Contractual

by Alice Montalvo-Tribue

  Jackson asked me to marry him almost immediately after I moved in with him. I accepted his proposal with the condition that we wait until we’ve known each other for at least a year. I think a part of me was scared that he would change his mind. How could I not be, this man previously wanted no relationships or emotional entanglements. But every single day since then, he’s shown me that this is what he wants, that I’m what he wants.

  “A New Year’s Eve wedding is so romantic,” Victoria exclaims after we’ve climbed into the town car.

  “I never took you to be a romantic.” A woman who runs a high-priced escort service is hardly the picture of hearts and flowers, but Victoria has been nothing but supportive of my relationship with Jackson. Her support came as quite a shock to me, seeing as though I know that they have had a special kind of friendship. Of course, she’s also the only one who knows the true nature of my relationship with Jackson, seeing as it was her and her business that led me to him. It took a bit of reassuring from Jackson, but I’m convinced that any level of intimacy that he shared with Victoria is a part of the past, and over time, she’s turned out to be a decent friend. My only friend in this city, actually, so it’s only natural that I asked her to stand up as a witness at my wedding to Jackson.

  We pull up to City Hall, and the excitement starts to set in. I’ve heard of brides being nervous before their weddings, but for me, it’s the exact opposite. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life, never been so sure of anyone as I am of Jackson. We chose City Hall because we wanted this day to be about us and our marriage, not about a lavish wedding filled with people who we care nothing about. As I climb the steps, I think back on the last year and all the events that have led me here. It would be easy to say that I have regrets and that I wish I could take back certain decisions. But to change any of it would mean a life without Jackson, and I’d never be able to give that up.

  Jackson’s waiting for me just inside the doors, looking like only he can in a black suit and tie. He wastes no time pulling me into his arms and kissing me.

  “You look beautiful,” he says, when he finally comes up for air.

  “You, too.”

  “You ready to get married? You know I can be a handful, baby.”

  I cup his face in my hands using my thumbs to caress his cheeks. “It’s a good thing I have two hands.”

  “Let’s get married, then.” They’re the sweetest words I’ve ever heard, the promise of the dream life I never thought I’d have. No regrets, I think to myself as I commit my life to the only man who’s ever made me feel alive, who’s made all the hurts of the past into the vow of a brighter future.

  ~Three years later~

  Jackson-

  Grabbing my briefcase, I get on the elevator and head out my office in a hurry.

  “Goodnight, Mr. Stone,” I hear someone call out as I reach the door. I reply without even turning around to see whom it is.

  I hop into the backseat of the town car. “We need to pick up Sage and then we’re headed to fourteen thirty, Second Avenue.”

  “Yes, sir,” he says pulling out onto the road.

  The Justice of the Peace married Sage and me on New Year’s Eve the year after we met. I would have married her before that, but she wanted to give it time. I think a part of her was still afraid that I would change my mind about wanting to be with her. Little did she know that there was no choice for me. I didn’t choose to love her, it just happened.

  The car comes to a stop outside of Sage’s office. After coming back from Indiana and getting Sage settled into my apartment, she began working at one of my smaller downtown offices in the Human Resources department. She slides in the backseat, giving me a quick peck on the lips.

  “Hi, baby.”

  “Is that the best you could do?”

  “I’m sorry, Jackson. I’m just so excited.”

  I nod my understanding but change the topic, wanting to help her anxiousness. “Billy called today. He wanted to know if we’d take Maddie for a week next month so that he can take a job out of town.”

  “Oh, I’d love that. Did you tell him okay?”

  “I told him okay,” I confirm, pulling her closer as she snuggles into my side.

  Billy isn’t as bad as I initially thought he was. He actually turned out to be a decent guy; completely stupid to let go of Sage, but his loss was my gain. And Sage was right about him being a good father to that little girl.

  Sage and I have made a life for ourselves without the intrusion of our families. Her parents tried several times to reach out to Sage through me, but she no longer wants them to have any part in her life. As for my mother, after I cut her off, she was lucky enough to find another rich schmuck to sink her claws into. She married him and is living happily while spending his money and ignoring me as much as I ignore her.

  “We’re here,” Mac calls, breaking through my thoughts.

  Sage looks up at me through nervous eyes, and I wish I could take her anxiety away. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with.” She slides away from me and exits the car. I follow close behind and grab her hand once I’ve reached her. We walk hand in hand into the building.

  “Hi. Can I help you?” the young lady behind the desk asks.

  “I have an appointment at five thirty, Sage Stone.”

  “Have a seat, Mrs. Stone. We’ll be right with you.”

  We take our seats in the waiting room, and I try to focus on the news playing on a television monitor overhead, but I can’t. From the moment I met Sage, she turned my world upside down, and she made me question everything I ever thought to be true about the world. She made me question everything I thought that I had wanted for myself. I had a life mapped out, a plan that had no room for derailments and in she walked with her innocent eyes and her sassy mouth and blew that plan up.

