past foolish behavior would hinder your chances, then I had to do it.”

  “But marriage, Ash? I wouldn’t ask that of you.” His father’s handsome face twisted in pain. His hair was thick and full but all grey. Ash thought that his mother’s death and his subsequent bad behavior were the likely cause.

  “Dad, I wanted to marry her.”

  “But she hates you,” Tara sputtered.

  “Hate is a bit harsh.” He grinned. “At any rate, that’s in the past.”

  Tara eyed him with suspicion. “A sham marriage would be worse for your father than no marriage.”

  “Then there’s nothing to worry about. It’s a real marriage.” Asher told the lie with a straight face. He didn’t blink or look away. His father was a good man. Their law firm had a larger load of pro bono work than any other that Ash knew of. Ash didn’t consider himself to be a good man. His greatest talents were picking up women, drinking to excess, and being able to lie without anyone being the wiser. So maybe he didn’t deserve Ariadne, but she was his for the moment and he intended do everything in his power to keep her. In that sense, he supposed their marriage was very real and he wasn’t lying.

  His father gave him a s
low smile. “Congratulations, son. This calls for champagne.”

  “I’ll get it,” Terri volunteered.

  “You should have consulted me before doing this,” Tara said. “Now I have to perform a background check on her.”

  “No, you don’t,” he stated firmly. “Nothing you find is going to change my mind about Ari.”

  She pursed her lips. “That may be so, but I need to do it so that I’ll have that information before any possible opponents do.”

  He shrugged. “Do what you need to but know this, I am going to stay married to Ari. I’m not giving her up.”

  ***

  Ariadne paced as she watched Asher hang his clothing in her closet. In order to make room for his clothes, she’d had to put away her winter clothing and store it in the guestroom.

  “You’re going to wear a path in the carpet,” he said in a casual tone as he placed a shirt on a rack.

  It was uncomfortable, Ash, her nemesis, invading her personal space. His suit jackets were brushing up against her blouses. His male scent was already commandeering the room, dominating the delicate potpourri she had housed in glass bowl in the walk in closet.

  “This is weird,” she said at last. “Don’t you think this is weird? I’ve never lived with a guy before.”

  “Don’t worry. I stopped peeing on carpets in college.”

  She’d like to think he was joking. She eyed him with disapproval. “When we go to the reunion, I forbid you to get drunk.”

  “I don’t do that anymore either.”

  “Keep it up, and I’m going to think you’ve become positively dull.”

  He grinned and went back to unpacking. She watched him for a moment before saying, “I’m going to go fix dinner. Any preferences?”

  “Anything you cook will be fine with me.”

  They were digging into their plates of lasagna when she heard the key in the lock. Her mother didn’t see the sense in bothering with the doorbell or with knocking. She simply let herself in. When Ariadne had pointed out that it was possible that her mother could one day walk in at an awkward moment her mother had scoffed at the possibility. As yet, it had not happened, but still…

  Her mother drew to a halt at the archway to the dining room. “Well, who do we have here?” She entered the room like a whirlwind, the impression aided by the layers of lavender chiffon in her dress. She was all smiles as she pulled out a chair next to Asher and sat down.

  “Mom, this is Asher.”

  “Oh, the little white boy you married while on vacation.”

  Ariadne frowned. Aurora knew exactly who he was. She’d called her mother from the beach to inform her about the marriage. At the time, she thought Aurora had taken the news well. But when she came home, her mother had come over to return her mail and then rushed off to have her nails done without even bringing it up. Ariadne braced herself for possible drama. Her mother was outspoken and often outrageous. She’d been embarrassed by her on any number of occasions. The one thing that she could always count on though was that her eccentric mother had her best interests at heart. She tried to remind herself of that fact even as she began to pray.

  “So,” Aurora continued, giving her closely cropped afro a pat, “if my memory hasn’t failed me, you’re also the little boy who crashed his father’s brand new Lexus in his back yard.”

  Asher smiled. “It was a BMW, ma’am. And the car was mine.”

  “Is my memory also flawed in thinking that your father had to bail you out of jail for getting into bar fights, disturbing the peace, and who knows what else?”

  Asher winced. “I’ve been known to spend a night in jail.”

  Her mother hummed as she blatantly sized Asher up. “You’re not planning on having my daughter leave her safe home at three in the morning to save you from some urine soaked cell, are you?”

  “I don’t do that anymore,” he said and Ariadne laughed. After a second Ash joined her while her mother watched the two of them curiously.

  Aurora shook her head. “Is there more of that lasagna in the kitchen?” At Ariadne’s nod, her mother stood. “Come fix your mama a plate,” she ordered.

  Ariadne followed her mother to the kitchen. She took a plate down out of the cabinet. Aurora leaned against the counter and watched as she sliced into the lasagna. “He’s handsome, charming, and fascinating. He’s the exact opposite of every man I’ve ever seen you date.”

