Page 31 of An Inevitable Marriage

“Everlee Rose Sutton.”

She used my full name, and even though she couldn’t see me, I still shrank back and stared at my feet.

“You agreed to marry a stranger? A stranger! A man you know absolutely nothing about. And for what? Money?” Her voice rose. If she were standing in front of me right that second, I had no doubts she’d have her hands on her hips while eyes the same color as my own stared daggers into me.

I shrank back a little more.

“What if he’s a wife-beater or”—she lowered her voice to an angry whisper—“a sexual deviant?”

I choked on air. “Mom!”

“Don’t youMomme. A marriage is something sacred between two people who love each other. It’s not a business deal.” Every word she spoke dripped with fury.

I couldn’t blame her. Not really.

My parents had met in high school, and if you believed my dad’s version, it was love at first sight. If you believed my mom, it was lust.

Either way, they did what all pubescent teenagers do, and it wasn’t long before my mom stared at a stick with two bright lines on it. As shocking as it was for them, my dad immediately told my mom he wanted to do the honorable thing, but only if she was as madly in love with him as he was with her.

That was the kind of love they had. The kind I wanted. Where you loved the other person so much, you’d walk away if that’s what they wanted. It’d kill you, but you’d walk away.

“A piece of paper doesn’t a marriage make, Mom.”

The sound of her clicking tongue rang through my ears. “Don’t be a smart aleck. Do you even realize what you’re getting yourself into? You will probably share a house and bed with this man for five years. Five years, Everlee. Somewhere along the line, he’ll want more from you than your signature on paper. And then what?” Another staggering inhalation filtered through the line. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

Maybe telling my mom the truth wasn’t the best idea.

“Please don’t be angry with me. I know what I’m doing.” The lie left a sour taste in my mouth, but admitting how terrified I really was would provoke my mom even more. “I won’t be sharing his bed or even his room, Mom. Just because I’m getting paid for playing my part doesn’t mean I’ll end up tangled in his sheets. I have more values than that.”

There was a long stretch of silence before my mom spoke again.

“Not from where I’m standing.”

Was it possible for a heart to physically break? Had to be. I felt mine shatter into a million jagged splinters.

Closing my eyes, I forced my tears away while my mom talked about how easy it would be to find a job in Portsmouth. She even said I didn’t need to do event planning right now; secretarial work could easily tide me over.

I didn’t want to live in a small town. I loved the city. It was loud and fast and way too crowded, but it was where I wanted to be. It was where I wanted to build my business, to make a name for myself.

I’d never be able to do that in Portsmouth.

“Mom, I understand where you’re coming from,” I interrupted as she went on about Mr. Spiegel needing a secretary to help him run his accounting business. “You know I love you with all my heart, but please stop. From the moment I could listen, you taught me to follow my heart. You showed me how to be kind and helpful to others. And it was from you that I learned the importance of making my own way.”

My mom’s voice turned to ice. “I did not teach youthis. I’m disappointed, Everlee.”

The phone went dead not even a breath later.

I stayed strong for as long as possible before letting my emotions roll down my cheeks.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I thought my mom would be happy, proud even.

But I was wrong. So very wrong, and I had to wonder what else I was wrong about. Was this union really the best idea, or would Liam Maxwell turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life?

Chapter eight

Liam

My Dear Son,