“We’re at Mike’s place, I think. If I can remember right. Tristan said he’d stay at the house with us.”
I tried to think back to who Mike could be. “Oh! You mean Tristan’s friend? The belligerent drunk? The douche bag who propositioned me over the phone?”
“Yep, that would be him. He’s Tristan’s best mate as they say here. I think you two would get along really well if you’d give him a chance…or just blow the freakin’ country up. Either way, should be fun,” she chuckled.
“Well, if he’s half as cute or as rich as Tristan, then I think he and I will get along just fine.”
“Well I wish I was half as rich but nah, everyone knows I’m definitely better looking than that ugly prat,” a deep voice rang out.
“Hey now! That’s my man you’re talking about Mike!” Ginny said.
I turned to face the newcomer getting into the limo. I looked him up and down, enjoying the way his cheeks flushed when he became aware of the scrutiny. As he sat down and the limo started moving again, I tried to think of something to say. Seemingly aware of my problem, he beat me to the punch.
“So, Ginny, you’re looking lovely today, and…you never told me your friend was blonde. You know that’s my favorite color,” he joked, raising his eyebrows a few times. “Kari, isn’t it?” he said, holding out his hand. “I believe we spoke on the phone a while back, when I was drunk and you were mad? I’m Mike,” he cracked a huge boyish grin at me and I swear his eyes sparkled. I shook hands and smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood and it worked.
“Yeah, that was me,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry if I yelled, pleased to meet you,” and soon, we were exchanging questions back and forth. Mike seemed like a pretty decent guy and the fact that Ginny was so completely comfortable around him scored major points in his favor. She’d always been self-conscious around people she didn’t know very well, but she didn’t stutter or flush once and that made me like him even more. When the limo began to slow again, I brought my gaze back to the window.
“Are we there yet?”
“We will be once we get through here,” Ginny replied. She didn’t bat an eye as we went through a huge stone entrance and slowly rolled up to the front of one of the biggest damn houses I’d ever seen. Of course, living in L.A., I knew there were mansions, but I’d never seen one like this.
“Wow, this is just like a castle. Do they have a moat? I am so going to need a list of Britain’s most eligible bachelors.”
Ginny snorted, but I was serious. Going back home in two weeks was going to be a total let down after this. The limo stopped in front of the huge behemoth and the driver opened the door for us before moving around to the trunk. As I stepped out of the car, I could see that my first glance didn’t do the mansion justice. It was totally intimidating and utterly gorgeous.
The huge front door opened and Tristan jumped down the wide stone steps, followed by some of the uniformed household staff. “Ginny, Ginny! I’m so glad you’re here, baby. I’ve missed you so much.” She beamed at him and ran towards him with her arms opened wide.
“Tristan!”
He never took his eyes off her for a second and then they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed like the long lost lovers they were. Without a word between us, we both swiveled on our heels at the same time and pretended to admire the views over the lush English countryside, slightly uncomfortable at watching them devour each other.
I figured we’d given them long enough to say their hello’s and turned around, clearing my throat. They broke apart for a second and looked at me and Mike standing there like dorks. Tristan laughed, “Sorry. Hi Kari, Mike.” He nodded and looked at Ginny, adding, “I hope you guys understand.”
“Yeah, mate, we understand we’re invisible when your girl is here. No problem, just remember that when you ask me to pick up lunch again!” Mike replied.
I turned around to see the staff unloading our luggage from the trunk. “Oh my God, are those real butlers?” I exclaimed. I couldn’t help how loud I was; this was incredible! “Seriously? Real-life butlers exist? I am so in the twilight zone right now.”
“You do realize they can hear you, Kari?” Mike whispered at me as they carried our luggage inside the house.
I nodded, trying to curb my enthusiasm. “And? This is fuckin’ awesome!”
Tristan came over and gave me a hug, then as he and Mike slapped each other on the back, Ginny said “Ssh! Watch your mouth. We don’t want them to think we’re like the Americans on TV, have some class, girl.”
