Arranged Marriage, Wanted Wife

by Mary Goldberger

  Getting over her surprise, Pricilla laughed shaking her head. “How could they have something special when Waren has always loved me?”

  Her voice was taunting and Delilah’s jaw clenched as she stepped forward but Craig put an arm around her shoulders holding her back.

  “Pricilla, do remember whose house you are standing in,” Craig reminded her with a hard note in his tone.

  Pricilla allowed her eyes to go down in an act to gain his sympathy but her eyes still flickered with laughter.

  “I’m sorry, Delilah,” she stated lifting her eyes to meet Delilah’s angry ones. “I will go up and get refreshed, and come down to help you.”

  Pricilla nodded her head before she headed up the stairs taking her time unlike Jassi and yet she would’ve been upset if she knew that Waren walked into the living room followed by Craig and Delilah.

  Once in there, Delilah walked over and slammed a hand against Waren’s chest. “You took that damn woman with you today,” she accused.

  “She turned me down at first,” Waren reminded her grimacing at the contact of her hand.

  Delilah snorted turning away while Craig stated, “You knew that she wouldn’t let you go alone with Jassi, Waren.”

  Wincing, Waren walked over to the window before admitting, “I thought she would rather stay here to make sure that I took notice of her when we returned.”

  “For such an experienced man, you really don’t much about women,” Delilah snapped at him bouncing down onto the couch. “And now, I doubt Jassi will go anywhere with you.”

  “Oh, she will,” Waren stated with confidence. “Especially tomorrow night since I have something special planned.”

  He turned giving Delilah and Craig shrewd looks. “Are you still going to help me?”

  His tone was brash but there was a pleading note that Delilah and Craig never heard in his tone before, and Delilah stared at him.

  “You really do care for her, don’t you,” she finally asked watching Waren’s eyes flare.

  “Someday I may tell you the whole story, but for right now, yes,” Waren revealed watching Delilah’s eyes widen before she nodded her head not seeing her husband’s eyes flicker with knowledge adding his own agreement when Waren glanced at him.

  A few minutes later, Jassi walked into the room in a pair of leggings with a long styled blouse that went to her thighs with a pair of flat black shoes on her feet.

  Waren’s eyes went over her liking what he was seeing although one of these days he wanted to see her dressed like she did the day of their wedding.

  “You’re fast,” Delilah remarked teasingly getting up from the couch.

  Jassi laughed with a slight lift of her shoulders. “So what can I do before everyone else starts to arrive?”

  Delilah sighed remarking in general, “I love your wife, Waren” walking over to Jassi and ushered her out of the room before Waren could comment.

  Craig walked over and slapped Waren on the shoulder getting his attention suggesting, “Let’s go fishing” shifting his eyes upwards and Waren immediately caught on.

  “I’m game,” Waren immediately agreed relief threaded through his voice.

  Craig shook his head laughing before nudging Waren forward. “We’ll tell our wives before leaving.”

  They walked out of the room talking amongst themselves stopping off at the kitchen to let Jassi and Delilah know that they were going fishing.

  Jassi nodded her head with laughter in her eyes and Waren walked over crowding her against the counter.

  “What’s so funny,” he asked her looking down in her eyes.

  “You doing something like fishing is mind blowing,” Jassi teased leaning back against the counter.

  “I had to drag him at first,” Craig revealed getting a sharp laughing look from Waren. “Afterwards, he came up and asked to go fishing saying that it helped to clear his mind.”

  Jassi nodded her head telling them to Waren’s surprise. “I can understand that. My daddy used to say that while fishing, he could think properly without added distractions like my mother nagging or me crying. He took me a couple of times when I was younger, but it was hard for me to sit still and so he laughed telling me that when I got older, we would try again.”

  Her voice dropped away at that point.

  Waren’s voice was soft when he asked, “He never took you again?”

