Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story Read online

  “Don’t wanna shower. I want a divorce!” he mumbled loudly.

  “Okay fine, you’ll get one. After you shower,” Leila said shaking her head as she propped him up in the bath and switched on the shower. “Remember, no shower, no divorce,” she said leaving him to it.

  She went to the kitchen to make the coffee, heart pounding painfully. She didn’t know how serious Jonny was; I mean, obviously his grandfather hadn’t liked her. That was obvious from the jump despite his fake twinkling eyes. But could he have persuaded Jonny to divorce her in one night? Leila shrugged inwardly at the possibility. After all, the entire reason they’d wed was so that Jonathon could get his grubby hands all over his grandfather’s billions. She supposed it didn’t make sense to stay married if there was going to be a problem with that. Leila tried very hard to ignore the ache in her breast at the thought of never seeing Jonny again. Somehow, he’d carved a niche for himself in her heart while she wasn’t looking and now she was gonna have to carve him out. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself and was saved from the utter humiliation of breaking down by the coffee whistling.

  She poured two cups, really strong black coffee for him, Irish coffee for her and took them to the bedroom where Jonathon was just wiping himself down.

  “So?” she said handing him the cup. “You were saying about a divorce.”

  Chapter 10

  Jonathon sipped his coffee in silence until he’d emptied the cup, Leila matching him sip for sip. Once the cups were empty, Leila picked them both up and returned them to the kitchen where she deposited them in the sink full of soapy water. She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and returned to the bedroom for the verdict.

  “So. Talk,” she said, her voice shaking only very slightly.

  “I know that…this marriage was based on…getting what we both needed,” Jonathon began slowly.

  “Skip the snake oil, get to the good part,” Leila said unable to sit still and wait any longer.

  “Okay, my grandfather has decided that I no longer need to be married to fulfill the terms of his will when it comes to my inheritance. In fact, he insists that I not be married to fulfill the terms. Now I know you married me to get help for your mother and of course I’ll do my utmost to keep my end of the bargain and make sure she gets that. But it’ll be harder with just my income which isn’t as unlimited as having that safety net he gives me. I promise you that I will do everything to make sure she keeps getting the best care available.”

  “That’s very kind of you to say but believe me I wouldn’t hold you to-“ Leila began, her heart scattering into the cosmos in a million pieces.

  “I know you wouldn’t hold me to it. You are the most honorable person I’ve ever met, besides my dad. I just…I know I’m not the man of your dreams but I can’t help wishing I was so I could ask you to come away with me and fuck his money; let's just live on our own.”

  “Excuse me, what?” Leila said standing up really fast from the bed.

  “I know, I know; this isn’t a fairy tale and I’m not Prince Charming…just...” Jonathon’s mouth twisted and he laughed. “It happened in real life too. To my parents. And I guess…I guess I kinda hoped I could have that too.” He looked so sad that Leila walked up to him and put her hand on his arm.

  “What’s stopping you from having it?” she asked gently, looking up into his face with hope stark in her eyes. He didn’t see it though because he was looking up at the ceiling, trying to hide the tears in his own.

  He shook his head back and forth, “Nothing I guess; except maybe I think…I might...”

  “You think you might…what?” Leila pressed digging her nails into his bicep. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “I want this to last,” he said at last, his voice so low she would have missed it if she wasn’t so close. She whacked him on the arm, hard.

  “Well then why are you asking me for a divorce?” she yelled.

  He looked startled at her words and finally looked down from the ceiling, eyes reddened. “Because…” he said as if that explained everything.

  “Because what?” she cried, ready to begin beating him over the head.

  “Because I want you to have the choice. To choose me, but only if that’s what you want. Knowing that if you choose me; you’re choosing to not have the benefit of the money. To pick me just because it's me you want.”

  “God, you are a big, romantic baby,” Leila said.

  Jonathon smiled sadly, “I know.”

  “I choose you, okay? I choose you and I don’t want a divorce,” Leila said looking him in the eye.

  Jonathon stared at her, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she said very clearly.

  “And you understand that it means no money?” he pressed.

  “I have a law degree from Penn State. I understand what ‘he said no more money if I stay married to you’ means. The thing is…are you sure?”

  Jonathon laughed, “Are you kidding me? The last time I was this happy, my father was alive. I’m sure. But I still want a divorce.”

  Leila rolled her eyes, “Okay I’ll bite, why do you want a divorce?”

  “So that I can do this properly. I can ask your mother for permission, we can invite all our friends to the ceremony…you can have the wedding you always wanted.”

  Leila snorted, “You mean the wedding my mother always wanted…I’ve always been more of the ‘as little fuss as possible’ faction of the family.” She was smiling from ear to ear as she said it. “But I don’t think we need to go through the trouble and expense of getting divorced and remarried. We can just do the church ceremony. We are on a budget now after all.”

