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“Maybe us getting fake engaged wasn’t such a great idea,” he said. “Now you’re going to experience what I deal with on a daily basis. I didn’t even think about that.”
If that was a taste of what he had to deal with, then no, she didn’t want a billion dollars. She didn’t want people calling her and begging for money. Her father was an easy person to turn down, but what if someone had a dire need for cash? What would she do then?
The phone rang and she was afraid to answer. What if it was him again?
Slowly, she reached for the phone sitting on the receptionist’s desk.
“Benton Law Firm, Madison Benton,” she said.
“How dare you hang up on your father like that,” her stepmother Denise said. “We need that cash.”
Taking a deep breath, what she’d learned in school took over. This one was easier to deal with since she’d never liked the woman.
“Hello, Denise, how are you? I hear your daughters are all in college,” she said.
“We need that money to keep them in school,” she said. “You’ve got plenty now that you’re marrying a rich man.”
These two people deserved one another. And yet, she had her father’s DNA. But she would never be like him. She would never be anything like these two welches.
“Oh, you’ve heard about my engagement,” she said, calmly thinking the woman hadn’t even said congratulations, just she wanted money.
“You know, I have so many school loans to pay off because I didn’t receive any help getting through college or law school. Mother and I have made it on our own for many years without my father’s child support. And yet the first time you hear I’m marrying a wealthy man, you two call and want money.”
“Uh, the years just got away from us,” she said. “We’ve been busy raising our daughters.”
“Of course, I completely understand. But I will tell you like I told dear old Dad, it’s Adrian’s money, not mine. I’ll tell you like Dad always told Mom, the check is in the mail. It was great talking to you. Have a wonderful life.”
Click. She hung up the phone. When she turned to Adrian, he busted out laughing.
“Damn, one day I’m going to come see you in court. I bet you can tear up a witness with your subtle questioning.”
With a sigh, she pushed back her blonde hair. “I’m sorry. I never thought they would call to ask for money. That takes a lot of gall. My father is the reason I never want to marry or have children. I come from his blood and what if I become like him?”
Adrian shook his head. “No, you’re nothing like your father. And you never will be.”
“Did you know that he created a second family while he was married to my mother? Then after they divorced, he would pick me up and take me to spend the weekend with them. Where Denise would mistreat me when he wasn’t looking. Though the girls were only a year or two younger than me, they enjoyed being mean to me. One time, I stood outside school waiting for him to pick me up and he never showed. No call. Nothing. After that, I never went to his other home again.”
Adrian pulled her into his arms and she cried against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Shhh, you have no reason for being sorry. He was a terrible father,” he said. “I can’t imagine being left at school. What kind of father does that?”
“A lousy one,” she said. “Because of him, I’m afraid of marriage. What if the man I marry left me and created a second family? What if he never saw our children or paid their child support? I can’t take a chance on getting married.”
Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head and she clung to him, enjoying the feel of his chest against hers.
“Come on, I’m taking you to dinner tonight,” he said. “We’re going to celebrate you opening your law firm. We’ll laugh and have fun and forget about the call from my future degenerate father-in-law. You did tell them they would not be invited to the wedding?”
She leaned back in his arms and saw he was teasing. Laughter filled her chest. He made her feel better.
“No, I forgot, but they wouldn’t be,” she said. “Thank you for bringing me flowers. That means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome. Now come on, we need to add some water to them and then we’ll go,” he said. “Let’s celebrate.”
CHAPTER 12
It was their last date. Their last ball, and after tonight, they would figure out a way to break their engagement. And yet the last two months had been the most fun he’d had in years.
Being with Madison felt right and he fought his need for her. He didn’t want to need any woman, and this one was the hardest of anyone he’d ever dated. She fit him just right and that scared him.