  I never wanted to be like my father, so consumed by love that he let it destroy him when he lost it. Part of me hated him for it, for being so weak, but here I am with the woman that I love, and if I lost her, I’m not so sure that I would fare much better than he did. Part of my plan not to turn out like my dad was the firm belief that I would never have children of my own. I didn’t want kids because I never wanted them to feel unloved or neglected as I had been in my youth. Again, life had alternate plans for me because here I am waiting to find out if the pregnancy the doctor confirmed for us two days ago is actually viable.

  “Sage.” My head snaps away from the T.V. and toward the open doorway where a young woman in medical scrubs is standing. Sage is up before me; she walks across the room, and I follow.

  “Hi, I’m Hilary, and I’ll be doing your ultrasound today.”

  We say our hellos as she leads us into a darkened room in the back.

  “What was the first day of your last menstrual period?” She motions to Sage.

  “January seventeenth.”

  “Okay, hop up on the table. I’m going to drape this on your lower half. I’m just going to tuck it into your pants,” she says, holding up what appears to be a blanket of some sort made out of paper. Sage does as she’s told, and I pull the stool located in the far corner of the room up next to Sage and take a seat.

  “I’m going to squirt this gel on you; it shouldn’t be too cold.” She puts the gel on and quickly begins her scan. It feels like forever before she finally speaks, and I can tell Sage is on edge.

  “Is this your first child?”

  “Yes,” I answer feeling annoyed by her lack of information. “Am I to take it that you see a baby there?” Sage grabs hold of my hand and squeezes. I’m not sure if she’s trying to get me to calm down or she’s as anxious as I am for an answer.

  “Actually, I see two babies here.”

  “What?” I half yell as Sage gasps.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispers. “Twins?”

  “Yup, right here, there are two yolk sacs and two babies, one in each sac.”

  “That’s so cool
.” This comes from Sage because I’m too fucking stunned to speak. I feel like the room might just close in on me.

  “Looks like you measure about eight weeks along, and you’re due around October twenty-fourth. I’ll print out a couple of pictures for you and then you’re free to go. I’ll send these results over to your doctor in the morning.”

  Sage mutters her thanks. I’m still completely mute and wondering what the fuck just happened. It took me two years just to agree to have one baby. One, only one, that’s all I could fathom having, and now she’s telling me that there are two? What the fuck?

  ***

  “Okay, you haven’t said one word since we left the clinic, Jackson.” We walk into our apartment, and Sage undoes her coat, throwing it on the closest chair. “I know it’s a shock, babe, but are we going to talk about it?”

  I loosen my tie and undo the top few buttons on my shirt. “What is there to talk about, you tricked me.”

  “I tricked you? What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that for years you’ve been prancing Maddie around me with her cute little ways, making me think maybe I could do it, maybe I could have a child, too, maybe I could give you that.”

  “Okay…” She looks about ready to blow up at me, but I keep on anyway.

  “Then you start with the don’t you want a baby, Jackson? Wouldn’t it be great to have a child of our own, Jackson? One we wouldn’t have to give back on Sundays? You’re so good with Maddie, you’d make a great dad, Jackson? So I caved, I agreed to one. One child, Sage, not two.”

  “And how is it my fault that we’re having twins? How could I have possibly planned it out so perfectly?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You know what? I’m done with you. You’re acting like a child,” she scowls as she storms off.

  Fuck, that didn’t go well. I head into the kitchen and start prepping dinner. My wife is pregnant, so I have to make sure she eats three meals a day, right? That’s part of my responsibility. Dinner, I can do. It’s all the added crap that I’m worried about—dirty diapers, formula, crying. It’s almost fathomable with one but two? The thought alone scares me shitless. I’m lost in my own train of thoughts when my cell phone rings.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, stranger.”

  “Victoria, how are you?”

  “I’m good, I haven’t seen you and Sage in a while. I was hoping you guys would want to get together for dinner this weekend.”

  “I’m sure Sage would love that. I’ll run it by her and one of us will get back to you.”

  She’s silent for a beat before asking, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re full of shit, I know you. Is Sage okay?”

  “Sage is great. She’s pregnant.”

  “Oh, my God! Jackson, that’s amazing. She told me that you were trying a few months ago. I’m so happy for you.” Victoria and Sage, oddly enough, formed a strange little friendship after Sage quit working for her.

  “Thanks.”

  “What’s the problem? I thought this is what you wanted?”

  “We’re having twins.”

  “Holy crap,” she says on a breath. “All right, listen, before you do something you regret and hurt Sage, you have to remember that her mood effects the babies. You can’t be an asshole to her.”

  “Yeah, too late.”

  “Jackson, I know why you’re upset, but I guarantee you that you’re going to be fine. Most people would kill for the chance at a family, and you have that. It’s yours, don’t dwell on what wasn’t or what couldn’t be, just be thankful for what you have now.”

