Kaden’s Arranged Bride

RAVEN.

“Black, no sugar,” a deep masculine voice from the front of the line pulled me back to earth.

Dad called during a case meeting, asking me to join them for lunch, and since then, I’ve tripped twice, presented a wrong case file, and lost myself to thoughts in different places, including the coffee shop I was in.

We never ate out together unless they had an announcement or a request and what this was for, I couldn’t say. So, all afternoon, I consumed more caffeine than I had in a month, “Ma’am, can I take your order?”

I forced a smile at the barista and nodded, “A latte, please.”

I took my drink, exited the shop, and turned in the direction of the restaurant where my parents asked me to meet them.

A sigh escaped my lips as I tipped the cup and coffee slid to the back of my throat. I barely swallowed it before I collided with a hard chest, sending my cup to the ground and coffee all over the owner’s expensive-looking shoes.

“Shit, I’m so…”

“Watch where you're going, lady,” a thick voice similar to what I heard back at the coffee shop cut me off.

“Excuse me?” I let out a dry laugh. “I’m sorry about this, but you bumped into me. Not the other way around.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“I do not have time for this, Miss, but maybe take your coffee in the shop, at the side of the road, or at least keep your eyes open while doing so.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, okay? It looks like you’d be able to afford it, so why don’t you go buy yourself some manners? Have a good day.”

With one last demeaning scowl at me, he took off.

“What a dick.”

I made it to the restaurant with little caffeine in my system, which made me swear at the hot stranger some more.

“Hey, Dad. Hi, Mom,” I greeted them with kisses and sat across from them.

My dad got right to the matter as I sat down.

“Raven, we called you here to let you know that we’ve found you a match.”

I sighed in relief. “I’m not dating right now, Dad. Chad and I have only been separated for a while, and I’m focusing on other things. But thank you for looking out for me.”

My mom gave me a sad smile. Before she spoke. “We found you a husband, dear.”

“What?!”

“Yes,” my dad said. “It’ll benefit everyone involved.”

“You want me to marry a stranger?”

“Kaden Hawksworth is hardly a stranger to us.”

Hawksworth? Like Hawksworth Jewels and Automobiles? The largest enterprise in Manhattan, New York?

I only remember his grandfather from a charity event my parents asked me to attend with them. Not Kaden.

“Dad, I don't see how marriage will benefit me or them. This is not the sixties where marriages are arranged. I’m not doing it.”

My parents looked at each other before turning back to me.

“What are you not telling me?”

“We have to do this, dear. We don’t have a choice.”

“Why? Are we in debt?” I asked wide-eyed.

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean?”

“We owe the Hawksworths a favor.”

Mom took over. “Our company is in a good place right now, dear. If we want to keep it that way, we have to do this. Please understand. If there was another way, we wouldn’t have asked.”

I pressed a hand to my head to ease the forming migraine.

“Raven, dear,” Mom called. “The wedding is in a week.”

“Wow.” I couldn’t be any more surprised or angry.

“It’s for the best,” Dad said.

“When do I get to meet this Kaden at least?” The name made my body twitch.

“He’s joining us in a few minutes.”

“You seem to have decided for me already. It’s not enough that you want me to marry someone I do not know, it’s that you also ambushed me with lunch. I thought we were catching up.”

“We have to speed things up. We’re sorry, Raven,” Mom said.

“Are you? Or are you guys afraid I’ll refuse if you don’t?”

Dad cautioned me with his eyes.

“Or is it Kaden that will reject this union? Because I honestly don’t see what benefit me or your small jewel company can provide for him and his family.”

“You’re right, but I will certainly be going through with this wedding, Miss,” a deep velvety voice jolted me from behind.

An oddly familiar one.

I snapped my head around to meet a pair of dark brown eyes, furrowed brows, and coffee-spilled shoes glaring pointedly at me.

“You?!” I almost screamed.

“Have you two met?” I could hear the confusion in Mom’s voice.

“Hardly,” I said with a croak when I found my voice.

“I’m Kaden Hawksworth. It’s nice to meet you,” he said to me.

When I didn’t respond, he took a seat beside me and continued.

“I can’t stay for long. I just came to drop this off.” He pulled a small box from his pants pocket and practically tossed it on the table. “It’s the engagement ring.”

“Thank you, Kaden,” Mom said, somewhat solemnly when I didn't respond.

“The wedding and reception is in a week. Chalamet Barn at 10 AM. Don’t be late. A dress will be sent to you tomorrow…”

“I can afford my own clothes, thank you very much,” I said through the lump in my throat.

Kaden gave a tight nod.

With that, the table fell silent as the waiters brought more wine and menus for lunch.

Unease filled my stomach as my mind wandered in different directions. What favor did Kaden’s family offer my parents that measured up to my freedom?

What kind of a person was Kaden? Why did I feel like I already had that answer?

As my eyes fell on the black ring box that remained untouched on the table, I asked myself, “How did I go from heartbroken to engaged in a space of minutes?”

RAVEN.

“Get me out of this stupid dress.” I can’t breathe!” I screamed and pulled on the lacing of the silk corset dress while fighting the wave of dizziness that engulfed me.

