Argh. I really need a strong drink!
Yuna is looking at me. “It has nothing to do with being conservative,” she says, dead serious. “You simply do not turn your back on your own flesh and blood. Besides, do you know how hard it is to raise a kid by yourself?”
“I still can’t marry him,” I moan. “I’m being forced into this ridiculous engagement.” I show them the ring, still on my middle finger because I forgot to take it off after leaving Starbucks.
“Wow,” Kim says. She and Hilary look at me in unified concern.
Yuna tsks. “The stone’s too small, and the band is too big.” Her words drip with derision. “You should tell him you changed your mind. Not even true love can survive a man who doesn’t care enough to get a properly sized and proportioned ring.”
“I didn’t say yes because of the ring.” And then I tell them about the threat Aaron made and how stuck I am.
“A sex tape?” Kim stares at me, then sucks down her drink like she needs a filter for reality.
“Oh, shit,” Hilary says softly. “What are you going to do? You can’t let him win.”
“Can’t he just…disappear?” An evil gleam sparks in Yuna’s dark eyes. “Maybe go for a delightful hiking trip in North Korea? I’ll be happy to foot the bill. I hear it’s lovely there this time of year.”
“Ha!” I laugh because it’s better than crying. Tears would worry my friends. “I wish. Anyway, I need to fix the Aaron situation before I can deal with any baby. At least a baby won’t arrive for nine more months.”
“Can you just prolong the engagement as long as possible? You don’t want the stain of having married a rat like him,” Kim says. “It isn’t like his grandfather wants him to marry right now, right?”
“She’s right.” Hilary nods. “Your dad’s retiring this year. So all you have to is hang in there until then.”
“Exactly. What’s the roach going to do? He can’t drag you to the altar, especially if the whole point is to make his grandfather think you’re into him,” Yuna says. “Nobody’s good enough to fake that.”
I think it over. “You’re right. What’s he going to do when my dad’s retired? I don’t care if he releases the video, then.” Okay, I do, but not enough to the point that I’m going to let Aaron endlessly control me.
Yuna shakes her head vigorously. “No, no. That’s not the point.”
“It’s not?” I ask, confused.
“You have to make him pay! Bankrupt him. Maybe even make him impotent.”
“Yeah,” Kim says. “Then he won’t come for nine months.”
Hilary high-fives her, and we all laugh.
“I promise I’ll think of some way to make all that happen later,” I say, “but for now, I need to ensure my dad can retire without a scandal or any embarrassment.” I sigh, staring at my friends’ drinks. I really need some alcohol.
Chapter Ten
Edgar
Perhaps I should’ve had Susan book me a room, I think as I drive my rental to Tony’s mansion. Of course, staying at a hotel would upset Ivy because she’s big on family, and she doesn’t want me to feel any guilt or responsibility for what Mom has done. As far as Ivy’s concerned, I should stay with them every time I’m in the city. And Tony would be upset for the same reason.
Restlessness churns in my gut. What I should’ve done was go after Jo and sort everything out back at the Starbucks. That way, I could fly back to Tempérane tonight. But when she said engagement, it was a real shock. It never crossed my mind she might’ve been with somebody long enough to be engaged, yet still spent the night with me.
The notion is distasteful. I do not poach, and I have better judgment than to roll around with someone who’s involved long-term with someone else, no matter how hot she is.
But…
Something about that ring bothers me. I didn’t notice it on the night we slept together, and I definitely would have, especially since I kissed every inch of her body.
But that isn’t really it. The ring just doesn’t seem like something a man would buy to propose with. It doesn’t fit her finger properly, and she deserves something more…fiery. A large ruby surrounded by diamonds, perhaps. Or garnets. Brilliant or princess cut…
I shake my head. It’s pointless to dwell on that. She’s engaged…and…
But she called her engagement a “problem.”