Shattered Vows (The Denton Family Legacy Book 2) (6 page)

Taking a deep breath, Harper hoped she could handle whatever was about to come from her little adventure.

Chapter Six

“So, Harper, what are you studying?” Charlotte Denton asked. Abel stared across the table at his wife, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. She was sipping water, and looked petrified of his family. They had all hugged her, kissed her cheek, offered congratulations. None of his family knew that only hours ago, she’d wanted to call the whole wedding off. He couldn’t let that happen.

Now he knew she was a virgin, untouched, and all for him to train how he liked her.

“I study pretty much everything.”

“Everything?” Maddox asked.

“Er, I’ve, er, I’ve struggled to pick an actual career path. It’s why I go through so many jobs. I just can’t pick one. I’m currently working for a lawyer. Abel said you used him as well. James Summers.”

“Good man,” Maddox said.

“Does that mean you’re the fiery little bitch that wouldn’t take no for an answer for a job?” Jacob asked.

Her cheeks went a beautiful shade of pink. “That was me. I wanted the job.”

“You want to go into law?” Charlotte asked.

“I’m not going into law. I’m going to be a badass like my brothers,” Tamsin said.

“Tamsin! Not at the table.”

Abel caught his sister’s eye, and shook his head. Harper didn’t have a clue about his family, and he wanted to keep it like that for the foreseeable future. He’d already let his family know that she was clueless, and how he intended to keep it that way.

“I have three brothers. They were pretty badass growing up.”

Tamsin nodded her head and scooped up some potatoes.

“I’m not going into law.”

“You don’t like working for James? There are many other paths to enjoy in law,” Charlotte said.

“It’s just not for me. I don’t exactly get a thrill. There’s so much to it, and you have too much responsibility, and it’s boring. I sound so immature.”

“Not at all. Law is boring. It’s why we break it,” Landon said.

He was sitting close to Maddox, so their father clipped him around the back of the head.

“Hey, what the hell?”

“Do you want that boarding school?” Maddox asked, shutting Landon the hell up.

“What do you think of boys starting fights, Harper?” Charlotte asked. “Do you think they should constantly get away with it just because they can win?”

Holy crap, his family must have accepted her if they were talking home in front of her.

“I don’t know. My dad always dealt with their punishment. He’d usually take away their pocket money, or make them do yard work.” Her smile was so beautiful. “Once, he made them dress up as clowns, and take the entire street kids to the movies. That was funny.”

“I need to meet this man. What does he do?” Maddox asked.

“He’s a mechanic, and owns his own shop. My brothers work for him now. Works back home. I’m from a small town.” She told them a town name that Abel remembered from the information he’d gotten. Harper didn’t come from a rich family. They weren’t poor or rich, just something in between. “My mom takes care of them. She’s the one that runs the house, and has done since she got pregnant with my oldest brother.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe being a mother is what you’re looking for?” Charlotte said.

“I’m sorry?”

“I know it’s all well and good a woman going out, taking the world by storm. Having a career is great for some women. Others like to be around the home, making it a home, taking care of kids, cooking, baking, all the stuff that has absolutely no appreciation at all.”

Abel hadn’t thought about kids. Looking at his woman, he knew without a doubt that he wanted kids. He wanted her swelling with his child, something they could both claim together.

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“You sound completely uninspired about everything else. Yet mention your mother, and you look positively animated. I know there is nowhere else I’d rather be. I love my family. I love cooking. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve never wanted a nanny, or help around the house. This is my house, my domain, and I will take care of everyone inside it.”

“Mom’s a really good mom,” Tamsin said.

“You do keep a really nice home, Mrs. Denton.”

“Charlotte, please. You’re my daughter-in-law. I won’t have it any other way.”

“So now that you’re married, what are you going to do?” Damian asked.

“What do you mean?” Harper asked.

He noticed she wasn’t eating. Why wasn’t she eating?

You’re at your folks’ house.

She’s probably nervous as fuck.

“You’re married now. Will you be living with Abel, or will he be moving in with you?” Once again his brother was pressuring her, and in the couple of days he’d known her, he already knew pressuring her was a surefire way to make her run.

“Abel, will you help me get some more drinks?” Charlotte said.

He didn’t want to leave her alone, but saw no choice. Getting to his feet, he followed her into the kitchen. His mother rounded on him. The anger on her face was clear. She poked him in the chest. “What the hell do you think you’re thinking?”

Before he could answer, she did.

“That girl has no idea who we are, what you do, or what she has just married in to.”

“Charlotte,” Maddox said, coming into the kitchen with the glasses. “This is what Abel wanted.”

“Look, she didn’t want to get to know me. If she knew the truth she would run from me. I’m asking for a couple of months, to make her fall in love with me. Maybe even get her pregnant.”

“You think that’s all it’s going to take? She’s a woman, Abel. We can run with our kids, even in this day and age.”

He shook his head. “Please, let me do this my way.”

His mother sighed. “You’re heading for a fall, son. I hope you understand that.”

She grabbed the juice from the fridge and entered the dining room.

“Do you understand what I’m doing?” Abel asked.

“I’m with your mother every step of the way. I lived what you’re doing, son. I’ve seen the pain I’ve caused your mother. The fact she is still here, loving me, is a fucking miracle.”

“I can’t let her go. I love her.”

