by Amy Rose
I start shaking, a sob threatening to come out. They called me a gold digger. A gold digger. And because they have brought it to light, I now have to tell all the secrets I have kept for years. I need to tell him more about my past, and my present that I keep myself distant from. I breathe slow and deep trying to calm myself, so the tears won’t fall, a minute later he enters the room and sees me still shaking, “Angie, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” He closes the door and crosses the room so quickly and is enveloping me in his strong arms. “Baby, what’s going on?”
He runs his hand over my hair. “I need to tell you something. Something only my parents and one other person know.” I pause, readying myself.
“Angie, you don’t need to tell me anything, you don’t need to explain anything to me. I love you and I don’t believe for even one second that you are a gold digger.” I take a step back from his embrace. I can’t feel his touch right now. Instead I look into his eyes.
“I’m glad, because I’m not, Elliot. I have money, lots of it. My Grandfather was property developer Ernest White, my father is John White, the architect who has designed ninety percent of the buildings that have been built in the past twenty years in New York. I am a part of a very wealthy family, probably just as wealthy as you are. When my grandfather passed away, he left me a significant inheritance. Some I already have; some I will receive when I turn thirty. Another portion will be released if I ever marry, along with an amount to be put away for any children I have.”
I pause. Next is the hardest bit of all. The next piece involves Dylan. I ready myself, and decide to just spit it out. “When I got my first amount, I was with Dylan, he found out about the money and tried to take it. That’s why he assaulted me the last time. I found out that he had tried to withdraw a significant amount of money from my account. When I confronted him, he turned on me and almost killed me. My money made me a target, even from the one person who was supposed to love me unconditionally. That’s why I have been alone for so long. Ever since that happened, I’ve felt safer alone. Then you came into my life and changed all of that. I fell in love with you and decided that love like what we have is worth the risk.”
I don’t say anything else; I just look at Elliot. He is looking into my eyes. I want to ask him what he is thinking but I don’t. I stay quiet. I clasp my hands together and start to wring them, he takes a step towards me and reaches to hold my hand. “Angie, I will never, ever hurt you. Physically or emotionally, you know that don’t you?”
His eyes are filled with truth. I want to believe him. He continues, “I don’t need your money either, I have enough of my own. I’m worth billions of dollars myself. I will sign any document you want in order to secure your money. I’ll sign a prenup protecting all of your assets. I don’t want either of us to be alone. I want to be with you, Angela. I want to share the rest of my life with you”
I look at the man who I have agreed to marry. Do I trust him? I certainly want to. He has been so honest with me, promising me he doesn’t want any of my money. And why would he? He is worth so much more than I am. And for that reason, I trust him implicitly in regard to my financial situation.
For the past four years I was sure the only way to be safe was to be alone. Yet here I am with the man I love, declaring that he will never hurt me. Do I believe him?
“We better go back downstairs before your parents come after us. I’m sure they want an explanation.”
Elliot shakes his head. “I don’t care if they want a fucking explanation. You don’t need to give them anything. Angela, we are going to be married. You will be a part of this family. What is mine will be yours, as long as you still want to.” His face falls slightly; he is worried about my answer.
I know how I feel, I know what I should say, instead I step toward him and kiss him. I kiss him with all of my feelings, trying to push all of my love into this connection, I twirl my hands in his hair and tug at it gently, his moan opens his mouth and gives access to my tongue, his hands pull me close to him so our bodies are hard pressed against each other. I can feel his heartbeat and his warm breath in my mouth, I pull back just enough. “Elliot Sands. I love you. I want to be with you forever, that’s why I said yes to marrying you. I’ve always felt that I would be safer by myself, but when I am with you, I feel even safer. As though we are now safer together.”
I kiss his lips gently. “Don’t hurt me.” It’s a plea. He lifts his hands from my waist to either side of my face, he presses his forehead to mine and looks into my eyes.
