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Chapter26
Jericho
We actually had a honeymoon. Arealone.
The kind people talk about for years to come, keep in their hearts as the most memorable of memories, and show off pictures to their friends and family.
The trip was completely different from the one I actually planned that would have seen me consumed with my work the entire time.
Instead I got the guys to focus on the work I had in Italy while I spent all my time with River.
After that first night—our wedding night—I realized there was no way on earth that I could have focused on anything business related with her anywhere near me. After that night, it also felt completely inappropriate to have my wife in a beautiful city like Naples with me working while we were supposed to be on our honeymoon.
Yes it was planned as a pretend honeymoon, but it quickly became all too real while we were still in New York’s air space.
We had some good times in Italy. Now we're back. Back home and back to the real world.
We arrived last night, but that didn’t mean we slipped back into the shoes of the fake couple we were supposed to be.
I took her straight to my bed, but I got the reality hit as soon as the sun came up when I woke and she wasn’t there.
I’d gotten used to waking in Italy with my wife in my arms and the magnolia scent of her swimming beneath my skin.
I wanted that again this morning. Except she’d already left for work, but I wasn’t sure if she’d left my bed before she needed to think about work.
I left for the day and the time we’ve spent apart has left me reflecting and thinking about the connection we made.
That connection seemed to blossom after our little session on the beach where we shared secrets from our past, the deep ones locked away in our hearts. Mine was the kind I’ve only ever spoken about once—to my grandfather.
River told me a lot more than I expected about Sasha and her life in Russia.
Everything she revealed worried me. I'm guessing she was so open with me because of what I told her about my father. What she didn't realize was that was just the tip of the iceberg.
That story led into how I ended up making the worst decision of my life when I got involved with those hackers who stole her father's designs. I couldn't tell her that part. I had to keep that part sealed away in my soul.
I also never shared the nitty gritty of why I felt my father treated me the way he did and not Knight.
Sure he was horrible to Knight on several occasions, but he didn’t beat him the way he did with me.
I felt I got that treatment because I represented his mistakes with my mother. It was bad enough that he’d been with her and had Knight when he was promised to marry Sloane, but then he got my mother pregnant with me.
When he left her it made him look bad in my grandparents eyes, and they only happened to find out about Knight and me by accident. My mother was struggling to take care of us and my father didn’t care. He still doesn’t care. He saw us as pests and has referred to us as his bastard children on several occasions. That’s the type of motherfucker he is.
It's ironic how the one thing I always had in common with River’s father is the hatred for my father. I can just imagine how evil my father must have been in his younger days.
As for River, learning more about Sasha opened my eyes to the real danger she must have been in and again I wondered what the hell her father must have been thinking. She didn’t mention him at all even as she spoke about Gina rescuing her. there was no mention of her father and I can’t believe that he simply did nothing.
To be on the safe side, I took a few further steps to look into Sasha, just to see what we're up against if he’s ever released.
River is right in thinking that the rules change when dealing with men like him. Sasha is in prison for eight years, but as to whether he serves his time is a different story.
I never knew that she had any involvement in getting him behind bars. So far it looks like he doesn’t know either, but people can find things out if they suspect it. I don't want her involved in anything like that, especially since she went through hell to escape him.
My morning was consumed with thoughts of my wife. I thought about everything from her safety to the relationship we have.
I can’t go back to how we were before, or rather, the plan I had before, which was to keep my distance. That much was clear from the moment I gave her my name.
I’m just not sure how I can make things work with our temporary business marriage.
