Read A Promise for Her Love Online
Authors: Elaina Lee
Â
Â
Muted Christmas music sounded from somewhere in Rick's mansion. Caylie stopped pulling her suitcase, ignoring the close proximity of Vincent, Rick's butler, who kept reaching for her luggage when she wasn't looking. Her hands were perfectly capable of pulling the bag, and her feet worked more than fine to get her where she needed to go. Despite reminding the man of this twice, he still hovered.
The weekend hadn't lasted long enough, and now they were at Rick's, where they'd remain until after New Year's. She knew she needed to get accustomed to the large residence. In two months, this would be her new address. They'd already started making arrangements for her small townhome to be put in Kyle's name. When he graduated from college, or married, she planned to give him the home. The place had been a perfect starter home for her and for him, and she couldn't bear to part with it yet.
Guests had already started to arrive. She and Kyle would occupy two of his available seven bedrooms. Five other family members would take up the rest. She figured with Rick's personal chef, maid, and butler, staying with him wasn't much different than a hotel.
Before she could stop Vincent, he headed up the stairs, her suitcase and valise in hand. Dan followed with Kyle's things. Caylie knew she should go into the sitting room with Rick to be introduced to his family. The laughter pouring from the room, all forced, made her stay rooted in place.
"Don't want to meet the new family, sis?" Kyle stopped beside her, though he didn't quit texting.
Sighing, she went to the small bench in the foyer and then plopped down on it. "What am I doing?"
Kyle raised a brow and his phone snapped shut. "Spending Christmas with family?"
"Not our family..."
His lips puttered as he sat. The bench creaked at the extra weight. "Doesn't really look too holiday-ish, does it?"
Despite the cheerful tunes filtering through the mansion, not one decoration hinted at the festive season. The curving banister to the upstairs was naked. No scented candles or little angels sat on the tabletop surfaces. If there was a tree, someone had hidden it somewhere out of sight from visitors. Not even a nativity scene was set up. This was to be her first Christmas with Rick? In a house Scrooge would have been proud of?
"Maybe they forgot, or are waiting." She couldn't accept no one bothered to decorate for what was usually the most celebrated time of the year.
Kyle elbowed her side playfully. "Or maybe you just need to do it. Forget them. This is going to be your home too. You should make it all
Caylie
and stuff."
The thought niggled in her mind. Would Rick be angry if she added a personal touch on his space? Had anyone ever put a piece of themselves into the house? Glancing around, all she could see were flourishes from a professional decorator. Not very inviting, or family oriented.
She heaved a groan and dropped her head in her hands. "What a mess. I love him, but I hate his house."
"Good thing it's just a house then," came a deep voice she hadn't been expecting.
Heart in her throat and cheeks hot with mortification, Caylie chanced to glance up at Rick standing over her. An insecure giggle escaped before she could stop it.
He held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. "Come on, I need to show you something."
Unsure, Caylie slipped her fingers into his and stood. Kyle gave a goofy thumbs up when they walked by. In the four months they'd been officialâ engaged and ready to start a future togetherâ Rick had been patient while Caylie tried to sort out what was soon to be her new identity. The wife of a wealthy man, part of a society she knew nothing about. Soon though, she figured his patience would run out.
His hand gave a brief squeeze, and he pushed the door to his office open. The quiet room was often their only opportunity for privacy, one they'd taken great advantage of in the past. Tonight though, Caylie couldn't help but wonder if this was more like her detention. Releasing his hand, she wrapped her arms around herself and strode into the empty chamber.
Leather, old books, and cedar logs stacked in a cold fireplace softly scented the room. Caylie waited in the center of the room while Rick closed the door. The faint click of the lock had her heart skipping a beat. She wondered why he wanted guaranteed privacy.
In a slow stride, he crossed the room. He encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her close. All misgivings melted away at his touch. She slid her hands up to his shoulders.
"Why can't we just stay here," she whispered, her body relaxed against his.
His hold tightened, and he rested his chin on top of her head. "How long has it been since you've done a family Christmas?"
"I don't know... a long time. It's just been Kyle and I since Mom and Dad died. And when will your house feel like Christmas? You don't even have a tree."
Laughter shook his chest. "We wait until the kids get here. We go out and they pick a tree, then Dan will take a chainsaw to it. When we get home, the decorations are waiting. Usually while we're out, my housekeeper, Lisa, has started with the rest of the house. Don't worry. You will have a festive, beautiful Christmas, I promise."
Love bloomed in her heart, spreading a pleasant flush along her skin. "I'm sorry. I swear I don't think you live in doom and gloom."
His body stiffened. Confused, worried she'd opened her big fat mouth at the wrong time, she pulled away. The light mood from earlier had disappeared from his handsome face.
"I didn't meanâ"
"Caylie," he sighed, his hands slipping from her hips to her hands. "There's something I need to talk to you about, before everyone gets here."