  “Well, Mom-”

  “I love him. He’s perfect. So much better than that last weasel you dated.”

  Ariadne blinked. “Mom, the man just told you he was known to get arrested and that he wrecked a car and you like him better than Daniel, an upstanding doctor.”

  Aurora made a face. “He was a lady part doctor. Ew.”

  She shook her head. There was no understanding her mother’s logic. She had always been rather eccentric. At thirty, she’d decided that she wanted to have a child. Rather than get married, she chose in vitro fertilization. Aurora said she’d never met a man who she felt like she could put up with on a permanent basis. Apparently, she still hadn’t. She went through men like disposable tissues. Though her mother had slowed down in recent years, Ariadne thought that perhaps her mother’s dating style was the very reason why she was so cautious about the men she chose.

  She took out a wine glass and Aurora stopped her. “Better not. I’ve got to drive home after this. I won’t stay long. I don’t want your husband to think that his mother-in-law is a cock blocker.”

  “Mother!”

  “What?” Aurora shrugged. “You’re newly married. He just moved in. Surely you have better things to do than entertain. Water will be fine.”

  Filling a glass with water, she said, “Can you please try not to embarrass me?”

  Aurora picked up her plate. “I can’t promise. You’re embarrassed by the strangest things.”

  Ariadne carried the water to the dining room, apprehensive of what calamity was about to befall her.

  “Finished talking about me?” Ash inquired with a smile when they took their seats.

  Ariadne barely contained a groan. Neither of her dinner guests was known for their restraint. She mentally girded herself for a very trying meal.

  “So, Ari tells me that you’re a lawyer. Do you intend to get a job at one of the firms here?”

  “I discussed it with my father. He wants to open another office here.”

  “Well, that’s perfect.”

  Ash nodded. “I thought so as well.” He sipped his wine.

  “When can I expect my grandchildren?”

  Asher almost choked on his wine and Ariadne giggled. He was finally getting a dose of his own medicine. Ash coughed a few times, but when he recovered, he was quick to throw the heat on her. “That depends on your daughter,” he said. “I’m happy to start right away.”

  As her mother’s gaze swung her way, she said, “We’d like to be on our own for a year or two. Plus Ash is going to be busy starting the new office.”

  “You’re not getting any younger.”

  “I’m only twenty-eight!”

  “The years fly by fast,” Aurora cautioned. “Don’t wait too long.”

  Ariadne nodded, suddenly feeling guilty for not telling her mother the truth. She’d decided that letting her mother in on the secret would mean asking her to lie to family as well. She couldn’t do that. Beneath the table, Ash’s warm hand covered her knee and he gave it a squeeze. Her eyes met his and she knew he understood exactly what she was feeling.

  She’d forgotten some things about Asher, Ariadne reflected later that night as she plumped her pillows and lay down her head. Asher was actually quite intelligent. When they were in high school, she’d assumed that his father used his money to buy Asher out of scrapes and possibly to purchase his acceptance to Duke University. Anyone who got into as much trouble as Asher couldn’t conceivably have the grades to get into a g
ood school.

  It wasn’t until one weekend when Erika had wheedled her parents into ordering Chad to take her to a friend’s party that she realized how smart Asher was. Though Erika had permission to go to a senior’s party, they couldn’t go until they finished their trigonometry homework. They’d both been struggling while Chad had been growing increasingly frustrated with having to wait for them. Finally, Asher had reluctantly stepped in and tutored them. Ariadne had been skeptical about accepting his help and then shocked to find he was actually quite skilled at math. Ash had been rather grumpy about it, almost as though he didn’t want to ruin his reputation as a bad boy.

  Tonight as he’d held his own while discussing a variety of topics she’d recalled how smart he was. And charming and sexy. When he wasn’t being annoying, it was easy to see why so many women fell for him.

  There was a knock on her bedroom door only seconds before it opened. The light came on as she rolled over. “You’ve got to stop doing that. Suppose I was naked?”

  “Then it would have been a happy day for me,” Asher said, taking a seat next to her on the bed and forcing her to scoot over to give him space. He was still fully dressed in worn jeans and a soft cotton t-shirt.

  She sat up, one hand holding the sheet to her chest. “What do you want?”

  “Just these.” He produced a blue ring box and popped it open. Two rings nestled in a bed of velvet. One was an engagement ring with a two carat princess cut diamond. The other was a platinum band with channel set diamonds in the same cut.

  “They’re beautiful,” she breathed. “But you didn’t have to buy anything so extravagant.”

  “Yes, I did. I couldn’t have my beautiful wife wearing anything less.” He removed the rings from the box and slipped them onto her finger.

  “I didn’t get you a ring,” she protested.

  He shrugged. “I bought one.” He wiggled his fingers and a plain platinum band winked in the light. “We couldn’t show up at your family reunion claiming to be married and not have rings.”