Reckless desires:THE ODEN LEGACY

Chapter eight

Amiriam

Sometimes Amiriam begrudged the unfairness of life. Jackson Oden had risen early and was spending the day at the golf course with a group of colleagues, while Mrs. Oden was off to the spa to rest from her trip the day before. Flying in a private plane after a few months at the beach was exhausting, it seemed. Neither of them had bothered to say goodbye to their wee boy, James. In fact, neither of them had even stopped in to see Amiriam. Luckily, she had planned on spending her day sunbathing next to the pool while James had his private swimming lessons. Still, her heart ached at the thought that his parents were not around to cheer him on. He was left with her—the nanny. And nothing that all the people cheering for you could do would ever come close to having your mom or dad in the stands.

She grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to her parents.

Mom & Dad Group Text: Love you guys. Thanks for being such good parents.

Within seconds, her phone buzzed.

Mom & Dad Group Text: Love you, baby!

They knew that she turned all gooey sometimes when she was working and was used to her off-the-cuff messages. Especially when her older sister, Rita, had bad days. Rita had learned during high school that she couldn't have children. Of course, it was difficult. And it made Amiriam want to smack Mr. and Mrs. Oden over the head. They hadn't a clue that they were so privileged to possess a fabulous son, James.

Plowing into the pool like a baby seal, moments later James's head resurfaced before his eyes sprang over to hers. Flitting out of the water like a jack-in-a-box with an enormous grin, he shrieked, "I did it!"

Amiriam slapped her hands and raised her palms in an air high five towards him. He mimicked her action before his head dipped into the water again. Ditching their make-believe long-distance high five, his arms kept their strength to lift him up, and Amiriam couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as she watched him kicking to the side of the pool towards his swimming instructor, who came three times a week.

"Hello, Nanny," a familiar deep voice said behind her.

Heart stalling, Amiriam glanced over her shoulder and nearly choked on her tongue. Black board shorts, the legs cut close to a hip, a white decal on his left thigh, low riding on Luke's hips, accentuating the breathtaking V muscles that pointed to him. She coughed and drew her gaze up to his face, sliding past the caramel-colored skin on his six-pack and pecs. Nope. Not necessary to study those.

"Hey, Asshat," she replied. "Surprise to see you here."

Quirking an eyebrow, he grabbed a sunbathing chair and dragged it over to hers. "Surprised to see your fiancé, Amiriam?"

Scowling, she waved him off. "There's no need for titles."

"Oh, I think there is," he goaded. "In fact, you're my bride-to-be, don't you recall?"

"How could I forget?" she snarled, reaching for her cold Diet Coke. His eyes rested on her lips as she drank long and slowly from her straw. Licking the drops from her mouth, she asked, "You here for some reason?"

"Maybe I came to watch my little brother swim."

She snorted. "Try again."

"Maybe I missed my future wife and wanted to see her."

Eyes wide with shock. I'm going to go ahead and tell you that you need to try again. Again."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Why on earth would I believe you? We've been avoiding each other like the plague since you came home."

"That was before I said I'd marry you."

"And I'm regretting it more and more by the minute," she joked.

"Aww, don't do this. Now's the fun part."

Her mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert, so she took hold of her soda again.

"And what fun part is that?" she asked before taking a big mouthful.

"You get to plan a wedding."

Coughing on her soda, the carbonated liquid tickled her nose as she put her hand over her mouth and hacked.

"s**t, are you okay?" Luke inched forward and started slapping her bare back with his giant hand as she tried to breathe.

"Amiriam, are you okay?" James yelled out from the pool, his face scrunched up in worry.

Looking over at him, she understood how much of a distraction she was, especially when she saw his angry swim instructor glaring at her too.

Oops.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she yelled. But I'm going to go get a drink of water in the kitchen. Just keep practicing your seal dive and listening to your coach. I'll be back."

Bending back from the white reclining sunchair, she made her way towards the back door when she felt a second set of footsteps behind her. Looking back over her shoulder, her eyebrows folded.

