The Marriage Rival

It’s a classic French chateau with panoramic views of Malibu. When they bought the house a few years back, the previous owners had spent a fortune making the house luxurious with quality craftsmanship throughout the entire property.

The house itself boasts seven bedrooms and ten bathrooms. Some of the highlights are the gorgeous chef’s kitchen with a Groin vault ceiling and attached formal dining room with a stone fireplace.

There is a temperature-controlled wine room because the previous owners owned a winery in Napa Valley. Aside from the large home theater with adjoining wet bar, game room with mirrored glass ceiling, my favorite place in the whole house is the library. Much like myself and Haden, Charlie and Lex enjoy reading and collecting books. The room itself has a built-in fireplace and plush sofas to sink into and immerse yourself in a good book.

We circle the driveway, stopping at the front door. The luscious landscaped grounds surround us as we exit the car and wait at the door.

“This house is something,” Haden comments, admiring the woodwork of the door.

I nod in agreement as the door opens, and Charlie greets us.

Lex is one of our shareholders and husband to one of my best friends, Charlie. Together, they have three daughters. I don’t know how Charlie juggles it all. Much like Haden, Lex works a fair bit plus Charlie runs her own law firm. She often tells us she chases her tail, barely sleeps, and the key to pulling it off is a routine. Lex, unless traveling, always drops the girls off to school so Charlie starts early those days. She works from home twice a week, plus hired two senior lawyers to take the workload off so she can focus on the more urgent cases.

They seem to have it all together, despite Charlie arguing they don’t. However, they have a strict rule in their family—no work on the weekends. It seems to work. They have a strong marriage and three beautiful and well-rounded children.

“Lex is grilling some chicken. He’s been watching some cooking show trying to become the next Gordon Ramsay.” She laughs, tossing her hair to the side as she ushers us in. “Who am I to complain? A husband who cooks is every woman’s dream.”

Haden kisses Charlie on the cheek and heads to the back to join Lex. Masen has already run off, finding Charlie’s youngest daughter, Addison, on the trampoline out back.

“Where are the rest of the girls?”

“Amelia is in her room, sulking. You know, being dramatic and all.”

“Already?”

“Yes, and Lex said she isn’t allowed to go to a boy’s party when he found out she kissed said boy at school on a dare.”

“Oh,” I mouth. “Boys…”

“Not boys… a boy.”

I cringe. “That’s even worse.”

“You’re telling me. So that’s her, and Ava is probably out back practicing for her game this weekend.”

I can’t imagine raising three girls. Lex, an overprotective husband and father, often expresses his anxiety over the girls reaching puberty. Amelia is one beautiful girl. She is the spitting image of Lex with her mousy brown hair and deep green eyes, the same goes for her sister, Ava.

Addison, their youngest, is a mix of both.

Charlie leads me to the kitchen. I place the dish down on the countertop, taking in the delicious aromas.

“So, I heard about Indie Press,” she says, tossing the lettuce in the salad bowl. “Good news, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You’re not happy?”

“I am, it’s just a lot of work,” I tell her, not wanting to the share the real reason why I am not happy.

“Since when are you afraid of work?” She stops mid-laugh, watching me with concern. “What’s wrong? Something is wrong. Is everything okay between you and Haden?”

Charlie knows me well. After all, she is one of my best friends. Normally, I would confide in her, and lying to her isn’t something I feel comfortable with, but I still haven’t come to terms with all of this. Until I do, I want to keep it to myself.

Lex and Haden walk in, breaking the conversation. I leap off the stool to kiss Lex hello on the cheek before grabbing a bowl and helping Charlie to the main table.

Throughout dinner, Lex, Haden, and myself talk about Indie Press while the kids surprisingly eat quietly beside us.

When it comes to business, Lex is a shark. Nobody messes with him, and it shows in