I heard a sharp intake of breath, while Timothy looked on bewildered, my father reaching over and grabbing my clammy palm, kissing it to his lips “It’s been a while Flair, but I am most pleased to find that this time you have married a man of substance instead of that pathetic man Johnathon again.”
Shit. I could barely move. My breathing was shallow. I hadn’t anticipated that my father would let slip my secret straight out of the gate. Ian looked at me sympathetically. I didn’t know how well Grayson was taking it. He was as stiff as a statue. I could feel my heart racing.
Was Grayson going to hate me for my deceit? I had plans to tell him, eventually. I knew he wouldn’t use me for my money, not being a Deluca, but it was hard to trust after Johnathon. I had put up walls and while Grayson was slowly knocking them down, I still found a way or a reason to protect myself. I told myself it was necessary, that I couldn’t let anyone get past all of them, but in reality, it was a lie. I was scared of what would happen if Grayson saw what I truly was. If he rejected me, I wasn’t sure that my heart would be able to take it.
“I’m sorry Sir, I think I might have misheard you,” Grayson said finally as my father let go of my hand and turned to him with a questioning look on his face “did you just call my wife your daughter?” he enquired stone-faced.
My body was trembling now. My father was calm “Yes. Your wife is my daughter Flair, AKA Flair Grant but she has always preferred to go by her mother’s maiden name Summers until she married that son of a bitch Rourke” he scowled “I much prefer Oakes” he added approvingly with a nod.
Grayson made a strangled sound. “This is your daughter, the one that’s never in the media?” he confirmed and Ian sighed.
“Yes Grayson, it was why I always met you at yours. To keep her identity secret. I’m sorry” he said softly “but I’ve always been overprotective when it comes to Flair.”
I clasped my hands together and turned to my husband, who still looked as though he was in a state of disbelief. Timothy had sunk onto the nearest chair and was staring at me with fascination as though I was a rare exotic creature at some fancy zoo. It was unnerving.
“Grayson,” I said with trembling lips “I was planning on telling you.”
“When?” he asked bluntly, ignoring my father and brother who looked at him disapprovingly and with a hint of anger “when exactly were you planning on telling me?”
“Well I haven’t exactly kept it a secret” I protested and he snorted.
“Really, because it’s news to me. This is the first time I’ve heard your name as Grant announced.”
I looked at him “Actually that’s not true. During the ceremony, the minister used Grant as my last name and when we signed the wedding certificate Grant was listed as my last name as well. You just didn’t pay well enough attention” I said softly.
He flinched and then reached frantically for his briefcase, digging through it, his fingers pausing on the certificate as he produced it, his eyes scanning the document as though seeing it for the first time.
“Grant,” he said choking “my god I completely missed it.”
“So if you had looked at it properly, you would have seen I was a Grant at any time” I told him and he looked annoyed with himself as he put the paper back down carefully.
“Grayson don’t be too mad,” Ian said anxiously “Flair has always had to protect herself from those who would use the Grant name to their advantage. I know that you’re not that type, but she had to find that out for herself.”
“Mr Maxwell, I am, that is” Grayson was at a loss for words as my father sat down on a chair and regarded him.
“I did not learn about your marriage until it had already been accomplished,” Maxwell said, glancing at me with admonishment “and I was displeased initially but Ian reminded me of what you were like as friends in college and I have searched your background. The fact that you do not use your own family name Deluca is a big advantage and only adds to the allure of having you as a son-in-law.”
Grayson looked as though he was choking. “Are you saying you have no intentions of trying to break up this marriage?” he asked my father slowly, as though trying to determine what my father’s motive for this meeting might have been.
My father’s eyes were filled with amusement. “I would never go that far. I despised Johnathon Rourke and the way he treated Flair and yet I kept my tongue. This time, I was going to take preventative measures, but I no longer see the harm in seeing how the marriage goes between the two of you” he exhaled.
“Timothy please go and fetch some refreshments,” Grayson said weakly, grabbing his tie and straightening it.
Timothy hastily got up and bowed his head respectfully, dashing out of the room as though there were dogs chasing him on his heels.
“Flair, are you happy in this marriage?” my father asked deliberately as Grayson’s head whipped around to regard me “does he treat you well? I would prefer you not lie to me, as you did when you were previously married. You kept myself and Ian in the dark and we were estranged for over three years last time. I have no intentions of letting that happen again” his voice was icy and filled with determination.
I bowed my head. So that was what my father was afraid of. Being estranged from each other for another long period of time. Of being at odds with one another over something so petty as being wedded to a man that he didn’t approve of. Grayson looked concerned, a sheen of sweat on his brow. What did he have to be worried about? From the first day, he had been nothing but courteous and respectful. Some might even describe it as loving. It had been the opposite of what I had gotten from Johnathon. Even better.
“He treats me like a queen father. I am extraordinarily lucky to have found such a gentleman to be married to” I said with deliberate emphasis as Grayson’s eyes widened “and I have no desire” I added, looking straight at my husband and hoping he understood what I was saying “to divorce or break up this marriage.”
“What about you Grayson?” my father challenged, his voice accusing “are you happy in this marriage? Do you genuinely care for my daughter or is she just a means to an end for you? I’m not stupid,” he said heatedly “the marriage was quick and no doubt there was a motive behind it” he added with a glower “but do you have feelings for Flair? Can you see yourself caring for her as a husband cares for his wife?”
I saw Grayson shift on his feet uncomfortably and my heart began to sink. Perhaps it was too much to expect him to be able to answer such a personal question. Especially since he felt I’d been lying to him about who I was from the beginning. But then a look came over Grayson and I saw his eyes narrow as he stared directly at me.
“Sir, I have been nothing but happy in this marriage since the words I do were uttered” he said fiercely, causing me to blush even more “your daughter is nothing short of remarkable and I’m not saying that because she’s a Grant. She’s funny, she’s kind and she’s loving. She makes the room light up with just her smile. I enjoy spending time with her and I look forward to going home at the end of a long day. Johnathon Rourke was an idiot to want to divorce such a gorgeous woman.”
Tears sprung to my eyes. My father looked pleased at Grayson’s little speech as Grayson sat down resolutely at his desk. “So tell me Mr Grant” he drawled as Ian sat down as well “was this your only motive for coming here today, or did you have a business reason as well?”
My father chuckled, looking fully in control, while Ian glanced at me and shrugged. It was time to talk business.
Grayson POV
I’m an idiot. From the second that Maxwell Grant had stepped foot in the room, it should have been glaringly obvious that he was not just here for business, but never would I have anticipated that he had come to divulge a secret so big that even I wouldn’t have seen it coming. Flair was a Grant. A Grant! I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She was rich. She didn’t need money or connections, or…the thought occurred to me that she might not even need me. That hurt. I had liked feeling like I was protecting her. That she needed me. That I was someone she could lean on. Now I wasn’t sure of anything, other than the woman I was beginning to fall heavily for, could have been using me.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.