Wanted: Wife

by Lacey Wolfe

  After everyone was seated, servers came out delivering the food. It had been a long time since Steven had been to an event like this. The Whites had really gone all out. As he was about to dig into his food and ask where his grandfather was, he heard the distinct sound of someone hitting their fork against glass. A toast.

  Steven grabbed a hold of Darcy’s hand and looked to see who it was. Jarred and Terry stood together at the next table over. As he looked at not only Jarred but Terry, something told him this wasn’t going to be good. Mainly from the smug look on Terry’s face.

  “Oh, my dear brother, he’s finally engaged to marry. Took him long enough.” Jarred paused, looking for laughter. A few people faked a chuckle, but not enough to please his brother. “My brother is a hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants in life. And with our grandfather retiring, it means Steven is not only getting a beautiful wife, but he also gets to take over The Apple Orchard.”

  Everyone clapped, obviously very happy for Steven and Darcy. Steven wondered if he should stop his brother, because he knew something bad was about to happen. But before he could stop it, Jarred began to speak again.

  “At first I thought it was crazy that out of nowhere, my dear brother was engaged. After all, we had never even heard him mention his fiancée’s name before. And then he’s suddenly moving in with her. I guess sometimes love moves fast.” Jarred pulled Terry close to him. “But before this goes any further, I thought everyone here should know that my grandfather gave Steven an ultimatum. Get married or he couldn’t have the company. It was then I learned just how desperate he was.”

  “What is he doing?” Darcy asked before standing up. “Enough, Jarred. You’re ruining our evening.”

  Jarred laughed. “Why, Darcy, you don’t want everyone here to know how broke and desperate you were.”

  “Shut up,” Steven demanded. “Do we have security at this party?”

  Brenda nudged Derek who then stood. “What is going on?” he asked, his question directed at Jarred.

  “What’s going on is this is a freakin’ joke, people! Those two are lying to you.”

  Right about now, Steven was happy his grandfather wasn’t there.

  Jarred pulled out a piece of a newspaper from his back pocket. Oh crap, it was over. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to Darcy.

  “My brother put a help wanted ad in the paper for a wife. And Darcy, who was about to be evicted from her apartment, answered it. He’s paying her to pretend to marry him.”

  Steven’s anger boiled, he marched toward his brother and punched him. In the midst of the fight, the Whites pulling him back and his parents pulling Jarred back, he lost sight of Darcy. He glanced around the room, searching for her. As the crowd began to settle and he couldn’t find her, he had to face the fact that Darcy had left.

  Chapter 21

  “All right, it’s time to stop sulking and return to your usually scheduled life,” Allison said as she plopped down on the couch next to Darcy. “Besides, I’m moving soon, and while I love you, I hope you understand that I want it to be just Jake and me.”

  Darcy nodded. She understood but had no idea where she was going to go. When she ran from the party, she had only her purse with her wallet. Her phone and everything else she’d left at the house. She hadn’t returned to the house or seen Steven since. It wasn’t his fault, she was just as guilty as him in this, but she couldn’t face the world right now. She was embarrassed to have her secret exposed the way it was.

  She’d hightailed it out of there, not wanting to see the expression on her parents’ faces when they learned what she’d done and how desperate she’d been. How could Jarred do something so mean to his brother? Steven had never let on that Jarred and him had a bad relationship, but she should have put two and two together when she learned about Terry and Jarred.

  “I guess I should go out today and look for a place.”

  “You should. You need to get your life together and you have the bakery to get ready.”

  The bakery, she’d forgotten about that. Her heart sank when she realized now the tie she had with Steven and his company. He was probably bitter right about now that she’d left him there alone to deal with the mess they had created. He probably had a watch on the bakery, waiting on her to show up so he could confront her.

  She had to see it through. Not only did the contract they’d signed state he couldn’t get rid of her when things ended, it also stipulated that she had to see the bakery through for at least a year and after that time, if she wanted to leave, she could. At this point, with the place not even open and construction yet to start, it would probably be easy to get out of the contract. But did she want to?

  “I can take you by the house to get your things, if you’d like.”

  That was a good idea. Allison had been kind and let her wear her clothes, but she really did need to go back to the house and pack things up. However, she didn’t have her key, and it was hard to know when Steven would and wouldn’t be there. Then she remembered that she knew where the spare key was hidden, so she didn’t actually need him to be home.

  “Let me take a quick shower and then we’ll go. Thank you for letting me stay here these last few days. It means a lot to me.”

  “It’s no problem. But you have to stop hiding and face your parents. Besides, Steven has been handling this all alone. I don’t think that’s really fair. You were both in on this.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ve talked to him,” Allison said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You weren’t ready. But he wants to talk to you. I think once you do talk to him, everything will work out.”

  “I sincerely doubt it.” Darcy wanted to climb back under the blanket and forget the world, but was pretty sure that Allison would whip her butt if she did.

