Xander
“Yes, Papa, I got married,” I said, bored, as he burst into expletives and then finally descended into a morose, “When were you planning to introduce us to her?”
“Christmas, of course.”
“And you thought that marrying a woman you’ve known for less than a year and had never introduced to your family was a good idea because…”
“I love her,” I said simply.
That shut him up good. Papa knew better than to argue – he and my mom had eloped when they were just eighteen.
He started to say something else, but the deed was done, I was ready to get to work.
“Listen,” I told him, “I’ve got to go work now, but she’ll be here for you to meet when you come in a few days.”
“I should hope so,” he growled. “Being your wife and all.”
“Goodbye Papa,” I said firmly.
“Goodbye,” he said.
As I hung up, I checked my phone.
Still no response from Naomi.
I rose and went over to my office door. Although I was tired and sulky, it was time to get to work. I’d gotten there through pure willpower – forcing down the coffee, ignoring the whining inner dialogue, and now I planned to continue to do the same. Work, work, and more work.
It would do me good to go into work mode. Declutter my thoughts. Last night had been insane, to say the least. No point in spending all day Sunday having Saturday night roll around my head.
When I opened the door, Mrs. Birmingham was already there, Chanel bag and headache-orange-red scowl in tow, evidently having muscled past my receptionist. Mr. Birmingham looked miserable, as usual, beside her.
“Our appointment, ” the old bat said, pointing to her watch.
“I was two minutes late,” her husband complained.
Mrs. Birmingham protested, throwing up both her fleshy hands as if her words were guns. “Yes, I’m sure your morning was stressful. What? One of your floozies forget where she tossed her panties last night?”
The insult sounded suspiciously like a line from a movie, which wasn’t unheard of. Mrs. Birmingham was a C-list actress and channeled all her energy from her unsuccessful career into making life a living nightmare for her husband. Not that he wasn’t a character himself.
“Look who’s talking,” he said from beside her. “You got about five different boyfriends after we split. And where are they all now? Chase them away with that winning personality?”
I cleared my throat.
“Marybeth.” I gave her thin smile. “Ryan.” I nodded.
I tried to keep my tone calm and neutral. No need to add fuel to an already simmering fire.
“So, shall we get started?”
Mrs. Birmingham stomped her foot like a petulant child. “Let’s just get this over with.”
If either of them had been willing to give an inch, we could’ve had everything worked out in a reasonable amount of time. But it wasn’t to be. The fought over the meager possessions they had, and just about anything else they could think of to fight over, and it got ugly.
Even their initial divorce lawyers had walked out on them. I was doing this as a favor for a friend, but it was fast becoming a professional pain in the ass.
Finally, I stood up.
“Let’s reconvene next week.”
“Next week?” Mr. Birmingham sputtered. “But I thought….”
“Nothing can be accomplished here today, if neither of you will give an inch, Ryan.”
So, I walked over to the door and opened it for them. After they left, I waited a few minutes to ensure that they were out of the building’s lobby, and then went home myself.
Sprawled on my couch, I checked my phone again. Naomi had finally responded with a terse what do you want?
Clearly, she had no recollection of our night together. Even mine was blurred around the edges, I had flashes of a leggy blonde woman with an intoxicating smile, an about-city romp in a taxi, and one wild idea on our way to the all night wedding chapel that catered to folks in our exact state of inebriation.
In any case, the best thing to do now was to get to the heart of the matter.
I called her. After a few rings, likely to indicate just how uneager she was to talk to me, she picked up. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hang up.”
“Because the marriage certificate I showed you is legit. And because I can explain last night if you’ll see me.”
“Why can’t you just tell me over the phone?”
“Explaining in person would be easier.”
“And if I say no?”
I said nothing.
“Who are you anyway?” she was asking.
“Xander Peterson. A lawyer in downtown LA.”
“Oh good, you’re a lawyer. So you probably know how to fix this disaster, right?”
At that point I was willing to tell her anything to get her to talk to me. “Yes.”
She exhaled audibly on the other end of the line. “Fine. Where?”
“Ocean 55,” I said. “Tonight, at seven. I’ll pick you up.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “But I’ll meet you there.”
She hung up, and I was left with my phone in my hand. My sweet dog Walter had crouched at my feet and was tipping his head my way curiously.
“This is important,” I explained to him. “If this dinner goes well, it could save me a lot of trouble over the next month.”
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A Note from the Author
Thank for you taking the time to read my latest release.
I hope you loved reading my story, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
It would mean the world to me if you could take some time to leave a quick review for this book. Reviews allow me to understand how my readers truly feel, and they keep me improving.
I appreciate you supporting me, thank you so much.
- Natasha L. Black
Also By Natasha L. Black
Here are a list of my previous releases, some of which that went to the top 100 of all of Amazon.
One Lucky Girl : A Reverse Harem Boxset
Saving Sky
Protecting Her
Forbidden Daddy
Pretend I’m Yours
Redemption
Sweet Tooth
Training the Rookie
Pretend You’re Mine
Double Trouble
The Cabin
Cuffed to my Roomies
About the Author and Mailing List
Natasha L. Black is a romance author focused on making your wildest dreams come true.
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Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Page 88
