Getting the Goods

by Elizabeth Perry

  He stands in the exit, watching me, but luckily, not saying a word.

  As I make my way towards him, he grabs my bag out of my hand and places his other hand on the small of my back, leading me down the steps.

  It’s sunny out and just warm enough for me to be comfortable in my black sundress and denim jacket.

  But as we make our way across the pavement of the private airstrip, towards a black Lincoln Town car with a man dressed in a full tuxedo holding open the door for us, I suddenly feel very much out of place.

  Why in the hell did I ever agree to this?

  I have no idea what kind of fresh hell awaits me in the form of Conner’s family, or what this week will bring.

  I’m normally totally comfortable in my skin. I’m proud of where I come from, and I’m proud of who I am.

  But, I realize now, more than ever, that I am going to stick out like a sore thumb for the next seven days.

  I am totally out of my element here, on so many levels.

  All that I can hope is that I manage to make it through this week and come out pregnant on the other side.

  I cannot lose my focus on why I am doing this. If suffering this week will give me the child that I am so desperately craving, then it will all be worth it.

  I can make it through one week.

  No problem at all.

  Right?

  12

  Conner

  “Don’t be nervous.” I place my hand firmly against Gabriella’s lower back, trying to ignore the fact that my hand fits perfectly there as I usher her forward, towards the steps that lead into the house.

  “I’m not nervous.” She scoffs, but I can instantly tell that she’s full of shit.

  Hell, I’m nervous to be here, and it’s my own family.

  By family, I simply mean four people with whom I share DNA. Because that’s about the only way that we relate at all.

  I grew up with two parents who didn’t love each other and a mother who didn’t really even love herself, let alone her children.

  Our home was cold, and sterile, and there were never any hugs or kisses. No late night snuggles in Mom and Dad’s bedroom if we had a bad dream. No real affection whatsoever.

  They fed us, clothed us, and paraded us around to their friends and family, making us appear to be the perfect family on the outside.

  Too bad we were so damn far from perfect that it’s almost comical.

  It wasn’t until Carter and I were sent away to boarding school when we turned thirteen that I even realized that the way we were raised wasn’t normal.

  I remember, after a few months of being away at school, family day came around, and I watched in awe as my classmates’ parents showed up.

  One of my friends, Benjamin’s, mother literally ran towards him as if her life depended on it. She had wrapped him in her arms, and he spun her around as she wept and held his face in between her hands.

  I’d never seen anything like it before.

  I’ll admit, at first, I stared at them as if they were from another planet. I mean, what in the actual fuck was wrong with them?

  My mother never hugged me, and I’d never seen her run, let alone run towards me and hold my face as she sobbed.

  She only ever stared down her nose at us if we spoke without being spoken too, something that I learned not to do at a fairly young age.

  But as I looked around, I saw more than just Benjamin and his family hugging and kissing.

  It was in fact the majority of the kids that were now my classmates, surrounded by loving parents.

  Carter and I didn’t have anyone show up for family day that afternoon.

  It was in that moment that I realized just how fucked up our family was.

  My parents never once visited us while we were in school. We came home on breaks, and were treated with the same amount of indifference as we would have been had we lived in that home the entire year.

  Of course, my sister Alexandria and my oldest brother Callon were happy to see us, but they were the only people.

  Even the servants couldn’t have cared less about us returning home.

  I’m not sure if it was at that point that my heart grew cold, but somewhere along the line, it did.

  So, having to take any time out of my schedule to return to this place does not make me happy.

  Somehow though, having Gabriella here with me this time, makes it suck a lot less.

  I may annoy her, and piss her off frequently, but at least I get some emotion out of her.

  “Ok, maybe I’m a little bit nervous.” She pauses mid step and looks back at me.

  “What if they all hate me?”

  “They all hate themselves already, so don’t even worry about it.”

  “That’s a pretty mean thing to say about your family! You should be nicer to them!”

  I snort, before, once again, moving her along with my hand.

  “It’s going to be fine, Gabs. Just be yourself, and you will be just fine.”

  “Well, that’s true. I am pretty freaking great.”

  “Also, really humble.”

  The front door swings open, and the butler whom I don’t recognize greets us with a nod.

  “Mr. Andrews, you have been expected.”

  I drop my hand from Gabriella’s back and intertwine my fingers with hers.

  She shoots me a questioning look, before reading my eyes, and nodding.

  It’s showtime.

  I hold her hand tightly, nodding myself at the butler and stepping through the front door.

  Gabriella sucks in air next to me, as she glances around with wide eyes.

  “Oh, my gosh, Conner. This is so beautiful.”

  I glance at her, and smile.

  “It is beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking.”

  I in no way am talking about the foyer, but rather, at how beautiful she looks, right now, in this moment.

  She doesn’t notice my stare, however, because she’s too busy scanning the room.

  In the center, a large round table sits, with a huge vase of flowers in the center of it.

  Gabriella moves towards it and inhales deeply and then turns her attention to me and smiles.

  “Madame is awaiting you in the parlor.” Butler what’s his name interrupts, and motions down the hallway.