I scowled at her, then we all walked up the steps and into the hall where Tristan’s mother was waiting to greet us. She looked way too spritely to have a twenty-seven year old son and I made a mental note to ask her for her facial routine before I left.
“Ginny dear, it is so good to see you again,” the woman gushed before pulling Ginny into a hug, then Ginny introduced me to her and I didn’t know if I should bow or curtsy, but settled for a handshake. I wasn’t used to all this high society etiquette but she had kind eyes and I could see why Ginny would get along with her so well. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Armstrong. What a beautiful home.”
“Thank you, dear.” She replied with the most beautiful English accent. I thought she’d sound like the Queen. She sure as hell looked like one.
Mike grinned and wrapped his arms around her like it was his own mother, “Great to see you again Mummy Armstrong, you’re looking beautiful as always!”
“Oh, go on with you, Mike. You’re still charming the birds out of the trees I see, you cheeky monkey!” she laughed. She clearly had a lot of affection for Tristan’s best friend and from their rapport; I figured he loved her just as much. I nodded to myself, thinking what a great family this was. No wonder Tristan was such a catch. Meanwhile, my eyes fell on two women in what appeared to be—
“Maids!” I grabbed Ginny’s arm and tugged, “Gin! There are actual maids here, too!” I shouted out, unable to help myself. Beside me, I could hear Mike chuckling, but Tristan’s mom just got a peculiar look on her face and I prudently decided to try harder to curb my enthusiastic outbursts. I guess rich people only showed enthusiasm during certain times, this not being one of them. I glanced over and it looked like neither Tristan nor Ginny had even heard a word I’d said, and I was grateful for that.
“I’m pleased to see you girls arrived safely. Let’s all head into the dining room for dinner. James and Alice will take your bags to you rooms.” With one last look in my direction, Tristan’s mother led us from the hall into the dining room. My eyes widened and although I wanted to say something, I successfully kept my comments to myself. I could be cool, calm and sophisticated when I needed to be.
Dinner was a lively affair with plenty of conversation about our trip and I found myself seated next to Mike as we watched the young couple coo at each other over braised lamb. “I swear those two are so sickeningly sweet it makes my teeth ache,” Mike whispered in my ear. I snickered behind my hand.
“This is nothing. When Gin and Tristan had an argument, she moped around the house for days; no teeth brushing, no showering….ugh. It was so pathetic and quite disgusting.”
“I think I remember that,” he responded. “I think that was when I got my injury and Tristan sulked for days. Ponce.”
“Michael!”
“Sorry, mum.” Mike bent his head, the smirk still visible on his face.
The rest of dinner was pleasant with good food, good wine and excellent company. I couldn’t tell if Tristan’s mom was beginning to warm up to me, but I hoped so. I wanted everything to go as smoothly for Ginny as possible. Suddenly, the feeling in my stomach prompted me to catch Ginny’s attention and I leaned in close to her.
“Where’s the restroom?” I whispered to Ginny.
“Out of the dining room by that door, down the hall, third door on your left,” she replied, before turning back to her conversation with Tristan. I excused myself and followed her directions. My stomach felt like it wanted t
o explode and I made it not a moment too soon, because everything that I’d eaten over the last two days decided to make a reappearance.
I sat there for what seemed like an hour before I was finally able to move. When I pushed the handle down to flush, the toilet stalled and filled up rather than going down.
“Oh, fuck me.” I stuck my head out the door to flag down an unsuspecting butler or maid to help me with the situation. “Help?” I called out in a loud whisper. “Hello?” Who knew having other people at your beck and call could be such a lifesaver? I heard someone lock the door after I’d left and I hoped whoever it was wouldn’t mention it to Mrs. Armstrong, not after the look I got when I excused myself from the table.
Chapter 6 — Tristan
Three days.