Dread formed in the pit of her stomach, and she wanted to pull away, but his grip tightened. "I promise I will try to say as little as possible."
His brows drew together. "Why would I want you to be quiet?"
"Um, because I'm not like you all?"
"Caylie, I love you. I'm going to marry you. I don't care if you tell everyone they're stuck up and think too much of themselves, because they do. I'm with you because of
you
. I hope my family can accept that. If they don't, it's their loss."
"Why couldn't we just have spent this Christmas alone, just the three of us?"
He sighed and released her. "I wish we could have too, but it's my year to host, and everyone wants to meet you. We'll spend New Year's together, just us, I promise."
The urge to kick something and whine like a three-year-old nearly overwhelmed her. Instead she settled on a very mature pout. "I thought rich people spent Christmas in the Alps or Italy or something."
"You're lucky.
Most
of my family is. But, if you can believe it, not everyone is as wealthy as my parents. Some of them can only afford to go out of the country once a year, not all the time."
"Oh, only," she mocked then laughed as he shook his head.
"You'll enjoy going abroad and will likely wish to go more than once a year. And next year..." He pulled her into an intimate embrace, his nose nuzzling at her neck. "Next year we'll go the Alps. Just the
two
of us."
Visions of them finding creative ways to keep warm in a snowy region left her breathless. The heat of his body and enticing woodsy scent of his cologne didn't help matters.
"And we'll be married," she whispered.
On a growl, his mouth captured hers. Caylie was able to do little more than hold on as he delivered a kiss that sent waves of desire straight to her toes. His tongue curled along hers while his fingers pressed into her hips. Everything in her ached to be against the rigid mass of his body, but she knew getting too close was dangerous.
The same notion must have crossed his mind, for he pulled away. With a sigh, he smoothed hair away from her face and delivered another soft kiss.
"I really need to talk to you about something."
"Now?"
Breathing heavily, he set his forehead against hers. "Now more than ever."
Since the distraction was much needed, Caylie knew she couldn't be too upset. She gave a nod, taking his hands in hers. "All right, tell me what's so important."
***
Rick never considered himself a coward. Until now. Staring down into Caylie's beautiful, trusting blue eyes, he didn't know how to tell her their upcoming nuptials were dependent on a contract. He loved her with everything he had. Losing her wasn't an option.
Since breaking the news wouldn't be easy, no matter how he tried, he decided a straight-to-the-point approach best. Tearing his gaze from hers to keep the guilt surely showing on his face from alarming her, he sidestepped and then headed to the desk.
"I need you to understand what I'm about to ask of you has nothing to do with the strength of our relationship."
Her jaw worked, her pace slow as she moved closer. "Okay," she replied softly.
Opening a blue folder, he glanced down at the official wording on legal-sized paper and then spun it around. "This is simply a standard precaution. I will, of course, pay for a lawyer if you want someone who isn't on my payroll to look it over."
The color drained from her cheeks. Arms wrapped around her waist, she stared at the agreement. "A prenuptial agreement? You want me to sign this?"
Pain tore through his heart at the hurt in her shaky voice. "Caylie, it's standard. It doesn't mean anything."
"Obviously it does, or
this
wouldn't matter!" She pushed the folder across the wide desk back to him. "I'm not signing that."
"All this does is ensure that if, and it's a huge if, things go badly, we're both fairly represented. This protects me
and
you."
"I don't need protection from you, Rick. And I surely hope you don't think you need protection from me," she said on a whisper, her voice shaky.
He came from around the desk, pulling her into his arms the second he could reach her. "No, no of course not." Stroking her silky blonde hair, he rested his chin on her head, unable to ignore the shaking of her shoulders. "Consider it more protection from my mother, and my lawyers."
With a sniffle, she pulled back. "I don't even want to contemplate the situation that would make it needed. Please don't ask me again to sign."
Regret settled heavy in his chest, and he took a step away. "I can't marry you without it."
***
A fresh set of tears coursed down Caylie's cheeks, and with a pitiful sigh, she wiped them away. Why the prenup came as a shock, she still hadn't figured out. Rick's vast wealth, and that of his family's, meant they needed to make sure anyone professing fake love to get money couldn't. At least not more than a percentage. She wasn't a con artist though, and if they'd asked she would have told them she wanted nothing if things went sour.
Not that they'd believe her, of course. Rick's mother had yet to personally speak a single word to Caylie since the engagement announcement. The gentle thud of Christmas music playing downstairs reminded her of the real reason for her terror. What if the rest of Rick's family treated her the exact same way? As if she was a wealth-sucking leper?
Tucking locks of hair, tangled from burying her face in a pillow, she rose from the bed. She picked up her cell from the chest style dresser and then leaned a hip against the wooden edge. Names scrolled across the screen until she found the one she wanted.
