Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,85
demanding texts after I ghosted that conversation—Holy fuck, you’re pregnant?! I was kidding. If we locked eyes, I’d start crying, or she would make an overture, and I’d blurt the truth to a horrified Tony and Christian.
Keep it together.
I focused on our surroundings. Black-and-gold stenciled palm leaves flared on the bar’s backsplash. Potted, leafy plants stood in every corner. We sat beside a purple wall glowing with Thai letters, shadowed in darkness. A single LED candle glowed in the middle of the rustic table, illuminating our faces and not much else.
“Good choice, T.” Christian flipped the menu, apparently impressed. “This looks amazing.”
Jennesy leaned into his side. She’d pulled out all the stops tonight. She’d tamed her messy curls into waves that brushed a classy, black cocktail dress. She kept batting her eyes at Christian, who flashed a dimple in her direction.
Tony had said little since we arrived, his fists clenched, watching the glass as though he expected an invasion. He tore his attention from it to peer at me.
“You couldn’t wait to come here. Now you’re picking at your food?”
I set my fork down, trying to settle my nerves. In ninety minutes or less, I’d tell him he was a father. I avoided Tony’s gaze and stared at my lap.
“Sorry. I guess I’m not feeling well.”
His stare drilled into me. “Do I need to hand-feed you? Because I don’t mind giving our friends a show.”
My cheeks blazed.
He glared at me until I pushed a tiny ball of rice past my lips and chewed, grimacing.
He gawked at me. “You okay?”
I forced my mouth to smile.
It turned out that I hated Thai. Coconut still knotted my stomach and the nauseating smells from the kitchen didn’t help. I’d nibbled on the corner of the spring roll served with a peanut dipping sauce, but that was all I could stomach. I probably came off like a high-maintenance wife to everybody but Jennesy, who at least suspected the truth.
“Planning anything for Mother’s Day?”
Alarm shot up my spine, but Christian’s question was directed at Jennesy.
“I’m sure the club is doing something. They’re always good about keeping me involved.” Jennesy’s smile glowed with happiness, and then it flickered out like a light. “It sucks that you can’t come home,” she said to me. “Ben misses his auntie. Maybe one day.”
“Evie will have to walk over my corpse on her way there because I’m never allowing her to go to the MC again.”
“T, lighten up.”
Tony swiveled his head at Christian, sneering. “Wasn’t it a few weeks ago that you mentioned I was too lenient on Evie?”
Really?
“All right. Fine. I wouldn’t like my wife visiting the club either. No offense, hon,” Christian added as he winced at Jennesy. “I don’t trust the MC.”
“They have no code,” interrupted Tony savagely. “Or honor. They’re lawless beasts with no respect for themselves, their women, or their property.”
Jennesy made a thoughtful sound. She didn’t look put off, but it’d lowered her spirits. Then Christian took her hand and whispered in her ear. Her googly-eyed stare returned. Jennesy’s grabbed his tie and tugged him closer. Her saucy reply was lost to me, but Christian laughed heartily.
A wide grin cracked his handsome face.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I felt terrible about suggesting this date. I was a voyeur to Jennesy’s budding romance with Christian, especially since Tony didn’t even want to be here. He tensed when people approached. After several failed starts at conversation, I gave up and eavesdropped on Christian.
“Four brothers. One girl,” explained Christian, digging into his Pad Thai. “I’m the oldest. I started working at fourteen to help provide.”
“Fourteen? Wow.”
“Yeah.” His chest expanded in a gigantic sigh. “Never finished high school.”
“I did, but I dropped out of college. And not to help out the family. I was naughty. Got pregnant out of wedlock.”
“Where is the dad, if that’s not too private?”
“He died before Ben was born. His handle was Crash.”
The name strangled me. Fuck—I’d never told her about the circumstances involving Crash and Tony. I grimaced at Jennesy, and she stared at me, head-cocked, unaware she’d crossed the line.
Christian choked on his beer. Tony’s attention snapped to Jennesy as though yanked by an invisible wire.
“Your boy’s father is Crash?”
“Yeah. So?” Jennesy spooned her noodles as Christian shot Tony a ferocious stare. “We had a brief fling.”
Astonishment touched Tony’s face, and then he bristled. “You hooked up with that scumbag?”
I sank my nails into his thigh.
Christian growled a warning.
Tony ignored us, eye-fucking Jennesy.
Her brow was high and rounded as she returned his glare. “Not