by Nora Ford
“What do you mean “you had to”? Are you…are you pregnant?”
“Hell no, mom. We’re not even sleeping together. And even if I was pregnant that isn’t a reason to marry.”
“So, why the rush?”
There was no point in hiding the truth. I told her everything, starting with my meeting with the Hamiltons and their lawyer until the court marriage this morning. However, I didn’t say a word about the few hot kisses that I shared with Aron. They were irrelevant anyway. When I finished, mom looked at me in disbelief. “Why would Seth do that?”
“I have no clue. He practically forced Aron and me into this marriage.”
“Maybe he knew you so well and didn’t approve of the way you’d live your life after him. He wanted someone to look after you,” she suggested.
“I am happy with my life the way it is, mom. I don’t need a man to protect me or make me happy,” I paused. “Needing someone for anything isn’t me.”
“It’s been three years, Tessa. You need to move on. I’m sure, Seth wanted that too,” she squeezed my hand.
“I don’t want to love. I can’t. Not again.”
“Why not? Look at Talia; she said the same thing before. Now she’s head-over- heels in love with Adam.”
“My case is different from Talia’s; her first husband was a jerk. She didn’t really love him. She found the real thing with Adam. But Seth was a good man, and I loved him. I don’t think one can find true love twice.” I gave her a weak smile.
“Sure, you can. You only have to try. Aron is a good man too. If you give him a chance, he can make you happy,” she lightly stroked my forearm.
“I’m not going there. This isn’t a real marriage. Aron and I agreed to this ridiculous term in Seth’s will so that Jacob won’t take a dime. Nothing more.”
“Fine honey, if you say so,” she shrugged.
I knew she wasn’t convinced, but that was mom; she believed in happy endings.
When I started searching through my purse for the keys, she asked. “Where are you going? Aren’t you going to wait for your dad?”
“I can’t. I have to go now. I need to change before I go to the hospital,” I gave her a tight hug and stood up to leave.
“Oh, does this mean you won’t tell your dad about your marriage?”
“No, it means you’re going to tell him for me,” I gave her a pleading look.
“He won’t take it very well. You know that, don’t you?” She sighed.
“I know. That’s why it has to be you who tells him. Please!”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” she said as she gave me a parting hug that lasted longer than usual. It was just what I needed. Her soothing touch.
“Thanks, mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
When I got into my car, I took one last glance at the SUV that was ready to follow me. How am I going to get used to this? I sighed. I turned my phone on and texted Aron.
To: Aron Hamilton
From: Tessa Jones
You didn’t tell me your men were hot.
I didn’t have to wait; the answer came a few seconds later.
To: Tessa Jones
From: Aron Hamilton
My men are assigned to keep you safe not to make you come.
I smiled as I typed the answer. I was enjoying toying with Aron. He has been giving me a hard time for the last couple of days. Now it was my turn.
To: Aron Hamilton
From: Tessa Jones
Judging from the way they are built, I guess they can do both.
The return message arrived almost instantly.
To: My Wife
From: Aron Hamilton
TESSA! BEHAVE!!!
Aron changed my name on his phone to My Wife. He was reminding me that we’re married. I didn’t do the same, and I didn’t reply either. I turned my phone off and drove to work. Aron wasn’t going to hear from me again any time soon.
Chapter Eight
Aron
Tessa was a piece of work. She seemed to enjoy toying with me. Sending me those messages then turning her phone off. Visions of her invaded my thoughts. The way her lips fit so perfectly to mine. Her eagerness every time we kissed. There was something between us. I knew she felt it, too.
Instead of figuring it out, Tessa chose to run. I was aware of her plan. She would spend the whole week working at the hospital. She thought that would dim our chemistry. But I was going to prove her wrong.
I was going to give her what she wanted though. She wouldn’t see or hear from me for the entire week. But she wouldn’t be able to get me out of her head. I had a plan too. I was going to make it impossible for her. Every time she would enter her room at the hospital, she would think of me.
I picked up the phone and called the head chef at the Hamilton Hotel, Seattle. I asked him to deliver the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner to Tessa at the hospital. My grin widened as I imagined her reaction when the other doctors and nurses start talking about her five stars meals.
Knowing Tessa, I was certain she would be overwhelmed. She didn’t like being in the spotlight but I wanted everyone to know that she belonged to me. She wasn’t wearing my ring, but I was going to show her what it was like to be a Hamilton.
After I made sure that Tessa had received her lunch, I went back to work. I spent the rest of the afternoon huddled over coffee and my computer. I was responding to some urgent messages and important emails when the phone buzzed in my pocket. I frowned as Adam’s name popped up on my phone.
