Kept Secrets

by Traci Hunter Abramson

He mustered his courage and dialed his father’s number. If he was going to be the kind of husband Grace deserved, he needed to start by admitting he had married her.

  “Hi, Devin,” his father answered. “Are you back at school?”

  “I am. I just got home a little while ago.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, sir.” He drew in a breath and blew it out. “There’s something I need to tell you and Mom, something that happened over the holidays.”

  “What’s that? Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine. It’s great, in fact.” Another deep breath. “Grace and I got married.”

  “What?”

  Devin could imagine his father drawing a deep breath himself, only not to steady his nerves but to prepare to explode. He hurried on before his father had the chance.

  “We saw each other in Las Vegas and realized we’ve been in love with each other since we were together in high school. I didn’t want to spend any more time without her, so I convinced her to marry me.”

  “You convinced her.” His father’s voice was tight and even. “Are you sure she didn’t convince you? After all, you do have a sizable trust fund.”

  Devin bristled. “Grace has never cared about my money. I don’t know why you would think that.”

  “Her parents . . .”

  “Her parents are dead.”

  Silence hummed for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that, but it doesn’t change the facts. She comes from working folk. You don’t.”

  Exasperated, Devin tried another direction. “I’m finishing my education so I can make something of my life. Grace is doing the same. Now we’ve chosen to do that together.”

  “You aren’t even at the same school. You aren’t leaving Stanford, are you?”

  “No, of course not. We’ll live apart for the next few months, and after graduation, we’ll find jobs together.”

  “I can’t believe you were this stupid.”

  “I wasn’t stupid. I chose to be happy. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you yet again.”

  “Did you at least have her sign a prenuptial agreement?”

  “Nope.”

  “What?” The single word exploded over the line at full volume. “If you think I have worked this hard to build a future for you only to have some gold digger marry you to take half of everything you own, you have another thing coming.”

  “She’s not a—”

  “All these years of us giving you every advantage, every privilege, and now you do something this absurd. I knew when you were in high school she wasn’t in our league, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “She’s not a gold digger,” Devin insisted through clenched teeth. “I love her. Why can’t you be happy for me?”

  “I’m your father. I know what’s best for you.”

  “No, you don’t know what’s best for me. I’m a grown man.”

  “Oh, you are, huh? Let’s see how grown up you feel when I cut off your trust fund.”

  The money threat was the final straw. “Dad, as soon as you can calm down, I’ll be happy to talk to you again. As for now, I would like to call my wife and wish her a good night before it gets too late. We both have classes in the morning.”

  “This isn’t the end of this.”

  “Good-bye, Dad.” Devin hung up, his hands shaking. He sank down into the living room chair and leaned his head back. He did want to call Grace, but perhaps he would wait a few minutes until he could let some of his father’s words fade away.

  * * *

  Grace curled up on her couch and stared at the television on the wall. The thought that Devin had been beside her as she’d watched a movie last night left a cloud of despair hanging over her. She hated not being with him.

  The moment the phone rang, she snatched it off the coffee table in front of her. “How did it go?” she asked in lieu of a greeting.

  “About as expected.”

  “I’m sorry. Were they really upset?”

  “I only talked to my dad. I’m sure my mom will call at some point,” Devin said heavily. “We knew they would be surprised. I’m sure after they’ve had some time to get used to the idea, they’ll be fine. After all, even your grandpa needed time to adjust to the news.”

  “That’s true.” Not wanting to dwell on the negative, she changed the subject. “Are you all ready for classes tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. It’s weird to think that this is the last first day of school I’ll ever have.”

  “Unless you decide to go for your doctorate.”

  “Definitely not,” Devin said. “I’m not an academia type.”

  “You’d be good at it.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve already got a job lined up for after school, and another degree isn’t in the plans.”

  “You already have a job?” Grace asked, surprised. “You never told me that.”

  “I’m still waiting for the final details, but I suspect I’ll get an offer based on my summer internships.”

  “What company is it for?”

  “It’s called Willow Enterprises.”

  “I don’t think I’ve heard of it. Where is it?”

  “I’m not sure yet. It’s actually a parent company of a lot of subsidiaries. There are a couple of locations I could end up at, but I should know in a couple months.”

  “Oh.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It just won’t be easy for me to look for jobs if I don’t know where you expect to be.”

  “Since I could end up anywhere in the world, I think you should apply for anything that looks interesting,” Devin told her. “I can see if I can match my location to yours. Otherwise, we’ll figure something out.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” She paused. “Does it ever scare you, the idea of getting out of school and going out into the world?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Now I have you.”

  Her lips curved. “I love you, you know.”