  * * * *

  The last few days had been utter hell. Steven’s parents had been beyond angry with him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever speak to his brother again. But Jarred had gotten what was coming to him. Terry dumped him the next day, thinking she could get back with Steven. Jarred had been played and now was feeling the effects of what he’d done wrong.

  Steven had expected his grandfather to take the company back, but instead he’d laughed about it. The crazy old man thought the whole thing was hilarious. His grandfather told him that he never should have put that type of stipulation on it and that the company was still Steven’s. He also advised Steven to do whatever he had to to win his girl back, because it was obvious that he loved her.

  Steven hadn’t spoken to or seen Darcy since the night of the party. She had disappeared into thin air, and if it hadn’t been for Allison, he wouldn’t have known where she was. He was thankful she had a friend to take her in, but he wanted her back home with him. This wasn’t a sham to him. He wanted Darcy to be his real fiancée and his real wife. He wanted to plan a wedding and have an actual engagement party. All he needed was Darcy so he could tell her. But if time was what she needed, he’d give it to her. After all, how long could she really stay away?

  His intercom buzzed, the receptionist letting him know Mr. White was there to see him.

  The door opened and Darcy’s father came in.

  “Please, have a seat.” Steven gestured to the chair in front of his desk. He didn’t say anything else, mainly because he had no clue what to say to the man.

  “How are you doing?” Mr. White asked.

  “I’m okay.”

  Mr. White nodded as though he understood. “Where’s my daughter?”

  Steven smirked. This man always cut to the chase. Then again, he was a lawyer, he didn’t have time to chat. “With Allison.”

  “Have you spoken to her? She isn’t answering her phone. All her mom is getting is voicemail.”

  “Her phone is at the house, and she hasn’t been back for it.”

  “I see.” Derek took a deep breath. “I’m disappointed. When you came into my study and told me you wante
d to spend the rest of your life with my daughter, I believed you. I gave you my blessing.”

  “I know, I’m so—”

  He held his hand up. “Don’t apologize for that. I know you love my daughter. I’m not a stupid man. One of you should’ve been honest with us and told us about this.”

  “I get where you’re coming from, but it isn’t exactly something you tell the parents of a girl who hasn’t seen them in a year.”

  “We’ve both enjoyed having her back. We don’t want to lose her again.”

  Steven leaned back in his chair. Derek wasn’t there to yell at him, he was wanting to mend things with his daughter.

  “As soon as I talk to Darcy, I promise to call you and Mrs. White and let you know how she is and where she stands.”

  “I appreciate that.” Mr. White stood and held his hand out to shake Steven’s. “I have no doubt this will work out and you’ll still be joining our family in the future.”

  “Thank you, sir. That means a great deal. However, you’ve got a very stubborn daughter.”

  Mr. White rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I know. She gets it from her mother.”

  After Mr. White left, Steven decided to head out for the day. He pulled his phone from his hip and dialed Allison. She answered right away.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “I’m leaving work early. I want to see Darcy. Can I come by your place?”

  “Not a good idea.”

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “Why?”

  “She’s not here. She’s at your place.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes. So you better get there before she’s finished packing.”

  Steven thanked her and left his office as fast as he could.

  * * * *

  Stepping out of the shower and onto the cool tile floor, Darcy began to feel relaxed. There was nothing like showering with your own stuff. The shampoo she preferred, to the body wash. She was beginning to feel like herself again.

  In the bedroom, she took out her favorite jeans and a t-shirt. She dressed and then towel dried her hair. Gazing at the bed, looking at its heavenly fluffiness, she had to will herself not to lie down and take a nap. She needed to get packed and out of there. But where was she going? Perhaps she could check into a hotel for the time being. Allison had said she could come back for a few more days until she found an apartment, but she hated to impose on her friend any longer.

  For now she would pack a bag of the items she needed to have and when she got a place, she’d come for the rest. She wondered if Steven was going to stay here, or go back to wherever he was living before.

  Darcy picked up her cellphone. She’d plugged the dead thing in before her shower and it must have turned itself on in the process of charging. The notification light blinked rapidly. She was sure it was full of text messages and voicemails. She couldn’t deal with those just yet. Darcy knew she couldn’t avoid her family much longer. As much as she hated to admit it, she had enjoyed being in her parents’ life again. Her mother and her were finally starting to get along. She hoped she hadn’t disappointed them too badly.

  “Darcy,” Steven called.

  Her heart rate sped up as she stared at the open doorway, the sound of his footsteps echoing down the hallway. Then he appeared, and she about lost her breath at the sight of him. How she had missed seeing him.

  “Steven,” she said.

  “Why did you run away?” he asked.

  “I panicked. I couldn’t believe what your brother was doing at our party. And I didn’t want to see the looks on peoples’ faces as they thought I was desperate and I’d do anything for money.”

  “If you had stayed we could’ve explained it together.”

  “What was there to explain? Your brother was telling the truth. This was fake.”

  “It wasn’t fake to me,” he snapped.