“Hey mate. You didn’t come to poker night last night. I thought I’d call and check in on you.”
That was a lie because I told him that I wasn’t coming. “I was out of town, man. You knew it.”
“So, it had nothing to do with the news I’ve heard.”
I was aware that this was a roundabout way of telling me that he knew about the marriage, but I went along with it. “What news?”
“I hear congratulations are in order!” Adam said at last. So that was the real reason for this call. I bet that Talia told him to interrogate me. “I didn’t know that news spread that fast?”
“Well, Tessa told Talia and Liv before the ink on the marriage certificate has dried. I must warn you, man. Those three are so close, they tell each other everything.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Listen! Talia wants you to join us for dinner tonight. She’s making her famous lasagne.”
I was wrong. Talia didn’t want Adam to interrogate me; she was planning to do it herself. “Um… I’m not…”
“No um, Talia told me not to take a no for an answer. You don’t want to upset my very pregnant wife, do you?”
I was trapped. There was no point in arguing. If I didn’t go, Talia would pay me a visit very soon. “No. Of course not. I can’t say no to Talia’s lasagne anyway.”
“Six thirty?”
“Six thirty is fine.”
Three hours later, I was driving to Adam and Talia’s house. When I parked in the open driveway, Adam was waiting for me with two bottles of beer in his hand. He looked tense. “What’s up, man? Aren’t you going to feed me?” I said as he handed me a bottle.
“Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. I thought we could sit outside a little. I don’t want to talk in front of Talia,” Adam sounded concerned.
“You sound serious. Is everything fine with Talia and the babies?”
“Talia and the babies are fine. This is about Jacob,” he popped his bottle and took a sip before he added, “When Talia told me about the will, I did some digging. I found out that he owes serious money to dangerous people. Drug lords, loan sharks. The man is in real trouble. It doesn’t look good. He tells everyone that he is a Hamilton and has shares in the Hamilton group.”
“Jacob doesn’t own a dime in the Hamilton Group. I am not responsible for him.”
“I know man, but these men are ruthless. They aren’t stupid enough to mess with us. But Ja
cob is unpredictable. We don’t know what he will do when he learns about the will. I have tightened the security on Talia and Timo. I also assigned three of my men to watch over Talia’s parents and sister.”
“You’re right. He’s probably going to lose his mind when he learns that he lost thirty percent of the Hamilton Group,” I grinned.
“You don’t sound alarmed. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Believe me Jacob is digging his own grave. He is messing with the wrong people. I want him to lose his mind. I need him to make a mistake, but you did the right thing upgrading Talia’s security. I’ve done the same with Tessa’s. One can’t be too careful when it comes to family.” Adam must have caught me smiling when I mentioned Tessa’s name. He leaned back and studied me for a moment. “God, Talia is right. This is not about the money. You have something for Tessa.” It wasn’t a question. He was stating a fact.
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s written all over your face, man. How come I haven’t noticed this before?” He shook his head and grinned.
“Well, you have your wife now. She notices everything,” I shrugged.
“Yeah, you’re right. Talia has a nose for these things. I have to warn you man, Talia is planning to drill you with questions,” he grinned.
“Do you think I haven’t figured that out? If I didn’t come tonight, she would have paid me a visit first thing in the morning.”
“Come on in and let her feed you first,” Adam grinned and stood up.
I followed him inside. He told me to find my way to the living room and went to help Talia in the kitchen. He has changed a lot, I thought. Married life suits him. Adam is not as tense and suspicious as he used to be. He’s calmer and more relaxed now. Obviously, Talia has a good influence on him.
Anyone who knew Adam before he married Talia, would notice the difference once they set foot in their new house. Unlike Adam’s old mansion, this house felt like a home instead of a museum.
Talia’s touch was everywhere. Warm colors, art that drew the eye rather than bewildered it. When I took a seat in the living room, I smiled because it reminded me of Tessa’s living room. Cozy, colorful and vivid. I wondered if Tessa would change my mansion into a home too.
Wrapped up in my thoughts I didn’t hear Timo enter the room. “Hi, Aron. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” He announced.
“Hi champ, how are you? Your dad told me that you’re busy preparing for big brother duties.”
“I helped dad paint the nursery and build the cribs,” he said proudly.
“I’m sure you did a great job,” I praised.
“Now everything is ready, but mom said we have to wait three more months. I can’t wait,” he shrugged.
“Be patient, champ. They will come when they’re ready.”
“Yeah, I know,” he sighed. Then he looked up at me and suddenly said, “I heard mom saying that you married Aunt Tessa this morning. Does this mean, you’re going to put babies in her tummy too?”
