“Go on,” he urged succinctly, his green eyes focused on her completely.
“I overslept and when I woke up he wasn’t breathing. But someone came to help, and he got Liam to breathe again. We took him to the hospital soon after.”
It was as the report read, and as Dominic listened to her retell the story now with her own words, he tried not to condemn her for her mistake, but still, the thought that her actions had nearly cost him the life of the child he hadn’t even known he’d wanted until he’d finally held his son, made him want to lash out at her, use this in some way to make her pay. He filed the information for later, to further contemplate when he was alone. For now he simply looked at the mother of his child, fresh faced and astoundingly beautiful and tried not to compare her actions with the woman who’d given him birth. “Tell me more.”
The situation was quite surreal, and she didn’t know how to process it. She never would’ve imagined this in her wildest dreams—this outing, Dominic and herself and their child sitting beneath a tree, the appearance of a perfect family. It was too strange and it was probably that strangeness that kept Eden from losing her head. This wasn’t normal. She and Dominic were the furthest thing from a family, and regardless of the fact that they had a child together, there was nothing between them but a sham marriage and a contractual agreement that would come to an end in a few months. She would be a foolish woman if she allowed herself to buy into this fantasy, this misconception of bliss that was creeping in.
They returned home some time later in the afternoon, with Eden arriving at the mansion first and Dominic pulling up behind her in a sleek black car that was quiet but radiated power, he parked behind her Nissan and was there to help her unload Liam, holding him in a cradle at the crook of his elbow. “Leave it,” he said in reference to the other items that remained in the car. “Someone will come get them.”
“I can do it—”
“You’re stubbornness is unparalleled,” he pronounced with scathing frustration, putting a hand on her arm to lead her away.
“Yes, and you’re still a brute. Let go of me.”
He released her only when they were the foyer. “I’ve gone from monster to brute; I’m not sure if that’s a step up or a step down,” he drawled. “In any event, you will have ample opportunity to further assassinate my character this Saturday.”
“It’s not slander if it’s true,” she retorted, glaring at him. “What’s this Saturday?”
“The Armstrong Charity Dinner. You will accompany me.”
“I’m busy.”
“Naturally, but you will clear your schedule to accommodate me. I wish to have my wife by my side, so you will be there,” he instructed with deadly calm, his eyes likes shards of glass daring her to deny him.
She couldn’t refuse him even if she wanted to. Just as she’d had clauses inserted into the contract, Dominic had also put in some provisos of his own, and it appeared he was enacting one of them now. She could deny him the use of her body all she wanted, but he required her full cooperation outside the bedroom. She was his wife in name only, and that meant several things when it came to the Armstrong name. She was to comport herself in a certain manner outside of the mansion. She was to play devoted companion and wife when she accompanied him to the events that required her by his side. There were other things, smaller things, but this one was what made Eden feel like a puppet, and Dominic relished tugging on the strings to make her jump.
It was with a great trepidation and wariness that Eden called Carver’s the following day to request a night off. She hated being that girl, the one who called out sick when she knew damn well she’d only been at her employment for a short amount of time. Lena chewed her out and demanded blood before Eden was allowed to get off the phone. Blood translated to a double shift for the next two Saturdays and temporarily stepping back into her waitressing duties so that another girl could take the night off. Later that afternoon, Eden, Jenna and Liam piled into her car and drove to the nearest boutique to shop for an appropriate dress for the event Dominic was forcing her to attend. She’d declined the use of his credit card, choosing instead to foot the bill herself. She had a specific price range in mind and was determined to stick to it, but that resolve seemed to crumble two hours later, as she had yet to find a dress that was affordable and suitable enough for this event.
“What about this?” Jenna held a frilly gold number that looked better suited for an eighties prom queen.
Eden wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, this is cute.”
It was the furthest thing cute, but won hands down on the slutty factor. “Tasteful, Jenna. I don’t need any more reason to stand out among these people.”
