The Marriage Pact: A Baby Romance

by Tia Siren

  Winston looked at me, and, for a split second, I couldn’t read his face. He brow ticked slightly, and he stood up from my bed. I went ahead and launched into my grand plan.

  “Mom thinks Eva’s best for me because she hasn’t seen me around any other women. I mean, she’s seen me with women I’m screwing, but she hasn’t seen me show this type of interest in a woman. If I take Ash and she sees, I know Mom’s gonna melt.”

  “And how do you know this?” Winston asked.

  “Because mom has a secret,” I said.

  “And this secret would be?”

  “Mom wasn’t my grandmother’s choice for Dad.”

  “No shit!” Winston exclaimed. “Your mom was the forbidden love?”

  “Yep. And Dad defied my grandmother and married her anyway. If my dad got to do it, then why can’t I? Ash is wonderful, and the weekend I spent with her only proved that to me even more. If she sees me with Ash and how we are around each other, it’s done. This Eva shit will be done, and I can have a chance to be with who I want.”

  “I don’t know, dude. I mean, that’s cool and all that your mom was forbidden fruit or whatever, but your mom did something Ash probably won’t do.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked.

  “Try to blend in. I mean, look at your mom. She looks like all the others, and that’s why your father probably got away with it. Your grandmother might’ve been upset, but at least he married someone who looked the part.”

  “Are you saying this isn’t gonna work?”

  “I’m saying, Mase, that bringing her on a family trip probably isn’t the smartest idea. I mean, she’s gonna meet your mom for crying out loud! Have you told her that?”

  “Not necessarily,” I said.

  “Dude. Tell her. Don’t let her go into this thinking it’s just gonna be the two of you. There’s been enough weird shit between you two. Lay it out. Be honest.”

  “Winston. I am being honest. I want to take her to Milan. Remember that night at the bar?”

  “Yeah, when she talked about studying jewelry-making? Yeah, dude. Her best friend wouldn’t stop feeling on my dick.”

  “Oh, shit! Frank was copping a feel?”

  “Rein it in, Mase,” he said. “I know you think it’s the perfect plan: show your mother what makes you happy, and she’s bound to act like a mother and be happy, right?”

  “That’s what moms do,” I said.

  “It took my mother over two years to accept the fact that I was ‘slumming’ it, and it took her even longer to cope with the fact that I enjoyed it. Your mom’s not gonna change on a dime, and if she’s like my mom, she’ll buck like a bronco. It’s gonna ruin your trip with Ash.”

  “A little support would be nice,” I said.

  “I’m defending Ash because no one on the hill will. It’s not fair to put her in this position. Tell her what this trip is, tell her your intentions, and tell her what she’ll be up against. Don’t throw her financial situation at her and don’t tell her that her life’s shit or whatever you did at brunch. Just be honest, dude.”

  I got where he was coming from, but I was in tune with the situation. I knew the moment Mom saw me with Ash, she would back off with Eva. Then, with my mother on my side, I could tell her the accusation Eva made at the charity dinner, and my mother and I could go about ditching these dumbass marriage plans. The only reason Eva felt she could threaten me like she could was because she thought she had my mom wrapped around her finger.

  The moment she realized that was no longer happening, her threat would be null and void.

  Winston left and I made a few more phone calls. Then I sent Ash a text message. I told her I’d pick her up tomorrow afternoon and then we’d make our way for the airport. She sent me a message back letting me know she was all packed and making arrangements with Luna. I tossed my phone to the side and continued packing the rest of my things, and when I heard the door open downstairs, I went to greet Mom.

  “Hello, dear!” she exclaimed. “I was wondering if you would ever return home to me.”

  “Hello, Mom.”

  I embraced her closely and picked her up off her feet. I swung her around in the foyer, and she swatted at me to put her down.

  “What in the world has gotten into you?” she said.

  “Just some exciting things. Listen, Mom, I’m going to Milan a couple days ahead of you. Is that all right?”

  “What for?” she asked inquisitively.

  “I’ve just got some things to get in order, but you’ll see when you arrive. I’m sure you're gonna love it.”

  “Oh, a surprise? You know how I love surprises.”

  “I know. How’d it go with the groomers?”

  “Oh, I dropped the dogs off with them,” she said. “I think I’m going to board them there for the night and pick them up tomorrow.”

  “Any reason?” I asked.

  “Well, I would like to do some packing for the trip without them underneath my feet. You know I’ve never been able to train them away from hopping on the furniture. They’ll ruin my clothes I’ve laid out.”

  “Well, we wouldn’t want that,” I said, grinning.

  “I swear, you seem like a different person, Mason.”

  “Mom, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “Did you and Dad love each other when you got married?”

  I watched her face falter slightly before she took my hand. She led me into the sitting room and motioned for someone to get her a glass of wine. I knew I’d touched on a sensitive subject, seeing as we didn’t talk much about Dad after he passed, but I guess it was as good a time as any to ask.

  “I know we don’t talk much about him,” I said.

  She held up her finger and chugged the glass of wine. When she set it down, she drew in a deep, shaky breath.

