The Blindman's Wife Read online

“What offer?” he asked.

  “To marry you. I was wondering… do you still want to marry me?”

  “What brought this on? I thought you didn’t need my help. If I recall, hell needed to freeze over first before you would take me up on my offer. Well did the prince of darkness send out a memo? Has his kingdom finally frozen over?”

  She winced, and cleared her throat, “I’m sorry for acting like that. I know I was ungrateful, and there’s no excuse for my rude behaviour. I shouldn’t have behaved like a spoiled child when you were only trying to help us.”

  “Apology accepted. I understand you were shocked by Nick’s re-appearance, and my bombshell didn’t help matters. But my question remains, what brought this on, why the change of heart?”

  “Things changed and I don’t have any other choice. I don’t expect to do this for free. I will pay back any expense you pay for lawyers. It may take a while, but if we can make arrangements for me to repay you--”

  “Did I ask for anything in return? I know I can be an ass at times, but I am human just like you,” he said irritated with her.

  “Yes, I know but--”

  “You know what?” He asked smoothly.

  “You can be an ass…. I mean,” she sighed.

  He laughed. That’s what he liked about her; she didn’t mince her words. Sometimes her tongue can hit him like a razor slicing through his skin. He didn’t expect her to acknowledge he was human and for some reason that hurt him on a level, he didn’t want to admit.

  “I’m sorry--” she started to say before he cut her off.

  “No you aren’t, and I deserved that. And yes, the offer still stands.”

  “Thank you, but I can’t marry you until I know what you want in return.”

  “Are you in a position to make demands?” he asked amused. This couldn’t be easy for her coming here to ask for his help.

  “No, but you must need something.” She cried frustrated. “I’ll clean, cook, work for half the salary I get now anything, I just can’t keep taking from you.”

  “My house staff does all that for me and as for your salary there’s no need for me to deduct from it.”

  “Then what do you want? I have nothing else to offer. Please tell me,” she pleaded.

  “A baby,” he whispered. The room was silent, he didn’t know where the thought had come from, but now it was out he warmed to the idea.

  “W-What?” she stammered.

  “I want a baby in return since you have such a need to repay me.”

  “B-but a Baby, Why?” she asked shocked.

  “I need an heir.” He simply said.

  “But we don’t love each other to have, to have--”

  “Sex? Azolah, love has nothing to do with sex. People have been doing it since the beginning of time. Don’t tell me you are that naïve to associate love with sex. I was willing to do this for free, but you were the one who kept pushing the issue. In return for my help, I want a child. You can take the deal or leave it. The decision is all yours.”

  A baby! Was he mad? That meant she would have to have sex with him. It was one thing to have sex with him in her dreams, but that’s where it stopped. She had made a promise to herself she wouldn’t get involved with another man unless it was a man who loved and adored her. A man who would put her and her son’s needs first. She had also vowed never to have sex again unless she was married. Sure Liam was offering her marriage, but that was all, he wasn’t offering her the whole package. Now he wanted to add a baby into the mix. Surely, he couldn’t be serious?

  How long did he expect to be married to her? She cleared her throat, “how long do you expect us to stay married and who gets custody of the baby when we divorce?”

  “Divorce? Who said anything about getting a divorce?”

  “But we can’t stay married forever.”

  “Why not?” he asked, patiently. “That’s why it’s called marriage. Till death do us part, that’s part of the vow isn’t it?”

  She wanted to pull her hair out. How could he be so damn calm? “You don’t like me; I don’t like you. We’ll be miserable and end up killing each other.” Although when she thought about it, he had days when she tolerated him, even admired him.

  “That’s a bit dramatic don’t you think? We have to start somewhere, and I do like you. I am sorry if you don’t feel the same way about me, but think of this as an arranged marriage. They work better than most marriage where people claim to love each other.”

  She stood speechless looking at him mouth agape. He liked her, since when? She thought back to her mother’s question and blanched.

  “What if you fall in love with someone else?” she asked.

  “That’s not going to happen,” he replied easily.

  “But…” she wished he hadn’t told her he liked her. She also wished she had another option, but the reality was, she had no other plan to fall back on other than his idiotic idea or she wouldn’t be there. She had no other choice than to accept and he knew it.

  “What’s the matter Azolah, scared? I don’t have time for this. You either want to get married, or you don’t. How badly do you want to keep custody of your son?”

  She stood silently looking at him. He had her; he knew she would do anything to hold onto her baby. The thought of Nick having her child made her stomach turn to acid. It didn’t matter if they liked each other or not, he has something she wants and now it looked like she would be repaying him in kind. She took a deep breath and shook her head. No, it wouldn’t, it wasn’t his fault that her bastard of an ex-boyfriend showed up. Be grateful he was willing to help Zola, she told herself.

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “What?” he asked as if he didn’t hear her.

  “Yes I’ll marry you,” she said in defeat.

  “You’re making the right decision but you don’t have to sound as if I’m leading you to your death.”

  “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, I’m just tired,” she said sincerely.

