Page 49 of Now & Forever
“No shit!” James turned away before he spat at his father’s feet. Gwen remained on the other side of the foyer, her serene visage the exact thing James needed right now. But why was she so unfazed by the situation? Had she used the last of her give-a-fuck reserves? Was she so over this charade that she would rather let the waves of bullshit wash over her than fight them head-on? “This might shock you, Dad, but Gwen is more than my girlfriend. She’s my…” His words faltered, and it had nothing to do with the unchanging countenance on his partner’s face.You’re killing me, Dad.This man wouldn’t understand. He had given up the woman he loved to placate his own parents and to “do the right thing.” Maybe Albert thought it had been worth it. The increasing fortunes, the social connections Ophelia brought, the peaceful,harmonioushouseholds it maintained… until the rumors spread that he continued his affair with the newly-married Sarah. An unspoken rumor that nobody dared to mention in the open, but everyone knew. They were the cautionary tale men muttered into bourbons when debating whether to chase after the woman they weren’t supposed to love. “She’s my everything.”
Albert scoffed. Sarah rolled her eyes.
Gwen smiled.
“She’s damn right she’s not going anywhere.” James stuck his foot into the circle the five of them created. A shaking hand also emerged from the cuff of his jacket. Not that he would let itshakein front of his father. A man standing up to his own father couldn’t show a hint of weakness. It meant he wasn’t ready, and James had beenreadysince the moment he realized Gwen was the only woman who could ever possess his heart. “You know what? This has to stop.” He didn’t have to explain. They damn well knew what he meant. “You twocannotforce us to do something we have no desire to do.”
He looked to Cassandra, who did not glance away when confronted with the truth.
“We’re never getting married.” James shook his head. “It’s bad enough you two…”
Cassandra finished that thought. “…It’s bad enough you got me at my lowest, Mother.”
Sarah looked as if that were the most damning thing her daughter could have said.“I was so low you convinced me to steal a man’s seed.”James wanted to believe that such foolishness was a result of a lack of clear thinking. The Cassandra he wanted to remember was a woman who could at least stand by what was morally right. Even if she thought he had signed off on it – and legally, he had – it wasn’t the same as her asking him for permission to create his child.
But they could discussthatagain later.
“I don’t think you understand, son,” Albert said. “If you think this is only about you and Cassandra, then you are more foolish than I ever thought.”
“Then what’s it about, Dad?”
The old man narrowed his eyes. “You are my only child. If you think I’m letting you marry a woman who…”
“James,” Gwen interrupted, “it’s time. I was about to tell them, anyway.”
The foyer was silent. A creak on the main staircase announced the ill-timed arrival of Ophelia Merange, bedecked in a navy-blue sleeping gown. James looked to his mother with a grim understanding that she may be shocked to hear the news… that wasn’t much news after all.
“Mom,” James said in greeting, before turning to his father. “Dad. I insist you understand that I could never marry Cassandra, even if you personally hauled me to the altar and shoved a pen into my hand.” He was impressed that Cassandra did not bristle when he said that. Perhaps she had truly come to understand the situation they were in as well. Maybe he could finally have a friendly relationship with his biggest childhood companion after all.Maybe…There was a reason she was one of the only people he ever told.
“Don’t you dare.” Sarah slapped her purse against her leg when she raced to Albert’s side. “Albert, what if they’re…”
“I’m already married to Gwen.”
James’s voice uncharacteristically carried through the wide halls of his childhood home. He had never been a loud speaker. Not the kind of guy who bolstered his ego and presence with a voice nobody asked to hear. Nor had heyelledhis announcement. But James would be damned if his father didn’t hear the truth.
Albert was the only one shocked. And Sarah, although her audible gasp and leering at Gwen was more cartoonish than anything.
“Don’t make jokes like that at a time like this,” Albert snapped.
“I’m not joking.” James marched over and grabbed Gwen’s hand. Her eyes widened when she was brought against his side. “Gwen and I married two years ago. We didn’t tell anyone, because quite frankly, it wasn’t anyone’s business.”
This wasn’t how James wanted his family to find out he was a married man, let alone that it happened beneath their noses.It was so easy to elope.A quick trip to another city. A weekend honeymoon and a ceremony wrapped in one. The ink on the marriage license was barely dry before they returned to their everyday lives, with only their secret to bring a little bit of renewed happiness to their days.
It was an act made in passion. When Gwen discovered she would never have children without intervention, James proposed to her. Not because he found her infertilityromantic,but because he wanted to assuage her fears that he would want to break up now that their lack of children was assured.“You’re the only son in your family,”she had said through her fearful tears.“Why would you want someone like me? What if you change your mind about kids? The world won’t end if I don’t reproduce, but your family might collapse!”
James and Gwen had never been the type of couple to make a big deal about their relationship. They let their friends go on thinking they were merely cohabitating with, “Eh, we might get married one day,” hanging in the air. It helped prevent the rumor from spreading and getting back to the Meranges. It also let them keep living their lives without fanfare, because Gwen had barely survived the adjustment period when she became James’s girlfriend, let alone his wife.
They would tell everyone one day. Maybe they would have a proper wedding and act as if that were the day they legally became man and wife, while always keeping the truth to themselves. Or perhaps they would announce it at their thirtieth anniversary party.I never wanted it to be like this.Put on the spot and hoping that the truth might deter his own family from ruining his life.
“You didn’t have a problem with Gwen for years,” James said to his father. “Is it because I’m in my thirties now? Does the thought of me being with the woman Iloveand not the one you’ve chosen for methreaten you so much?”
Albert continued his scowl. Sarah reached for him. He pulled away, the eternal coward he was. While Sarah had no shame showing him affection in front of his wife, Albert would never reciprocate in front of other people. Honestly, James felt nothing but pity for Lady Welsh.
And his own mother, the woman he thought he would shock the most – yet Ophelia merely looked upon her husband with a knowing glare.
“He’s a grown man, Albert,” she said. “We should be celebrating the fact he has loved a more than decent woman for so long. We don’t need more money.” Ophelia opened her mouth again before her husband could interrupt her. “What we need is somesanityin this family! Do you know what’s insane? You two carrying on like two awestruck teenagers who don’t know their lips from their asses!”
Sarah held her hand to her chest. Gwen stifled a chuckle. The fact she could laugh at a time like this only solidified what James loved about her.
