Page 63 of The Marriage Bid
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We arrived at Massimo’s hunting lodge later than all the invitees. Even the private jet trip plus a helicopter ride couldn’t make up for our tardiness. But the host was all smiles when he saw us. “My favorite couple,” he said when we entered the hall. Arms wide open, ready to receive a hug. “Clarita was sure you were no longer coming, but I told her that boy likes me, he’s definitely on his way. He would never lie.”
He gave Tyler a big bear hug and me a kiss on the cheek. “You look just as beautiful as always,” he said whilst clasping my hand in his. “Come on.” Massimo squeezed between us and encircled his arms around both our shoulders. “Let me introduce you to the gang.”
The rest of the group was sitting around two large distressed sofas facing each other in the hall, nursing beers and cognacs. A sudden revulsion engulfed me when I encountered the trophies mounted all around the walls. Most were deer and moose; there was one zebra, a sable, and an oryx. It was your typical hunting lodge with exposed trusses, tan walls, leather upholstery, animal skin rugs, and cushions. Taxidermy birds and big cats were littered all over the hall as…decoration? The messiness probably exceeded the intention.
Massimo introduced us to his friends. They were three couples, six people in total excluding Massimo and his wife. Most of his group were much older and around Massimo’s age. He went around naming each one while I tried my best to remember their names. They all looked rich, and as much as I hated hunting, this might be a constructive way to do some networking with potential clients.
“And Damien’s not here; he and Ivy are upstairs.”
“Excuse me?” I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tyler’s face drain of all blood.
Behind us, I heard a familiar woman’s voice say, “Surprise, dear brother. I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Chapter 28
Tyler
“Wife? She’s your wife!” Ivy said.
We trudged through the forest on our way to the hunt. I was oblivious to the beautiful landscape as I weathered Saffron’s scrutiny. Part of me wished Saffron were here so I could avoid talking to Ivy, but she had joined the group of women who were ahead of us while Ivy had pulled me behind.
Ivy and Damien had acted as though they knew Saffron, and I thought Ivy at least wouldn’t confront me now, but as soon as the hunt started, she cornered me and gave me a grilling for the ages.
“Please stop saying that. You make it seem like I was hiding some dark secret.”
Ivy threw her hands up in the air, waving her gun around. Thank goodness it wasn’t loaded. “I don’t know. Hiding a wife of five years is considered a secret!” The rush of the stream that we were walking along covered her scream, but I glanced at the group ahead of us to see if they heard us just the same. They seemed preoccupied with their own conversations.
“It’s no different from what you and Damien did!” I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but it was tough not to when she was being this hard on me.
“Oh, come on. I wasn’t married to Damien for years. And what about all of those women you were with? Were you cheating on her?” She seemed angry on Saffron’s behalf.
“I told you the marriage wasn’t like that. We pretty much lived separate lives.”
Ivy clucked her tongue. “Doesn’t look like that now.”
“That’s because…” I didn’t know how to explain it to her without telling her everything about our relationship. Some of which I didn’t fully understand myself. “…Why are you interrogating me like this?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you have a whole-ass wife we don’t know about. Does Seb know?”
I kicked a rock, and it tumbled down the grass until it hit a tree. “He does.”
“Fuck him, of course he kept your secret. You must have kept his secret child as well.”
“I didn’t know about that! And neither did he. Kendra dropped the child on his doorstep and ran to Paris. That’s not on Seb.”
“What else are you going to say?”
“It’s true!” I screamed.
She sighed. “So what do you intend to do? About the blackmail and,” she pointed at Saffron, “her. Will you divorce her after you find out who’s still blackmailing you?”
“She’s the one who served me papers.”
Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What’s there to say? We’re only here together because Massimo has this weird thing with married couples and will only sell his property to a married person. Speaking of which, what are you two doing here?”