  “I love you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” She hung up and contemplated their work situation. She had always planned to find a job in Arizona after graduation. Her temporary work with an investment firm last summer held promise for a full-time job, and she had already interviewed with a couple of other companies with local offices. If Devin already had a solid job offer, it only made sense for her to follow him, though it was odd to think of putting his career before her own. In truth, though, she didn’t know how they would both feel about her career once they decided to start a family.

  That thought gave her another jolt. What would it be like to have children with Devin, to see their family expand beyond the two of them? She thought of their first date, of his sweet disposition with the lost little girl. He would make a wonderful father. And if she chose to put her career on hold for a while to raise their children, surely Devin would support her in that decision.

  She looked across the room at the enormous binder she had received in one of her finance classes—the study guide for her Series 7, the license she needed in order to work as a financial adviser. It had been weighing down her desk for weeks.

  She had initially thought she wouldn’t go that route, but now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe it would be worth it to check off that box. After all, once certified, she could work as a financial adviser anywhere in the country. And it sounded like that was where she and Devin were going to start their future together: anywhere in the country.

  Chapter 11

  A card in the mail from his mother was the last thing Devin expected. Three days had passed since he had shared the news of his marriage with his father, and he had dreaded the disapproving call he’d been certain would follow from his mother. That call hadn’t happened. Could it be that she had experienced a change of heart? Maybe now that he was married, his parents would come to terms with how much Grace meant to him.

  He ripped open the envelope to find a simple card with a phot
o of Sedona red rocks on the front. When he turned to the inside, his breath backed up in his chest, hurt and anger battling inside him. The words on the otherwise blank card were written in his mother’s hand and left no doubt as to her feelings on his marriage.

  Your father and I expect more from you. We presume you will rectify the situation before we see you at graduation.

  Paper-clipped to the back was a business card for a divorce attorney.

  “Unbelievable.” The word came out on a sigh of despair. How could his parents do this? Did they truly not care about his happiness? And was he going to have to choose between his family and Grace? He was afraid the yeses and nos to those questions wouldn’t fall in the order he wanted if he posed them to his parents.

  His phone rang, and he saw Grace’s photo illuminate the screen. He let it ring a second and third time while he tried to rein in his emotions.

  “Hey.”

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?” she asked.

  “No, this is fine. How are you doing?”

  “At the moment, I’m regretting I didn’t try to get my MBA at Stanford. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.” And he did. Every time he thought of her, his life seemed brighter somehow. “It’s only a few weeks until I’ll see you next.”

  “I know, but it feels like forever. I’m already trying to get ahead on my classes so I won’t have any homework when you get here.”

  “I need to do the same thing. Anything new and exciting in Arizona today?”

  “I saw Molly and Caleb for the first time since their wedding. They looked good.”

  “Did you tell them about us?”

  She chuckled. “Molly complimented me on the pearl ring you gave me, but it never registered that I was wearing it on my left hand.”

  “Did you have your wedding band on too?”

  “Yep. I started to tell her, but I decided it would be more fun to tell them together when you’re here. I thought maybe we could surprise them and take them out to dinner or something.”

  “I like that idea.” Devin lay down on his bed and let the cheerfulness of Grace’s voice overshadow everything else.

  By the time they said their good-byes, there was only one thing to do about his mother’s note. He crossed the room, picked up the card, business card and all, and dropped it into the recycling bin.

  As for graduation, he was sure his parents would be in attendance, and so would Grace.

  * * *

  Grace shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she watched the stream of passengers passing through security. She knew it would have been easier for her to pick Devin up outside, but she didn’t want to wait those few extra minutes to see her husband. She had received a text from him ten minutes ago to tell her he had landed. She pulled out her cell phone and looked down at the screen. Make that twelve minutes.

  Pushing up onto her toes, she craned her neck to see past the X-ray machines and body scanners in the security area, hoping for a glimpse of Devin. Her grin was instant when she caught sight of him weaving past a businessman and then a family of four. She sensed the moment he saw her, and his already rapid pace increased.

  Grace started forward and did some weaving of her own when Devin passed the security guard, and she tried to get past the people standing between them. Pulling his carryon bag behind him, Devin broke into a jog and closed the distance. The moment he reached her, he set his bag upright and pulled her against him, lifting her off her feet.

  His lips found hers in a brief but dizzying kiss.

  “Welcome home,” Grace managed to say.

  “Thanks.” He kissed her again before lowering her to the floor. Grabbing the handle of his suitcase, he asked, “Where are you parked?”

  “This way.” Grace indicated the direction of the parking garage. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Me too.” They made their way to the garage, both of them maintaining a hurried pace. “We don’t have any plans tonight, do we?”

  “No. I never got ahold of Molly and Caleb to see if they wanted to get together,” Grace admitted. She pulled the car keys from her purse, unlocked the car, and popped the trunk.