“Did you enjoy yourself, yesterday?” she asked, needing to take her mind off this fiasco as she riffled through the racks with increasing frustrations.
“It was amazing, Ede. I so needed that. That spa, Euphoria, it was…magical.” She sighed happily, a wide smile gracing her lip glossed mouth.
“I’m so happy you got pampered. The massage therapists are amazing. Did you enjoy the milk bath?”
Jenna laughed. “It was luxuriant. God, I felt like a housewife,” she joked. “Dominic’s been really great. First the job, and then the spa treatment and shopping spree. I should really thank him.”
Eden peered at her best friend for a moment from beneath the veil of her lashes and was surprised to find Jenna looking back at her with a benign smile. “Don’t worry about thanking him, Jen. It’s the least he could do after uprooting you the way he did,” she said quietly, lying through her perfectly white teeth. Jenna didn’t need to know that Eden had spent this money on her, and she certainly didn’t need to involve Dominic in this.
“I’m just glad he decided to make me Liam’s nanny. I get to stay at the mansion and be closer to you guys. I’m really grateful, Eden. I know you probably had to bend over backwards to get me this job.”
Eden shrugged. “It’s nothing you wouldn’t do for me.” Which was decidedly true, Eden knew Jenna would do just about anything for her and she’d more than proven that already. “We need to stick together. Anymore contact with Alex?” she hesitantly inquired. She loathed broaching the subject, but she wanted to see where Jenna’s mental state was at. There was too much history with her and Alex to sever the ties so easily.
“I’ve deleted over a hundred voicemails in the last two weeks alone. I’ve listened to a few of them. He sounded bad, like he’s been binging on something heavy. He threatened to come after me…us…he begged me to call him.”
“Don’t.”
“I’m not going to, but I think maybe we should tell Dominic? Maybe he can help somehow?”
“Absolutely not,” she said bluntly, “listen to me, Jenna. Dominic is not the lesser of two evils here, he is the evil. Alex is bullshitting you, and even if he isn’t, there’s no way he will get anywhere close to the mansion to harm you or Liam. There’s too much security for him to get through, and he’s not clever enough to infiltrate Dominic’s security team.”
“But—”
“Please trust me on this, Jenna,” Eden implored, looking at her friend. “I’ll talk to the head of his security team so he can keep an extra eye on you and the baby,” she consoled, making sure the other woman understood her stance on the matter: going to Dominic wasn’t an option. Alex was a nuisance, but he was certainly one they could handle without involving Dominic in the matter.
Chapter Twelve
Saturday evening rolled in like a massive boulder, too fast and weighed with dread and apprehension. Eden could quite literally count on one hand the number of times she’d met Dominic’s family. The initial meeting had been a strained dinner in the first few months of their marriage that had ended quite badly and the second had been at another function, such as the one she was attending tonight, where the members of haute society had looked at her with all the conceit their kind could muster and had found her wanting. And of course there was that little affair she’d had with Lucas Armstrong. Eden wasn’t looking forward to this at all. Nevertheless, she armed herself for the battle she was to about face.
She was meticulous with her appearance, applying only the slightest bit of makeup. The heavy eyeliner and mascara accentuated the golden flecks of her eyes, while the peach stain lipstick gave her a perfect pout. She applied bronzer in all the appropriate places before carefully stepping into the full length, blush pink backless dress she’d finally settled on. It’d been slightly over budget, but with the options she’d been given, this dress had been a great find. It fit her well, the capped sleeves gave it a modest appeal, while the daring swoop in the back added a slight bit of sexiness. The neckline did not permit her to wear a necklace, so Eden kept her jewelry minimal, not that there was much for her to choose from. She wore simple teardrop earrings that were put on display because she’d gathered her hair up in a sleek topknot on her head. Knowing she’d dawdled for too long, Eden took in a deep breath before grabbing her clutch from her nightstand. It was time to face the music.