  “Yes, of course.” I nod at him, and then tug on Gabriella’s hand.

  “Are you ready?”

  She exhales slowly before smiling shyly up at me.

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  I squeeze her hand and begin to lead her down the hallway. Her heels click on the floor, echoing against the walls. The emptiness of the sound doesn’t pass me. In fact, it’s the exact sound of my childhood. But instead of dwelling on it, I focus on the fact that Gabriella is breathing life into this empty ass house, and having her here will make this week tolerable.

  She’s so full of life that she takes my breath away at times. With her quick wit and easy laugh, I can’t even seem to wrap my head around why someone like her is in the predicament that she is in, needing to swindle some sperm off of a guy like me. Either way, I’m going to count it as a blessing right now, because her desperate need has been my benefit.

  My mother is sitting in the parlor, looking as prim and proper as ever. Her brown hair is pulled into a tight knot on the nape of her neck, with not a single strand out of place. Her make-up is applied to perfection, and she sits, still as a statue, in the ivory wingback chair, with her legs together and her feet at the most proper angle.

  Her face does not even crack as her eyes travel up and meet mine.

  “Conner. We expected you thirty minutes ago.”

  Not even a hello. Nothing. I feel Gabriella freeze next to me as my mother’s eyes move from me to her. She scans Gabriella, from head to toe, and wrinkles her nose ever so slightly as she shifts her attention back to me.

  “We had a bit of a late start leaving Chicago. The weather was bad this morning.”

 
; “The weather was poor,” she corrects, scoffing at me. “I assume it was poor. That entire town is so dreadful. I will never understand why you and your brother decided to purchase a company there.”

  She rises to her feet and claps her hands. A different butler arrives in the entry way, and Mother continues to stare at me as she addresses him.

  “We will have lunch now. Please inform Mr. Andrews and the children to be in the dining room in five minutes, sharp.”

  Gabriella and I are seated in the dining room as my family trickles in. Callon, my oldest brother smiles wide as he walks through the door, and grabs me, hugging me tightly.

  “Conner. It’s so good to see you, brother.”

  “You too.” He pats my back hard, and then releases me.

  “I’m so glad that you could make it. When is Carter coming?”

  “Carter unfortunately can’t make it until the day of the party.” I shrug. “He had some business to attend to in Chicago.”

  He made sure not to mention that to me until my plane landed today. Asshole.

  “Well, I’m just glad that the two of you were able to make time to get back home.”

  I fight to keep my snort inside.

  “Is Melissa here?”

  Is it my imagination, or does Callon look very uncomfortable with my question?

  “No,” he finally answers, nodding towards the door, “The kids are, though. They should be in any second.”

  As if on cue, his three children barrel through the doorway, coming in from the outside. I grimace, as I look them over, and Callon does the same.

  “Children.” His voice is stern. “You must go and clean yourselves up, at once. Grandmother will not be pleased with your appearance.”

  Gabriella blinks at me and shifts uncomfortably next to me.

  “Are you ok?” I lean towards her, and she just nods.

  “Callon, this is my girlfriend, Gabriella. Gabriella, this is my oldest brother, Callon.”

  Gabriella still looks uncomfortable as she stands, before finally, holding out her hand. Callon takes it and shakes it once, nodding at her.

  “Gabriella, you are certainly a beauty. How long have you been dating my brother?”

  Well, fuck. I suppose that we should have gone over questions like this.

  “A month.” I blurt out, as Callon raises his eyebrows.

  “Wow. Ok. You must be very special if my brother is bringing you home to meet his family after just one month.”

  Callon’s eyes flick towards me questioningly, as Gabriella sinks back down into her chair. I just flash him my best smile.

  “She is very special. I suppose when you know, you just know.”

  “I suppose,” Callon answers and takes his seat.

  The children come barreling back into the room, looking slightly more together as the quickly take their seats.

  I start to say hello to them, when my mother makes her entrance. The entire room falls silent.

  I stare across the table at my niece and nephews, in awe of how quickly they transformed from chattering, bubbly kids, to that of statues. Gabriella seems to notice it also. My mother takes her seat, and then her eyes flick around the table. They finally land on Gabriella.

  “Gabriella,” she starts, with clipped words. “I will give you the benefit of the doubt today, but for future reference, denim, most especially a denim jacket, is not allowed around my table.”

  Gabriella flushes fiercely, looking down at her hands briefly before nodding at my mother.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess that I didn’t realize there was a dress code.”

  I bite my bottom lip to keep from smirking, as the two women lock eyes. My mother has no idea what she’s up against with Gabriella Martin. She may have officially met her match.

  I have no intention of allowing my mother to mistreat her, and I will absolutely step in if it gets to that point. But, I’m pretty certain that Gabriella can handle herself, here.

  In a rare turn, my mother drops her eyes first, and then begins motioning to the butler to serve our lunch.

  Callon smirks slightly, turning his attention towards his plate. Lunch is served, and the table is silent as we eat. Gabriella’s eyes flick around the table for a moment, and then finally, land on my niece. She smiles warmly at her.

