“She didn’t, I swear,” Randall teased, then his eyes slid to Alex beside her in a considering manner. “And this is your next husband, I presume?”
Olivia was aware of the tightening of Alex’s mouth. He obviously didn’t like being thought of as a “next” husband.
But she nodded and pasted a happily married smile on her face. “Yes, this is Alex.” She introduced the two men. “Alex, this is Randall. One of my stepfathers.”
“Ex-stepfathers,” Randall pointed out, shaking Alex’s hand. “I was the rich, handsome one.”
Alex appeared to relax. “Obviously.”
Randall turned to look at Olivia. “Unfortunately, I’m not rich anymore.” He sighed. “As much as I still love your mother,” he said in an exaggerated fashion, “she absolutely took me to the cleaners.”
Olivia suddenly felt uneasy. She didn’t want Randall saying too much in front of Alex.
“Thank heavens she didn’t ruin my looks,” he said in a manner that seemed ludicrous because he wasn’t joking. “And thank heavens she has you to pay off her debts now,” he said, sending dismay through Olivia. “I’ve told her to get another husband but she won’t.”
Olivia felt Alex stiffen beside her. “Randall, how is Cybil?” she said to change the subject.
“Fine, darling. She’s doing a show on Broadway. That’s why we’re here in New York. That and to see our first granddaughter.”
Olivia knew that Randall had no idea of the pain his words caused her. She had lost her baby after he’d divorced her mother and Felicia hadn’t shared that news with him. Her mother had never believed she wouldn’t have a child so she probably didn’t think of it as an issue.#p#分页标题#e#
She forced a smile. “Shari has a baby? How old is she?” It nearly killed her to ask.
“Just a couple of months and she’s a little darling,” Randall said, then went on to sing the praises of his first grandchild.
Olivia could see the glint of anger at the back of Alex’s eyes. Oh, why had Randall said anything about her mother’s debts? She didn’t need this right now.
After that, they spoke of other things, then they kissed goodbye and promised to meet up another time. All the while Olivia could feel Alex’s anger seeping through, despite his outwardly calm manner.
He said nothing until the function had finished and they were back in their hotel suite. Then, “Something else you didn’t bother to tell me?” he said, an edge to his voice.
She played for time as she placed her purse down. “What do you mean?”
Irritation flared in his eyes. “The money I gave you to marry me paid for your mother’s debts, didn’t it?”
She inclined her head. “Some of the money did, yes. The rest helped pay off my own business debts.” She frowned, pretending ignorance. “You have an issue with that?”
His gaze sliced over her. “I have an issue with you not telling me things.”
Her chin lifted as her heart sank. “You mean about my infertility, right?”
For a moment his face closed up. “Yes,” he muttered. Then his mouth tightened. “And now this. I feel I don’t know you at all.”
“You don’t know me, Alex. If you did, you’d know that there are some things I like to keep private, just as there are some things you like to keep private.” She paused deliberately. “Such as the fact that your father expects you to father a child.”
A momentary look of discomfort crossed his face, then he gave a jerky nod. “Point taken.”
“Good.”
“Just tell me one thing,” he fired back at her. “Are there any other surprises I should know about?”
“No.” She started to walk away. She’d had enough. They were tired and their nerves were stretched and this wasn’t a good time to discuss anything further.
He blew out a breath. “It comes down to trust again, doesn’t it?” he said, stopping her in her tracks. “You married me, but you didn’t trust me about your mother’s money problems. You thought I might let it leak to the media and make some publicity out of it.”
It was all true.
Every word.
She sighed. “The point is that I married you, Alex. You must’ve had some sort of redeeming quality about you, though for the life of me right now I can’t see what it is. I’m entitled to my privacy.”
His eyes shuttered then he turned and poured himself a drink. “Go to bed, Olivia. I’ll come in later.”
Sometime during the night, Olivia was aware of Alex coming to bed. She’d been half-asleep, but now she held her breath, waiting for him to pull her close.