“I know. I want to. It’s nothing much. Just a little gift to show my appreciation.”
Amy sighed, but looked curious, and a little pleased. For some reason. I was nervous, which didn’t make sense.
We reached the foyer, where the cardboard package was sitting on a table by the door. I handed it to her. She examined it.
“Are you gonna open it or just stare at the box?” I teased.
“I’m trying to guess what it is,” she said.
“And?”
“No clue.”
Sitting down on the floor, she tore the tape off, and opened the package. She sorted through the packing material and pulled out the gift—a camera.
She held it almost reverently in her hands.
“Holy shit.”
I shifted my weight. “Is that one alright? I’m not a photographer. But the people I called said this was one of the best models on the market.”
“I…it…” She just stared at it, then looked up at me. “This camera is like, thousands of dollars. At least. I can’t accept this.”
“The price isn’t a problem.” I crouched next to her. “It’s yours, Amy. I want you to have it. You told me about your dream. Maybe this will help you follow it.”
“That,” she said, “is so cheesy. But really sweet.”
“I do excel in the cheesy, sweet department.”
“Really. It’s… it’s the most amazing gift I have ever received in my entire life. Thank you.”
Her gratitude was sincere. I smiled.
“I want you to understand that I know you’re not doing this for money,” I said. “And that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil you a little bit, while you’re here.”
She looked down shyly, but before she could respond, we heard footsteps coming our way. I looked up. Marshall Harrison, my father’s long-term lawyer, was heading toward us. He walked rigidly, dressed in a dark, stiff suit, his expression marked by his permanent sneer. I had never been fond of him.
“Derek,” he said, his tone near condescending. “And this must be the Ms. Parker your father was telling me about.”
“Mr. Harrison,” I responded. “Yes. This is Amy. Amy, this is Marshall Harrison, my father’s attorney.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said hurriedly, sensing the tension. She jumped to her feet to shake his hand.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He smiled tepidly, any kindness falling flat. The way he was looking at her, in disdain, made me angry.
After staring Amy down for a few uncomfortable moments, he turned his attention to me again. “Your father wishes to speak with you,” he said.
I took Amy’s hand.
“In private,” Marshall said. “It’s regarding legal matters.”
I felt like hitting him, but Amy stepped between us. “I’ll be in our room. I want to figure out this camera, anyway.” She kissed me on the cheek, “Don’t rush.”
I looked between the two of them, then nodded. “Alright.” I didn’t spare Marshall another glance.
I hurried through the mansion, my pace brisk, as I wanted to get back to Amy as quickly as possible. My father’s bedroom was on the top floor.
After I knocked on the door, my father called me in. His voice sounded strange. It sounded almost… giddy, which was highly unusual. I entered cautiously.
My father was sitting at his desk, several papers scattered in front of him. I sat down like a child sitting down in the principal’s office.
“Marshall told me you wanted to speak with me, father,” I said, resting my hands in my lap, one knee bouncing with nerves.
“Oh, yes. He was just here to go over my will with me, make some changes.”
“Oh?” I adjusted the collar of my shirt. Since our argument last week, I assumed the subject of his will would be a tense one. But he was happy, elated, as if he had completely forgotten about it.
“You and your child are to inherit my full estate and belongings,” my father said, tapping the piece of paper in front of him. “After I pass. It’s signed and done.”
“I…” Amy had done her part. Now it was my turn to act. “Father, I… you know that I don’t have any children. We discussed that last week.”
“Yes, last week. I was hoping you wouldn’t bring up that mess. Perhaps we were both a little hasty, and emotional.” My father shrugged. “That is in the past. Now, Amy hasn’t told you, then?”
“Hasn’t told me what?”
He chuckled with a sort of mischievous, youthful glee. “It probably isn’t my place to tell you. To be honest, I thought our talk last night would have been enough to inspire her to talk to you, but it’s understandable.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
“Amy’s pregnant, Derek.” He paused, watching for my reaction. I just stared at him, confused and speechless. “She told me last night. She was worried about what you’d think, so she wanted to confide in me first, but I told her that it is, of course, wonderful news.”
