Page 5 of Bride Unwanted

For the rest of the dinner, we talked more about my mom and how my parents used to be before fate dealt us bad cards. We also talked about my many jobs and how I’ve been getting by with working back-to-back shifts at the grocery store. It isn’t until we’re almost finished with dessert that I realize we’ve been talking about me, but he hasn’t really told me much about him.

“So what do you do for work?” I finally get to ask.

Talon stiffens. He tightens his fingers around his whiskey glass before bringing it to his lips, almost like he is trying to buy some more time before telling me. What is he hiding? Is this the part where the other shoe drops?

“You really don’t know who I am, do you?” He sets the whiskey glass back on the table.

I stare at him in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you’ve never heard of my family before? We make the news all the time,” he explains, like he expects me to understand.

“I don’t have a TV,” I say, feeling terrible that I can’t afford one.

“My family owns a lot of different businesses,” he explains. “This restaurant is one of many.”

“Wait, you own this restaurant?” No wonder we got this special treatment.

Talon nods. “My father oversees our entire operation, but now that I’m married, he’ll be more keen to retire like he was supposed to years ago. You can say we’re a very traditional family, and he will not step down until I’m close to producing an heir.”

“An heir.” I almost choke on my own spit.

“Yes, you’re okay with having kids soon, right?”

Kids… soon…

My mind is reeling. I haven’t really thought much about kids. Not because I don’t want them, but I’ve never thought I could afford them. Kids are expensive and until now, I have had no money to support one. I guess money is not an issue anymore. So am I to say yes? Because I just met Talon today and though he is very attractive, the thought of having sex is a little bit daunting.

“Are you okay with having children?” Talon repeats his question.

“Yes! Sorry, I was just a little shocked, I guess. I would love kids eventually,” I add.

“Good, because I’m planning on starting to try tonight.”

I gulp. “Tonight?”

“I’m going to be very honest with you, Callie. For most of the day, I’ve been thinking about going to the courthouse and getting this wedding annulled. This whole thing was my father’s idea, and it was my sister who found the agency. I went through with it for them. I never thought I would actually find somebody I like. But now that I’ve spent a little time with you, I’ve changed my mind. There won’t be an annulment, and tonight we will consummate our marriage.

“And you just decided that without consulting me?” I ask, a bit annoyed at how he assumed I would sleep with him the first night.

“You told me you wanted someone to take care of you. Let me do that. Let me take care of you the only way I know how. And in return, you give me an heir,” he says, like it’s the most logical thing in the world.

“Can you do that, Callie?”

Without thinking about it too much, I nod. I have to go through with this, whether I want to or not.

Lucky for me, I think I might just want to do it too.

4

TALON

The ride back to my house is mostly silent. Looking out the window, I subconsciously count the light poles as they go by. A habit of mine I picked up as a child. I am good at keeping my cool. My face shows no emotion.

But inside, my mind races back and forth. Could she really be the woman I’ve been searching for? Is that agency really this good? She’s a little shy. But I can fix that.

We pull back into my driveway and the limo stops in front of the main door. The driver gets out and opens Callie’s door. I help her out of the car and slip the driver a hundred-dollar bill.

Walking up to the huge oak door of my house, I pause before I press in my code.

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