  He nodded, “since we’ll be spending the rest of our lives together I’ll like to start the adoption process for Wyn as soon as possible. You can also start looking for another EA for me. I don’t want my wife working.”

  “But I need that money for my family”. She protested, she needed her independence away from him, should the need arise she wanted to be prepared for anything that may come her way.

  “I’m your family now, and I will take care of you.”

  “My mum—”

  “I said I’d take care of everything. Your mother and our son won’t want for anything. Do you have any other questions?”

  “Where will I be sleeping?” she asked foolishly. Maybe they’ll have separate rooms, she could only hope.

  “In my bed, of course, I expect you to be my wife in every sense.”

  “No, you expect me to be a prostitute.” She regretted her words the moment they left her mouth, even though it was the way she felt. From the look on his face, and the way he was breathing heavily, it was as if she had reached over and slapped him.

  “Never let me hear you use that word regarding us again,” He growled squeezing her arm. “I have not and will never pay to have a woman in my bed. I thought you held yourself to a higher standard than that,” he said letting go of her arm in disgust.

  How did he get around here so fast without tripping? She wondered.

  “Is that what you think of yourself Azolah?” he demanded.

  “N-no, but—”

  “But what, I don’t view you as a whore, nor would I ever marry one. I am sorry if this arrangement makes you feel that way, maybe this isn’t for you after all. I don’t need anything more on my conscience than what is already there. So this is where you make up your mind, I will not hold it against you and you will still have your job.”

  She stood still and looked at him she hadn’t expected this. She watched as he walked back to his chair muttering something l
ike there was only so much guilt his conscience could take. She wondered what he meant by that.

  “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “No but I don’t have a choice do I?” she answered honestly.

  “Is there anything else that’s bothering you that you would like to add now that we have agreed to get married?”

  “That you let me go with the children if I asked you to,” she whispered.

  “Go where? There would be no divorce Azolah, none what so ever at all. Get it straight in that head of yours, nor will I just let you walk away with our children.”

  “But what if you meet someone and fall in love, or I can’t have any more children? Things happen.” She was grasping at straws for some semblance of control.

  “I have no intention of meeting anyone or falling in love. I’ve done that and have no interest in doing it again. I hope you don’t go looking for anyone or think you can fool around behind my back because I can’t see. I expect trust and fidelity, as well as respect from you. As to not being able to have other children we’ll see, if not we have Wyn.”

  “But he’s not your—”

  “He will be when the adoption is finalized. Do you have anything else that’s bothering you or you would like to protest?”

  “No”, she had just signed on to be an incubator. Think of Wyn, this is better than the alternative she reminded herself.

  “Okay, we’ll get married by the end of the week. You might as well start moving in your mother and son. You’ll stay in one of the guest rooms until we marry; then you will move into my room understand? I’ll let the staff know about the change.”

  “I would rather not move my family in until after we are married,” she said stubbornly.

  “I would rather you get everyone moved in before we are married; why wait. As I said, you’ll have your own quarters until we say I do. It’s non-negotiable.”

  “Yes, of course, thank you,” She said forcing the words passed her lips before she turned and headed for the door.

  “And Azolah?”

  “Yes?” she answered not turning around to face him her hand on the doorknob.

  “What was said in this room stays in it. No one needs to know the specifics of our marriage. No one, not even your mother, you understand?”

  “Yes, Mr. Bradford,” she whispered.

  “Liam, after all, we’re going to be husband and wife.”

  “Okay,” she said and walked away. She had struck a deal with the devil and had no one to blame but herself. Now she had to keep the truth of their bargain from her mother and play nice with the arrogant bastard. A sob escaped her, and she walked in the other direction from the guesthouse she occupied. She didn’t want her mother seeing her like this.

  They were married a week later in a small ceremony on the estate. She had been surprised at how beautiful everything had turned out. More so all the trouble Liam went through to pull the wedding off. When he had told her he was pushing the wedding back a few more days, she panicked thinking he was backing out. Then he had surprised her and her mother with a two-day spa retreat while Betty looked after Wyn. When they had returned the estate had been transformed into a tropical paradise with three of the most beautiful wedding gowns she had ever seen waiting for her to choose from.

  The gazebo in the garden was adorned with dozens of roses set up for their ceremony. She had been touched by his thoughtfulness. It was the wedding she would have chosen herself, simple yet elegant. She ended up choosing a simple yet stylish, one strap lace and tulle fit and flare design gown. It had a fitted lace bodice and tulle skirt that flowed smoothly around her hips and legs. It was accentuated with a pearl studded one and a half-inch blue satin ribbon sash that tied at the waist and flowed down the back of the length of the skirt and court train.

  She had decided to forego the veil, and wore her hair down and pinned back at the right side behind her ears with a diamond pin Cynthia had lent her. Liam had hired a hairdresser and manicurist to come in that morning and all three women had their hair and makeup done. When she looked in the mirror after she finished dressing, she had been shocked at the woman looking back at her. She looked beautiful; if she were fanciful, she would say she felt like a princess going to her first ball. This must be what Cinderella felt like, only she got her prince charming in the end.