"Do you want something?" she muttered under her breath.

Luke smiled. "Yeah. I need to talk to you."

Sighing in defeat, she continued on to where she was going, hoping a certain someone would just leave her alone but knowing he wouldn't.

Opening the back door, she entered the blissfully cool house and headed into the kitchen. Luke's heavy eyes tracked every single move as she leaped up onto her tiptoes to fetch a glass and filled it subsequently under the built-in water filter in the refrigerator. Still not saying anything, she stamped her foot on the cold tile and told him point-blank, "Start talking."

"Wow, bossy much?" he teased.

"You have no idea. Now get to the point, Luke."

"You're awfully touchy. It wasn't my idea for you to stomp in and proclaim your love for me."

"Yes, it was!" she screeched.

"I was joking."

"So, you'd like me to tell your parents it was a joke and everything can go back to normal?"

Gaze darkening and jaw clenching, he assessed her. "I wasn't saying that. I just think we should work out a few kinks."

"No need. There won't be any kinks."

With a dry laugh, he murmured, "That's not what I meant."

She knew that wasn't what he meant, but instead of pointing it out, she returned to the topic at hand.

"What kind of kinks do you want to work out?"

"First, how much is this going to set me back?" he stated stubbornly.

She bristled at the suspicion in his tone before responding, "Not all people are as materialistic as your family, Luke."

"So you're saying you don't want a slice of the pie?"

Pie?

Shaking her head, she clarified, "Your inheritance? No, thanks. I'm good."

"Then why'd you jump in last night?"

Aren't those the words?

She had been asking herself the same question for the past twelve hours, and she still didn't have an answer. Shrugging, she stated the only conclusion she could draw. "Your dad was making a lot of assumptions, and I didn't think they were very fair to you."

"My dad is always making assumptions," he said.

"Yeah. He is. And I'd wager he's not always correct about them, but I didn't think it was right for him to say you're a waste of space."

"And why are you so sure of that?" he asked.

"You've explained to me what you do with your spare time. Where are you going? Who you help. I just don't understand why you wouldn't use the truth to stand up for yourself."

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "No one has to know about that stuff."

"But if they did––"

"No," he instructed, his gaze at her narrowing as if he could read her very soul. A prickle of embarrassment made him soften and drop his arm to his side. "They don't need to know any of it. It doesn't matter what I do with my money, or how I spend my time. None of it's any of their business, Amiriam. I just want them to leave me be and let me live my life in peace. That's all."

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the strand of hair behind her ear. "And how do we do it?"

"We execute this wacky plan."

"And when you say that, what exactly are you referring to? Because let's be real, when I stuck my foot in my mouth last night and told your parents I was your fiancée, I didn't so much know what that was going to entail."

"It means we're marrying."

"I don't want to marry you. No offense but‐‐"

"It's not forever," he replied wryly, rolling his eyes. We'll divorce as soon as the inheritance has been transferred. Then, we'll go on our way apart as if nothing had happened."

A sour taste filled her mouth, so she added more water to her glass.

"Why'd you spit out your drink at the thought of planning a wedding?" he continued as she took another big swig from her cup. "I always thought women would kill for that stuff."

"Most women do. "When they're marrying the man they love," she said, emphasizing

The word love. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not quite gung-ho on getting through this farece of a marriage. I had just a single wedding planned for my life. Thank you very much."

Skirting around the island in the center of the kitchen, he moved over to her until there were only a few inches of space between them.

"This one doesn't count, Nanny. Hell, we can even get it annulled if we're quick enough. Then it will be like nothing ever happened. You can save all the mushy crap for your real husband while helping me out in the meantime. Do you think you can do that?"

She puckered her lips into a thin line as she considered what to do. Her vision blurred as she weighed the pros and cons, staring blankly at the sculpted chest in front of her. The caress of his calloused thumb beneath her chin caused the hairs on her back to prickle when he c****d her head to look up at him.

"Please?" he whispered. It was the earnestness that got through to her. The gentle growl of his asking left her a puddle. And the spots of light green in his piercing gaze as they waited for her response.