  “Your father was a fine man, and I was lucky to have married him,” she said.

  “Did you love each other?” I asked.

  “Where is this coming from, Mason?” she asked, with a confused smile.

  “Mom. I know it’s been hard for you. You’ve drawn into yourself since Dad passed, and you won’t talk about it. But please. For me.”

  I watched quick tears rim her eyes before she blinked them away. I knew I was hitting a sore spot, but I wanted to hear it. I wanted to hear the story of how they met just one more time.

  “Your father and I loved each other very much,” she offered.

  “Tell me how you two met.”

  “You know how we met, Mason,” she spat.

  “Tell me again.”

  “Mason, what—”

  “Please, Mom,” I urged. “I promise there’s a reason, and if it makes you feel any better, it sort of has to do with Milan.”

  I watched her eyes light up for a split second, and she was all too anxious to launch into the story.

  “Your father was having drinks at the country club, and I was working a summer job. I was waitressing to pay for community college, and he was guzzling down bourbon spritzers. He kept ordering them just so I would keep coming to the table, and eventually, he was too drunk to order anymore. He began badgering me for attention, and my manager asked him to leave, but he said he wouldn’t leave until he had my number.”

  “Dad was always persistent,” I said.

  “We talked for a while, but I didn’t think it would go anywhere. I was consumed with my studies and working to pay off classes, and he was jetting around the world and watching his father invest in stock markets around the globe.”

  “Why did grandmother not approve of you?” I asked.

  There was a somber look in her eye before she cleared her throat, and that’s when she reached for yet another glass of wine that had materialized out of nowhere, thanks to the silent footsteps of those my mother employed around the house.

  “I just took some refining, is all. A wardrobe change and an attitude adjustment, and I was just fine to stand by your father.”

&nb
sp; “What if you hadn’t changed?” I asked. “Do you think dad still would’ve married you?”

  Her eyes connected with mine for a split second before they hardened, and I knew I’d probably pushed too far. I wanted to hear her say he would have. I wanted to hear her say they would’ve ridden off into the sunset. I wanted to hear her say that she just played the part for the public, but behind closed doors, she was still the spunky community college waitress my father drank himself to death for their first time meeting, just so he could get her number.

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

  “Mom?” I asked.

  “Yes, son?”

  “I love you. You know that, right?”

  “Of course, I do, Mason. What a silly thing to ask.”

  I could hear the tears in her voice, and it broke something inside of me. Deep down, my mother was still that community college girl who had to change in order to marry someone she loved. I wanted desperately to show her that she didn’t have to act like that. She didn’t have to be that way, not for me. I saw the way her and my father laughed and interacted when I was growing up, and she wasn’t always this cold.

  This collected. This walled off.

  “I think you’re gonna love Milan,” I said.

  My mother looked at me, and her smile grew from ear to ear. Then, she said something that both excited and confused me.

  “I actually have an idea of what you might be doing.”

  She winked at me before she got up and clapped, and part of me was very confused as to what she meant. On the one hand, she could probably see the purchases for the jewelry classes I was making, but I still had a few more things I had to take care of in order to solidify my plans for tomorrow.

  I still had to make sure the jet would be fueled on time, and I wanted to triple-check on Ash’s passport before I left it alone for the night. My mother seemed to have a pep in her step, even with the type of conversation we just had, but a part of me was excited at the prospect that she might actually be all right with this.

  She might actually be okay with me bringing Ash to Milan.

  I raced back upstairs and finished packing, and the entire time, I kept wondering what it would be like to take Ash on her first international trip. She’d never been out of the country. Hell, she was just in awe of the coastline of her home state.

  There was so much I wanted to show her and so much more I wanted to buy for her. I wanted to invest in her jewelry line and get her all the gems and beads and materials she needed to make the best jewelry she could. I wanted to take her shopping and buy her all the clothes she could ever want, and I wanted to take her to all the five-star restaurants and watch her savor every single bite of food.

  I wanted to hold her hand while we walked down the cobblestoned streets of the most beautiful city in the world, and I wanted to take her to all the places my father took me to whenever we’d go as a family.

  I wanted to tell her and show her all these things, and I wanted her to experience it all with my hand in hers.

  I was thrilled for the trip tomorrow afternoon, and I was so excited that I barely slept that night.

  Chapter 26

  Ash

  Tuesday morning rolled around, and I finished packing all my things. I had no idea what Milan was like or what the weather might be like, so I jammed a little bit of everything into a suitcase and sat on it so it would close. Then, I called Luna to double-check and make sure me going was going to be all right.

  “Luna, are you sure? I already took the weekend off.”

  “And now you will take the rest of the week,” she said. “Just remember, there’s—”

  “The silk-wool yarn you want me to bring back so you can make a winter blanket. Yes, Luna, I heard you.”

  “Why is this so hard for you?” she asked.

  “Why is ‘what’ so hard?”

  “For you to follow your dreams,” she said.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” I said, chuckling nervously.

  “A rich man is offering to take you to the one place you’ve always wanted to study jewelry-making. Why is it so hard for you to just go?”

  “Because I have responsibilities, Luna. Like to you and to work.”