“Um…we got married this morning, but we’re not having babies.”
“Why not? Don’t you want to have babies?”
Jesus, how I am going to answer that. “Well, yes. But Aunt Tessa has to want the same thing.”
“You know if you kiss her like dad kisses mom, she will say yes. Mom didn’t want me to have a dog, but when dad kissed her, she said yes.” He gave me a knowing look. God, the kid is impossible.
“I will think about it, champ. Thanks, for the tip.”
He was about to say something, but Adam came to my rescue. “Dinner is ready,” he announced.
Timo jumped from his place and ran to the dining room. Adam and I followed him. Talia received me with a warm smile as always. Dinner was excellent. Talia outdid herself this time; the lasagne was perfect. It tasted almost like the one my grandfather used to make to us when we were kids.
I liked listening to them. Timo did most of the talking. He kept telling us stories about his friend Josh, who just had a baby brother last week. Adam was listening to his son attentively and tried to answer his embarrassing questions. It wasn’t easy, but he always had a tactful answer.
Anyone with eyes could see that Adam truly loved the boy and it was mutual. Timo adored him. The kid’s father wasn’t there for the first six years of his life. When Adam and Talia decided to turn their arrangement into a real marriage, Adam adopted Timo. The boy was so excited. For him Adam was the father he always craved to have.
After dinner, Adam went up with Timo to get him ready for bed. I knew what he was doing. He was giving his wife the chance to interrogate me. I could tell that she has been waiting for this all evening. I didn’t mind though, I liked Talia.
Although I met her on a few occasions in the past eight years, I didn’t really know her until she married Adam. I liked what I saw; Talia was compassionate, loving, caring but most importantly loyal and honest. She was everything Adam needed.
I took a stack of dishes from Talia and followed her into the kitchen. After we finished cleaning, I was the first to speak. “I don’t like dancing around a subject. You’ve been waiting to question me all evening. So, come on, shoot,” I grinned as Talia lifted an eyebrow. She wasn’t expecting my question.
“Um…I don’t want to pry. But I want to tell you one thing: If you feel something for Tessa, act on it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tessa has been shutting people out for the past three years. Don’t let her push you away. Give her space but not too much space.”
She searched my eyes for a few moments. “She needs someone like you.” I don’t know what she saw when she looked at me, but whatever it was, I got the green light from Talia.
I was thinking about her words when she turned to leave. “I am going to kiss Timo goodnight. Adam will be down in a moment,” Talia said on her way out.
An hour later I said my goodbyes, thanked them both for the lovely evening and drove back to Tessa’s empty apartment.
Chapter Nine
Tessa
Working night shift was supposed to help me forget about Aron and how he made me feel. At least that was my intention. Hence, I spent almost the entire week at the hospital. I went home only to change and bring fresh clothes.
However, Aron had totally another plan in mind. He didn’t call or text me the whole week. I didn't see him when I went home but he was present all the time.
Whenever I entered my room in the hospital, I found a tray waiting for me. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All three meals were delivered from the Hamilton hotel restaurants.
Doctors and nurses had nothing to talk about all week other than “Tessa’s husband, Tessa’s food tray, Tessa’s honeymoon.” I was the number one topic of gossip. I never thought being married to Aron would attract so much attention. It drove me crazy.
Although I was exhausted after a horrendous week, I didn’t want to go home, so I called Liv. She worked here too, but in another department. Liv was a pediatrician. She was on her way to grab some lunch in the deli near the hospital. I told her I would meet her there.
Ten minutes later I pulled open the glass door to Eddy’s Deli, a small strip of a store on the main street. Under normal circumstances, the scents of fresh rye bread, smoked meat, and spicy mustard would have sent my stomach into a joyful flurry but today I didn’t want to eat; I just needed to talk.
The place was crowded as usual. People stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a long line that snaked along the counter. I spotted Liv sitting at a table in the back. She was already eating her sandwich.
“No fancy food today?” She asked when I took a seat in front of her.
“Please, don’t start. Not you too,” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, everyone in the hospital talks about the four-course meals that you get three times a day,” Liv gave me a bemused smile.
“It’s not funny. The whole thing is driving me crazy,” I ran a hand through my hair.
“If you don’t w
ant the fancy meals, call Aron and ask him to stop. It’s simple,” she shrugged.
“No, it’s not. I …I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Honey, you’re married to the man. You’re living together. You won’t be able to avoid him forever,” she said nonchalantly.
“Don’t you think I know that? But I want to get around him for as long as I can,” I sighed.
Liv took another bite of her sandwich and asked me around her full mouth, “Why? Why do you want to avoid him?”