“I promise I will never hurt you, Angela. I love you so much it scares me, forever can’t come quick enough.” With his final word spoken, he kisses me again. He lowers his arms and wraps one around my back, bending slightly he picks me up with his other arm under my legs, he takes a few steps and lowers me onto the bed. I lay back pulling him with me so he is on top. We kiss slowly, each brush of our lips full of meaning, full of love.
My hands drop to the hem of his sweater and slip under so I can feel his skin, it’s warm and at my touch he shivers. I run my fingers along the top of his waistband “Ah, baby. We should pick this up when everyone leaves.” His voice brings me back to the here and now. He is right, I groan in response and then we both laugh. We kiss twice more and then he sits up, holding his hand out to me. I hold up my left hand and he kisses my ring, the symbol of love that I will wear for the rest of my life. He then pulls me up to stand in front of him. “I love you, baby”
“Right back at you, Sands.” We turn around and make our way back downstairs.
~ Chapter Seventeen ~
Angela
We re-enter the living room together, hand in hand. Elliot’s family are all sitting on the couches surrounding the Christmas tree, Jack and Nikki playing with their iPads.
“Let’s get to opening presents. Shall we?” Elliot’s voice rings out across the room and they all look up at us, he doesn’t release my hand until we are in front of the tree. “Help me hand them out, baby?”
I smile at him. “Absolutely.” We start reaching around and grabbing presents. We pass them out until there are no presents remaining under the tree.
Maggie stands up and retrieves two presents and gives them both to Elliot. I’m not the least bit offended to not get a present. Instead I wander away back to the kitchen and retrieve the ring box and two house keys Elliot gave me this morning from the top drawer of the island counter and place them into my handbag.
“Angie, don’t worry about cleaning up, come over and sit with everyone. We need to see their reactions to our presents.” Elliot’s voice is so warm and welcoming; he is so true all the time. I have to stop myself from running into his arms. He sits down on the large single chair and pulls me down into his lap, encircling me in his arms and pulling me close to kiss me. We hear someone clearing their throats, so he releases me.
“Let’s get to it,” Beth speaks, already ripping into one of her small presents which we know is a piece of Tiffany and Co. jewelry. Once the paper is peeled away to reveal the light blue box that is so well known, she looks up at us with a smile, looking back down she opens the box to reveal the earrings. “Well, Angela, I know you must have chosen these.” I’m about to ask why when she continues “It’s the first time he has given me Tiffany.” I smile.
“We chose them together and we are so glad that you like them” I smile at Beth, she seems to be accepting of our relationship.
“Did you pick your engagement ring?”
Elliot beats me to the punch by replying first. “I chose it by myself, thanks, Beth. A complete surprise for Angela.”
She nods, “It’s a gorgeous ring.” I blush and look at my ring for a moment.
“It’s completely over the top, but he chose well, and I love it.”
Elliot snorts at my comment. “What do you mean ‘over the top’?” he asks.
“It’s over the top because it’s so big. I mean how many carats is this anyway. Two?”
He shakes his head. “It’s two
and a half carats, actually, and it’s perfect. Just like my future wife.” Before I can reply, he plants his lips on mine and silences me with a kiss.
When we pull apart, we see several other presents being unwrapped, a coffee machine, handbag, camera, season tickets to the baseball. I see that Elliot’s parents are looking at each other and whispering words. “So, Mom, do you like your bag?”
Maggie looks up to meet Elliot’s eyes, “Thank you, sweetheart, it’s beautiful. You didn’t need to spend so much of your money on me.”
“Actually Mom, Angela and I bought this together” we wait to see if she will say anything else. She doesn’t, just nods. I’m not going to say anything, I wasn’t expecting anyone to thank me for a present, let alone Elliot’s parents who called me a gold digger less than half an hour ago. I look at my watch and see that it’s heading towards midday.