“That’s… I…”
“You’re going to be a father, Derek,” he said with glee. “I’m going to be a grandfather!”
I looked up at him, and his happiness buzzed through me like a lightning bolt. The true weight of my lie hit me for the first time, and for a moment, I ached, wishing it were the truth, and that his happiness wasn’t caused by something false. He would pass away before it could ever be confirmed or disproven.
It all seemed to crash into me at once. The guilt. The remorse. My father was going to die, and soon. I had not yet allowed myself to accept this, to deal with that grief. Instead, I had occupied my time by scheming up ways to trick him. For his peace of mind, yes, but also for my own.
Tears came to my eyes before I could stop them. I blinked them away. Not once had I cried in front of my father.
Then, the greatest surprise. He reached across the desk and rested one of his soft, weathered hands on mine. When I looked up at him, he was crying too. But his tears were joyous.
Mine were those of a deceitful son.
Chapter 9
Amy
I tried to leave the foyer, but Marshall Harrison stopped me. He put a cold hand on my arm and I turned to him, uneasiness creeping up my skin.
There was something reptilian about this man. He was tall and pale, with visibly dry, papery skin. His eyes were unnaturally green, small, and beady, and his lips were cracked. His thin, white-blonde hair was greased back.
“I would like to have a word with you, Ms. Parker,” he said, his voice nasally and high.
“I… I suppose I have a few minutes,” I said, clutching the camera that Derek had given me tightly.
“Yes, I suppose you do.” Marshall’s eyes narrowed.
I pulled away from his grip. “What can I help you with?”
“I know what you’re up to, Ms. Parker. Unlike Mr. Rittsman and his son, I’m not so easily fooled.”
Taking a step back, I shook my head. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, don’t play with me. I’m a straightforward man, and I’ve been working as a lawyer for wealthy families for over three decades. I have seen plenty of gold diggers in my day.”
I felt numb. “Excuse me? You don’t know anything about me. That is a wildly rude accusation. I would never take advantage of someone for their money.”
Marshall smirked. “Sure you wouldn’t. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about what Derek and you have. He doesn’t mean anything to me. If you ask me, I think it would be nice to see him stumble. However, when you mess with my client, Ms. Parker, I don’t stand down.”
His smug, serpentine demeanor was beginning to piss me off. I lifted a finger, my voice rising.
“And when someone tries to intimidate me, I don’t stand down, either. I would never, ever do anything to hurt Derek’s father. Or Derek, whether that bothers you or not.”
His lips twitched with a smile. “Words mean nothing to me. Actions do. And I find it highly suspicious th
at you suddenly appear with a bun in the oven, and so conveniently close to Mr. Rittsman’s passing. He may be blinded by joy, but I assure you, I am not.”
My voice was practically hysterical and I was trying not to freak out. “That’s ridiculous. You’re completely insane.”
He laughed. “Am I? You’re awfully defensive.”
“Yeah, maybe because a man I’ve never met is harassing me. What would I even have to gain?”
“You tell me,” Marshall smiled. “What’s that you are holding in your hands?”
I looked down at the camera, a ridiculous luxury for me, but pocket change to Derek. Never had I dreamed I could afford something like this, and yet he had snapped his fingers and made it happen.
I had a lot to gain from Derek. I just didn’t want to admit it.
That’s not what I’m doing here, I thought to myself, gritting my teeth. I never asked for anything from him. Whatever our relationship, money has no part in it.
I was confident in that fact. But I knew that if I tried to explain it to anyone, they would shake their heads and call me a liar.
“It is pretty common to give and receive gifts when you’re dating,” I said, holding the camera tighter to my chest. “I mean, I don’t know about you, but Derek is thoughtful. Last week, I said I had an interest in photography, so he surprised me with this gift. That seems like a pretty normal thing to do.”
