Page 4 of Bride Unwanted

“Thank you,” is all I can muster up to say as I nervously run my hands down my dress.

“Please follow me to your table,” the hostess turns and starts walking away. Talon never lets go of my hand as we follow the hostess through the quiet restaurant into a large empty room. In the middle of the room is a single elaborately decorated round table with two chairs.

“You will have complete privacy here; your first course will be served in a few minutes,” the hostess explains.

“Thank you very much, Maria.” Talon addresses the hostess by her name, and I wonder how often he comes here to know the staff that well.

He pulls out the chair for me, and I sit down, my belly filled with excitement as I get comfortable in this over-the-top restaurant.

Just like the hostess announced, we don’t have to wait for the service to start. Two waiters enter the room to take our drink order as soon as we get settled in.

“I’ll have my usual, and my wife will have a glass of your finest white wine.” Talon orders for both of us without consulting me, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Is this how it’s going to be? Will he be taking all my decisions away from me? I don’t have much time to think about it because my new husband starts bombarding me with questions as the first course is being served.

“Tell me, Callie, what do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?”

“Oh, not much,” I answer honestly. There has been little time for fun in my life lately. “I mostly go to work and spend time with my mom when I can. The only time I spend on myself is when I go to the gym or go on a run in the park. I guess that’s not much of a hobby, though.”

“I disagree. I enjoy working out too. It calms me down when I’m stressed.”

“Me too!” I say a little too excitedly by the fact we have something in common. “When I go on a run, my mind clears, and I feel like I can breathe deeper than before.”

Talon nods before taking a sip of water. “You mentioned spending time with your mother. May I ask why she didn’t attend the wedding ceremony?”

My elated mood darkens in an instant. “She isn’t well enough to leave the hospital at the moment. Cancer is a bitch.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Talon sounds genuine. “If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“Thank you.” I want to say you already did. Your money is helping pay for treatment, but I don’t want to spoil the mood by the reminder of how we got here.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“No, it’s just my mom and me. My dad passed away a few years ago.”

Talon’s eyebrows draw together. “Sounds like you’ve had a few rough years.”

“You have no idea.” I laugh humorlessly. I’m about to ask him a question when he beats me to it once again.

“So, what brought you to marry a stranger?” He asks the biggest question of all. The same question that has been burning on my own tongue all day.

The most truthful answer would be because of the money, but I just can’t bring myself to say the words out loud. So I say the next best thing instead. “I want someone to take care of me. I’m twenty years old, and I haven’t been doing a great job of taking care of myself and my mom. I guess I’m just desperate for help.” I didn’t realize how true the words were until I spoke them out loud. My throat clogs up with emotions as I think about it.

“It’s not your job to take care of your mom.”

“If I don’t do it, no one else will. It’s just me and her… and I wish she could have been there today walking me down the aisle,” I add sadly.

“Maybe we can visit her tomorrow, and you can introduce me.”

“Umm, yeah… I just have to tell her first that I got married.” I giggle nervously.

“You didn’t tell her? How come? Are you ashamed of me?” He questions with a grin.

“What? No! Of course not… it’s just. I didn’t want her to think I did this because of her.”

“But you did, at least partially, and there is nothing wrong with that. Quite the opposite, I believe. What you did is amicable. You got married to a stranger to help your mom and yourself. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Thank you for saying that. It actually makes me feel a lot better about the whole situation,” I admit.

“I’m glad,” Talon says just as the waiters bring the main course and set it in front of us. The savory smell of seared steak and roasted vegetables fills my senses, and I know that this meal is going to be the best I’ve ever eaten before I’ve taken the first bite.

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