“Then you’re going to have to work really hard to keep her. I work constantly, every single day.”

“This legacy fucking sucks!”

“Does it?” Maddox asked.

“We have to work at it. We’re in love before the women even have an inkling of what they feel for us. How is that anything less than sucky?”

“We have a gift, Abel. Unlike many other men, we know our soulmate. We know the woman we’re going to love for the rest of our life. This is not a curse. You don’t think our women fight just the same? They love us eventually. Your mother loves me, and she fights for me in exactly the same way. Stop seeing this as a curse, but a fucking legacy, which is exactly what it is.”

His father grabbed some fresh glasses, and made his way back into the dining room.

She’s on her own, asshole. Go to her.

Entering the dining room, he carried a couple of the glasses, placing them in front of people.

“What are you going to do? Stay at Abel’s?” Damian asked.

“No.”

“Yes.”

They both answered at the same time.

Abel looked at her.

“I have classes, and I don’t know where your apartment is. City driving is kind of scary,” she said. With each word she spoke, her cheeks bloomed an even deeper red. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. How about you stay with Betty and Lara during the week, and I’ll come by every single day, and then, um, on the weekend, we stay at my place?” he asked.

“That sounds good.”

“What are you doing about a honeymoon?” Lou asked.

“Honeymoon?”

“Yeah, you know, happily married. Even though it was quite rushed, and I can see that you’re struggling, I think a honeymoon would be great. Away from school, friends, your
jobs
.” Lou gave him a pointed look. She was actually helping him.
Holy shit.

“We should go on a honeymoon,” he said.

“We should?”

“Yeah. College is finishing out soon, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go on a honeymoon.”

****

And that was what they did. Harper stared out over the ocean from the Italian villa that the Dentons owned. They seemed to own everything. Nothing was ever too much for Abel. The apartment back in the city, the cars, the clothes he’d even tried to get her to buy. The leftover tuition fees had been paid for, not to mention their honeymoon. He’d tried to buy her a car, and she refused. Her bag-of-shit car was her own, and she remembered the day her father had given it to her. It had been a huge step for him as he’d been scared of letting her out into the world. That car was her pride and joy, no matter what anyone thought.

Her friends had been apprehensive about her leaving with a complete stranger, but Harper had done it anyway. Abel was nice. He was possessive, and liked to take charge of everything, but his heart was always in the right place.

“Hey, baby,” he said, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m not thinking anything. Just enjoying the evening’s sunset. Is everything okay back home?” Abel had gone to make a call. His family had said it was an emergency. She’d waited for him to start dinner.

“It’s nothing. Just consider it a family problem.”

He always said that. Abel never talked about the family business or what he did. She found it tough to get to know him.

“I know this has been a bit unusual, but I’m trying here, Harper.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to change that now.” She spun around in his arms, smiling. “I’ve been apprehensive about this, but you’re right. We’re in this together, and I was the one that did force you to get married to me.”

He chuckled. “You didn’t force me, babe. I was more than happy to get married. We’re going to start from the beginning.”

“No, we’re just going to be who we are. So, I’m Harper Ma—I mean Denton. Harper Denton. I’m twenty years old. I currently don’t have a clue what I want to be when I grow up, and I married a complete stranger.”

“Abel Denton, sexy stranger, married a gorgeous stranger. Thirty-three years old, I’ve got a huge dick, and I work for my father.”

“Doing what?” Harper asked.

“Anything he wants me to. I was thinking we could go shopping tomorrow. I’ll take you around some of the fashionable boutiques.”

“Let’s not. How about we walk into town, go to the market, maybe go foraging? I heard that is something we can do here.” She was never going to be comfortable around his money.

“Then foraging it will be.”

“Have you ever walked anywhere in your life? You’re always taking a car.”

“I walked you home from the restaurant. Do you realize, wife of mine, it has been three weeks since we first met?”

“Three weeks, wow.”

“It really was love at first sight.”

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she stared into his hazel eyes, and found herself drowning in his gaze. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and he was so caring. “I’m going to do dinner.”

“I haven’t kissed you since you told the priest you’d be my wife.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “You haven’t tried to kiss me.”

“I belong to you, Harp. You can kiss me whenever you want. You’re the virgin here.”

Harper was the virgin, and at times she wished she wasn’t. She wanted him in ways that a virgin shouldn’t want a man, and yet she did. There were nights she lay in bed, wondering what he was doing, what he was thinking. Harper hadn’t been comfortable sharing a bed, so they slept in two separate ones.

“There are things you’re going to have to let me know you’re ready for.”

“Why haven’t you just taken what you wanted?”

“And make you hate me? I intend for us to be married a long time. For that to happen, I want you to love me, Harp.”

“What about you loving me?” she asked.

“What makes you think I don’t already?”

She gasped. What was she supposed to say to that?

Abel was always saying things that completely confused her, and took her by surprise. Licking her lips, she reached out, taking hold of his shirt, and bunching it up in her first. Going onto her tiptoes, she kissed his lips. It was quick, short, and that simple touch had her so wet.

Stepping back, she looked at him.

“You can do better than that,” he said.

“Teach me.”

“You want me to teach you how to kiss?”

“You clearly don’t like the way I do it.”

Harper gasped as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. His hands gripped her ass, much in the same way that he had done at the nightclub in the casino. “You’re perfect.”