  Jonathon smiled, “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

  *****

  Jonathon went down on one knee the next Sunday in front of his mother, her mother, her aunt and cousins. They had all sat down to dinner to christen the new dining table Jonathon had acquired at an auction. It was a beautiful table, big enough to seat eight and a perfect centerpiece for family gatherings. Jaime had come into town for the occasion. Jonathon had given her a heads up that he was going to re-propose and he wanted her there. Leila’s family thought they were invited to meet Jonathon’s mother as did Leila. She offered to cook but Jonathon proposed they get caterers for the event because the next day was Monday and there was no reason why she should tire herself out. He wanted her to enjoy the meal too. Leila had stared at him suspiciously but it was consistent enough with how he treated her for her to take it at face value. Jonathon went to the airport to pick Jaime up and on the way they debated the merits and demerits of new ring vs. the one already in play. Jonathon liked it and wanted to keep it, but he didn’t know if he should get another just for the engagement.

  Jaime smiled fondly at him, “You know you remind me a lot of him. Not just physically, God knows Leary men tower over everyone in the room,” she said. “But just how you think…everything.”

  Jonathon smiled. “Thanks mom,” he said, very pleased to hear that. Jaime took hold of her middle finger and started to pull the ring off of it.

  “Your father gave me this when he came back from LA. It was his mother’s wedding ring; a legacy. You should have it for your wife,” she said.

  Jonathon almost ran off the road he was so surprised, “You never take that thing off.”

  She reached over and deposited it in his shirt pocket, “Yeah, well. I guess it's time.”

  He reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing tight.

  “We’re going to be alright mama,” he said.

  “I know son,” she replied.

  *****

  Coffee and desert were cleared when Jonathon stood up, clicking a glass with a fork to get their attention. It had been a really loud meal, with everybody seemingly having a lot to say to everybody else. Jaime and Raychelle had discovered a mutual love of American Horror Story and Jessica Lange that had them exclaiming all through the appetizers. Sheila was campaigning with Jonathon on
the possibility of hosting her birthday dinner on his beautiful new dining table while her mother supported his refusals and Peter and Leila were talking bikes with the enthusiasm only fitness fanatics could display. Everyone gradually grew quiet as they realized he has something to say.

  “Ladies and gentleman,” he said smiling at all of them. “I’m so happy to welcome you into our home for the first of hopefully many family dinners.”

  Sheila opened her mouth to interject and Jonathon pointed at her with his fork. “Which will not include dodgy teenagers running amok in my house.”

  “Please. We’re not teenagers. How old are you anyway?” she grumbled.

  Jaime laughed into her napkin.

  “People!” Jonathon tried to quell the derailment of his proposal and the table quieted again. He turned to Raychelle. “Mrs. Masters, three weeks ago, I married your daughter in front of a judge. I did that, without asking your permission. That was wrong. And even though I’m late, I’d like to correct that.”

  Raychelle folded her hands together and lifted her eyebrows at him in a manner so reminiscent of Leila that his heart melted.

  “I want you to know why we did it like that,” he said.

  “Jonny,” Leila half stood from her seat but Jonathon lifted a quelling hand, looking her in the eye. “New start, remember?” he said.

  She sat back down. Raychelle looked intrigued.

  “My grandfather is a billionaire as you may or may not know. I’m his only heir but he put a coda in his will that I must marry by the age of thirty in order to be eligible to inherit. My thirtieth birthday is coming up within the next five months.”

  There was a collective sigh around the table, of understanding maybe or disappointment, Jonathon couldn’t tell.

  “When my car ran Leila off the road and she was injured, it felt like, and has continued to feel like, providence. I thought that first day as I drove her home she might definitely make a good candidate for a fake wife. She was beautiful, poised, self-sufficient, sassy, brilliant, caring, strong-“

  “You got all that from a car ride?” Leila interrupted, clearly embarrassed at the never ending compliments.

  “Did I mention sexy?” he said smiling at her. She groaned loudly as everyone else laughed.

  “Anyway, so I stalked her a bit,” he continued.

  “Oh, so that’s why you kept turning up everywhere,” Leila interrupted again. He smiled but ignored her.

  “And I determined, she indeed was the right person. But I knew she wasn’t the kind to marry me for my money-“

  “Damn straight. You should have asked me,” Sheila said and her mother hit her in the back of the head.

  Jonathon smiled but ignored them in favor of continuing. “So I looked for what she needed; which was help with your medical bills,” he said looking at Raychelle. Her eyes sharpened with understanding and she narrowed her eyes at her daughter in a ‘you and me have things to talk about’ way. Leila grimaced and glared at Jonathon in turn.

  “I managed to convince her it would be a good deal so here we are.”

  “Why are you telling us all this now?” Sheila’s mother asked.

  “Because my grandfather has withdrawn the coda; has said I don’t have to be married anymore. In fact, he wanted me to get my marriage dissolved as fast as possible.”

  There was a collective “Oh” around the table and sympathetic looks cast Leila’s way.

  “Well, that is not happening,” Jonathon said making everyone laugh, mostly with relief he suspected, “In fact, it's as if providence is at work again, giving me the chance to do this right. So I’d like to ask you Raychelle Masters, if I have your permission to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage.”

  “Aww,” Sheila said.

  “Shut up,” her mother whispered to her and they all looked at Raychelle who looked thoughtful.

