I knew Zeke’s family, and by extension him, was loaded but I didn’t really have any idea what that meant until we walked into the penthouse suite of a hotel overlooking Central Park. Central freakin’ Park! This was more than some six-figure trust fund, this was the kind of money that passed through generations of people. The kind of money that ensured Zeke’s great-grandchildren would likely never have to work a day in their lives if they so chose.

Except Zeke had chosen to work and to work hard. He’d worked in a few bars, bartending and then managing, before buying one New York which had triggered the ultimatum that sent him running from the city and from his family. He’d chosen a path that included long hours, plenty of standing and doing more physical work than being a professional fixer or a politician. “This place is…wow.”

Zeke’s deep laugh sounded right behind me. I was so lost in thought, in this amazing view that I hadn’t heard him tip the bellhop or shut us in to the suite. “It’s a place to lay your head Maddie.”

I snorted at the way he downplayed it but I didn’t miss the derision in his tone. “Only the sheet count is infinitely higher, the pillows are softer and probably stuffed with feathers, and the mattress was probably bought in the past five years.” He may be used to all this but I wasn’t and I planned to enjoy it.

He sighed heavily, like just being in the city was exhausting, and wrapped his arms around me. “I prefer your bed, Maddie. But if you want a new mattress and ten thousand thread count sheets, I’ll get it for you.”

Damn him. Why did he have to be so sweet after he’d gone out of his way to make sure I knew that his family was none of my business? Of course I knew his words came from a place of panic and insecurity but it was his first instinct to tell me to butt out, leaving me to feel like the idiot who was falling for her accidental husband. “I’m not asking you to spend your money on me, Zeke.” Lord knows that’s exactly what his family probably thinks. “I’m just pointing out that this is no ordinary room. At least not for me.”

“Me either, Maddie. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I chose this suite because I knew you’d enjoy the view.” To punctuate his point, Zeke’s hand rested low on my back as he guided me to the bank of floor to ceiling windows where I was met with a stunning view of the park and the leaves in beautiful shades of gold, orange and red with just a few hints of green. “I wanted to give you the best the city has to offer.”

I turned in his arms and wrapped mine around his waist. “Because you don’t plan on coming back for a long time?”

His lips curled up into that sexy smirk that melted my insides and then he nodded. “Something like that. Unless you love the city so much you want to come back with Max.”

Don’t believe it. It was the tenth time I’d had to give myself a mental shake since we left Belle Musique. I couldn’t let myself believe in this, in us. Not again. Zeke might believe he was all in on this marriage, but he wasn’t. “Like a family vacation?” It was hard not to let myself believe. Not to let myself want because our family vacations up to this point had consisted of weekends away at some festival or carnival or theme park. More than anything I wanted to give Max a vacation that he could proud to tell his classmates about.

“Exactly. Ice skating at Rockefeller Center or maybe catching a play. Plus he’ll love the dinosaur exhibit at the museum.” Zeke rambled on and on about all the things we could do as a family, not to mention a few ‘boys only’ activities for him and Max.

Don’t believe it, I told myself again because everything within me wanted to believe it. Wanted it to be true and to see it all bear out in the future. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. “Let’s get through this visit first?”

He nodded and released me on a sigh because as much as both of us would have loved to fall onto the big lush bed and break it in properly, we had someplace to be. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

He really didn’t want to be here and I felt bad for him, but he needed this. “We’re here, Zeke. This is happening so decide how you want to deal with it. With your family. You are a grown man with a wife and stepson, a successful business and a full life outside of this city. Don’t let them diminish that. Don’t. Let. Them.”

His smile flashed but there wasn’t the same power behind it. Oh, it was still just as devastating, but it lacked the full power it normally had. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“I guess the same thing I did. Put your trust in a crazy old voodoo priestess who can’t perform a spell properly to save her life.” That pulled a laugh from him and he pulled me into the spacious bathroom with a freestanding shower big enough for four on one wall and a deep soaking tub in the other. Everything was marble, navy blue and white marble. It was stunningly magnificent. Decadent, even.

“No more talk of them, we’ll have to deal with them soon enough. Right now I want to get you really dirty and then clean you up.”

I smiled and quickly undressed because I was no fool. Things weren’t perfect between me and Zeke and they might not ever be, but I wanted him as much as he wanted me and for now, that was enough.

The shower—and the sex—kept us both sated and relaxed as we dressed and made our way to the Riley family estate, which was really more like a compound. A large Georgian style mansion drew the eye first, along with the magnificent gardens flanking the main house. But behind the trees and shrubs were several smaller buildings that I could only guess housed servants, staff, equipment and maybe even a few family members. “This place is nuts.”

“It’s pretentious and ostentatious as fuck, is what it is.” He shook his head and grabbed my hand in the backseat of the Town Car that had been sent to fetch us, and pressed his lips to my palm, a move that never failed to give me that delicate, swoony feeling.

“It’s nice to look at when you don’t have to pay for it or take care of it, Zeke. Your family likes to show off their money and you don’t. Big deal.”