In three days, I could officially, and for the second time, call Ginny my wife and it was about bloody time. This whole secrecy bit was doing my head in, when all I could think about was shouting from the rooftops how much I loved her.
Over the past week, I’d been inundated with work, endless preparations for the wedding and keeping my hormones at bay.
Thankfully, Mum, Gin and Kari handled most of the wedding arrangements with only occasional input needed from me. It seemed like a lot of work for only a few hours but then again, I’d figured that’s what most blokes would think. All I cared about was finally putting that diamond on Ginny’s finger; the ring that would show the world that she was mine.
I could tell mum was happy that Ginny leaned so heavily on her advice. It seemed that the preparations were helping to keep her mind and spirit upbeat rather than thinking of my father and for that, I was grateful. She even seemed to be getting along with Kari, though I could tell it was probably forced. I think she found Kari to be a bit blunt and maybe a bit abrasive, all qualities I liked as long as they weren’t directed at me. In a lot of ways, she was like Mike, but with breasts and lady bits.
Surprisingly, Mike and Kari hadn’t blown up the world or anything else for that matter…yet. They seemed a bit wary of one another; kind of like how magnets repel each other. Ginny and I had a bet going about whether or not they would end up together. I wasn’t so sure. It would be an interesting story to tell, though.
“Tristan, sweetheart, where are you?” Mum’s voice rang out. I put down the files I’d been going over to answer her.
“I’m in the front study, Mum.”
I smiled as she fluttered into the room, though I wanted to frown when I realized she had that damn clipboard in her hand, the one she and Ginny had been using to plan the wedding. My smile must have slipped because she laughed as soon as she saw me.
“Oh, darling, don’t fret. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the music after the ceremony and go over the prenup again. Did you ask Ginny to sign it yet?”
“Mum…” I sighed. “Not again. We’ve already talked about this over and over. There is absolutely no reason for me to get a prenup. Ginny is it for me. There is no other woman I’d ever want, and I know she feels exactly the same way.”
She sat in the chair adjacent to mine and leaned over to touch my arm. Normally her calming touch would bring me warmth, but now it was different, colder. I hated being cross with her, but I couldn’t tell her the reason why a prenup would be pointless. And if I’d brought it up to Ginny again, I’d probably be getting divorced or sleeping in the guest room for the next two months and I didn’t fancy either of those scenarios. Maybe getting married in secret wasn’t such a good idea, but it’d already happened and there was nothing I could do about it now.
“I know how you feel darling, believe me I do. However, as I said before, this isn’t only about you. It’s about the company that your father and I built from the ground up. He put his life into making sure it stayed around for you and your children and you must do everything you can to protect it.”
“Mum, I am protecting it. If you’re so worried about the company, look at the board members, that’s what the company needs protecting from. Not Ginny. She’s not that type of girl. Even if we divorced, she’d never come after the company. She’s not vengeful like that,” I sighed. I was so tired of having this conversation time and time again because it seemed like no matter what I’d said, Mum just didn’t get it. “I know you and father had a marriage of convenience, but that doesn’t mean—“
“Tristan Armstrong! You have no idea what your father and I had,” she interrupted. Her voice was harder than I’d ever heard directed towards me before. I was a little shocked by its intensity.
“But Mum—“
She held up her hand to silence me. “No buts.” Her eyes closed and she took a few deep breaths, as if to calm herself. I dutifully stayed quiet until she felt like she was ready to speak again. When her eyes opened, they were clear with a fierce determination.
“Yes, I’ll admit that your father and I initially got married more for duty, rather than love. There were many tough years, especially in the beginning, when I could barely stand to let him touch me; when I would scream inside and hate myself for allowing my family to pressure me into marrying someone I could barely tolerate.”
“But Mum—” I attempted to speak up, but the clenching of her jaw shut me up quick.