“Maybe.” Marshall watched me unnervingly. “We’ll see. If there is one thing that my career has shown me, it is that all truth comes to light eventually. And, more likely than not, my instincts will prove correct.”
“I think you need to back off,” I said, trying to usher as much confidence into my tone as possible, “before you stick your nose somewhere it doesn’t belong. You might underestimate me Mr Harrison, but if you screw with me, I will fuck you ten times over. I will put you through hell.”
Complete and utter bullshit. I had about as much power to do anything to him as a cool autumn breeze. Even if I could, I don’t think I would ever make an effort to destroy someone’s life. That kind of cruelty was beyond me. But I’d be damned if I would take his shit lying down. Words might mean nothing to him, but they were all I had.
He looked me over, “Cute” he drawled. “Here’s what I think. I suspect that you’re working with Derek. You’re manipulating him. I’m not even convinced that there is a baby. It’s just you playing a game and you have no idea of the consequences. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, Miss Parker, I promise that I am better.”
I opened my mouth to respond, thought better of it, and turned away. He let me go this time. I could feel his eyes on my back, burning a hole through me.
Practically running, I found my way back to Derek’s bedroom, and closed the door firmly behind me. Hands shaking, I found my phone, and quickly dialed my sister’s number.
Please, pick up, pick up, pick up! I needed to hear the voice of reason before I lost it. Marshall Harrison’s words had shaken me, filled me with doubt that I was doing the right thing. And if it was right, was it legal? It’d be just my luck to end up in prison.
“Amy?” Her voice sounded on the other line, sleepy.
“Did I wake you up?” I glanced at the clock. It was after eleven.
“I had a late night,” she yawned. “It’s fine, though. Zeus has been trying to get me up all morning.”
“He’s probably hungry.”
“He’s always hungry. Aren’t you, Zeus? Aren’t you?” She laughed, and I could picture Zeus wagging his tail in excitement. “So, what’s up? How’s the trip? How’s the sex? Tell me everything.”
“I… it’s good, Abby.”
She heard how strained my voice was. “Wait. Is something wrong?”
“I’m kind of panicking. I think I might have gotten myself into some trouble. Like, big trouble.”
“Are you okay? I’ll come and get you. It’ll be fine.”
“No, no. I’m okay. You don’t need to do that. I just… I wasn’t exactly honest with you about this trip.”
Abby was quiet for a few seconds. “I’m listening, Amy. Whatever’s wrong, we’ll figure it out. I promise.”
I took a deep breath. “So, the morning after I went out with Derek, he took me out to breakfast… and convinced me to come stay with him at his father’s place… and uh… pretend to be his girlfriend.”
“Okay. That’s… I mean, that’s totally rom-com.”
“Yeah, and also pretend that I’m pregnant. For his father… who is dying. Because he was upset that Derek didn’t have a family.”
“Whoa. That sounds complicated.”
“I know, I know. I did it because I like Derek, and he genuinely wants to make his father happy. He also offered me a bunch of money, and got me a really, really nice gift, even though I told him I don’t want any money at all. But his father’s lawyer just confronted me, said I was a gold digger, and… Jesus, Abby. He sounded really serious, and it scared me. You know how much I hate lying.”
“Shit, Amelia.” Abby laughed, which wasn’t exactly the reaction I was looking for. “You literally went from zero to ten thousand in the span of one week. Like, seriously. Remember how, when we were out celebrating your birthday, you wouldn’t even go say hi to that cute guy checking you out? Here we are, just a couple months later, and you’re having torrid sex adventures with your sugar daddy.”
“No. He is not my—I’m not even going to say it. That’s not what this is.”
“Okay. An older, richer man is paying you money to spend time with him. So, what would you call it?”
I groaned, falling onto the bed. “That makes it sound despicable.”
“I don’t think so. It’s a pretty common thing.”