  Her eyes were moist. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m trying to tell you that what we had was real to me. I developed feelings for you. In fact, I fell in love with you, and I had planned on telling you that night that I didn’t want this to be a sham anymore. I wanted it to be real.”

  She stared at him, not believing her ears. Had Steven just told her he loved her?

  “Do you love me?” he asked.

  Yes, very much. But could she just tell him that and be with him? Would it fix everything? No one would ever believe that they were truly in love. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. We can’t be together.”

  “Why not? If we love each other, we can be.”

  “People will talk.”

  “Screw them. I don’t care. And you shouldn’t either.” His voice was getting loud.

  Darcy didn’t want to fight. She also didn’t want to hurt him, but she needed time. “I need a little time. Can you give me that? I need to feel in control, and at this moment I don’t. Right now I feel like my emotions are making all the choices and I don’t want to feel that way. I need to clear my head and straighten my life out—the life before I got involved with you.”

  He sighed. “I guess I understand that. But Darcy, you’ve come a long way in our time together.”

  “I appreciate that. We’ll talk soon and figure this all out. But for now, I’ll get out of your hair.” She grabbed her bag. “Is it okay if I use the car until I can get my own?”

  “Keep the house and the car.”

  “I couldn’t possibly—” she began.

  “I can’t stay here without you. I’ll be at my parents until you figure out what you want. The ball’s in your court.”

  She gazed at him before she turned and pulled the engagement ring from her purse. “I can’t keep this.”

  “Darcy.” He shook his head.

  “Take it.” She handed it to him.

  His hand lingered against hers for a moment. He then closed his fist tightly and left the room without a glance back.

  Darcy sat down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. Why had she just sent him away? He told her that he loved her, and she loved him. The life they had been living the last few months had been real. So why couldn’t she just accept that and move forward with Steven?

  Chapter 22

  Steven sat across the table from his friends, Kyle and Ryan. They were busy chatting and commenting on the waitress who was serving them tonight. Steven only stared at his food. It had been two weeks since he’d spoken to Darcy. He hated being at his parents. His mom questioned him constantly, not only about Darcy, but about where he was going, when he’d be home, etc. It was driving him crazy. He was half tempted to rent a hotel until things settled with Darcy, and they would, he had faith in that.

  From what he’d heard, things were going well with the bakery opening. Since she had nothing else to occupy her time, she was down there all the time. Steven wanted to go by and see it, but needed to pop in when Darcy wasn’t there. He was giving her the space she needed, but it wasn’t easy. Many nights he wanted to stop by the house they’d shared and shake some sense into her. He couldn’t figure out why they weren’t together yet. It didn’t fully make sense to him. He’d apologized and said he loved her. And yet, she kept him at arm’s length.

  “Dude, quit thinking about her,” Kyle said.

  “I’m trying.”

  “Not hard enough. She isn’t worth this.” Kyle took a sip of his drink.

  “I hope you make her grovel for making your life so miserable, and ours,” Ryan added.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “How do you even know she wants to be with you? After all, she was desperate and she now has a place to live for free,” Kyle said sternly.

  “Shut up. She isn’t desperate.”

  Kyle raised his hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “This is a touchy subject. Let’s drop it, okay?”

  “We’re just looking out for you. We hate seeing you this messed up over a girl,” Ryan said.

  “She isn’t any girl though. Obviously neith
er of you have fallen in love yet and had it ripped away.”

  “If you love her, don’t let her treat you this way. Go to her.” Ryan took a swig from his bottle.

  “She asked for time.” Steven knew this conversation was going nowhere, just like the last few he’d had with them.

  The waitress appeared back at the table and eyed his plate. “Something wrong with your food?” she asked with a thick southern accent.

  “Nah. A to-go box would be nice though.”

  “Sure thing.”

  After he had his food and paid for a meal he’d most likely toss out, he headed toward his truck. Kyle and Ryan weren’t far behind him.

  “Want to go to a club or something tonight?”

  Steven shook his head. “I’m going back to my parents.”

  “All right. Well, call us when you’re out of this mood.” They walked away.

  Steven climbed into his truck and left the parking lot. He drove in the opposite direction of his parents’ house. He was heading into downtown where the bakery would be located. Something told him Darcy would be there, and even if he couldn’t talk to her just yet, seeing her was all he needed.

  He parallel parked across the street. It was evening and the sun was close to being set. He turned the lights off on his truck and glanced toward the bakery. A small light was on, letting him get a peek inside. He didn’t see her, but her car was parked at the side of the building, so she had to be there.

  Steven took a few deep breaths and realized how crazy he was acting. He was sitting in a car like some stalker hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman he loved. Damn it! His friends were right. Why was he acting this way and letting her call all the shots? He should get out of his truck right now and march up there and tell her they were back together.

  But then she walked to the front of the bakery and he saw her. Her hair was pulled up in a high bun. She wore jeans and a t-shirt. A notebook was in her hand and a phone to her ear. She turned the lights off and left the building. He studied the expression on her face. She looked stressed. Should he go to her? Right about now was one of those times he bet she was looking for a drink. He grinned.