She shook her head and turned to look into the bright flames in the fireplace. “Those first few years showed me what type of person I was and the type of person your father was, as well. Things weren’t always this good. It was true our parents had money, but nothing like what we have now. Your father worked hard to make sure I never had to. He sacrificed his time and energy to give me a home and a lifestyle that could make me happy, even if he couldn’t.”
I sat quietly thinking back over all of the times growing up when I thought my father made my mum stay home. Perhaps my view of things had been clouded by my own personal issues with him.
“I still remember the day I told him we were pregnant with you, our little baby boy. If only you could have seen how his face lit up with joy. I think it was in that moment that I truly fell in love with your father,” she finished with a soft sigh. “I know you two didn’t always have the easiest relationship, but I always knew he loved you, and in turn my love for him grew.”
I couldn’t speak. There were no words that came to my mind that could express even a tenth of how I felt. I was torn between heeding my mother’s advice and following what I felt in my gut and in my heart.
“And now without your father here, I worry that running the company will be so much more difficult for you than it was for him.” Her words made me pause. I felt a little irritated that she was comparing me negatively to my father, even in death.
“Mum, I hardly think—“
“Oh I know, dear. It isn’t fair to compare you to your father, and I don’t mean to say that you aren’t fully competent, because you are. I’m just saying you’re marrying for love and I know whatever you decide to do, Ginny will support you. But don’t lose sight of what’s really important in life.” I looked up again and was alarmed to see tears flowing steadily down my mum’s cheeks. I quickly tossed my papers to the side table before kneeling in front of her. I held her hands and noticing how small they were, squeezed them gently between my own.
“Mum, please don’t cry,” I whispered. I took one hand away to swipe her damp cheek with my thumb.
She smiled and squeezed my hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “Whatever you do, wherever you go, don’t forget that marriage is a partnership. You don’t want to be old and at the end of your life before you realize how lucky you are to have someone with such a pure heart by your side.”
Mum slid one hand from mine and rested it against my cheek like she used to do when I was a young lad. It made me feel young again and yet safe in the arms of the one person I’d known would always love me.
“I’ll talk to Gin. She and I will work something out. Okay? So please, Mum, don’t worry.”
As she wiped away her tears, I tried to think of a way I could bring up the conversation o
f a prenup, without angering my wife. I still remembered how our last talk had ended up and I wasn’t eager to repeat that any time soon. Perhaps a little sucking up with some gifts would get Ginny in the mood to talk about it. Otherwise, I didn’t know what else I could do.
Chapter 7 — Kari
“I love London!” I shouted as I finished a second bottle of beer. The past week or so had been filled with total awesomeness. We did a lot of wedding stuff, sure, but when we weren’t, Ginny and I set out to explore the city in our own special way called, ‘Let’s get lost and try to find our way home.’ It meant taking random buses, the subway and hoping when we popped back above ground, we were still in the same country. Tristan insisted someone drive us, but once we got to the city, we sent the chauffeur on his way and told him to pick us up later.
“That is totally adorable,” Ginny said, pointing to a dress in a storefront window. It had a cinched in waist with a rubber ducky yellow background and black polka-dots of varying sizes. Paired with some black stilettos, it would be a sexy ensemble.
“Let’s go look at it a little closer,” I laughed, before pulling a resistant Ginny inside. The entire store was filled with nothing but vintage shoes, clothes, hats and jewelry. I couldn’t help my ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of delight as I browsed through the various racks of clothing.
“Kari, I’m not so sure about this,” Ginny grumbled from the dressing room. “I think I just stepped out of pleasantly plump and straight into brick house status.”
“Oh, come on out! I’m sure you look great and you’re just jinxing yourself again,” I answered. “You’re always so worried about your weight, but clearly those life affirming jiggly bits of yours bring all the boys to—”
“If you finish that sentence, I swear I’ll get Tristan to deport you,” she interrupted stepping out from behind the curtain. The annoyed look on her face made me giggle. It was always so much fun to rile her up. I could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh, but soon gave in to the ridiculousness of who we are together.
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