  “He didn’t get the chance,” Jassi looked down at her hands that she had clasped together. “He and my mother died a few years later in a car accident, and I came to leave with my grandmother since my mother’s parents were already gone.”

  Waren sighed settling his hands on the curve of Jassi’s waist leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he uttered in a low voice.

  Jassi lifted her head giving him a smile although tears shined in her eyes but she blinked them away and unclasping her hands put them on Waren’s chest lightly pushing him back.

  “Go fishing and I hope that you enjoy yourself,” Jassi told him, and on impulse, lifted up to lightly brush a kiss across his cheek.

  She stepped back embarrassed at her action and immediately turned back to what she was doing before Waren could react.

  Waren’s eyes told their own story turning to face Craig and Delilah, and Delilah nodded her head with satisfaction before pushing the men out of the kitchen to their astonishment while Jassi laughed.

  “I love that laugh,” Waren remarked when they were driving away from the house. “I haven’t heard it often enough since that night.”

  Craig shot him a quick look before focusing on the road. “If you are lucky, maybe you can hear it for the rest of your life.”

  Chapter 8

  By the time the men returned almost five hours later, Jassi and Delilah had everything organized with the backyard looking amazing.

  Craig walked over to his wife wrapping his arms around her while she frowned slapping at his hands.

  “You smell like fish,” she scowled looking over her shoulder at him.

  Craig leaned down whispering suggestively in her ear. “Do you want to go upstairs since I know how much you love fish?”

  Jassi turned her head away although she giggled watching the fast blush that coated the other woman’s face at her husband’s words.

  Waren immediately snarled Jassi hooking his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek.

  “Did you miss me,” he asked jokingly watching Jassi scrunch her nose up at him.

  “No, why would I,” she shot back mockingly and Waren hung his head as if distressed by her words.

  “But I missed you,” he said in a pitiful voice, and Jassi unable to hold back, began to laugh falling against him just as Pricilla walked out of the house.

  “You’re crazy,” Jassi stated loudly hitting him lightly on the chest.

  Waren lifted his eyebrows at her in a suggestive manner and Jassi collapsed again in laughter while Craig and Delilah watched them with smiles on their faces.

  “Waren,” Pricilla called out hurrying over to them in her high heels. “Where did you go?”

  At the sound of her voice, Jassi stilled in Waren’s arms before she tried to step away and Waren tightened his hold not allowing her to move away from him.

  “Craig and I went fishing,” Waren explained without moving his eyes from his wife who had lowered her own.

  Pricilla’s mouth turndown at the news and her nose wrinkling as the smell of fish hit her. “You should go get ready,” Pricilla told him sharply as Mike joined them. “The party shall be starting soon.”

  Waren continued staring down at Jassi asking in a low voice. “I smell that bad, sweetheart?”

  Jassi shook her head before she mumbled softly, “I happen to like fish” causing Waren to laugh giving her a quick kiss before he walked away whistling.

  Craig chuckled before following with a shout over his shoulder. “The fish we caught are in the kitchen.”

  Delilah and Jassi tu
rned to each other before Pricilla stated in a colorless voice. “I don’t like fish.”

  Jassi rolled her eyes as Delilah glared at Pricilla before turning to Jassi saying, “You don’t mind helping, Jassi? Depending on how many they caught, I don’t want to cook them all, but…”

  She left the sentence hanging a thoughtful look on her face as she headed inside and Jassi walked after her getting a smug smile from Pricilla.

  Once inside the kitchen, though, Delilah blanched at the overpowering smell of fish before she mumbled, “It wasn’t so strong on Craig” and darted for the bathroom.

  Jassi hurried after her, but she understood the symptoms of pregnancy asking her through the closed door. “Are you okay, Delilah?”

  “Yes, although I don’t think I can do anything with those fish,” Delilah told her in shaky voice. “Sorry, Jassi.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jassi persuaded. “Why don’t you go and get ready, and I will see what we can do with the fish.”