  Devin loaded his suitcase, and Grace headed for the driver’s side door. She pulled it open only to have Devin put his hands on her shoulders to turn her around to face him. The intensity in his eyes surprised her, and her breath caught in her chest. The scent of his cologne teased her senses, and her breath shuddered out the instant before his lips met hers.

  Grace melted against him, reveling in the sensation of having him here with her, of being in his arms once more. A car passed by, and she pulled back.

  “I missed you,” Devin murmured, his voice low.

  “I missed you too.” He leaned toward her for another kiss, and Grace shook her head. “I think we should save this for when we get home.”

  Another car drove by, and Devin looked around like he was just noticing where they were. “You’re probably right.” He jogged around to the passenger side and climbed in. As soon as he was seated beside her, he asked, “How far is it again?”

  “About thirty minutes.” She clicked her seat belt in place and looked at him only to find herself being kissed again. Laughing, she put a hand on his chest and nudged him away. “Behave.”

  “Oh, all right.” Devin shifted back into his seat.

  She looked over at him, amused. “Don’t worry. I’ll take the shortcut.”

  * * *

  Grace spent every waking moment trying not to count down the days until she would see Devin again. Fifteen days had passed since she’d seen him for Presidents’ Day weekend. Nine more until they would be together again.

  The few plans she had made for Presidents’ Day weekend had been pushed aside the moment they had gotten home from the airport. Except for the twenty-three-minute drive from the airport to her apartment, she had spent almost the whole time in his arms. Three crazy days of takeout food and breakfast in bed, long walks through the neighborhood, and movies late at night while cuddled together on the couch had ended too soon, and Grace was ready to be done with school so they could start their new life together.

  Nine more days, she repeated to herself as she parked her car in the student lot and headed to class. This time, instead of a long weekend, they would have a whole week together, in Stanford instead of Phoenix. Spring break for her, finals week for him. The timing wasn’t perfect, but they were both anxious to take whatever they could.

  She worried that Devin still hadn’t heard where his company was sending him. Every time she asked about his employment, he said he would explain once he received his assignment. Surely he would hear before graduation.

  She wanted so badly to start planning for what would come next. She would take her Series 7 exam two days before leaving for Stanford, and she hoped she and Devin would be able to plan where they would move after her graduation six weeks after his. It didn’t seem fair that his semester ended so much earlier than hers. Of course, he didn’t have spring break, and their schools had very different schedules.

  Devin had been thrilled with the idea of her being there in the days leading up to the end of his graduate work, especially when she offered to help him pack and clean his apartment. She knew he would likely have to go ahead of her to his new job, but she was hoping he could postpone his start date until she could go with him. She wanted to wake up each morning with him beside her. She had never realized how much it would mean to her to come home every day and find him there. Now that she’d had a taste of married life, she was excited for what was to come.

  Seeing his parents at graduation worried her a bit because she was still unsure of how they felt about her. Other than saying his parents were getting used to their marriage, Devin had barely spoken of his family during their nightly calls.

  She was heading into her first class of the day when a crowd around a bulletin board by the career center distracted her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked
Heidi, one of the girls in her organizational behavior class.

  “They just posted the upcoming grads who got a second interview with Anderson Enterprises. Only four people made the first cut.”

  Grace’s heart sank. She had been among hundreds who had interviewed for those few precious positions. Working with investor wealth management fascinated her. If only four people had made the cut, she was certain her name wasn’t on the list. “Who are they?”

  “Check it out for yourself.”

  Grace edged forward and read the names. She gasped. “I got it?”

  “You got the interview,” Heidi said with a smile. “Now go get the job. I’m totally planning on coming to visit you in New York this fall.”

  “You’re on.” Grace looked over the posted sheet again, this time reading the details on the top.

  “We’d better get to class,” Heidi said. “You can set up your interview this afternoon.”

  “I hope I get the job.”

  “You’ll get it. If they cut the list down that much, this final interview is only a formality.”

  Grace followed Heidi into class, and reality caught up with her. What if her dream job and Devin’s dream job were on opposite ends of the country? He mentioned the possibility of requesting a location for his job, so she texted him. What are the chances of your job taking you to New York?

  The response came back within seconds. Could happen. Why?

  Second interview with Anderson Enterprises tomorrow. Nervous and excited.

  Awesome! You’ll be great. I see my personnel officer next week. I’ll let you know.

  Excitement and anticipation stirred within her. Everything was falling into place. Without even looking for it, she had found her path to her happily ever after.

  * * *

  “Hong Kong?” Devin repeated the news back to Jalen Cruz, his personnel officer. “I don’t understand. I thought this meeting was to discuss the possibilities of where I might be assigned, not to receive my actual posting.”

  Jalen sat behind his desk in the small windowless office. The man was only ten years older than him, and Devin suspected Jalen was simply the messenger. “I’ll admit, this is a bit unusual, but your skills uniquely qualify you for this job.”