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“Nonsense, Tammy’s very conservative, but she’ll figure it out. As children, she always wanted to be close to James, but for some reason that never happened. I think the worst thing for her is having a stepniece over thirty. She likes to think of herself as a child bride,” she chuckled. “It’s all quite sobering for her.” I practically felt her grin on the other end of the phone. “Don’t worry, leave it with me. I’ll run everything past you, but I better get on with it, because I’ll have to contact the club, find a day, confirm that with you, and let the rest of the family know. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have answers.” I thanked her and closed the call out, turned in a state of shock, and looked at James with wide eyes and an open jaw.
“What?” he asked, chuckling. “When I told her we wanted to get married, do you know what she said?” I shook my head. “About time too.”
My heart squeezed at his words of acceptance from his mom. “She’s on steroids about arranging the wedding. You sure know how to poke the beast,” I said, sharing how excited she was.
He laughed. “You may have been bumped up in the ranks to her new favorite for allowing her to organize your wedding, but I guarantee she’ll listen to your instructions and not overstep.”
I turned and stared out of the window at the city. I couldn’t believe my luck in finding James. I inhaled deeply to calm my hot-wired nerves. One minute James and I were lying in bed, talking about nothing, and the next I’d given his mom permission to plan a wedding, one James had barely suggested we have thirty minutes before.
“Will your father’s legal team have time to put a prenuptial together in time?”
“What prenuptial?”
“One to protect your family assets,” I explained.
“No, I don’t need nor want one of those,” he stated, firmly.
“Your father won’t agree with you. He’d be crazy not to insist you have one. It would be financial suicide not to have something written.”
“That’s the wealth manager in you talking, Tricia, not my fiancée,” he replied sternly, and lowered his brows.
“Speak to him, James. I’m not getting married without one.”
“Of course, you are … don’t be so dramatic. He knows you’re not a gold digger. Besides, Sawyer and Billie don’t have one … I don’t think Caitlin has either.”
“They aren’t me. And Sawyer isn’t on the boards of your father’s companies. He’s not being primed to take over in the same way you are. I want a prenuptial agreement in place that says I get nothing, other than half of what we build together going forward from the date of our marriage.”
“Do you lack confidence about our marriage?”
“No, I’m doing what I think is necessary to feel I have an equal partnership. What I learned about your family and the visible extent of some of your wealth, during that trip to Vermont, almost scared me off. Knowing someone is wealthy and having a glimpse of those valuable physical assets were entirely something else. Think about it. How would you feel if you were me? I’m not the most trusting person, given what’s happened in my past, but I need you to know I’m with you for all the right reasons, not because one day you’ll inherit the world.”
“You’re making a big deal—”
“And you’re playing your family’s money down,” I snapped. “If you love me, you’ll understand this is what I need. I want you to be sure I’m marrying you because you are the only man in this world for me. As long as there’s no prenuptial agreement—”
“I know what this is, you’re worried what people will say,” he snapped, with a thunderous look in his eyes.
“Then there is that too … but no, James, I’m not my mother. People are going to speculate anyway, they’re bound to. But that is the least of it, and personally, I couldn’t give a flying fuck what people say about me as long as it’s true.”
“So why is my family’s money such an issue? If my father thought it was necessary he’d already have spoken to me about it. Tammy has one in place, none of us were that sure of Jonathan, and to be frank, our opinions haven’t changed much since. You and Billie … you’re both different. We’re in love, baby,” he said, and ran his hand through his hair the way he did when he was frustrated. “Besides, now … hear me out, what if something happened to me the day after the wedding?”
“I’d have what I have now, which is far more money than I can ever spend in my lifetime.”
“Is it your money you want to protect? If that’s what’s holding you back, draw something up and I’ll sign it right now.” The laugh that left my chest sounded both hollow and sarcastic.
“That’s very funny, but I already know if anything happens to me, my half of Dad’s house goes to Marnie, and everything else I have left goes to you, since I amended my will when we became serious.”
“Yet, you won’t allow me to make provisions for you?”
“Sure, provisions like this penthouse in New York we both now share, the cars, the assets we have and use every day, but other than that, no.”
“Fuck, you’re infuriating.”
“And you’re being a dick. How many women would be arguing for this?”
“None, which is why we’re here right now … why that ring is on your finger and not on someone else’s.” James was still naked from when he’d gotten out of bed and he stood tall, his muscles flexing and bunching as frustration rolled off him. Even in the midst of a monumental argument, I still felt somewhat distracted. In that moment I stepped closer and hugged him.
Both of us stood by the window overlooking the city. James immediately slipped his hands up under his T-shirt I wore and splayed his large hands over my back. A reluctant smile teased at his lips as he looked down at me. Our gaze intensified and we stared silently at each other for a few moments longer before I spoke again.
