“I don’t want your wedding planning company,” I said horrified. “I hate weddings.”
Several well-dressed women returning from the powder room gave me dirty looks.
“You can’t say you hate weddings at a wedding,” Grace said, punching me lightly on the arm. “That’s sacrilegious!”
“Trust me,” I said, “I don’t want any of your company.”
“And I’m not paying you alimony,” she said, glaring at me.
I gaped like a fish.
“I am the billionaire here,” I sputtered. “I would pay you alimony.”
“I don’t want anything from you.” She glared up at me. “Besides, you could pull some sort of trickery and try to take my hard-earned profits.”
“You are insane,” I said to the wall sconce. “This is insanity.”
I turned back to Grace. “We are going to hopefully get an annulment. I have lawyers working on it, and if not, we will have a no-fault divorce.”
“I don’t trust you,” Grace said after a moment.
“Good, because honestly, I don’t trust you either,” I said.
“Well, good. That’s settled.”
“Oh, Chris, you brought a plus one! Adorable!”
Dana Holbrook, in a floor-length black dress, toasted us.
“Actually,” Grace corrected, “I’m working. I’m the photographer.”
“I see.” Dana took a sip of her wine. “You two please let us know when the big move-in date is so we can schedule the camera crew.”
“Moving?” I said. “Moving where?”
“You have to move in together,” Dana said. “You’re married. All the couples move in together.”
“I don’t have any room for him. My apartment is crowded enough as it is,” Grace protested. “I mean, look at him! He’s huge!”
“Then move into his house.”
“No,” I barked. “No, I will not! I live alone.”
“The big move-in is part of the terms of the contract,” Dana said, opening her clutch and checking her phone. “We need move-in footage by the middle of next week to finish the next episode on time.”
“You are not moving in with me,” I warned Grace. “If she wants footage, you can just pretend to move in, but then you have to take your crap and leave. I don’t allow anyone in my space.”
“As if I want to live in some gross bachelor pad. I bet there are empty beer cans everywhere and you haven’t washed your sheets in years.”
“For your information, I have a cleaning lady who comes every day. My penthouse is spotless.”
“I’m sure you have a big pile of garbage in there.” Her flinty gaze met mine.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do…because I’m looking right at him.”
Fuck. Grace was infuriating! The fact that she didn’t want to move in together somehow made me angrier.
I went into the restroom to splash water on my face. Move in? With Grace? Absolutely not. I did not allow the women I slept with (because I had sworn off dating) into my personal space. That was asking for trouble. I made sure any woman I had any sort of involvement with knew where she stood in the pecking order of my life.
I was blotting my face with a paper towel when the door to the men’s restroom opened.
“Chris!” My father was on the slippery slope to sloppy drunk.
I braced myself.
“Wasn’t sure if I’d see you here, son.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Figured you probably had enough of weddings.”
“Can’t seem to escape them,” I told him ruefully.
My father blew his nose noisily. “I’m glad to see you didn’t bring that gold-digging hussy here with you. Always leave her home alone. Don’t give her an inch. Don’t let her think you’re on the market for a real wedding. You can’t trust these women. Take it from me. Your mother screwed me over.” My father was swaying slightly.
Scratch what I had said earlier. He was much closer to sloppy drunk than I’d thought.
“Your mother ruined my life when she had you,” he said, listing slightly and jerking against me. “I got saddled with all those child support payments. Millions of dollars you cost me, boy. She trapped me. Mark my words: this wife of yours is going to do the same thing to you. I finally got out from under the thumb of those payments.” He finished the rest of his drink in one long swallow.
“I know,” I said, like I had a thousand times before. “I’m really sorry.”
“Your mother ruined my life,” my father repeated. “I’m glad you finally saw the light. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”
13
Grace
The wedding had ended in the wee hours of the morning. Chris had avoided me the rest of the night. He just drank and bro-ed it