  “And I’ve told you my niece is gonna help in the store,” she said.

  “Well, okay then.”

  “So, why did you call again?” Luna asked. “We talked about this yesterday.”

  “I don’t know, all right? I don’t know why it’s always so hard. Maybe because shit like this doesn’t happen to me.”

  “Language, Ash.”

  “Sorry. But stuff like this doesn’t happen to women like me, Luna. We don’t get whisked away and handed our dreams on a platter.”

  “Doesn’t seem to be the case here,” she said.

  “I guess not,” I sighed.

  “Why are you really so combative?”

  “Don’t you have a store to run?” I asked.

  “Answer the question, and then you’ll be ready for Milan: why are you fighting this?”

  “Because…” I trailed off.

  “I’m waiting,” Luna beckoned.

  “Because I really like him, all right? He’s special, and kind, and handsome. And yeah, we had some serious hiccups in the beginning because of how we met. Sure, I met him on a dating site because no guy—”

  “Fast forward, please,” Luna groaned.

  I chuckled. “Well, you asked.”

  “Let me give you some advice from a woman who’s already lived her life. Even if it doesn’t last forever, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ride the wave.”

  “What if I want it to be forever?” I asked.

  “Then you have to stick around long enough for forever to happen.”

  “Luna?”

  “Yes, Ash?”

  “Thanks.”

  “Have fun in Milan. And don’t forget!”

  “The yarn. I got it.”

  I hung up the phone with her and knew she was right. Maybe Mason and I weren’t supposed to last forever, but did that mean I had to turn down everything he was handing me right now? I dragged my overpacked suitcase off the bed and tossed my keys to Frank, and she made some quip about inviting Winston over or something.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Have fun with that.”

  “Oh, Ash!” Frank called out.

  “What? I’m gonna be late!”

  “Lock that shit down while you got the chance. I’ve never seen you smile like this with a guy.”

  “I’ll try, Frank,” I sighed.

  “Plus, that bastard’s loaded. I expect a couch just for me in his gigantic home once you start popping out kids.”

  “Jesus, Frank,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Have fun in Paris!”

  “Milan!” I shouted back.

  “He should be taking you to Paris! I bet it’s nice to fuck while taking in the skyline.”

  I sighed with relief when I stepped out onto the curb and saw the limo sitting there for me. I got in and saw Mason wasn’t there. The driver was quick to quell my fears.

  “Mason is checking the jet before the two of you take off. He’s already at the airport.”

  I sat back and watched the scenery roll by, and when we turned into the lot for the airport, I saw Mason standing on the tarmac. I threw the limo door open before the driver even came to a stop, and Mason sent someone to get my massive luggage bag while he escorted me onto the plane.

  “Wow, it’s cozy in here,” I said.

  “Have you ever been on a plane before?” he asked.

  “How dare you insinuate that I don’t do things!”

  “You’ve never been on a plane, have you?” he said.

  “Well, no,” I admitted. “But shame on you for insinuating it, nonetheless.”

  “Come here, you.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a kiss. My body melted into him in the middle of the jet. I pulled back and smiled up at him, and tha
t’s when he helped me into my seat. I buckled myself in and the pilot came back to let us know how long the flight would be, and then the jet began to taxi on the tarmac. I white knuckled the seat and watched the world slowly bow below us, and I heard Mason’s voice rise above my nerves.

  “I spy with my eye something black,” he said.

  “Really?” I snickered.

  “Come on, black,” he urged.

  I rattled off a few things and finally landed on my bracelet, and when he smiled, I knew it was my turn.

  “I spy with my eye something… red.”

  “Your lips,” he said.

  “Nope,” I said.

  “Your cheeks.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Your necklace,” he whispered.

  I watched his hand reach out, and he traced it along the jewelry I had on. I felt my skin heat up underneath his touch.

  “No,” I said.

  “Don’t tell me it’s the ‘exit’ sign,” he said.

  “Maybe,” I choked out.

  “That’s no fun. But I spy with my eye something… green.”

  He stared deep into my eyes, and our faces move closer together.

  “My eyes?” I said.

  “Maybe,” he whispered.

  Our lips connected just as the seatbelt sign flicked off, and I heard him unbuckle himself from the seat before he slid to his knees on the floor. He trailed his plump mouth down my neck, and his hands grasped at my tits. Soon, he shifted himself in between my legs.

  “You’re way too tense,” he said. He placed open-mouthed kisses onto my heaving chest, and I felt his hands slowly snake their way up my dress.

  “You know, I bet this vehicular thing we’ve got going borders on a fetish,” I said.

  He bit into my inner thigh, and it caused me to jump. I could feel myself soaking my panties. He hooked his fingers in them and pulled them down to my ankles.

  “God, you smell so good,” he groaned.

  He wasted no time in exploring my pussy folds. His fingertips parted them so he could get to my swollen clit, and I slid down into the seat and hooked my legs over his shoulders. God, the things this man’s tongue could do to me were nothing short of addicting. He was quickly ruining me for every man who would ever come after him.

  “Yes, just like that,” I said.