  After hearing a low ‘thank you’ from the bathroom, Jassi returned to the kitchen to get to work on the fish not sure exactly what to do, but looking through the recipes Delilah showed her earlier she found something that might work.

  She got to work and was in the process of frying them when Craig came into the room.

  “Delilah is upstairs and asked me to come check to see if you need any help,” he offered standing in the doorway watching Jassi run a hand across her forehead before turning a smile to him.

  “I find a recipe in your wife’s book,” Jassi assured him. “I just hope that it turns out okay.”

  Craig laughed winking at her before he turned and walked away, and Jassi went back to cooking.

  She had the fish prepared and ready by the time Delilah joined her in the kitchen looking lovely in a summer dress.

  “It smells wonderful,” Delilah stated shock in her voice as she walked into the kitchen. “I wonder why I don’t…”

  “Did you eat anything this morning,” Jassi asked wiping her hands on a dishtowel since she cleaned the dishes from cooking the fish.

  Delilah looked away embarrassed shaking her head at the question.

  Jassi folded the towel suggesting, “That may have caused your bout of sickness but I’m at fault too. I know your condition and as a nurse, I should’ve made you seat down to eat something earlier.”

  Jassi walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a plate of fruits.

  “Here,” she ordered putting the plate down on the counter. “Sit down and eat this. We need to nourish that little one.”

  “You will make a fine aunt,” Delilah replied doing as Jassi told her.

  Jassi turned away before commenting unaware that Craig along with Waren was standing outside the kitchen.

  “I don’t have any brothers or sisters, and my cousins would rather I wouldn’t make public that I’m part of the family,” she confided in a sad voice.

  “Then I will accept you as an honorary aunt,” Delilah took a bite out of the peach that Jassi had sliced for her watching as Jassi spun around her eyes wide in shock.

  Jassi shook her head eyes shining while a smile spread across her face. “And I will gracefully accept the position.”

  “Oh good because just between us, I don’t really like Craig’s stepsister,” Delilah revealed after swallowing the peach. “Don’t tell Craig, though, because I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

  Craig let out a surprised breath before he turned to Waren seeing the laughter he was trying to hold.

  Craig gave him a narrowed look before admitting in a rough voice. “Delilah seemed to like her or so I thought…”

  “I told you to tell her the truth,” Waren warned him only to get a hard look from Craig and he raised his hands in surrender still laughing.

  “What are you laughing at,” Jassi’s voice startled the both of them since they hadn’t heard her leave the kitchen.

  Waren grinned at Craig. “It’s an old joke between Craig and me, and I think you need to go upstairs and get ready.”

  He easily changed the subject watching Jassi glance down at her attire with a grimace before she nodded her head and started for the stairs.

  “Oh, and Craig, I agree with Waren,” she suddenly called back glancing over her shoulder at them a spark in her eyes. “If you don’t like your stepsister, let Delilah know so she doesn’t have to put up with the woman especially now that she is pregnant. The less stress Delilah has, the easier her pregnancy hopefully will be.”

  With those words, Jassi climbed the stairs and Waren grinned evilly at his friend who shook his head a mock frown on his face before he went into the kitchen.

  Waren heard Craig ask, “Why didn’t you tell me that my stepsister got on your nerves” before he turned and walked away thoughts of going up to the room he shared with Jassi although he hadn’t slept in the room at all.

  “Waren,” Pricilla caught him as he put one foot on the stairs and he turned on a silent expletive. “Come and join us as a few other guests have arrived.”

  Waren sighed and after a quick look up the stairs stepped back down to walk over to the living room glad when Delilah and Craig joined them a few minutes later both with wide smiles on their faces.

  Most of the people Waren already knew since they were mostly old friends although there were a few business partners and co-workers that Delilah had invited to the party.

  Pricilla floated from group to group as if it was her party and Delilah let her have at it a brief cunning smile briefly crossing her face.

