He sucks in a deep breath and reaches up, removing his tie. Oh, he’s serious. Unbuttoning his top button on his dress shirt, he says, “I dated a woman at Barrington—LeAnne Mayes. She was my chosen.”
It didn’t take much to realize my father is a Lord. The fact that he was at the house of Lords after Ryat dragged me back was my biggest clue. I do, however, find it odd that I never paid much attention to his life. Or that he never told me. All the trips he and my mom needed to take for his business. Every time he had to miss a birthday or holiday—was it because the Lords called him to work?
I frown at the name, not recognizing it and wondering why, all of a sudden, it matters. I glance at Ryat, and he’s staring down at the floor, face scrunched as if he’s trying to decide if he knows who that is or not.
“Should I know her?” I ask.
“No.” My father shakes his head, but his eyes shoot to Ryat before returning to mine.
“Why is she so important?” I ask, scanning the room, and my husband is still stuck on the name in deep concentration.
“Because I loved her,” he announces, and his broad shoulders sag as if that was a heavy weight he had been carrying.
Okay. I never expected my father not to have anyone before he met my mother. I’ve never heard either one of them talk about past relationships, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. So, I’m not sure why this is news. “Did mom know that?” I ask.
His face whitens a little bit, and he undoes another button. “She was already promised to someone else … LeAnne,” he states, ignoring my question. Again, as if this should mean something to me. Or any of us. “But your mom … you know how we got married shortly after dating?”
“Yeah,” I answer slowly.
“Well …” He scratches the back of his neck. “We had an arranged marriage.”
“No, you didn’t,” I argue as if I was there and laugh it off.
He sighs. “We did. We lied to you.”
“Why … wait?” I sit up even more. “Why would you lie about your marriage?” He drops his eyes to the floor, and I look over at Ryat on the couch. He’s already staring at me this time, and he has this look of pity in his eyes. “You knew they lied to me?”
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation.
My face scrunches in confusion. “Why would you make that up?”
My father shrugs. “Well, your mother told everyone that story, and as you grew older, it just became the norm.”
I look back over at Ryat, and he’s watching me intently. It makes me think about when we have kids. Will I tell them how we met? About the ritual? The vow ceremony? The house of Lords? Absolutely not. “I understand why you would hide that as a child, but you could have told me at some point over the past few years. Especially when you were trying to make me do the same thing.”
My father sighs. “I never wanted you to marry Matt. That was your mother’s doing.”
“You could have told her no,” I argue. “You know how I felt about an arranged marriage. And how much I didn’t want that.”
He undoes another button on his shirt. “I couldn’t. She threatened …” Trailing off, I look from him to my father-in-law, who turns his back to everyone and looks out my window with his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
“Threatened what?” I demand as the silence lingers. “What did the Lords have you do that was so bad that you couldn’t stand up for me?” My mother pretty much blackmailed him. I’m not surprised. She’s a vindictive bitch like that.
“Well …” He swallows nervously, and I see sweat bead along his forehead. “My chosen … it was so long ago. And …” I’ve never heard my father stumble over his words so much.
“Motherfucker!” Ryat hisses and gets to his feet.
“What?” I ask, watching him start to pace.
He ignores me and runs both of his hands through his hair aggressively.
What did I miss?
“I can’t fucking believe it,” Ryat mumbles to himself. “Mayes …”
“Now you understand why we wanted you to tell the Lords what happened,” my father snaps at him. Taking the opportunity to avoid my previous question, he obviously understands what Ryat gets and I’m missing. “But here’s your chance. Tell your father and me what happened right now.”
Ryat stops and turns to face him. He doesn’t actually speak, but his tense body says enough. He’s pissed.
“We know you didn’t do it,” Mr. Archer tells him, turning back to face his son. “We just need to know.”
“I’m not a fucking rat!” Ryat shouts.
Whoa! What the fuck am I missing? I feel like it’s several things now. “Dad,” I say, trying to calm them both down, but he ignores me.