“I mean, the first time we hooked up, I just assumed it was going to be a one night stand, you know? Then he asks me to help him out. I don’t want the money. I just… I like him. I really, really like him, Abby. He’s smart, and funny, and sweet, and makes me feel so good. I’ve never had something like this. We’re more than this agreement that we have.”
Abby was quiet for a few minutes. “I’ve never heard you talk like this.”
“I know. I don’t know what’s going on. I just met him. Maybe this was all a huge mistake.”
“Oh, don’t say that. You say you like him, right?”
“More than I should.”
“And how about him? Do you know how he feels about you?”
I thought about that. “I mean, he’s said he’s fond of me. Oh, I don’t know. This whole situation is fucked up. His dad is dying. I don’t feel right lying to him. It’s going to blow up in my face, I just know it. It doesn’t matter how much Derek and I like each other, that doesn’t hide the fact that we’re pretending to be dating and expecting a child. Doesn’t that seem crazy? Or am I overreacting?”
“As usual, you are overreacting.” Ah, there was Abby, sensible and calming. “Tell me, what’s the worst case scenario?”
“I go to jail for lying to an old man. And Derek hates me.”
“Okay. First of all, I don’t think that’s illegal. So, what’s the absolute best case scenario?”
“Umm… everything goes well. Derek and I…” I closed my eyes, trying to picture what could become of us. “I don’t know. We’re happy, I guess. And nothing is awkward between us. But I suppose, even in the best case scenario, his dad still dies. Maybe that’s why I’m so upset. In order for the plan to work, he has to die, which is a pretty terrible thing to depend on.”
“Alright, respectable. So, now that we’ve covered the worst and best, let’s meet in the middle. Here’s what’s most likely to happen. The week goes by, you have a hell of a good time. The father is happy and whatnot about the kid, but sadly, passes away in a few months. At least he died content. Everything goes back to normal. You go to work at the investment firm, see Derek here and there. Maybe you hook up a few more times. Maybe you guys even get into a real relationship. To be honest, it might
end sooner or later. You’ll be sad, but you’ll get over him. Then one day, you’ll wake up, and be able to laugh about it. And maybe someday you’ll tell your kids about it, and they’ll be like, ‘Wow, Mom, you were pretty cool.’”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” But there was something sad about her most-likely-to-happen reality.
“Of course I am. I’m always right,” Abby said. “Feel better, dear?”
“A little. Thank you… I knew you’d help.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Now, for the good stuff. Tell me all.”
“Uh…”
“Wait just one minute, Amy. That was our deal. I watch your massive drooling dog as long as you tell me all the details of your wild sex life. You know I live vicariously off of this sort of thing. You’re always listening to my stories, it’s my turn to hear yours. Go.”
Fighting a blush, I rolled over onto my stomach. “I mean, it’s great. He’s great. You were right, I was definitely missing out before.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Um, you know. He’s very… he’s kind of dominating. Which I like. A lot.”
Abby giggled, “Go on.”
She wasn’t going to let me be vague, it seemed. “Like, last time, I tried to take control, but he ended up pinning me down. So I’m going to have to think of a different plan.”
“Yum. Has he gone down on you?”
“I… uh…” Thank God we were talking over the phone, or surely she’d be making fun of how bright red my face was.
“Oh, stop being so innocent and embarrassed, Amy! Divulge!”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“And?”
“And it was amazing,” I admitted. “Like, ‘holy shit, I think I might be dying’ good. Literally everything he does is like that. It’s ridiculous.”
“Oh my, oh my. Did you go down on him? You know, I have a bunch of good blowjob tips. I’m kind of an expert.”
“I know, you’ve told me like five hundred times. And yes. I have.”
“And were you good at it?”
“Jeez. How would I know?”
“Oh honey, you’d know.”
I thought back to the moment Derek came in my mouth and knew I had done a good job, but I let Abby go on schooling me.
Royal Engagement Page 71