  “What did you do,” Craig asked at one point when Waren joined them a drink in his hand and a frown on his face.

  “What’s taking Jassi so long,” he muttered raising his glass to his lips just as Delilah glanced over at the doorway.

  Following her gaze, he froze the glass at his lips seeing his wife standing there in an off the shoulder dress that clung from breast to waist before flaring out briefly stopping a few inches about her knees.

  Her hair had been pulled up and out of the way with an elaborate twist of curls while on her neck hung a simple chain. At the simple necklace, Waren’s eyes were drawn to her hand where no ring sat telling others that she was taken, and he scanned the crowd seeing male eyes go over her with obvious attraction.

  “Jassi,” Delilah called out getting her attention and Jassi turned to her with a slight frown but she walked in their direction on a pair of low heels.

  “We were wondering what was taking you so long,” Delilah remarked sliding an arm through hers when she joined them. “Or more specifically, your husband was.”

  Jassi glanced at Waren seeing his eyes flare with emotion as he lowered the glass in his hand.

  “I apologize for being late,” Jassi remarked turning an apologetic smile to Delilah.

  Delilah laughed saying on a teasing note. “I don’t think Waren minds you being late the way you look. Right, Waren, or don’t you have anything to say to your wife?”

  Waren stepped closer to Jassi leaning down to smell the shampoo and soap that clung to her body before he uttered in a rough voice. “You look beautiful.”

  Jassi blush whispering ‘thank you’ and that simple sentence spoke more words than anything else could even a ring on the finger.

  Pricilla, unfortunately, didn’t see this intimate encounter since she had wandered outside with Mike hoping to talk him into distracting Jassi away from Waren.

  Unfortunately, she chose the wrong man because Mike was a loyal friend to both Waren and Craig, and he saw the way Waren’s eyes constantly drifted to his wife.

  “Pricilla, I don’t know what game you are playing, but I’m not going to get involved,” he spoke bluntly before turning and going back into the house.

  Pricilla stomped her foot before she smoothed the lines in her face and followed him joining the crowd after Waren and Jassi had moved away to intermingle with the other guests.

  The party was going well and everyone was having a good t
ime that Delilah was proud of herself leaning back in Craig’s arms.

  “You did a good job, honey,” Craig praised in her ear.

  “I did, didn’t I,” she added teasingly tilting her head back to look at him. “But I don’t think I could’ve done it so well if I didn’t have help.”

  She looked over at Jassi who stood next to Waren talking with a group of coworkers that had asked Waren something.

  “She is good for him,” Delilah admitted. “He’s laughed more in the last day or so than he has for the last few years. I wonder why he waited so long to finally accept her.”

  “Because he thought that by accepting her, he was betraying his father,” Craig revealed close to her ear.

  “Really,” the statement shocked Delilah before adding, “I don’t think Bowen would see it like that.”

  Craig frowned holding her more closely to him before remarking thoughtfully. “I don’t know because Bowen, I have to admit, dislikes Jassi’s grandmother with a passion that I’ve never seen before. He may see it as betrayal and yet…”

  Craig stopped shaking his head not going to mention the conversation he had with Bowen only the night before when Bowen called to make sure that Waren and Jassi made it safely.

  Thinking about that call, he chuckled and seeing the look of confusion on his wife’s face remarked, “No matter how old your children get, you still worry about them.”

  “True, my mom calls constantly especially after learning that I’m pregnant,” Delilah agreed watching their guests enjoy themselves.

  Twenty minutes later, Delilah invited everyone to move the party outside where she had people set a buffet style dinner with music and a small area for dancing.

  Jassi joined her with accusing eyes but there was a smile on her face and Delilah asked smugly. “You really didn’t think I was going to handle the food and join the party, did you?”

  Jassi laughed getting Waren’s attention where he stood talking with Craig, Mike and a few others.

  “You did well, Waren,” Mike praised clapping a hand to his back. “But be careful of Pricilla.”