Rock Hard

> I know you feel that way, but I don’t. You can’t deny that there’s something great between us. This attraction… you don’t want to give it up. Neither do I. Let’s just see where it goes, okay? I don’t want to lose you.

Clara looked up from her phone, and I got my wish. She finally looked at me… but her look was filled with a mixture of disappointment, anger, and bitterness. After a second, she typed in a final response and tossed her phone back into her purse.

> That’s enough.

My spirits collapsed for the second time since I caught wind of the wedding date.

She’s closing me off, I bitterly thought.

It was arguably lucky that I didn’t have to spend too much time in the backseat with her after that point. The roads became familiar again, and within a minute we were pulling up to Sarah’s driveway.

The last time that I was here, I came face to face with destiny. Clara, that seemingly harmless little infatuation of mine, came face-to-face with me as we met each other’s parent. At that moment, this was all some sick, cosmic joke, but it was a joke I wanted to see through to the end.

Now that I was here, I realized that I didn’t find the punchline particularly funny.

As soon as we were parked and the ignition was dead, Clara jumped out of the car. Following her lead, my father stepped out, crossing around to Sarah’s side and helping her out.

“Such a gentleman!” She cooed.

I excused myself out the back, snatching up Clara’s purse. In her haste, she’d apparently forgotten it. As our parents strolled towards the door, I caught up to her, stuffing it into her hands.

“You forgot this,” I remarked.

“I left it in there on purpose,” Clara replied.

“What, so that I’d grab it and bring it to you? A little cliché, don’t you think?” I smiled warmly, happy to make a little banter.

Clara leaned in and, whispering under her breath, she maintained eye contact and verbally twisted the knife: “No, you idiot, I left it in there so that you couldn’t bother me over text messages for the rest of today.”

Dad and Sarah were at our side within a moment, unlocking the front door and preventing me from responding. Clara whisked a few strands of hair out of her face and firmly put her back to me as she followed them inside, leaving me outside alone.

I thought that was as bad as it could get.

A car I didn’t recognize pulled up behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder. To my immediate vexation, my grandparents climbed out of the backseat, glancing at the house with veiled amusement.

Oh, not this shit now.

“Dalton, we didn’t get much of a chance to speak,” Raleigh Carlyle greeted me as he approached, his wife on his arm. “I daresay you look the very image of dignity.”

Suppressing the disgust in my throat, I curled my lips up into the most sincere smile that I could muster. Ancient, indignant windbag that he was, Raleigh was still family… and he still held the Carlyle Fortune in his gnarled grasp.

“Pleasure to see you again, grandfather,” I cordially addressed him. “And you as well, Nana. How were your travels overseas?”

“Dreadful,” he answered haughtily.

“I’m quite sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, well… certain things can’t be helped, I suppose,” he sniffed, surveying the neighborhood under his discerning eye.

“How about you, Nana?” I asked my stiff but otherwise polite grandmother. “Did you find the journey agreeable?”

“Given how low I set my standards for commercial flights, it was reasonably acceptable,” she replied crisply. “Thank you for asking.”

“Of course. Shall we go inside?”

“Not just quite yet,” Raleigh answered, lifting his chin. “This is the first time we have seen you in a number of years… I’d like to hear where you are in life, and what your plans are for the future. Of course, the moment we walk through that door, we’ll be subjected to the carnival that is that swift, thoughtless marriage…”

Raleigh… your failing health is why they escalated the timeframe, you bitter, old sod.

Instead, I bit my tongue on the matter.

“As you’re aware, I’ve concluded eight years in military service,” I reminded them. “Of which I was released just a few months ago. I’m twenty-six years old now, leaving me four years until my thirtieth birthday. I’ve enrolled in higher education, and the date will coincide with the completion of my graduate degree.”

“Very good,” he nodded. “Very good indeed.”

I chose my words carefully. “Grandfather, Dad has revealed to me that there are certain… stipulations to inheriting the Carlyle Fortune. Stipulations that I wasn’t aware were there. Could you elaborate on this concern for me?”

The two of them stiffened visibly.

“What has William said to you?”

“Nothing concrete. He merely hinted that there were rules in place to continue the longevity of the inheritance… to keep somebody foolish from wasting it all away.”

Raleigh’s face set into stone.

“It was not his place to say anything of the sort. Dalton, I command you to forget all of whatever foolish notions that man put into your head. Continue focusing on your education for now – the rest will be explained in time.”

“So there are strings attached,” I replied.

It was too late to retract my sentence, given how dark their faces grew.

“I gave you an order. Don’t defy it.”

“Of course, Grandfather,” I answered impartially. “Forgive me. It’s just that the events of today have… surprised and distracted me.”

They looked sympathetic for a moment.

Coming from them, that was never good.

“I can sympathize with that,” t

he thin old man replied. “Trust me, it came as a great surprise to your grandmother and I, too… a particularly unpleasant one, I’ll add.”

She looked at him briefly, the stonewall crumbling for just a moment, but within the instant she was just as impartial and statuesque as him.

It occurred to me that my grandfather was too proud to tell anybody that he was dying… which left her to break the news. Otherwise, my father would have never known, particularly given the estrangement between them.

I gazed upon my grandmother. Interesting.

“I’m sure that they’re all wondering where we are,” I replied calmly. “Shall we go inside? It’s not going to be to your usual tastes, but I’ve heard that they hired some caterers for the afternoon.”

My grandparents chuckled.

“Very well then,” Raleigh answered. “Let’s get this pernicious shit-show over with.”

And just like that, I followed them inside, walking straight towards a night that was going to change absolutely everything.

Arrogant Brit

Chapter 13

Unfortunately, my new grandparents-in-law looked like they would rather be dangling above a volcano than watching their son celebrate his new marriage.

Regardless of that little detail, my parents’ makeshift wedding reception was actually pretty decent, even if it was hosted out of their home. They’d even hired really good caterers – specifically, my catering staff.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you here!” Beth chuckled as I whisked a few hors d’eovres off of her tray. “Is this your event? Do you live here?”

“It’s not mine, no… it’s my parents. They just got married. And no, I have an apartment back in the city.”

“Oh, really? Your parents are just marrying today, huh? How neat!”

I laughed when I saw her confusion. “No, I mean, Mom just married this guy. He’s not my biological father. Now, I get a stepfather and a new stepbrother out of the mix.”