First comes love.
Then comes marriage.
Then comes a-
Unfortunately, life is not a checklist, and there's no white picket fences and baby carriages. After a failed long and stable relationship, Arryn Rivera tries her hand at online dating and gets mo...
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Arryn spent most of the morning packing and marking furniture items. Instead of Rhys saying her furnishings weren't worth moving, he'd left the choices up to her. Clearly, he was a man who knew how to deal with people.
Last night she'd offered to get a ride so he wouldn't have to come into the city, and then drive back to his parents' home, but he didn't agree. Said it would look odd to make his bride come with someone else.
His tone told her he had a scowl on his face. Not wanting to aggravate him, she consented. If she didn't challenge him on anything, they might at least be amicable to one another.
When he arrived at her apartment, she followed as he walked through and looked at the marked items. "My dad will come and get the things I don't want," she said.
"Looks like that will be most of it."
"Well, your house is so nice, my stuff won't fit in."
"I'll call the moving company and tell them to bring a small truck. You ready to go?"
Her chest tightened. He'd made no idle conversation since arriving. She decided to fish. "Do I look all right?"
He eyed her from top to bottom, and for a moment, she'd seen a flicker of something in his eyes. Approval? Affection? She wasn't sure. Whatever it was disappeared, and his expression went cold again.
"Fine."
Once they got in the car and headed out of town, keeping his eyes on the road and his tone icy, he laid some ground rules. "Nobody knows the circumstances of our situation other than Ace, and I want to keep it that way. I've taken the blame. Said I've known about the baby for months but took a while to decide on where we went from that since we've only been together half a year. As far as my parents are concerned, we're in love, so I expect you to act like it."
That might not be difficult. When she was near him, things happened. Places jittered and jumped. Tightened and tingled. Flamed and fluttered. She gave him her attention again. He continued to spout instructions.
"Your wedding band is a family ring. My mother may mention that, so I want you to be prepared. You should gush over it. With your acting skills, it shouldn't be hard."
Arryn's breath caught against the knot that'd formed in her throat. "I can't do that." The statement came out as a weak whisper.
He glared at her. "It's a little late for you to develop a conscience, don't you think?"
She wagged her head. "It isn't right. If it's been passed down from generation to generation, you should give it to a woman you truly love."
He chuckled without humor. "Given your casual relationship with the truth, one more lie shouldn't matter."
Tears threatened, but she held them back. The hope of civil companionship evaporated. She'd take the ring, but not wear it. Use the excuse of swollen fingers. A family treasure should go to the love of his life, not the liar of his life.
