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Or Luc’s.
Though dealing with the older Frenchman would be easier than the sexy devil down the hall.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Now, time to handle a more pressing issue. She took a deep breath, wishing she’d had a shot or two of tequila before calling her mom to tell her about the change in her marital status.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Waiting was futile. As hard as this would be, she needed to tell her parents before they found out from the media. Not like her mother was that into celebrity news, but she was sure people would tell her and the news would get to her one way or the other.
“Hello,” her mom said, on the other end of the line.
“Hi, Mom.” She licked her lips.
“Kira, where have you been? I was just telling Shelby that you don’t call, you don’t write… I’m worried you’ll find some excuse not to come to our party,” her mom said, with her thick Southern twang.
She’d be going to her parent’s anniversary party all right… and bring a guest. A wave of apprehension moved through her, and she paced around the room, unable to keep still. Hell to calm and collected. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be there.” She took a deep breath. “And while we’re on the subject of wedding, I have some news of my own.”
“You’ve met a nice boy?” her mom rushed to say.
The image of Luc popped in her mind. He wasn’t nice anything. He was bad… so bad. “I married a nice boy. Yesterday.”
Silence.
She could picture her mom touching her heart, or fanning herself, or flailing her arms like a bird leaning how to fly. “Mom? You there?”
“Doesn’t matter if I’m here, does it? Apparently, I’m useless. After all, you just got married without inviting your own mother to your big day. God, where did I go wrong?”
Kira rolled her eyes. Though she appreciated her mother’s sentiment, she could do without a guilt trip. “I’m sorry… I’ve dated Luc for a few months but didn’t want to share until I knew he was the one for me. When he proposed… we just sort of went for it.”
“Went for it?” her mother scolded. “Kira, who is this man? Where did you meet him?”
“Through work,” she said, then cleared her throat. “He’s moved to the US and I helped him get settled.”
“Moved? This isn’t one of those sham marriage situations, is it? Did he marry you to get a green card?” her mother started, her voice growing increasingly more condescending with each passing second. “Oh, honey… there are TV shows about this sort of thing. Is it too late to annul it?”
“Mom,” she cut her off, impatience flaring up. Of course her mother wouldn’t think a regular guy would be so into her without a hidden agenda. And she’d be right, a little voice inside her snarked. At least a green card to migrate to the US for a better life would be a better reason for a sham marriage. Certainly not as transactional as money and PR control. A hot current of embarrassment swept over her, but she willed it away. If she couldn’t convince her own mother they married for love, how about the rest of the world? “Luc is super rich. He’s a self-made man, and on top of that, heir to a billionaire. He’s from France. I know that this is all a lot to take in, but he’s not with me because of a green card.”
“Wow.” Her mother sighed into the phone, and she wondered if that was relief or surprise. “How old is this man?”
“Thirty-four.”
Silence.
“And he’s very good looking,” she added, a touch of pride in her voice, which she immediately regretted. She knew her mother would relay all this information to Shelby, and even though she held no ill will against her sister, a petty part of her enjoyed being on top, for once. Maturity be damned.
“Wow,” her mother repeated. “I don’t know what to say. You were always so focused on your work, I never thought you’d settle down so soon. Especially after Andrew. I know how much you cared for him.”
Kira’s heart squeezed. Why did her mother always have to bring that up? She wasn’t sure if her mother enjoyed reminding her that she’d lost yet something else to her sister, or if she was that clueless and didn’t realize Andrew was a subject Kira would rather forget. “Well, when you know, you know. I’ll bring him to the anniversary party. You’ll all meet him.” So help me God. Forget about teaching him American work practice. She’d have her hands full giving him the ins and outs of navigating her family’s functions and leaving unscathed.
“Oh I can’t wait to meet him,” her mother said in a chirpy tone, like that made up for her not being there for their wedding.
“I can’t wait for you to meet him,” Kira parroted, knowing it was a big, fat lie.