I lean back to whisper in Elliot’s ear, “I’m going to get lunch ready and set the table.” I kiss his ear and hop up and make my way to the kitchen. I pull the ham, garden salad, pasta salad and Caesar salad from the fridge and place them on the table. I select the two largest wooden chopping boards from the pantry and place them in the center of the table ready for the turkey and roast vegetables that I’m about to pull out of the oven. Once they are safely in place, I select the condiments, salt and pepper and put them next to the turkey.
The plates and cutlery are already on the table, set and ready. I select two bottles of wine from the fridge and place them on the breakfast bar, easily spotted by those who would like a glass or two with lunch. Once I am satisfied with everything, I make my way back to Elliot’s side. “Sands family, lunch is on the table.”
Elliot stands up immediately. “Great, I’m starving.” He grabs my hand and walks me over to take our position at the table. He pulls out the chair right hand side of the head of the table and offers me a seat. Once I’m sitting, he pushes me in and takes the seat next to me.
Jack and Nikki come bouncing over next, Jack doesn’t hesitate to pull the chair out next to me and sit down. “I’m going to sit next to you, Auntie. Is that all right?”
I beam down at my soon-to-be nephew. “Of course it is, buddy.” Nikki sits next to her brother. Beth and David approach the table next, Beth sitting next to her brother and David takes the spot next to her. Maggie and Arthur are the last to approach the table and take up their spots Arthur at the end of the table and Maggie beside David.
Once we are all seated Elliot stands. “This Christmas is one Angie and I will never forget. Thank you everyone for joining us here today. So, without having to wait any longer, let’s dig in.” Speech complete, he picks up the carving knife and fork and begins to carve the turkey.
“Angela, can you help Jack and me with our plates?” Nikki asks.
“Of course, I can sweetheart. Would you like a bit of everything?” They both nod excitedly, bouncing in their seats. I select a small amount of everything and place it onto the plates in front of them.
Once finished, they both speak in unison: “Thank you.”
I smile at them both. “You’re welcome. Enjoy!”
We eat our meals in relative quiet. David and Arthur are talking about sports, Maggie is talking to Nikki about school, Elliot and Beth are talking about his proposal which I try not to eavesdrop on, Jack seems content to talk to me. He asks where I met his uncle. After I answer, he then begins to tell me about himself and how happy he is to have an iPad. Now he can watch cartoons anytime he wants.
I glance around the table and notice everyone is finished with their meals. I stand and start to clear the tabletop; Beth hops up to help me. I transfer the leftover salads and vegetables into smaller bowls and cover with cling film and place the slices of turkey and ham into containers before rinsing all the dishes and stacking the dishwasher.
Beth grabs the bowls for me from the pantry while I retrieve the pavlova and trifle from the fridge. “They look amazing. Who made them?” Beth asks.
“Your brother made the pavlova and I made the trifle,” I answer.
Beth looks surprised, “You can cook?” She quizzes me.
“I can cook basic food. I love desserts, though, so I make them quite often”
She licks her lips “We never have trifle. Mom always makes pavlova. Mom and Dad visited Australia many moons ago over Christmas one year, and they had pavlova for dessert. Mom loved it so she asked for the recipe and has made it every Christmas since. Most Americans don’t know what it is, however, you do. Have you been to Australia, Angela?”
“Not personally, no. My best friend is a chef and he has made it a few times. He likes trying international recipes all the time. I have to say, this is the one I’ve liked the best so far.”
Beth smiles back at me, nodding. “I understand, I can’t wait to dig in” she picks up the pavlova and makes her way back to the dining table. I follow her with the trifle, before I can turn to collect the bowls Beth has already returned with them handing them out. Everyone has trifle with the exception of Maggie and Arthur, who have pavlova.
With dessert eaten, everyone gets up from the table and makes their way back to the living room. Elliot helps me clean the table and I place the remaining desserts back in the fridge. After giving the cutlery and bowls a rinse, I place them into the already stacked dishwasher, throwing a tablet in and starting the cycle.
