Page 22 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“The rest is in my house. Let’s see how you get it.” I smirk.

“Mom, you have to tell him that’s not fair. It’s mine!” Osei whines.

“His house, his rules,” Mom replies. I grin at him, making him grumble. Piah laughs.

After dinner, Piah signals to me to come with him. I follow him to his office, leaving Dele with my mom and Osei to clean up. My mom is already trading recipes with Dele. I close the door to the office and sit on the love seat. He pours us a drink. I chuckle, remembering the many times in my younger days when I tried to sneak in here for a drink, and he would give me the look of ‘don’t you dare.’ I’m only ever in this room when he has a lot to discuss with me. He hands me the drink as he takes a seat next to me. We both take a drink, and I watch him set his glass on the side table.

“Does your wife know that you are in love with her?” he says with conviction, not blinking, looking me straight in the eye, the way he does when he wants to remind me who’s in charge.

“Not sure what you’re talking about. Why would you ask me that?” I attempt to brush off his observation, taking a sip of the drink that’s not having any effect on me right now.

“My son can’t keep anything from your mother, and she, in turn, can’t keep anything from me.” Why sip when I can gulp the drink?Fucking Osei.

“I’ve known you since you were a boy, and not once has anyone made you do something you didn’t want to do. I know why your brother wanted to marry her. I wasn’t totally against it, to be honest. My son getting married might be good for him. I think your mother thought the worst, like the entire U.S. government, was going to lock Osei up. When your mother announced you married Dele, I must admit it was a surprise to me because I couldn’t think of a reason you’d want to marry her, until tonight, when you kept looking at your brother like you were going to stab him each time he and Dele whispered or giggled aboutsomething. Of course, your mother is too delighted that you’re married and already thinking of grandchildren to notice that one son is about to kill the other.”

I forgot how observant he is. I guess I can’t hide my emotions from him when it comes to Dele.

“Back to my original question, does your wife know that you are in love with her?”

“No, she doesn’t know,” I answer in a whisper.

“There lies your first task: you need to show her how you feel.” I nod.

“She believes I don’t like her and somehow convinced herself that I have zero interest in her.”

He laughs.

“Clearly, she doesn’t know the only reason you married her is because you have a whole lot of interest in her and not because of your inheritance.” I hear the teasing in his tone.

“Yep,” I answer, putting the glass to my lips only to realize it’s empty.Fuck!

“Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to woo your wife and not kill your brother, who I must say is also clueless to the fact you’re in love with your wife.” I chuckle because it’s so true. Osei sometimes fails at reading the room.

“What if she doesn’t want me?”

He sighs.

“She does want you but, like you said, she believes you don’t like her, and that keeps her guarded around you. You need to figure out how to make her see the love you have for her. Believe me, convincing your mother to give me a chance wasn’t an easy task, but twenty-five years later, she wouldn’t doubt my love for her.”

I nod. Piah lives every day to put a smile on my mom’s face.

“Thank you. Can these stay between us?”

“Yes, as long as you don’t kill your brother.” He says, and I get up from the seat.

“He really is a pain in my behind,” I say with a smirk.

“I know, and he’s also your brother,” he replies. I take the glasses with me, heading to the living room. I hear the laughs of my mom, Osei, and Dele. They are having a great time. I turn to Piah, who’s next to me, watching as well.

“Told you, your mother’s mind is all about grandbabies. I’m sure Simon won’t mind, nor I.” He smiles.

“No pressure at all,” I reply. First, I need to get past my wife locking her bedroom door.

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Chapter 14

LUKE

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