He sighed and pressed his lips to my hand again, letting go of the stress that had built since we stepped inside the sleek black car. I could see how hard this was for him and that made me glad I’d decided not to hold his angry words against him, even though they hurt like hell. “I know you’re right,” he began but frustration cut off the thought.

“But a lifetime habit can’t be broken just because your brand new wife says so?” He smirked and I laughed. “It’ll be fine. Mostly. I hope.”

“Your confidence and certainty are overwhelming, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’ve been working on it.” A healthy dose of sarcasm was exactly what the moment called for and that laughter took us all the way to the front door. The chauffer opened the door silently and we both stepped out, like two kids headed to the principal’s office. “You can do this.”

“That remains to be seen but I’m determined to try.” Shoulders squared and spine arrow straight, I watched as Zeke mentally put his armor on. To meet with his family.

My own nerves were rattled at the sight of how much preparation he needed for the people inside this mansion and I sucked in several deep breaths. Ready or not, this night was happening.

“Funny thing, your daddy doesn’t appear to be at death’s door.” When Amelia joined me near the window overlooking the garden, I glared at her so she knew I didn’t appreciate her deception. Whether she cared or not, was an entirely different story.

She shrugged unapologetically. “He was sick. Very sick. But he’s on the mend and I knew if I told Zeke the truth he wouldn’t come.”

“And you didn’t think that was his decision to make?” These people put my own parents to shame in terms of manipulation and callous behavior. Even Amelia, who seemed like a nice enough person, had no issue with lying to Zeke to get him to do something he clearly didn’t want to do.

“I think he’d regret it if he didn’t.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You thought. Your father thought and not once has either of you thought about Zeke and what he might want or need.” I set the empty glass down, hoping like hell their formal cocktail hour had ended so we could get dinner under way. I had maybe another hour before my calm dissolved and I gave these presumptuous people a piece of my mind.

“Dinner is served.” A somber faced servant appeared, dressed like the great-great-offspring of the Downton Abbey crew with thinning silver hair and a lanky frame that made him look much older than his face portrayed, made his pronouncement and held the door open while the family slowly poured into the dining room. The formal dining room, because why not? After an hour of cocktails and mindless chatter, I had a pretty good idea about what kind of people Zeke’s family were.

Zeke looked relieved to break free of his father as he pulled my chair out. “Just say the word when you’re ready to leave.” His eyes were already exhausted, his mouth in a thin white line that said more about his state of mind than his disheveled hair.

“The word,” I whispered with a short brittle laugh. Luckily for me, rich people always employed chefs which meant the food was out of this world and the only reason I’d managed to make it to the third course. The Cornish hen could have been meatier but was cooked to perfection and I kept my head down while enjoying the potatoes and shaved brussels sprouts.

“They don’t have food down in that little town of yours?” Barbara Riley had a knack for asking questions that seemed innocuous until you listened to the actual words. Her musical lilt did little to hide the venom of her questions.

“Of course they do, but no one in Belle Musique is crazy enough to pay for a bird with almost no meat on it.” I flashed a wide smile at her shocked face before turning back to my plate, barely resisting the urge to lick my fingers. Her little comments and snide remarks were escalating so I ate as much of the food as possible to keep from tossing a hen carcass across the table.

“Maddie is an excellent cook!” Amelia’s compliment was nice, but unnecessary. I didn’t need her, or anyone, to sing my praises to these people. “The chili and cornbread she made was out of this world, but that pie,” she put a hand over her chest and sighed. “I’ve been having dreams about that pie.”

“Now that you’re married to Zeke, there will be no need for you bother yourself with such things, isn’t that right?” She kept that pinched lip grin in place and I wondered what weighed more, the Cornish hen or the crystal glass. More importantly, I wondered which would make a harder impact.

All eyes were on me, waiting to see if I would burst into tears, admit to my gold digging ways or…toss the carcass across the fancy twenty-seat table. “That is right, actually. Since we don’t have servants, we actually have to take care of ourselves and now that Zeke is my husband, I don’t have to cook as much because some days he cooks.”

Zeke looked down at me with an expression that looked a lot like admiration and I squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to do this,” he mouthed to me.

“I don’t have to do anything, Zeke. Yet, I am.” And the fact was that I didn’t say any of it for him. It was all for me. These people thought they could intimidate me the same way my parents had. The same way Max’s sperm donor had when he tried to convince me to get rid of my baby. Nope, that wasn’t gonna happen again. Not today.

“And marrying Zeke has nothing to do with getting close to his money? His power?” Barbara’s nose was so high up in the air I thought she might pass out from altitude sickness.

Her question made me laugh for plenty of reasons, the least of which was the true origin of our marriage but that was none of their business. “You’ve got it all wrong, Barbara. If Amelia hadn’t come down to fetch your son, I wouldn’t be this close to your so-called power. Funny, I’ve known Zeke for years and he never talks about you.” I shook my head because it was a sad way to live, always thinking someone was after your money. It made sense in a way but I had no room for sympathy when I was being cast in the role of villain. “I’m sure your marriage was a total love match though.” Okay, so maybe I played that role just a little.

