Page 8 of No Regrets

Chapter Three

Brianna knew this had to be one horrific nightmare. One very bad dream that kept getting worse as the days went on. Kaden’s hand clasped hers in a deathly grip. Everyone stared at her, greed and envy showing on the faces around the room.

“Dad, you can’t just stipulate that in the will. Why would he stipulate such a ridiculous request? Not to mention telling me who to marry!”

“Each may have a copy of the will. It states in plain English that unless you are married to Brianna, no one gets anything.” He shrugged. “Dad was keen on you two being together. I guess the ornery old man will live on from the grave.”

Kaden dragged Brianna across the room, grabbed the will from his father’s hand, and read it. “No fucking way.”

“Kaden, there are children in the room.” Blair commented, pouring herself another glass of wine.

Brianna had never seen a group of people so determined to have her head than those who stood around the room. It’s a shame the old man died yesterday, and they all gathered around, ready and expecting their portion of his money.

“It’s not happening. I don’t give a shit if it’s a billion dollars each. I’m not marrying someone for money.”

“Oh, come on, Kaden.” His cousin Jade spoke up from the far corner of the room. “It’s not like you don’t know each other. You have a baby together for crying out loud. Why not sign the papers, seal the deal, and after we get our money, you get your divorce. Hell, Greg’s a divorce attorney. He’ll make it really simple, won’t you, Greg?”

“Jade.” Greg rubbed his chin, thinking about the claims. “We’re all very tired, and it’s been an eventful day. What do you say we sleep on it, and, Kaden, you can give us your answer tomorrow morning.”

Bree studied Kaden’s face, never seeing him so angry before in her life. And they grew up together. She stroked his arm with one hand while he threatened to break her fingers on the other. If this was the breaking point, it sure was a doozy.

“I’ll give you my answer now. I’m not marrying Bree for money.” Everyone started clearing out of the room, as Kaden stood with her and his parents.

“Sleep on it.” Blair insisted, knowing her son was furious with her right now. “Go home, take a hot shower, and sleep on it.”

“Whatever. I’m not changing my mind.” Gripping Brianna’s hand, he turned and dragged her out the door with him.

She hated how angry he was, and judging by his temper, he was ready to punch someone or something. Sure enough when they got to his car, he rammed his fist in the hood, not even flinching as the loud bang echoed through the night. Bree jumped, wondering if she should just get in her car and go. But the hurt expression on Kaden’s face made her stay.

“Get in.” He beeped the alarm and the door locks slid back granting them access. She didn’t hesitate.

Once strapped in, Kaden took off down the drive at a breakneck speed and nearly ran through the gates as they came upon them. She hadn’t a clue where he was taking her but figured his place would be ideal. She glanced over at his profile, seeing the taut, strong, stubborn jaw. He was angry all right. Furious better described him though. But she wasn’t exactly sure why.

“Is marrying me really that bad of an idea?” She tried for humor, but when his gaze met hers, there was no humor anywhere to be seen.

“This isn’t about you.” He turned and added reluctantly, “Not really.”

She folded her hands in her lap and chose to stare out the window instead of making conversation. He evidently didn’t want to talk, and she didn’t feel like getting barked at. He drove the winding streets, going deeper into the darkness, deeper into the night. Not much to see except the city lights up ahead. The rest was pitch black night.

“I really need to get home to Shiloh. Mom will worry about me if I’m not back at a decent hour.” She tried a soft tone, though he did nothing but pull his cell out and throw it in her lap.

“Call your mom and tell her you’ll be late. Or better yet, tell her you’re spending the night.” He turned off the main road onto a side street that led back into the darkness away from the lights.

“Kaden, I can’t just stay the night. I don’t have money for a hotel, and Shiloh needs me to be with her. I already ask my mother to do too much. She doesn’t need to keep my child all night long.”

He turned, glancing at her. “Like it or not, babe, this involves you too. I wish like hell it didn’t, but it does, and we’re going to be up all night trying to figure this out.” He finally pulled into a driveway and slowly came to a stop. “Unless you have a miracle, then by all means, let’s settle this now and get it the hell over with.”

“You don’t have to be an ass.” She grabbed the phone and punched in her telephone number. After explaining to her mother something important had come up, she clicked the phone off and threw it back in his lap. “Are you happy? It’s not like I spend enough time with my daughter. Did you ever think I might actually like to be with her tonight?”

“Bree—”

“Save it. Give me the dotted line to sign on, and I’ll be out of your way.” Not knowing what else to do, and possibly just wanting to get away from him, she opened the door and climbed out of the confines of his car.

“It’s not that simple, Bree.” He came up behind her and pulled her to face him. “I don’t want to get married under any circumstances. Not to you, not to anyone.”

“Fine. Then what is there to discuss?” She crossed her arms over her chest and noticed, even in the darkness, his gaze wandering down her body.

Surely he couldn’t still be interest in her. No. He was male and having a baby had made her breasts fuller. Something different for him to look at. God, she needed to get away from here. She shouldn’t have some in the first place.

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