“We’re going to head off. Elliot.” Arthur’s clear voice cuts across the room.
Elliot walks over to his father. “I’ll walk you out, then.” While the family all embrace each other and say goodbye, I keep my distance knowing I’m not welcome. I fill the sink with hot soapy water, and begin to scrub the baking tray the turkey was cooked in, a welcome distraction. Being caught up in the task at hand I don’t notice Maggie standing beside me. “Angela, I’m sorry if I seemed rude earlier. You need to know it’s not personal. I just don’t want to see my son hurt.” I’m gob smacked, I don’t know what to say, so I just nod. I pull my hands out of the soapy water and wipe them on the tea towel I have placed beside the sink.
“I love your son for who he is Maggie. It wouldn’t matter to me if he made ten thousand dollars a year or ten million dollars a year. He obviously feels the same way about me which is why he asked me to marry him. I just can’t believe that you would think that someone would be with him just for how much money he has in the bank instead of how much of a wonderful person he is.” She just looks at me, no response. Good, I’ve said my piece. She can think about it.
She opens her mouth and closes it again before speaking, obviously chewing on what I have just told her. “He is happy, the happiest I have ever seen him. Don’t hurt him, Angela,” and without giving me time to respond, she turns away and returns to her family. Elliot looks up to me silently asking me what happened, I just smile then return to scrubbing the baking tray.
When Elliot returns from seeing off his parents, I can tell his demeanor has changed. They have said something else to him, something he didn’t like. No doubt about me. “Beth, can we talk for a minute?” Beth excuses herself from her children and walks over to her brother. They hold their heads close together whispering things in each other’s ears. After five or so minutes they break apart. Just as they do, Nikki tells everyone quite loudly that she is tired, and it’s decided that they will head off, too.
Having finished the washing up, I walk over to join everyone as they are saying goodbye. Beth wraps me in her arms and gives me a hug. “Let’s have lunch soon,” she says.
Not knowing when soon is, I nod. “Sounds great.” I bend down so I’m at eye level with Nikki and Jack and give them both a hug, promising them I will see them again soon. David gives me a wave and they are out the door.
I grab a garbage bag from the kitchen and wander over to the mountain of wrapping paper, I pick up piece after piece, disposing of it in the bag.
“Well that was interesting.”
I jump at Elliot’s voice, not expecting it. I turn to face him. “Your pa
rents hate me.” he closes the gap between us in three steps.
“No one could ever hate you Angie. They are just shocked.”
I shrug. “Well, they weren’t the only ones to be shocked with a proposal today.” I hold up my left hand and wiggle my fingers in front of him.
He grabs my hand and kisses each of my knuckles and then my love heart diamond. “And you said yes!” He pulls me closer and cuddles me. “You have made me so happy, baby.” I smile. He makes me happy, too.
When he releases me, it feels too soon. “Let’s tidy up so I can get you to bed.”
I raise my eyebrows, “Bed?” I ask. As he places a handful of paper in the bag, he looks at me.
“I want to hold and kiss my bride-to-be for the next few hours.” I know I’m blushing before he even says so. I quickly pick up the remaining items and place the bag of rubbish next to the French doors.
“Your room or mine?” I ask.
He grins like the cat that got the cream. “Oh baby, we aren’t going to either. We’re going to our bedroom.” He takes my hand and leads me upstairs.
~ Chapter Eighteen ~
Angela
Our bedroom, as it turns out, is the palatial master suite. We had just been here a few hours earlier, when I poured out my past for Elliot to hear. He said he didn’t care about my money and I believe him, I really do. But something is eating me on the inside. Why didn’t he ask me to elaborate? Why didn’t he ask me about my grandfather or my father?
I should be happy that he wasn’t asking about exactly how much money I was coming into. Maybe he already has an idea? There is the possibility that he has worked with my father in the past. Possibly even my grandfather just before he passed away. I’m conflicted if I should I ask or not? I’m torn.
