Her Best Men

“She married you for your money,” I said bluntly. “Most of the men she married were okay with that. They wanted the perfect trophy wife, someone pretty on their arm for social occasions. It was a decent arrangement until they grew tired of each other, and she left with just enough money in her bank account to keep her going until she finds the next victim – err – I mean, husband. You just happen to be the fifth man to fill that role for her. Marlon is her one true love, and you'll never compete with him. If you two have a disagreement or she feels slighted in any way, she will always run back to his arms, no matter what.”

“Why doesn't she just marry this Marlon, then?” he asked.

“Because he's not that wealthy, for one,” I said. “If you haven't noticed, my mom requires a certain lifestyle to be happy.”

A small smile pulled at the edge of his lips. “I have noticed that, yes,” he says. “She certainly seems to enjoy the finger things in life.

“Marlon isn't interested in the whole marriage deal anyway,” I say. “Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?”

Jude sighed, then ran a hand over his face, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. There was a resignation in his eyes though. It was almost as if he already knew – or at least, suspected – what I was telling him, but having me confirm it, just made it all the more real and concrete for him.

“Tell me, Jude, are you in love with my mother?” I asked.

I sat up, bottle of sunscreen in hand, coming to the realization I wouldn't be able to reach my back. I contemplated asking Jude for help, but that might come off as rather forward. I didn't think we were quite there in our “bonding” time yet, so I put the sunscreen down and laid back down against the lounge chair.

“I honestly don't know, Ember,” he said quietly. “I thought I might be in love with her. Or that maybe, I was at least, getting there. I didn't want to lose her.”

“Ah, she gave you an ultimatum, didn't she?”

I lowered my sunglasses enough to give him a sympathetic look. It was a common enough tactic from my dear mother. Get them hooked and then threaten to take away their new toy unless they give into her demands. Her demand of course, being a marriage proposal.

It was a cheap and shady ploy to get what she wanted, but damn if it wasn't effective.

“She did,” he said. “And at first, I told her I wasn't okay with ultimatums. But, not all that long after, I thought about it and I realized I'm not getting any younger. I was tired of being alone.”

My heart sank. Poor guy. “So you didn't just marry my mom for her to be a trophy then?”

“No,” he snorted. “I'm not like that. I actually want – never mind.”

“No, what do you want, Jude?” I asked, studying the way his brow furrowed as he stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

“Not whatever this is,” he said, pointing toward the house. “Not a sham of a marriage with a woman I hardly know. She's not anything like she was before we got married. It's like the minute that ring hit her finger, she changed.”

I nodded. “I know.”

Jude let out a deep breath as he stood up, staring toward the house. I'd have given anything to get a peek into his head, to know what he was thinking. He remained stoic and gave nothing away though, his face a mask hiding everything he was thinking and feeling.

“Thanks for the chat, Ember,” he said softly. “It was enlightening, to say the least.”

He left me, alone, and I had no idea what was going to happen from there on out. Jude was unlike the others that came before him. He'd come in not knowing the truth of my mom's past. As much as I hated to cause problems in their relationship, I hated lying and deception even more.

Especially with a man like Jude who was known for being incredibly charitable and kind.

Sure, him being hot didn't hurt either, but that wasn't the only reason I had a soft spot for him. He seemed like a genuinely decent man. A man who didn't deserve the load of crap that was raining down on him because of my mother.

Chapter Four

Jude

Lydia had left, and I had to wonder if Ember was right. Had she run off to another man's arms? The strange thing was, the idea of her cheating on me didn't hurt as much as I thought it would – even though I knew it was the end.

If she genuinely was having an affair so soon into the marriage, if this entire relationship was built around my money like Ember had said it was, then it was over for me. My first marriage and I was already contemplating ending things – less than two weeks after the wedding. That had to be some kind of a record or something.

I sat down in my office and closed the door. The large bay window overlooked the gardens and pool below, so I kept my gaze away from that side of the room. I focused on the task at hand instead. Picking up the phone, I called Dominic, my best man, a lawyer who would never steer me wrong. I knew he always had

my back in all things.

He picked up on the first ring.