Mad About You: A Box Set

by Pamela Ann

  I actually found it truly relaxing because, with the high tension-filled environment of my everyday life, it was refreshing to come home to a home. Not just a house I stayed at to sleep, but a home where I could relax and share my time with someone who appreciated my presence without demanding anything, without having to explain how my day had gone, or whatever else women usually adored talking about—all the things Ava didn’t do. She was happy with how things were going, plain and simple.

  “I’m going to shower.” I started to get up before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you for the food. As always, it was lovely.”

  Once I reached my bedroom, I immediately went into the bathroom to turn on the shower jets. Leaving it to run to my preferred temperature, I went into my walk-in closet and started undressing. Right then, my phone rang with Hilary’s name flashing on the screen. Taking the call, I swiftly told her I should be there in an hour or so. Ending the call, I took a deep, stressful sigh.

  Preparing for this event was an exhausting process that I wished I didn’t have to deal with, but this had already been pre-arranged months back, before Ava had come back into my life. Then there was the fact that, although there was no question that I liked being with Ava, a major part of me wanted space from being too close to her. I had meant to tell Ava as much, yet I somehow ended up not going through with it.

  Earlier in the day, her father had actually called me, asking how Ava was doing and wondering if I had any idea when his daughter would eventually call him so they could build their relationship again. I was actually surprised that she hadn’t reached out to them yet. However, I understood—when she was truly ready, she’d go see her father.

  He wasn’t a bad man, not really. I didn’t blame him for doing what he had to me, because he had believed he was protecting his daughter. I loathed him for being so intrusive, but I had ended up learning a lot of things from him. I had learned what it was like to really work hard to achieve something great, something remarkable that affected other people’s lives.

  His occasional calls had initially brought out so much ferocity in me, but as time had worn on, I had realized his direct approach that usually came out harsh was actually constructive criticism. Never underestimate an opposition or a business threat, always pay heed to the small details because those were essential in intense negotiations. When millions and billions were on the line, people could get very creative with their not so honorable intentions. Those comments had been made to shape me up mentally, to keep challenging me to never get comfortable in whatever situation I was in.

  In an odd, twisted fashion, I saw him as my mentor who had never given up on me. Even if I hadn’t been sure whether I possessed the potential to succeed, he had. He had been confident I would one day become successful, pouring money into funding my school and extra classes that were not school related, yet essential to understanding the global business market. We had developed civility between each other through all of those dealings.

  That was why, when he had showed up at my office unannounced, declaring I had better marry his daughter, I had been taken aback by his demand. Even though he had reasoned he didn’t want the child to be a bastard, or for his daughter to be a single mother, deep down, I had known he had really come to see that I was a decent, hardworking man who had no ill will towards Ava before or at present.

  Not only did I have a lot to thank him for, the man had ears and spies all over the globe, unfortunately. Consequently, I best tread carefully.

  Chapter 154

  Reiss

  I left the house without a peep from Ava. When I had come downstairs, ready to leave, she had still been in the same place I had left her almost an hour ago. She had simply given me a smile and told me to be safe and have a good time. It was great and all; however, her not showing any concern made me wonder if she cared much at all. The desired effect I had hoped to gain with this space from her seemed to have backfired, and I had no one to blame except myself.

  After leaving the house, I headed straight to Hilary’s place in Fitzrovia. As expected, she didn’t spare any expense on her appearance. Before, I had been accustomed to having this sort of woman around me most of the time—a decade of women who had little to no depth at all—but after being with Ava for over two weeks, I felt like I had been under an illusion.

  Although most were kind, good women, they didn’t engage in any conversations that were intriguing or comical. If not engaged in appearance, being famous and powerful, vacations, money, or any of the latest fashion trends, most of them would only nod and smile at will, yet would offer nothing in retort. I used to like being around that sort, but after being with Ava, I simply abhorred it. I supposed, sooner or later, men did have to grow up and, in a sense, grow some balls.

  Half an hour after into the fundraiser benefitting cancer, I was managing to uphold fake smiles and interest in superficial conversations. All was going as per usual, until I found Charlotte Watson’s icy glare giving me the chill along with the ultimate blast from the past.

  Without ado, I excused myself from the investment bankers and Hilary, who seemed to have bonded with one of the wives who had one of the top of the art facials that could make any woman shed ten years off without surgery. She was a pure example of the kind of superficiality this world had come to. Pathetic.

  Striding towards the Ice Queen of Hell, I ground my jaws together as I composed myself, ready to see where this meet and greet could lead us. The second I reached her, my hand pressed against my chest as I gave her a small nod, as if she was of importance.

  “Good evening, Charlotte. You look well, and truly lovely, as expected.” Lying through my teeth was an expertise I had acquired through years of practice. One had to learn the art of deception when they had to mingle amongst the high ranking, rotten lot; it was mandatory. Thou shall not offend thee ill-gotten society, or thou wouldst risk being shunned.