  “Well. I must say I am surprised to hear about your reasons for marriage. I know my daughter well, and she’s not one to be so coldly practical about anything. As for you young man, I could tell you were smitten the first day I met you; half blind from oxygen deprivation as I was. You may have told yourselves what you needed to, to make this a safe bet for yourselves; to justify moving so fast…but I’m sure. Sure I say, that love was always at the heart of your marriage. So I give my permission, post-nuptially for you to ask for her hand.”

  Jonathon bowed to her, “Thank you Raychelle.” Then he turned to Leila who looked up at him in surprise when he came around the table to her and got down on one knee.

  “Oh my God!” Sheila shrieked picking up her phone and aiming the camera at them. She wasn’t supposed to have it at the table but no-one had yet managed to separate her from it.

  Jonathon took his mother’s ring from his pocket, “I know I already gave you a wedding ring Leila, but this ring is the engagement ring my father gave to my mother. He got it from his mother. Would you do me the honor of wearing it?”

  Leila’s hand was over her mouth and she was staring at Jonathon like she didn’t comprehend a word he was saying.

  “Leila?” he prompted.

  She held out her hand speechlessly, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jonathon slipped the ring carefully onto her middle finger and then sat back on his haunches, staring at her hand in his.

  “Perfect,” he said.

  The sound of Jaime’s chair scraping back brought them back to the here and now as she hurried around the table to envelope them both in her arms, she was crying unrestrained which made Leila cry even more. Not to be left out, Sheila also began to leak at the eyes, coming to join the group hug as did her mother. Only Raychelle and Peter remained seated, grinning happily at the group.

  “Peter, get the tissues,” Raychelle ordered and he got up to go find some. “Alright alright people, enough with the suffocating my daughter. Leila come here.”

  Leila disentangled herself at once from the circle and went to her mother. She leaned down and pressed a long kiss against her cheek and then straightened up smiling. Raychelle took her hand and looked down at the ring as everyone resumed their places at the table.

  “All I’ve ever wanted,” Raychelle began, voice cracking on the last word, “Is for you to be happy. Are you happy my child?”

  Leila reached down and threw her arms tight around her mother. “I’ve always been happy mama,” she said. “Always. As long as I have you.”

  “You never lose your mama child. Whatever you do. But now,” she said disengaging Leila’s hand from her shoulder and reaching out to Jonathon for his hand, “I give you to this man. May he always be your happiness.”

  Even Jonathon was leaking at the eyes at this point. There was laughter, there was tears as the caterer brought in champagne and even Peter was allowed to have a glass, just this once.

  *****

  The wedding was held at the local chapter of the Mary Emmanuelle Church where Leila and her mother worshiped. The church was full to capacity. Jonathon’s friends had come from as far away as Milan and Australia to attend as well as from around the country. His Leary cousins filled up his side of the church having traveled mostly from New York for the ceremony. The city’s whiskey supply was running very low as a result of their presence. They had thrown Jonathon a bachelor party he wouldn’t soon forget and hopefully Leila would never find out about. There had been male strippers, female strippers, kamasutra performers, sex toy demonstrations…it had been mad, embarrassing and more than a trifle disturbing. Jonathon hoped they could behave themselves during the service and reception because most of Raychelle’s friends were church members and he did not want to get on their bad side. Almost the entire Venture-GRAD staff were present as well as a few former students who Leila had personally seen through difficult times. The church service was open to everyone after all, except paparazzi. Security had to be hired to keep them out with only one authorized camera man allowed in the actual ceremony.

  Jonathon was surprised to find that he wasn’t nervous at all. Especially c
onsidering what he was throwing away by taking this step. Sure he was terrified of what the future might hold for them, but he had no doubt he’d made the right choice.

  *****

  There were a lot of women screaming around her, trying to get her ready on time. It felt like a whirlwind was surrounding her, one that smelled of perfume and feminine hygiene products. She closed her eyes, withdrawing into herself to get away from it for a moment. Being the bride was definitely tiresome. You couldn’t just stand up and walk away if the fussing got too much. You had to stay and endure the primping and fuss and noise and be excited about it. Whose dumbass idea had it been to do this again? Suddenly, she realized that the room had gone quiet.

  “I’d like to speak to the bride alone if I may,” a male voice said, not Jonathon though…Leila turned around in her seat to see who had dared breach the veil of estrogen to speak to her.

  James Maitland stood there, a cane in his hand, looking tired and old. He bowed to her.

  “Ms. Masters,” he said.

  Leila stood up. “What are you doing here?” she asked. At her words, the room emptied and she was left alone with him.

  “I came for two reasons. The first is to find out whether my grandson informed you that you will not be inheriting any of my wealth by marrying him. No matter how many times you do it.”

  Leila stared at him, wondering what the hell?

  “I’m aware,” she said coldly.

  James lifted one eyebrow. “Yet you still wish to go through with it?” he asked in surprise.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “His businesses…they’re built with loans you know? Loans that were obtained using my money as collateral. When the financial world hears he’s cut off, you won’t have it so easy,” he warned.

  Leila shrugged her shoulders but said nothing.

  James looked at her with quiet consideration and then nodded. “Then why?” Why him?”

  “I fail to see how that is any of your business,” she said.