  “I love your hairbow. It looks very pretty with your dress.”

  “Thank you.” My niece beams. “This is my favorite twirly dress. My mom said that it makes me look like a princess, so…”

  “Catherine.” My mother’s voice is sharp. “The proper way to address you mother is to call her just that. Mother. Also, do you remember grandmothers’ rule?”

  Catherine’s face falls, as she simply nods.

  “Yes, Grandmother.”

  “Then I assume that you will follow it at all times, regardless of who tries to break it.” Her eyes flick furiously at Gabriella.

  “Mother, she doesn’t know the ridiculous rules of this household.” I glare at her, and she glares right back.

  “In this house, at this table, children are to be seen, and not heard. Do you understand that?”

  I snort and shake my head.

  “That is a ridiculous rule, and anyone who enforces that has serious mental issues. If my girlfriend wants to speak to my niece while eating lunch, she will, and you will not say a damn thing about it. Otherwise, we will get up and walk out of this house, right now.”

  My mother sucks in air, and I fight like hell to keep my smile from spreading across my face.

  Take that, evil woman.

  I glance at Gabriella out of the corner of my eye, finding her sitting there silently, with a murderous look flashing across her beautiful features.

  I think that it’s safe to say that she is not my mother’s biggest fan.

  That makes two of us.

  “Your mother is the devil.” Gabriella waves her hands wildly as she stomps across the lawn.

  “I mean, she is absolutely fucking awful. How can you just sit there and let her talk to you like that? Are you fucking kidding me? She is the human form of Satan.”

  “I know,” I agree, making her stop in her tracks and spin around to face me.

  “You know? What do you mean, you know? Why in the hell wouldn’t you warn me?”

  I throw my hands up.

  “I don’t know. I guess I should have. But, let’s be honest. If I would have told you what a horrible person she is, you would have never agreed to come here.”

  She weighs my words, before finally shrugging.

  “Alright. That’s probably true.”

  “It’s absolutely true. Trust me, I don’t like being around her, either. That’s why I never come home. If my little sister hadn’t begged me to, I would still be back in Chicago.”

  “Well, I wish that we were in Chicago, because I would like nothing more than to run to my parents’ house and hug them for not being assholes!”

  “Look, it’s one week, ok? And on the bright side, we get to stay in the guest house, far away from Mother and her charm.”

  “Mother.” She snorts. “I understand that I’m not as high class as you guys, but just that word is so ridiculous. I only call my mom Mother when I’m mad at her.”

  “She expects proper grammar at all times.”

  “Well, I’m about to proper her this.” She wags her middle finger in my face ant then turns on one heel and continuing across the grass towards the guest house.

  I can only laugh as I follow right along behind her.

  13

  Gabriella

  “So, how is it?”

  Maria’s voice calms me down as I lay across my bed in the guest house.

  “Fucking awful. His mother is the spawn of Satan, I swear. She’s just brutal. I honestly think that if she smiled, her face would crack.”

  “Really? Huh. That sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does. Conner has a little niece and two nephews, who I tried to talk to at lunch. And you know what? That crazy old
coot told me that I was breaking her rules, that children are supposed to be seen and not heard.”

  Maria snorts, and even though she is thousands of miles away, I swear, I know exactly what her face looks like right now.

  She’s definitely losing her shit over this one.

  “Stop. She did not say that. That is so fucking weird!”

  “I know! All that I could think about were my niece and nephew. They never stop talking, nor would they ever be told to! I just can’t imagine it, like, I can’t even wrap my head around it. The worst part was, those kids are so fucking broken in that they did exactly what she said. They all instantly stopped talking, and sat there, looking like little dolls. I can’t even.”

  “I can’t either. That’s just weird, right? It’s also weird how Conner is really normal.”

  “I wouldn’t use the word normal. But yeah, he’s not a rotten dick like her.”

  “What’s the rest of his family like?”

  I shrug, even though I know that she can’t see me.

  “Ah, I met his brother. The one besides his twin, and he seemed alright. His little sister will be here tonight, so I will see about her then. Also, I haven’t met his dad yet. Or should I say, father.”

  “Well, what’s the house like? Is it huge?”

  “It’s bigger than huge. It’s like a fortress. The grounds are beautiful. It’s actually right on the water, so the views are stunning. The house itself is very pretty, but it’s just so sterile, that it makes me uncomfortable. It’s like, a museum or something. A place where you can walk around, but you don’t feel comfortable touching anything. It’s definitely not a home.”

  “Well, if it’s big, at least you won’t have to run into her very much.”

  “No kidding. But, we’re staying in the guest house. Yeah, you heard me right. There is also a guest house, which literally about four of my houses put together. It’s enormous, luckily, so I have some space from Conner as well.”

  “You don’t need space from him. In fact, you need to be all up in his space. If you know what I mean.”

  Our flight flashes back in my mind, and my body instantly heats at the memory of Conner’s hands on my thighs. The way that it felt as he gripped me and trailed those big hands of his up my legs, before dipping his finger…there.