Page 20 of The Marriage Agreement
“Apple juice. She has an apple farm upstate.”
Mom frowns. “Are you sure? I would have sworn it was vineyard?”
I cringe with embarrassment. “I’m sure he knows what sort of farm his mother has.” Mom titters and playfully taps Damien again. “I liked your mom. The only secretary Nolan Senior had who wasn’t an aspiring home-wrecker.”
I look down, wishing the ground can open me up and swallow me whole. I plaster a smile on my face. “Mom? Can I talk to you for a sec?” I say.
“Before I even have a chance to get to know your husband?” She stresses the word husband each time she says it to note how peculiar the situation is.
“Please.”
“Fine. Let’s go to the study and Damien, I hope you don’t mind being left alone for a few minutes. Please enjoy the wine while I speak to my daughter.”
Damien nods and we leave him in the drawing room.
“So you and Damien have patched things up,” she says as soon as she closes the door to the study. So she doesn’t know about the share sale I made to Damien. I stifle a sigh of relief.
“I wanted to talk to you before the party started.”
“Ivy, it’s not a party, it’s a memorial.”
Trying to not roll my eyes is hard, but I do it, anyway. My father treated her horribly, cheated on her, and now she’s acting like an aggrieved widow? Her game is obvious to anyone with half a brain. “I want to talk about Lake.”
“Oh, my grandson? How is he?”
You could visit him if you care so much.“Good. It’s about Lake’s father.”
She strolls to the bookcase and runs her hands on the books as she says, “Lake looks so much like his father. The resemblance is uncanny.”
“Mom.”
“What?” She turns around. The smirk she’s wearing makes her look both playful and curious. “I’m just glad he’s taking responsibility after all this time.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Damien doesn’t know about Lake.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“And I would like it to remain so, for at least the time being. I’ve already told the rest of the family and I wanted you to know before the party started.”
“Honey. I thought that’s why you married him. What is going on?” she says the last sentence in a sing-song voice as she leans on the desk with one hand.
“Just don’t mention Lake, okay?”
“Does he even know Lake exists?”
“He’s somewhat aware.”
Damien did all he could to avoid speaking to me again. I tried numerous times to tell him I was pregnant, but he refused to speak to me. He blocked my number. Threw me out of his office. Everything. And when I tried once more after Lake was born. Same thing. He ignored all of my messages and returned the letter I sent to him unopened. “Mr. Sinclair would like to not be bothered by you any longer or he will have to resort to extreme measures,” his assistant had said. That was the last time I tried.
“How has he seen that kid and not seen his own reflection back at him?”
That’s because he hasn’t. “Can you not mention it, please?”
“And you say you’re in love with this man you’re keeping such a big secret from?”
“I want to tell him in my own time.”