Amelia snickered on the other side of the table while Zeke’s younger brother, Randolph kept his face aimed down, alternating between his plate and his phone. “Hardly.”

“That’s enough from you, Amelia!” The patriarch finally deigned to speak, his loud voice echoing in the cavernous dining room. “Are you looking to my son to be a father to your son, Ms. Trenton? Because if you are-,”

“Then, what? You disapprove?” I barked out a laugh because this imperious asshole had already gotten under my skin. “Sorry but I don’t take advice from any father who thinks abandoning his son is a good idea. Ever.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Zeke is here now, why? Because you had a health scare and realized kicking your oldest son out of the family might earn you a spot in hell rather than the heaven you’ve been trying to buy your way into? So you lied and you had your daughter lie because you knew he didn’t want to be bothered.”

“If you think some backwoods single mother-,”

I cut him off again. “And you’re a hypocrite! I’m some dirty slut because the guy I thought I would marry decided that a child he helped create would ruin his future? What about his responsibility?” I stood and threw the napkin down over my empty plate. “You people are unbelievable! Let me clear a few things up for you. I married Zeke because I wanted to and it wasn’t until Amelia came down, uninvited, that he actually told me more about you than that you were estranged. And in case you’re wondering, the reason people are always after your money is because you’re such terrible people that there’s nothing else to want from you. Any of you!” After my tirade was over I turned to one of the maids who stood along the wall silently and smiled. “Please tell your chef that the food was amazing.” I looked to Zeke who sat still with his gaze straight ahead. Silent.

I didn’t try to catch his eye, didn’t wait for him to grow a pair and tell his family to go to hell. Didn’t wait for him to at least come to my defense since being here with a favor. To him. Instead, I pushed the chair back much harder than I needed to and exited the dining room. The place was like one of those medieval mazes, but after a few wrong turns, I found myself closing in on the gigantic front door. “Here you are, miss.” The sweet older housekeeper handed me my wrap and purse with a kind smile.

“Thank you. Have a good evening.”

“I’ll call Terrance to drive you back to the hotel.”

I shook my head. “No thanks. I’ll find my own way back.” It wouldn’t be the first time a man had let me down. In fact Zeke would be the third after my father and then Max’s father. But I could make sure it didn’t happen again. Not for a long time anyway.

I walked a few blocks until civilization appeared in the form of shops and eateries, and an endless sea of yellow cars. One short whistle and I was in the backseat of a yellow New York City taxi cab headed back to a penthouse suite I would never be able to afford and I let myself get lost in thought.

Zeke had more baggage than I realized and even though I had a better understanding of what made him tick, it also broke my heart. He didn’t want any real connections because those that should have been the strongest, had been snapped so easily. He didn’t become who they wanted him to be so they basically exiled him from the family. Zeke was a man whore because it was easy to offer up a few nights of fun and nothing else. Nothing deep or meaningful. Just smiles and orgasms.

He lost nothing by indulging in pleasure with women like Shayla who, appeared, to want exactly what he did. But it broke my heart because the fact that he didn’t stand up for me, didn’t leave with me and wouldn’t even look at me, meant he wasn’t ready for this.

For marriage and commitment.

For an adult relationship.

“It’ll never work.” The realization crystallized with those words, uttered in the backseat of a thirty year old taxi. This was all for show. The smiles and kisses, even the intimate moments that were just between us were nothing more than an act. Because his actions today said he didn’t just not love me, he didn’t like or respect me if he could let his family talk to me that way.

“You say something Miss?”

I looked up at the friendly cabbie with a long beard and white smile. “Sorry, just talking to myself.”

He laughed. “That’s where I get most of my best advice,” he offered with a sympathetic grin.

“Is that what I’ve been doing wrong?” He grinned and I turned back to my thoughts, which were starting to piss me off. I liked Zeke. A lot more than I should and now the utter foolishness of my flights of fancy settled on my shoulders. Zeke and I would never work. Eventually he would get bored or worse, worried that I would cut him loose the way his family had, and then he would leave. And it wouldn’t just be me who was left devastated and abandoned.

Max would too.

I sighed as the cab came to a stop outside the hotel. “Do you think you could wait and give me a ride to the airport?”

“You sure, ma’am?”

I nodded and gave him the money for the current fare. “Yes. I just need to grab my bags and I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting right here,” he assured me. “Just look for the badge number up top.” With a grateful smile I hurried into the hotel and across the lobby, pressing the elevator button at least a dozen times in hopes of speeding things along.

Luckily I didn’t have time to unpack my luggage aside from a few toiletries and the clothes I wore, so I shoved it all back inside, zipped up my bag and scratched out a quick note to Zeke before I set the gorgeous princess cut diamond wedding ring and platinum band on top of his luggage, and left the beautiful suite behind without a wistful look back. There was no need for wistfulness because the past few months were nothing but one big fat lie. A picture perfect life, but still a lie.

Zeke was nothing more than a pipe dream. Another mistake. Another failed relationship to add to the book of my life.

An accidental husband who was never meant to stick.