Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

CASH

After Anna stops hyperventilating about me sending her back to the cult, I take her in to meet my mother.

“Mama, meet Anna. She’s going to need some new clothes, a haircut, oh, and ask the preacher to come down here this evening. We’re having a wedding.”

My words immediately have my mother moving, and after she gets Anna upstairs and into the shower, she comes back down with a troubled look on her face. “Are you sure about this, Cash? When I said you needed a mother for those children, I didn’t mean to marry a stranger. She could be dangerous.”

“I don’t think she is. She’s scared to death of everything. We’ll watch her for a while, but she needs us, and I need someone who can take care of the children and give you some time off. There are some clothes that Becky left here. They might be big on her, but they’ll do for now.”

“It doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful either, does it, Son?” My mother skewers me with an accusatory smirk.

“It has nothing to do with her looks, Mama. We need her and she needs us. They were going to force her to marry some guy in that cult, and they don’t treat women well there. Do you know, when I mentioned I had gotten divorced from Becky to her, she freaked out? Said that divorce where she’s from meant the husband murders the wife.”

My mother gasps.

“This is going to protect her and help me out. If she’s already married, the cult can’t force her to marry one of those weirdos,” I state firmly.

With a firm nod, my mom goes back upstairs to help my future wife get ready. For fuck’s sake, I’m old enough to be her father, but it’s the best solution I can come up with in a pinch. Plus, not that I’ll admit it to anyone, but no way in hell am I allowing her to go back to that freakshow to marry someone else. Anna is mine. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I felt it all the way in my soul.

The kids come home from school before Anna and my mother get back downstairs. I cook a quick dinner, since mom is occupied, and help Bailey and Brooks finish up their homework.

“Guys, I need to talk to you for a second.” Holding my breath and leaning in close, I try to ready myself to tell the kids.

“Okay, Dad,” says Bailey.

Both children sit down at the table and wait for me to speak. Knowing I need to deliver the news gently, I choose my words carefully. “We have a guest, and Grandma is upstairs helping her get ready. She’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

“Who is it, Daddy?” Bailey asks.

“Her name is Anna, and we’re getting married tonight.”

Seething with rage, Brooks snaps, “You think a strange woman is going to be our new mother?”

“Brooks,” I caution, tone low in warning.

“The last one left, and I’m sure this one will, too.”

“She’s going to become my wife, and I expect you two to treat her with respect and give her a chance. You never know, you might like her.”

Although I don’t admit it, I instantly felt attracted to Anna when I first saw her. She managed to look stunning and delicate, even in the hideous oversized dress and old-fashioned hairstyle.

My mother walks into the kitchen with a warm smile on her face. “Cash, here, she’s ready.”

When Anna walks around the corner into my line of sight, my jaw drops open. Her chestnut-colored hair is still cascading down her back in waves, but now it’s trimmed much shorter than it was, and styled so her curls frame her beautiful face. She’s wearing regular street clothes, and my mother has even applied some light makeup to define her eyes and lips. The woman is stunning and looks older than she did dressed in those church clothes.

My heart skips a beat as the sight of her sends a surge of electricity through me, making my skin tingle with excitement. I can hear the gentle hum of desire in the air, as if it’s a melody only meant for us two. The scent of anticipation lingers, a mix of nervousness and longing, filling my nostrils. With every breath, I feel the weight of this moment, my own anticipation building, making my pulse quicken and my breathing become shallow.

My mother shoos the children out of the room. If looks could kill, Anna would be dead from Brook’s stare.

Once the preacher arrives, he conducts a quick marriage ceremony with just Anna and myself, plus my mother and Bailey, who holds a bouquet of wildflowers she collected outside. Brooks refuses to be part of it, and remains sulking in his room.

By doing this, Anna is safeguarded from being forced into marriage with the Prophet, and I gain a wife. Anna and Bailey are interacting well together so far, so I have hope that she will be the perfect new mother for my child.

As I watch her sitting on the floor reading to my little girl, realization hits me square in the chest. I want her to be the mother of my children, and that means I’ll be planting a baby in her as soon as possible.

Once Brooks and Bailey are settled in bed, I remind myself to approach the consummation of my marriage with patience and tenderness. I haven’t fucked a woman since Becky left, and I’m as hard as a brick. This girl is so innocent. I don’t want to overwhelm her.

“Let’s go to bed, wife.”

With a nervous stutter, Anna responds, “Wait, I have my own room, right?”

“Hell no. Why would my wife have a room separate from me?”

“I assumed our marriage is purely for show, so if you don’t have an extra room, I’m perfectly content sleeping on the floor.”

Walking over and grabbing my wife by the back of her neck, I bring her body to mine so she can feel just how real this marriage is going to be. The moment she clues in to the state of my arousal, her body begins to tremble as her eyes widen in shock.

Wrapping her in my arms and pulling her to me tightly, I run my nose along her throat.

“Why would a man of my age choose to marry a young, stunning woman and then let her sleep in a separate bed instead of keeping me warm at night?”

“I’m scared, Cash.”

“Don’t worry, baby. You’re safe here with us. I’m going to take care of you and protect you from the assholes you ran away from.”

“When am I leaving here?”

“Leaving?” With a pinched expression, I loosen my grasp on her.

“Yeah, after this fake marriage is over, I’ll need to leave.”

“Baby girl, I’m not letting you go, and I can assure you, this marriage is very real.”

With that proclamation, I grab my wife’s throat and crash my lips into hers, gifting her with her a first kiss.

It better be her first one or I’m going to kill someone.

The mere thought makes me shove my tongue into her mouth, forcefully dominating hers as I make sure she knows exactly who she belongs to.