  Charlotte gave me a scathing glance with a raised brow while she seemed to be appraising me from head to foot. “Well, once being a lowly gardener, you certainly know how to dress deceivingly. I don’t like you, and I doubt I will ever accept you as my daughter’s husband since you’re far off the mark when compared to a lovely man such as Ashton Westwood. But, being as my opinion isn’t highly valued by my daughter, it seems, I have no choice other than to stand behind my husband’s decision since she’s carrying your child.”

  Her opinions mattered little to me.

  When she cast her eyes towards Hilary’s direction, I knew there was more to come from her toxic tirade.

  “Is this how you disrespect my child, by parading your mistress at social functions while you hide her away from the world? Charles begged of me to give you a second chance, but given the present situation, I doubt I will ever see you in a different light. I don’t tolerate dalliances when it’s my daughter’s life in question. Does she know about this woman; is that why she’s here out in the society while you two parade around like lovers while you keep my daughter in hiding until she gives birth to your heir?”

  How could she even understand what the depth of my situation with Ava was, given that she had already made a very low opinion of me?

  “Ava is in good hands. I will provide of her for as long as I am capable of doing so. She will want for nothing. And, if you’re so curious about what our relationship is built on, why don’t you go ahead and ask your daughter instead?” My quip wasn’t the sharpest, but she was bombarding me with all these things at the wrong time—at a very high-profiled fundraiser!

  She reddened, looking like a volcano about to erupt as she tried to control herself. “I never thought the day would come when I wished you were the same boy who was in love with my daughter. I’d rather have you poor and in love with her than have you as a wealthy tycoon who cares little for my daughter’s heart.

  “Pay heed, the moment she gives birth to my grandchild, I’ll do everything in my power to take you down. You don’t deserve her, nor do you deserve the child she’
s going to bear you.” She immediately strutted into the crowd, feeling high and mighty with her belittling treatment of me.

  I could’ve argued. I could’ve said a lot of things that would paint me in a much brighter light. However, she had a point. Having her point out that she’d rather have me poor while still in love with her daughter had given me a glimpse of her thawing ice queen personality. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling she was looking forward to meeting her grandchild. As was I.

  Joining the bankers and Hilary’s company once more, I tried to draw some interest in their conversation, but I somehow ended up wanting to scream like mad. Charlotte Watson’s voice kept hounding my mind. It was as if she had planted a seed that wouldn’t eject itself from my conscience. I felt like she had successfully triggered something I’d squashed ages ago. I was about to go mental.

  I couldn’t take it any longer. I needed to breathe, to run and get the bloody hell out of here. I had to pull Hilary to the side and told her there was an emergency of sorts that I immediately had to handle. Then, I apologized for leaving her before the dinner had even been announced.

  Dashing towards the nearest pub available, I hastily went inside and sat my troubled arse down on one of the red leather seats before asking for a double shot of the best brandy they had.

  Five double shots down, I shut my eyes as I pressed the bridge of my nose while my mind recalled the night that had changed my life.

  It had started very similar to this. I had been heated and about to go mental. Ava’s absolute rejection of my pitiful hand in marriage had forced me to seek out my friends. I had wanted to hear them tell me walking away from the woman I loved was the brightest and soundest decision I’d ever made, since I had fallen into the deep end of madness. Love was poison. I had felt its vile, acrid taste on my tongue as I had tried to keep myself together and not shred into pieces because of the only person that mattered to me repeatedly rejecting me in one day.

  My self-confidence had been abysmal by the time I sat down to drink with my friends. My ego and pride were bloody non-existent at that point. Consequently, like the jolly old, brilliant friends they were to me, they had also drunk until we couldn’t coherently form a sentence.

  At first, it had been rather hilarious. Tom and Benjamin would start singing a blasted song then, after a verse or two, they’d start putting their own words into it, making it all the merrier as we had kept on downing one drink after the other until the pub had closed and booted us out of there.

  I wasn’t sure what truly occurred thereafter. Although, from my vague recollection, I had actually offered to drive. I was told I might end up driving them all to Ava’s house to take on her posh boyfriend; thus, someone else had taken the seat.

  It had been in the wee hours of the morning, with the roads practically empty, so it was all good and well. However, halfway through, I felt ill from the thoughts of Ava and that posh boyfriend of hers divulging in sexual activities in one of the rooms in the manor. I had ultimately ended up wanting to chuck up everything, as if to dispel all of the bad things that had happened to me hours prior. Subsequently, the car stopped while I vomited on the side of the road, hugging my abdomen as I retched.

  My friends rumbled on about the football match that we were all betting on—Manchester United and Arsenal. I had heard the car engine turn on as they all had continued to argue about the bloody idiotic match while they’d somehow overlooked that I wasn’t in the car, which had been rather absurd because the door had still hung wide open while Benjamin’s head had stuck out the opposing window to sing the Manchester United song.

  The whole scene had been rather comical, and I had found myself laughing to my wits end until my laughing had turned to tears of horror just as I witnessed the crash of the car. They had hit the tree at such a speedy rate that the car had been immediately engulfed in flames, leaving me no choice other than to call for help.

