His grand plan for me, his only son and heir, was to marry into a wealthy and powerful, political family, and ensure that our family became undisputed US royalty. He had chosen three potential candidates, all of whom had fathers with enough ambition or plain old greed, to be willing to marry their daughters off to further their own careers.
Two of the women he’d chosen were even up for the deal, but Alana Carmichael had needed to be persuaded, and that was part of the reason I’d chosen her.
The other reason was that she was a spoiled Manhattan brat who I knew I could never even like, let alone love. But, I’d thought that I would certainly enjoy taming her.
‘You okay, amigo?’ Jax asked me as he sat back in the seat next to me, chewing on his nicotine gum.
‘I’ll be better once I’ve had a drink,’ I replied with a sigh.
We had picked him up on the way to the hotel. I figured that maybe a night of drinking with my best buddy was exactly what I needed.
Jax and I had met on a basketball court at the age of fourteen and had been inseparable ever since. I trusted him with my life. He was also one of the few people who knew the truth about my marriage to Alana. Even my own mother didn’t know, and she had been heartbroken when she’d discovered she had missed her only child’s wedding. I’d felt guilty for lying to her, but seeing how happy she had been today had eased my conscience.
Despite being a spoiled little princess, Alana had come through for me today.