  “I’m a real jerk, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, but she knows that, and she loves you anyway. Go talk to your wife, make things right, and give me a call about dinner, okay?”

  “All right. Thank you, Victoria.”

  “You’re welcome,” she says before hanging up.

  I turn off the burner, putting dinner on hold, and I head upstairs to our bedroom. I open the door to find Sage in our bed with tears in her eyes. I’m next to her in a second, pulling her into my arms.

  “Don’t cry,” I tell her, trying to soothe her with a kiss on her forehead.

  “I’m sorry that I stormed off. I know you didn’t mean what you said.”

  “Is that why you’re crying?”

  “I’m scared, Jackson. I get how you feel because I feel it, too. My family sucked as bad as yours did. What kind of parents are we going to be when we have no role models to show us how it’s done? I really think we can handle one but two? Holy shit, it could be a recipe for disaster.”

  Thank God, she gets it. That she’s not mad at me for being an asshole yet again. The fact that she gets it, that she understands my fears and shares them with me, tells me that we’re going to be okay.

  “It’s not going to be a disaster,” I say trying to reassure her.

  “How do you know?” She looks at me, her eyes full of question, begging me to make this all right. The only way I can give her that is by being all right with it myself. This woman has given me more than I ever deemed possible. I had declared a life of solitude and freedom from emotional entanglements, and she replaced that with a life full of laughter and love, anything that comes from that is a blessing.

  “Because we know better, we know what our parents did to us, and there’s no way either one of us is going to put our children through that. We can do this together.”

  “But you’re not happy about it.”

  I tip her chin up, leveling her gaze with mine so that she can see the truth in my eyes. “I am happy. Once I got past the initial shock, I realized that any family that I have with you is worth it, Sage, and that makes me happy.”

  “You promise?”

  “I promise,” I tell her, and I mean it. The shock of the news has begun to wear off, and I’m starting to believe that this is the way it needs to be. It’s our way of making sure a cycle of neglect and abuse that began with our parents will end with us. It excited me that this is our chance to give our children everything that we were never given. The fact that I get to do that with Sage, that I get to wake up to her beautiful face every morning and experience what it’s like to have a real family with her, makes the outcome that much sweeter.

  Alice Tribue lives with her husband and two kids in New Jersey. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications and is currently working on her master’s degree. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, and when the weather permits sitting on the beach sipping a margarita.

  For more news about upcoming books, teasers, and happenings, follow her on

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  Dear Awesome Readers, It’s that time again and I’m so glad I get to share another one of my books with you. Thank you for the support, emails, messages and reviews. I’m always humbled by your enthusiasm, I hope you love Contractual as much as I do.

  Bloggers, all of you, you know who you are. I could not do this without you thank you for taking the time to respond to countless messages, review requests and for promoting my work.

  To my beta readers Stephanie Locke, Anji Albis and Jennifer Lloyd. This would not be possible without you, Your feedback is always essential and appreciated. Thank you for helping me take this book to the next level.

  Stephanie Locke, I’m so glad you made the time to read that very first book we’ve been a team ever since. All that you do to help me with my books is always appreciated but it’s your friendship that means the most to me. Now that Contractual is done it’s time for a new KA buddy read- your choice.

  C.P. Smith, for your friendship, your invaluable advice and for your help on yet another one of my projects. You are truly one of a kind
and I’m so glad you’re a part of this crazy journey. Thank you SO MUCH!

  Whitney Williams, I don’t know that I have the words to explain what your friendship means to me- no seriously words fail me!!! I love our long chats about any and everything, you embrace my evil soul and I don’t mind that you’re basically a terrible person. LOL…JUST KIDDING… Regardless I F.L.Y and I hope this year is just as epic for us both.

  Mary Wasowski, Your sparkly nature is infectious. I’ve gotten to know you even better in the last year and I love you for your constant friendship, support and for the bottles of sweet red wine.

  Wendy Ferraro, you are one of the kindest people I know. I’m so thankful for your friendship you mean the world to me. I miss your face and I can’t wait to see you in a few months.

  Turn the page for a sneak peek of

  Among the Echoes (Wrecked and Ruined)

  By: Aly Martinez

  Excerpt from Among the Echoes

  (Wrecked and Ruined)

  By Aly Martinez

  *Slate*

  "Shit," I hear as I turn the corner. A petite woman with mousy-brown hair pulled back into a ponytail is juggling grocery bags while trying to open her front door. Her bags slip from her hands and a carton of eggs opens, spilling all over the ground. "Shit!" she screams.

  I drag a baseball cap from my bag, pulling it low over my eyes, and move toward her.

  "You need some help?" I ask gently.

  "Shit!" she screams again and jumps away, flattening her back against the door.

  "Jesus. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It just looked like you might need some help."

  "I'm okay. I'm okay." She breathes deeply, and if I'm not mistaken, talking to herself.

  I reach down, pick up the mess of broken eggs, and shove it back into the plastic grocery sack. I tie it in a knot, readying it for the trash.