Page 40 of Cruel Revenge

She gives a heavy sigh and tips her head back. “Joshua, you’re making this more difficult than it has to be.”

Grady chuckles. “She’s an impatient one. We’ll be coming to the reception, though. I would like to see you with this wife of yours.”

I stare straight at him. “You don’t believe me.”

The hair on the back of my neck stands up as he rises from his chair, his eyes narrowing.

He stubs out the cigarette in the ashtray, tossing the butt in the trash. His gaze rips right through me.

“I do think you’re lying to me. You have no reason to when my daughter is sitting right here and would be more than happy to marry you.”

“I’ve been patient and understanding of whatever this agenda you keep trying to push on me is, but when I tell you that I’m married, I would suggest that you believe me. I have a wife, and Ilove her. That’s not going to change no matter what your opinion on her is.”

“You do realize that if I find out you’re lying to me, this is going to cost you the entire cocaine business you’re dealing in.” Grady’s words are chosen carefully, his tone slow and deliberate. “I think you should reconsider everything we’ve talked about. Take some time to truly think through every angle of this and see if lying to me is worth it.”

“I’m not lying.” I pull out my phone and bring up a picture of Skyla I took while we were unpacking. “It’s taken the better part of a year to convince her that she should move in with me, and she’s still insisting on keeping her brownstone.”

“That sounds like a marriage on the rocks.” Grady looks down at the picture before looking back up at me. “If that’s the case, then maybe you should think more about a divorce.”

I tuck the phone back into my pocket. “I married a fiercely independent woman who handles her business. She’s got a wicked mind. She wasn’t going to settle for anything less than what she deserved, and I had to work to be that. With all due respect, that’s the foundation of a good marriage. Not one that’s on the rocks.”

Emily crosses her arms. “She’s not pretty.”

“You’re right. She’s fucking stunning, and her mind only makes her that much more attractive.” I’m surprised when I realize none of what I said is a lie.

Emily stands and walks over to me, trailing her hand along my chest even as I try to step back.

There’s nowhere else to go, though. A bookshelf digs into my hips as Emily presses herself closer.

“Your little wife could be a problem that we get rid of together.”

I arch an eyebrow, stepping to the side. “It’s not going to happen. You need to give this up. It looks desperate, and you deserve more than chasing after a happily married man. You should have more self-respect than that.”

Grady eyes me. “You’re still going to stand here and say that you have a wife?”

“Because Idohave a wife.”

Emily giggles and smooths down her skirt as she turns to face me. “Not yet, but I think an end of summer wedding sounds nice for us. The colors would look stunning with your skin tone, and it would be cool enough to have a wedding outside. We could even have Central Park shut down.”

This is insanity. These people can’t take a fucking hint.

One of these days, I’m going to have to find a way to get out of this deal. I don’t care that it’s going to cost me a lot of money. Putting up with Grady and his daughter isn’t worth it. There are other importers who won’t try to force me to marry their daughters.

Grady pulls out another cigarette and lights it. “I’m getting tired of this story you keep trying to tell us.”

“Like I said, you’re welcome to come to the reception and meet Skyla yourself. I’m sure she would love to have you there.” I sit down across from him, trying to look relaxed even though sweat is rolling down the back of my neck.

He takes a long drag. “You’ll send us an invitation to this reception.”

“I will.”

“And if we show up, your wife is going to be there? The woman you showed me in the picture. If I dig into the marriage, I’m not going to find a problem, am I?”

The marriage license.

Though, I never told himwherewe ran off to. I could tell him that we eloped in another country and that the paperwork is taking a long time to complete.

“No, you won’t.” I cross my arms over my chest, stretching my legs out in front of me. “The entire family is going to be there. You can meet the rest of the Lynde family as well. They’ll all tell you that the marriage is real.”

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