Her friend answered on the third ring. "Enjoying Christmas paradise?" Trisha asked cheerfully.
"Not exactly," she answered, trying not to break down into tears. "He wants me... he asked me to..." She took a deep, soothing breath and tried to get the words out again. "He asked me to sign a prenup."
"Oh, sweetie." Trisha's heavy sigh crackled across the line. "Are you really surprised?"
"I was, yes. I mean, I thought he knew me well enough to know I wasn't marrying him because of money."
"He does, and it's not him."
She swiped away a stray tear and shook her head in frustration. "I know. He told me they'd pretty much fire him if I didn't sign it, and he married me. They have to protect the company's wealth. So stupid."
"I agree completely, but I think they still look at marriage as a business transaction rather than one of love."
"I guess some still are," Caylie replied softly. "But ours won't be."
"Have you looked at it?"
Her attention shifted to the oversized blue folder on the bed. "I read some. I couldn't stomach much. They base my worth on years and kids, and if I contribute anything to the family or the company."
"I think all that sounds rather fair. Seriously Caylie, it's just a piece of paper. It only has as much power as you want it to."
Trisha's reasoning began to penetrate the fog of hurt. "I-I just don't think I can bring myself to sign the stupid thing."
"Can you bring yourself to lose him? Would
that
be worth it?"
"No, of course not."
"How long do you have?"
"They just need my signature before the wedding."
"Good, plenty of time for you to get comfortable with the idea. Until then, be sure to read that thing front and back. You want my brother to look it over for you?"
"Maybe. But doesn't he do criminal law?"
"I think legal talk is legal talk. I can ask him."
"Okay, thanks."
"Try and at least enjoy your first Christmas with your hottie, soon-to-be-husband, all right?"
"I will."
"Promise?"
Caylie rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed sigh. "Yes."
After making plans on when to get together for lunch, they said their goodbyes. Caylie pressed the phone to her mouth in thought, her focus still on the folder.
In two months, all the debt Caylie still owed from her parents, and what she'd racked up trying to survive while handling that load, would become Rick's debt as well. She would still manage it on her own, and while nothing was in collections, some were getting close. Especially with the cutbacks the school had to make.
The car accident that had killed her parents had left her with a mound of medical bills. What the lawsuit hadn't taken had just barely covered funeral costs. Her job as a special needs teacher at the gifted school barely fed her and Kyle. On his eighteenth birthday, she'd lost the financial support from the government. Without Rick, she didn't know what they would have done. Kyle was finishing his last year in school and couldn't be expected to support himself yet.
Knowing Rick could write a check and all her money woes would vanish aggravated her more than she cared to admit. For five years she'd done the best she could, and in less than five seconds, Rick would manage to do what she hadn't.
Deep inside, Caylie knew this was why Ms. Marshall didn't even bother to give her the time of day. To Rick's mother, Caylie was nothing more than a poor girl using her son.
A knock on the door drew her out of the depressing reverie. These were things she'd need to get over or they'd tear her and Rick apart. Setting the phone on the dresser, she gave herself a quick shake to ease away the negativity.
The door opened before she could reach it. Kyle's head poked through the space, his shaggy hair flopped into his eyes. "What are you doing up here?"
Sulking
. "I'm just thinking."
"So avoiding everyone then."
She cracked a smile. "I'm just not ready for them to ignore me like my future mother-in-law does."
"They haven't ignored me like she does. I don't think they're like her. You're making a bad impression, as you would tell me."
For eighteen, her little brother was rather astute. "Fine. I'm sort of avoiding Rick, too."
His brows furrowed and he stepped the rest of the way into the room. The door closed with a soft click behind him. "How come?"
Caylie motioned with her head toward the folder. "He gave me that tonight."
"What does that mean?"
"It's a prenup."
"One of those marriage contract things?"
Nibbling on her lip, she nodded. "Yep."
Kyle frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why would you need one of those? Doesn't he trust you?"
"Of course he does," she assured, picking up the folder. "His mother, his lawyers and the board of directors for his company do not."
"Well he should make them," Kyle responded, his face pink with anger.
Caylie gave a soft smile, her brother's loyalty warming. "I'm afraid it's not that simple."
"So are you going to sign?"
A deep breath did little to ease the weight in her chest. "If I don't, we can't get married."
Kyle blinked rapidly. "Where's a pen?"
Whether her brother spoke out of fear of losing the sudden comforts they'd gained, or because he truly wanted Caylie to be with the man she loved, she didn't know. But either way she couldn't help but smile. "I have to read it first, without crying. And I need a lawyer who's on my side to look at it too. I have a few months. Don't worry."
"Good, cause I've never seen you this happy and I don't want that to change."
She tapped the folder against her thigh. But could she and Rick be happy while the rest of the world expected their failure?