Not Husband Material (Billionaire's Contract Duet 1)

“Oh, that was a lifetime ago, I’m practically meeting a new woman. And my son’s wife, no less,” she added, beaming at her. “I’m so glad your busy schedules were able to let this happen, dear.”

Mom’s passive-aggressiveness could sting like a dagger when it needed to.

“Thank you for hosting this, I never thought we would be able to have a full reception like this. Everything was so rushed, and then we got caught up in these renovations we’re overseeing, and...” Haley smartly added.

“Think nothing of it,” Mom dismissed with an icy smile that told me she was just accepting that excuse for the time being. “Let’s not keep the guests waiting, though--come, come.”

Mom led us inside the building to the dining room, which was so decked out in decorations that it looked like a royal couple was getting married. The room practically glowed golden, with marble floors and lavish chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Large tables sprawled throughout the room with golden tablecloths, and the smell of the food in the air made my stomach growl. Bouquets of flowers I recognized from southern France adorned the tables, and the scent was strong enough that the whole room had just the faintest undertone of them.

It was exquisite.

Mom had a certain unmatched skill in organizing these kinds of things in record time.

I glanced over at Haley to see that her jaw had dropped, and I gently reached over to close it. She blinked and looked over at me with wide, shining eyes and a growing smile.

While Mom was a few steps ahead of us, I leaned in to whisper, “Pretend it’s really for us and not the family.”

“I’m way ahead of you.”

The next few moments were a rush that I was adept at handling, but I couldn’t speak for Haley. Mom swept us from table to table, where I introduced my new wife to every relative under the sun. Haley played her part perfectly, giving charming smiles to some, hugs with others, and even kisses on the hand to some of my more old-fashioned relatives.

My height tended to run in my family, so it didn’t help Haley’s nerves that she was dwarfed by nearly everyone in the room, but I stuck close to her side, never letting her leave my arm. Each time we got close to the next person we were supposed to meet, I would whisper a quick summary of them.

“Great-uncle Marty. Semi-retired, runs a luxury hotel he calls a bed and breakfast in eastern Italy.”

I could feel Haley’s tension, but she navigated things like an expert.

Next came the business partners. Some of them were closer to my age, but most were middle-aged, paunchy, and imposing.

“Ah, so this is who the famous Chase Hawthorne finally landed!”

“Pleasure to meet you, you have a fine man on your hands.”

“Simmons, was it? Your father was a fine man, all the best to your future together.”

The greetings bombarded her in quick succession, and I could tell that I needed to get Haley somewhere she could take a breather and have a glass of sparkling water. She was waving nervously to the tenth business contact of mine she’d met this evening when I flagged down Mom.

“I think I’d like to get a drink for the two of us--will the pleasantries survive a quick break?”

“Oh, of course, dear, I’ll let you two go, you’ve endured enough punishment to satisfy me,” she granted me with a knowing smile that I shot back.

“It’s a pleasure, really,” Haley insisted with the brightest smile she could muster, but Mom waved her off.

“You can relax, darling, you’ve been sufficiently hazed. Go enjoy some of the drinks.”

As I led Haley away, she breathed a sigh of relief, and I took a couple glasses from one of the servers that was making the rounds and handed one to her.

“To surviving,” I proposed, clinking my glass to hers, and she laughed softly before we drank.

“Is this what the whole night is going to be like?” she asked.

“Something like that, but don’t worry, it will be easier to keep your head down once we get some food. Trust me, most people are here to put me through the wringer, not you.”

She nodded, and after a little small talk, we took our seats to enjoy some of the finest food Mom could conjure up on short notice--which was very fine indeed.

By the time the filet mignon was being served, I was engrossed in chatting with Haley about who was who all around us. In fact, I was so engrossed that I hadn’t noticed the seat across from us was empty, until its owner came to have a seat in it.

As she approached, my face went still, and my jaw clenched instinctively.