“Raven, get a hold of yourself! You can’t back out today of all days. We’ve been through this, dear.”

I lost pounds over the week, trying not to back out, but I couldn’t continue.

I chanted “I can't breathe,” and “I can't do this,” like a mantra for the last ten minutes and I finally had enough.

“I can’t do this, Mom. I can’t.”

My mom ignored my protests and turned to the make-up artist who looked at me like a psychiatric patient.

I couldn’t blame her. She had spent over two hours trying to make me look perfect to walk down the aisle and now, I was threatening to ruin her work by ripping off the silk floor-length wedding gown that I had on.

“Ashley, please send for him,” Mom instructed.

In less than two minutes after Ashley, the make-up artist, left, the door to the dressing room was whipped open and slammed against the wall. Menacing eyes roamed the room, briefly settled on my mother, then found me.

“I’ll leave you two to sort this,” Mom said, gave me a sympathetic smile, and left before words could escape my parted lips.

“You shouldn’t be here, Kaden,” I stuttered to the massive bulk of muscle that was boring a hole in my head with his dark brown eyes. “It’s bad luck…”

“I don’t want to be here, Raven.” My name rolled off his tongue, coated with so much disdain, it made me quiver.

My breath hitched. A lump this large clogged my throat and threatened to suffocate me.

“It’s bad luck to see the bride…”

“I do not think bad luck tops this, Miss.” He took one step and invaded my personal space and lungs with his cologne. I flinched.

He continued. “You had all the time in the world to back down from this charade. You didn’t.”

I had just had the worst month of my life and the only day I got to spend with my parents to unwind, they set up this trap for me to marry a type of man I promised myself never to be involved with.

A single tear broke from the corner of my eye and rolled down my face. Ashley’s work would be ruined, but I couldn’t help it.

“Save your tears,” my ‘husband-to-be’ deadpanned. “Get yourself together and be out in ten minutes if you do not want me to drag you to the altar myself.”

His dominating tone glued me in place. Reduced and scared. Those were the words that described how I felt.

Was this going to be my new life?

With his order, Kaden stormed out of the room as quickly as he came, leaving the door wide open in his wake.

After Ashley successfully salvaged the tear-ruined makeup, I was now standing in front of a Minister, and happy guests who had no idea how unhappy I was.

The Minister’s voice pulled me from the well of emotions that was swallowing me whole.

“If anyone can show cause as to why this couple should not be joined together, do so now or forever hold your peace.”

My head slowly lifted to Kaden who was standing with stiff shoulders beside me, and an unreadable expression in his brown eyes. My heartbeat was beginning to accelerate for the umpteenth time today.

“Me!” A shrill voice echoed through the crowd. Gasps filled the air, followed by whispers. “This abomination cannot hold!”

My eyes scanned the crowd and quickly fell on who spoke. Not only was she dressed in an expensive-looking white dress, totally outdoing me, but she wasn’t a guest of mine.

My heart skipped several beats. Who was she? I couldn’t tell if I wanted her to successfully put a stop to the wedding or not.

In a second, security guards were filing into the church, attempting to escort her out.

“Don’t you fucking touch me! Kaden,” she barked. “Do something! It’s supposed to be me standing there. Not that cheap thing in that cheap ass dress.”

I fought the urge to duck my head and disappear into thin air. Way to snap my already thin shred of confidence.

As broke as I was, I was independent. I never relied on my parents or anyone else for anything. Even if the dress was cheap, it was mine. I paid for it.

I looked over to Kaden, pleading with my eyes for him to defend me. Who was I kidding? He remained as cold as stone for seconds that felt like hours before he finally motioned to the security to take her out of the premises.

We turned back to the Minster and went on with the ‘fake’ wedding like nothing just happened.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pushed all emotions to the back of my mind, and saved my tears for later. I was doing this for my parents, so there was no going back.

“Raven,”

“Raven!”

I snapped my head up to Kaden’s lips set in a thin line, frowning at me disapprovingly.

“Yes,” I muttered.

“The Minister asked you a question.”

I knew the question, and I knew the answer I was supposed to echo. I had memorized the two-word response for the past week.

He repeated himself either way. “Do you, Raven Cross, take Kaden Hawksworth to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold…”

I blocked out the rest of his words. The answer was “no”, so I didn’t want to hear him recite something sacred and lie to his face. When a brief moment of silence passed, I knew he was through.

I cleared my throat and replied, “I do.”

Even the blind could see that my reply was forced and wrong. But still, everyone rose to their feet, plastered huge smiles on their faces, and jammed their hands together when Kaden crowded me and brushed his lips with mine in a kiss that threw me off balance… in a nice way.

We were now outside the barn, smiling for the cameras and keeping up the appearance of a happy couple when I turned to my side and Kaden, my husband, was no longer there.

I whipped my head around the place, looking for him, till my eyes landed on the lady in white who was supposedly shown out, strutting in her heels to a secluded area.

What made the lump return to my throat wasn’t the sight of her. No. It was that of someone with a similar build to my husband, Kaden Hawksworth, trailing her.

What was the deal between Kaden and this woman who just tried to embarrass us?

What kind of marriage was I getting into?

“Where are you going, Kaden?” I muttered to myself with a sigh. “Where are you going?”