She couldn't help but actually consider it, but as he described, it wasn't permanent.

With a slow swallow, she nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Thanks. We'll probably have to talk about my parents' expectations."

His voice trailed off, and she sat there waiting.

"And what would those expectations be, exactly?"

"Like I said before, hope you don't mind planning a wedding."

She complained before allowing her chin to drop to her chest, defeated. "Why can't we just go and get married somewhere in the courtroom or just down at City Hall? "Can't we just do that? "I think you can do that." She eagerly constructed and constructed before noticing he was shaking his head.

"It's not a thing."

"I know it's a thing."

"It's not something," he repeated. "At least, not with my family, anyway." I had already mentioned the idea of you and me eloping to my dad, and he said it wasn't happening. He wants to watch the whole s**t show in the front row seats."

"That's absurd."

"That's my dad for you. Always shoving people around to get them to do what he wants. His way or the highway, and that's it. "That's why you go off the radar for months at a time, don't you think?"

"Good point," she concurred before tapping her finger against her chin and considering her options. "Hmmm."

"You're not going to squirm your way out of this, Amiriam. Might as well just own up and get on with it."

"Any chance you could persuade him it's the bride's wishes?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, that's not going to fly. I can probably persuade him that you'd only invite friends and family, though."

"I guess that's better," she admitted with a sigh. "But that means I have to break the news to my family."

"I didn't even consider that. Do I get to meet my parents? "Perhaps ask your dad for his daughter's hand in marriage?" Winking, he rested his elbows on the counter and waited for her answer.

"I don't know why you'd even ask him when you didn't even ask me," she snapped back.

A belly laugh rocked the kitchen, his eyes shining with humor. "Good point. Stacy picked up the ring when she stormed out last night. Good thinking on the whole grandmother's ring, though."

"Right? I'm just surprised by your mom––"

"Stepmom," he corrected her fiercely.

"Stepmom," she mimicked, "didn't know it was from the mall. That would've been so embarrassing!"

He shrugged. "Nah. She doesn't step into those, or at least not the ones you shop in, so you're in the clear. But you are going to have to pick out a kick-ass dress."

Rolling over in her stomach, she stood beside the counter, copying his stance with elbows resting on the chilled, twirling granite surface. "I wouldn't have a clue where to start shopping for a dress that would receive her approval, not to mention be able to afford it."

"Groom's family is treating. Amiriam."

"You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do. Do you have any idea how much of a favor this is? What you're doing for me? There isn't a chance in hell I'd let you pay a dime for any of it. It's the least I can do."

She gazed up at him from beneath her upper lashes, observing his chiseled face for sincerity. "You sure?"

"Positive. I'll get you my credit card later today. Just put any wedding costs on it. No big deal."

Part of her wanted to correct him. To inform him it was her father's credit card because he was footing the bill, but she did not want to insult a bruised injury.

"Are you sure?" she asked him again.

"Good. We'll have to find a wedding venue, caterer, and all that crap. Can you go at a certain time?"

"Umm. Can James come with us?"

"It's not like my stepmom is going to step in and babysit him, so do I even have a choice?"

"No way. I'll also need you to watch him today when I go look for clothes."

Narrowing his eyes, a very irate Luke considered his alternatives before growling, "Do I get a say in this?"

" Nope!" she trilled again, with more energy this time. She could barely suppress her triumphant cackle. "Unless you'd like me to roll up on the wedding day in a trash bag."

"Pretty sure that would penalize you more than me."

She shrugged. "You're not the ones we're trying to impress. It's your father and stepmother who need to sign off. Right?"

With a sigh, he waved his huge hand through the air, obviously shooing her away. "Go, get ready, and choose a dress. I'll babysit the little asshole today, but you owe me."

"No, I don't," she teased. "You owe me."

And you'll keep owing me for the foreseeable future, my friend. Get used to it." Racing down the hall, up the stairs, and to her room, she caught herself smiling from ear to ear over their confrontation.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.