  Wynter looked handsome in his little tuxedo a replica of Liam’s. Her mother looked beautiful in pale peach while Cynthia, who had cut her cruise short so she could attend the wedding, wore a sapphire gown.

  Zola looked across the room at the man who was now her husband. He looked dashing in his cream coloured tuxedo standing next to Mark. They had opted for a small wedding just for family and few friends. Now that the wedding was over, Zola dreaded the night ahead of them. They’d had their dinner and the wedding dance. The only thing left to do was to leave for their night together at the cottage. It was not the wedding night she had dreamt of as a child. Just the thought of what to come had her breaking out in a cold sweat.

  They had planned to spend their honeymoon in the Caribbean, but because Wyn was still recovering, they decided to spend their wedding night in the guesthouse Zola lived in when they had arrived at the estate. She couldn’t believe her life had changed so drastically in a month.

  They would take the real honeymoon when Wyn was better. She wondered if he planned to get her pregnant tonight. They had gotten their physicals and got the green light to start the baby making process. She wasn’t on birth control, didn’t have a reason for it before. Maybe if she got pregnant tonight they wouldn’t need to have sex again. Or maybe she should go to her doctor and have her write a prescription for birth control. Maybe Liam would leave her if he figured she couldn’t get pregnant. Zola shook her head that was too devious and knowing him, he would not stop until they exhausted all options. No, she might as well get it over with. They hadn’t talked about when they would start trying to get pregnant but she had a feeling he expected to start right away.

  He must have sensed she was looking at him because he turned towards her. He said something to Mark, who guided him in her direction. He needed to do something about that. He needed a guide dog to help him get around. Maybe she would suggest it again. He might as well get accustomed to the idea of being blind if the doctors weren’t sure when his sight would return. She would also add Braille to her list of things to talk about. He already had that high-tech computer he talked into, to read and write his emails and other documents. Sure he got around the house, okay, but he could do so much more if he wanted to.

  As he reached her side, she took his hand from Mark and smiled. She led him to a chair, and they sat. “I need to get Wyn to bed; he’s drained,” She said looking at her son dancing with Cynthia his new grandmother. Zola smiled with pride; she had to give it to the little fellow even though he was tired he kept on going because he wanted to stay up until everything was over.

  “I’ll go with you, he expects it,” Liam said rising.

  “No that’s not necessary you rest.”

  She couldn’t be with him, not just yet. She needed some time to get accustomed to the idea of being married to him. She wasn’t looking forward to being alone with him tonight.

  “Are you denying me access to our son Azolah?” he asked quietly.

  She trembled at his voice; she didn’t like the way he said our son. She knew it was part of the agreement and even though they had signed the adoption papers; it wasn’t final yet. She sighed her son was already attached to his new daddy more than she would have liked, “No I am not denying you anything.”

  “Good because I won’t be shut out not out of Wyn’s life or yours,” he said possessively holding out his hand to her.

  The pompous bastard, she fumed biting the insides her of jaw trying not to explode. She had smiled so much today her face felt frozen.

  “Breathe sweetheart and turn that frown into a s
mile, how would it look if my wife is unhappy on her wedding night?” he whispered under his breath.

  “Maybe you should think of getting a guide dog, you’ll get around easier, and I am not frowning,” She whispered waspishly.

  “Sure you are, and I will do as I please Azolah, remember that. We’re not married five hours yet, and you’re bossing me around already.”

  “That’s not true, it was just a suggestion. Most blind people have one, and they get around fine.”

  “Well I am not most blind people am I?” he gritted.

  “Whether you like it or not you’re blind until proven otherwise, acceptance is another thing you should learn,” She said defiantly as she walked closer to their parents and son.

  “That’s enough you little spitfire we’ll talk about this later but not here. You will not spoil this night for me. I hope you’re this passionate in bed as you are in fighting me on everything. ”

  “I am not—”

  “You’re not what, passionate or fighting me?”

  “I’m not fighting you.”

  “Yes, you are. You’re spoiling for a fight, and I won’t give in. At least, you didn’t say you aren’t passionate in bed.”

  Before she could deny his claim, they arrived at their destination.

  “Daddy,” her son screeched running to hug Liam.

  “Whoa there tiger, slow down. Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked lifting the child up.

  She felt betrayed; her son should be running to her, not to him. She wasn’t aware her thoughts were so apparent until she felt her mother’s soft hands squeezing her left one in reassurance. Azolah smiled as she noticed Liam’s mother was looking at her too.

  “Time for bed sweetheart, you’ve had a long day.” She forced cheerfully.

  “No sleepy,” he said fighting a yawn.

  “I know you aren’t, but you still need your sleep. It’s nine o’ clock and past your bedtime.”

  “No sleepy, I am a big boy daddy, and I don’t want to sleep,” he said holding Liam’s face between his small hands.

  Liam laughed, sending delicious tingles down her spine. He had been doing that for the past few days. It was crazy he was very handsome, but she had never really thought of him in a sexual way aside from her dreams until he had hugged her at the hospital and mentioned the baby proposal