Page 12 of Alpha's Secret Baby Girl
Gwen stared at him. “When the time is right?”
His jaw clenched as he nodded. “This is a big change for her. I don’t want to overwhelm her.”
“And you’ll put in the prenup that I can divorce you in a year if I want?” she asked, and he knew from the way her shoulders slumped it was over.
He nodded once, though he was determined that when that year came, she wouldn’t even think of divorce. He was going to change her mind. He was going to prove that this was the best choice. So why did he feel so unsteady?
Chapter 5 - Gwen
Gwen had had plans for her eventual wedding. She’d always thought it would happen someday, though not to Rafael. She had envisioned trellises of flowers arching over a pathway of white stones. There would only be a few lines of benches, filled with the people who were the most important to her. Kira and Chelsey were there in her imagination, along with the friends she’d made since leaving the island. Most of the chairs were filled with faceless people in her mind, ready to be given the features of her husband’s family.
This… this was nothing like what she wanted. She’d wanted the full experience. Shopping for the perfect dress, cake tastings, and picking out the perfect bouquet. Instead, she stood in the living room of Rafael’s big, empty house. A building she’d never stepped foot in before, one that she’d never wanted to step foot in to begin with.
Lianne was already in bed when the Elder Priest came to the door. He was the oldest member of the pack and, therefore, the one with the most spiritual guidance. Or so tradition went. He was the only person within the pack who had the right to perform marriages. Rafael spoke with him under his breath while Gwen waited on the other side of the room.
Her hands twisted together as she stared at the floor. Beside her, Rafael’s younger brother, Michael, cleared his throat.
“Raf is stubborn and doesn’t like to change his mind, but I could try to talk to him,” he offered softly.
Gwen shook her head once. “There’s no point. He’s made up his mind. And this will be a good thing. For Lianne.”
Michael hesitated, then said, “He won’t hurt you.”
“He already did. Seven years ago.”
“That was—” Michael started, but Rafael and the Elder Priest had started over.
Gwen lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. She still had the chance to say she wasn’t here by her own will. She could tell the priest that Rafael was coercing her, that she didn’t consent to the marriage. It was technically illegal to marry her to him if she wasn’t fully willing. But it was also technically illegal for them to be married and to backdate the marriage certificate to seven years prior, which was exactly what was going to happen.
“Join hands,” the priest grunted.
Rafael reached for Gwen’s hand, and she pulled it back sharply, her heart beating heavily in her chest. She stared at him, her hands clenching into fists.
“Gwen,” he murmured.
The prenup was signed. If, in a year, she chose to divorce him, she would retain primary custody of Lianne. Rafael was already in the process of establishing a trust for his daughter, one that would cover her future education, wedding, travel, and any other expenses she wished to incur. He was going to take care of her, even if Gwen didn’t live with him. That was a comfort of sorts. She had long worried about what would happen to Lianne if something happened to her.
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and he held out his hand, palm up, and waited. Gwen took a deep breath. She could do this. Rafael might insist she live with him, might insist that she marry him so that the pack wouldn’t look down on Lianne for being born out of wedlock, but he wasn’t going to hurt her. That much she believed with all her heart.
At least, not physically.
She set her hand in his lightly. “Skip to the vows.”
The priest wrinkled his nose but nodded once. He retrieved a thin green-and-red ribbon from his pocket and began to wrap it around their joined hands as he intoned the vows that a married couple made to each other.
When he was done, he cut their thumbs and they pressed the blood together. And then it was done. Gwen was married to the man who had rejected her seven years ago. She waited patiently for the Elder to unwind the ribbon, then spun on her heel and headed for the door. Voices spoke behind her in low murmurs. The Elder mentioned how disrespectful she was to her new husband.
But Gwen didn’t look back as she strode to the stairs, escaping as quickly as she could. She might be married, but that didn’t mean she had to pretend to be happy about it.
“Gwen.” Rafael followed after her. He caught her wrist halfway up the stairs. “This is for the best. You’ll see.”
Gwen pulled her hand away. “I married you, didn’t I? You don’t have to keep arguing your point.” She turned, but hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at him. “I don’t want to tell Lianne. Not yet. This is too sudden, and I don’t want her to think it’s normal.”
Rafael’s jaw tightened. “You want me to lie about being her father?”
“Not lie. Just not tell her. Not yet. Please.” Gwen’s voice faded at the end, and her hands tightened. She couldn’t find the words to express why it was so important to her.
Rafael searched her face. She thought he was going to tell her to go to hell, but instead, he nodded. “Fine. You’ll get todecide when. Just remember that when the pack knows, it will be hard to keep it a secret.”
