Page 65 of The Marriage Bid
My mind went to lurid thoughts. “That’s not a bad idea.”
She adjusted her clothing. “I don’t think Massimo or even Ivy would appreciate that.”
“Whatever you say.”
We rejoined the group. The men had joined the women and were now hunting together. Saffron and I barely participated, and Massimo was too drunk to notice. He caught a deer, but that had more to do with his aide than with him personally. Massimo offered to give me some of the deer as a present, which I accepted under Saffron’s arched gaze.
“What?” I asked her as we were going up to our room.
“Nothing.” She couldn’t hide the judgment in her voice.
“It’s not as if you yourself didn’t eat game meat last time we attended his dinner. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here!” I said playfully.
“I did not say anything.”
“Fine. I’ll donate to an animal rights organization.”
She chuckled. We had reached our hotel room, and she leaned against the door while she waited for me to dig the keycard out of my pocket. “You seem to have an issue with it more than I do,” she said.
“That’s because I am a city boy.” I opened the door and entered. The suite was spacious and luxurious if you're into garish hunting lodges. The animal theme continued here with leopard-skin rugs, bird mounts, and animal fur on the bed.
“And I am not a city girl?”
“You seemed fairly competent with a gun.”
“My father liked hunting.” Her face fell. “He liked to take me out to places like this all the time, especially when my mother was still alive. She tolerated it; I didn’t like it. And after she died, and I refused to go on one hunting trip, he got mad at me. And that was the last time my dad and I had anything close to a cordial relationship.”
She cast her gaze down as though she were hiding tears. But when she faced me again, her eyes were dry. “My father has always blamed me for my mother’s death. And I guess he didn’t like that I refused to participate in the same thing we used to do as a family. So that’s where the competency comes.”
“How did your mother die?” There could have been a better time to ask her this, but the question came out, and before I could take it back, she was already answering.
“She died in an elevator.”
“Oh, Saff.” Now I felt even worse for asking such a personal question in this crass room.
Saffron wandered to the bed and sat down. “I was with her when it happened. It was in the apartment building we used to live in. I bid her goodbye as the doors closed, and then I heard her screams. It crashed down to the ground with her in it. I still hear her screams in my dreams.”
That must have been horrifying. I went to sit next to her and tentatively put my arm around her. “What happened to your mother wasn’t your fault.”
And it was cruel for a man to blame his young daughter for something she could not control. Worse still, the death of a parent. I balled my fist, rage filling me at the thought of what Saffron must have endured. My father wasn’t Santa Claus; he was mean when he wanted to, especially to some of my siblings, but what Saffron’s father did to her was unforgivable.
Saffron sighed. “I know that now. But it was hard to see it that way when I was twelve. Our relationship got so bad that I was no longer living with him most of the time but staying with my aunt instead.”
I took her into my arms. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she needed a hug. She embraced me fully. I heard a choked sob and then felt the shoulder of my jacket getting wet. Tears. I let Saffron cry out her pain. After a while, she disentangled from me and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone that.”
I was glad I was the person she told. That she had trusted me with this part of her that she never showed anyone else. It made me feel happy and wanted. Needed in a way that was different from how my brothers and sister needed me. How my friends needed me. Was this the love Ivy was referring to? For the first time in my life, I was not afraid of the answer being yes.
Chapter 29
Tyler
The hotel was coming to completion, and soon any excuses to spend time with Saffron would become minimal. Short of going public and just dating like a normal couple, I couldn’t see a way for us to be together and not raise alarm bells. Ivy still hadn’t told the family, thank God. I wasn’t sure what to say to them about Saff. The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to shred those divorce papers. Luckily, Saffron and I had a few more days together. It was Friday, and I could not wait to get out of the office.
I made a reservation at her favorite restaurant and contemplated seeing her happy face when she learned we would be dining out. I had finally proved my culinary skills multiple times over, but she still preferred the three Michelin star Portuguese restaurant. Then she’d be at my apartment for the weekend. My groin tightened in anticipation. Maybe skip dinner and head straight to bed. That was a much better idea in my sex-filled brain. I spent the entire day working through everything on my schedule to make sure I would not be doing overtime. I even told Saffron to do the same. At least this weekend would not be spent trudging through the wilderness looking for animals.
“Tyler, your four o’clock is here,” Matt said through the phone. I was in the middle of placing my laptop in my bag and froze. “Four o’clock? What four o’clock?” Whoever they were, they would have to see me on Monday. I didn’t want to be accidentally dragged into a meeting that would run for three hours.
“It’s uh…”