  However, before the ambulance had come to the scene, I had run towards the car despite the front being wildly engulfed by fire, which had left Tom and Rory with no hope of escape. Benjamin and Felix had been in the back with me, but when I tried to pull the car door open, it was jammed.

  Feeling hopeless, I had been a wreck as I had tried to scream and kick the door with all my might to no avail. The entire time, Benjamin and Felix had remained unconscious as I had bellowed at the top of my lungs, telling them to wake up. When all hope had left me, I had actually thought Benjamin had opened his eye a crack, smiling at me as if he had been telling me it was okay, that I should stop acting hysterical and save myself before the whole thing blew up.

  I remembered screaming through my tears as my hand had imprinted on the window glass, saying goodbye to Benjamin, Rory, Tom, and Felix—my best friends.

  They had all died in one fatal blow because I had been too rotten and selfish to think about anyone’s welfare. I had been too pathetically heartbroken to take it like a real man should.

  And, just like that, I had started running as far as my legs could take me with no direction. I didn’t know when I had fallen asleep, yet when I had woken up, Charles Watson had been there to greet me with a proposal that had changed my life for good.

  Accepting his proposition was the coward’s way out; however, I hadn’t seen another option at the time. With all of the guilt from losing my best friends in the blink of an eye and the hate-filled fury I had possessed for Ava, I couldn’t fathom going back to my old life. The mere thought of being surrounded by the people who reminded me I was the only one living when all of my friends had died was unconscionable. What’s more, I hadn’t needed a reminder of Ava. If possible, I had wanted to forget her altogether.

  Therefore, I had, or so I had led myself to believe.

  Not fairing any better than when I had first gotten to the pub, I kindly asked the barman to call me a cab. I was no longer the reckless teenager who thought he could take on whatever when drunk. Losing my friends had taught me my limitations—to know when I’d had enough.

  The ride from the bar towards my home went by in a blur. I arrived past midnight, and just as expected, the house was still and quiet. Racing up the steps, I sought Ava’s room, thinking how inconvenient it was to be staying in separate quarters when most of the time I found myself there, anyhow.

  That was one of the things I wanted to address. I wanted her to move all of her things to my room so we didn’t have to pretend as if we truly wanted privacy. It was high time to fix the huge misstep I had taken by pushing her away.

  Standing outside her door, I stretched my neck from side to side, hoping to release some of the tension, before taking a lungful of air and willing myself to open the door.

  What was on the other side was as terrifying as it was splendid. My next steps could lead me to everything I had ever wished for …… or everything my nightmares were made of.

  Chapter 155

  Reiss

  The room held little to no lighting. Usually, she left one curtain parted to allow some light, yet tonight, it was almost black, and I could barely make out the details of the room and its furniture. Thank the gods I knew the familiar route towards the bed.

  The second I reached the side of the bed that I usually occupied; I focused my eyes on her, wanting to see a glimpse of her loveliness. For a moment, I simply admired her.

  Taking one shoe off after the other, I took off my tie before shedding the rest of my clothes, only leaving my bottoms on. Sliding into the bed, I placed both hands behind my head and shut my lids to recap the horrid night I’d had. Of all the venomous people to see tonight, I had to have the unfortunate luck to be greeted by the leader of the pack.

  “You’re here …” I heard Ava mumble before saying, “How did it go?” She sounded as if she was asking how my day or a meeting had gone, totally the polar opposite of the shrieking woman I had pictured in my head.

  “Ava, about tonight, we can talk about it if you like.”

  I heard her sigh before saying, “Reiss, please,
you don’t have to do this. It’s fine. You can go by yourself to these events. There’s no need for you to explain yourself or feel bad about. You were clear in the beginning, and I have accepted that. As I said before, having you this way is better than nothing, and I stand by that decision.”

  “What do you mean?” I sounded exactly as I felt, frustrated as hell. “So are you telling me you’re fine with me going out, wining and dining other women, just as long as you have me come home to you every night? Am I getting this right, or am I off the mark?”

  She made another sigh, the sound starting to grate on me. “I don’t need you to feel like it’s an obligation to take me with you when you socialize since I’m carrying your baby or we’re sleeping together,” she grounded out, sounding more level-headed as the time ticked away. “It’s fine, and I mean that, Reiss. So, please, you need not worry.”

  “How can you sound so calm and tell me not to worry? Everything about this is making me bloody worry. You acting rather nonchalant about other women makes me believe you would readily tolerate such behavior from me. I truly apologize if my past actions led you to believe such, but I don’t want any of this. The more time I’ve had to think about it, the more I have come to believe that I don’t want anyone else sparking your interest due to my neglect of you.”

  “Reiss, you haven’t neglected me. I just know how these marriages work. I see this sort of relationship happen all the time, so you don’t have to feel awful about it.” She reached out to touch my chest, as if trying to soothe the tension that was wired into my body.