Chapter One

The Marriage Negotiation

Marriage Mayhem 7

AJA FOXX

Copyright ? 2024

~ Patrick ~

"Okay." I smiled as I set the pen down and closed the file I'd been working on. "I think that's everything."

I was so glad this was all over. After all the papers I had signed, my hand was close to cramping. Who knew it took so much paperwork to change your life?

My friend and lawyer, Joseph Navarro, grabbed the file and flipped it open, starting to go over the stack of papers inside. Luckily, he had already read through them so it didn't take long for him to finish reading the huge stack.

After about ten minutes, Joe closed the file and then glanced at me. "Is this what you really want to do, Patty?"

I nodded. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, Joe. That whole situation with Scotty just kind of brought it home for me."

"Once I turned these papers in, it's done. You get that right? You'll no longer be the hospital administrator."

"I do." It had taken me a long time to get to this point. "Scotty and Beck were doing everything that they could to pursue the life they wanted. I think it's about time that I did the same."

"Do you know where you're going to go?"

"I do." I smiled again, elation and a bit of anxiety hitting me all at once. "I think we're going to be neighbors."

Joe's jaw dropped for just a moment. "You're moving to New York?"

I nodded.

"Do you have a job waiting for you? Are you going to work at one of the hospitals there?"

"Not for awhile," I replied. "I went straight from high school to the university and straight from there to working. I think I'm going to take a little time off and think about where I want my life to go."

I was no longer sure.

I'd dreamed of being a doctor since I received my first play doctor kit when I was five years old. That thought had never wavered in my mind. I had studied hard and worked my way quickly up through the ranks. Now, as a hospital administrator, I should have been ecstatic.

I wasn't.

I spent more time on paperwork and in budget meetings than I did practicing medicine and that had not been my dream. I needed to do something else with my life or I was going to lose myself.

"With the investments you and your father helped me with, I have enough money saved up to last me for awhile, and I don't plan on being out of work forever. Just a few months. That will give me time for the move and to get settled." I smiled ruefully. "And maybe think about what I want to do with the rest of my life."

"Well, if you need anything, be sure to let us know. We're always there for you if you need us. You know that, right?"

I smiled as I nodded. "I do."

The bond between us had been set in stone fifteen years ago when we'd all become frat brothers. It was solid to this day.

"How are Scotty and Beck settling in?" I asked. "Is his father doing okay?"

"He is," Joe replied. "They all are. Once Scotty and Beck got settled, they got his father into physical therapy. He's now able to walk with a cane."

"That's good to hear."

I'd been worried about the old man when Jake had called and asked for my help. I had been more concerned when I'd actually seen the man. He'd been so pale, I'd taken his vitals just to make sure he wasn't on the edge of dying. It was good to hear he was okay.

"They still live in that condo Jake got for them after they left Texas," Joe stated. "You'll be neighbors with them so I'm sure you can check in on them any time you want."

Might not be a bad idea.

"Well, it'll be a few weeks until I check in on anyone. I still need to get packed and then get all of my stuff shipped to my new place. Plus, I have to work my last two weeks after those papers are turned in."

The next month was going to be insane. Still, I was looking forward to it. Well, I was looking to my life changing, not necessarily the packing and actual moving. The drive from Texas to New York was going to take forever.

"New York City takes a bit to get used to, especially if you've lived someplace like Texas for most of your life. I'm for California and it was still hard for me to get used to. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

A new city, a new life?

I'd done it before. I could do it again.

I smiled as I shook Joe's hand. "I think I'll do okay."

Joe patted me on the shoulder. "Okay, man."

"Just get those papers filed," I said. "I'm tired of being a paper pusher."

Joe frowned. "I'm a paper pusher."

"You're a lawyer." That might actually be worse than a paper pusher, but I didn't mention that. "Big difference."

Joe chuckled. "Not by much. I swear I spend more time going over case law and visiting the records department down at city hall than I do in the courtroom."

"You could always do something else."

"Naw." Joe shook his head. "Working for Jake is actually pretty interesting. Technically, I'm in corporate law, but some of the things Jake is into is like science fiction, man. Like, seriously bizarre. He lets his lab nerds dream and pursue anything that takes their fancy, and it almost always pays off in big ways. Recently, the M zeros in Jake's bank account became B zeros."

My eyes widened. "Jake is a billionaire?"

"He is and that means he takes good care of the people that helped get him there. I've made more money working for Jake over the last year than I did in five years working as a lawyer in California."

Must be nice.

"Jake need an on-call doctor?"

Instead of laughing as I had expected, Joe looked thoughtful. "Maybe."

"What?" I asked.

"Let me drop a bug in Jake's ear," Joe said. "Having an on-call doctor for all of us isn't a bad idea. We tend to get into scrapes here and there. A man named Spencer has been helping where he can, but it isn't always in our best interest to associate with him, so we try and keep it at a minimum."

I frowned at his words. "Why not? Is he not licensed or something?"

"Oh, no, he's licensed. It's just that his husband is mafia. King runs Queens."

I stared for a moment, positive I'd misheard him. "You guys are involved in the mafia?"

"That is a yes or no answer with a long explanation that would take a few hours to explain."

"Short version?" I suggested.

"Yes, but only as friends."

Yeah, that wasn't any better.

"You're friends with a mafia boss?"

"We're actually friends with four of the five mafia bosses in New York City and a couple in Italy."

I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but... "How?"

"Once you get settled in, Jake and I will meet with you for drinks and explain it all to you. Until then, I can tell you that they are all pretty decent men considering the line of work they are in. They have actually lowered the crime rate since they've been in charge and gotten rid of some of the worst criminals in the city."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. An ethical mafia boss?

Was that even possible?

I was pretty sure that I knew my frat brothers well enough to know that they wouldn't get involved with bad people. I just wasn't sure where the mafia fell into that.

"I'd better get going," Joe said. "I need to get these papers filed and then catch my flight back to New York. If I'm late for dinner, Jayce will kill me."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for flying out here and doing this for me."

"Of course," Joe replied. "Anything for a frat brother."

I walked Joe out of the conference room and then to the elevator. After saying goodbye one more time, I waited until the doors closed between us, and then made my way to my office.

I couldn't believe it was finally done. I felt a sense of relief, but also a little trepidation. This was a big step for me. Many would say I was being an idiot for giving up my position, except I had never wanted to be a hospital administrator. I just wanted to be a doctor. It's what I had gone to school for after all.

I sighed as I sat at my desk and stared at the pile of papers I was supposed to go through before the next budget meeting. I don't know why I even bothered. Nothing ever happened in those meetings.

It was just a lot of talk by people that had too much money to spend and no real intention of doing something good with it. They liked to pretend that they were something special because they served on the board of directors of a hospital. In reality, they were bored and did nothing.

Didn't help the hospital one damn bit.

I frowned when my cell phone rang. Glancing down at the screen, that frown became a grimace. I'd rather deal with the board of directors than take this phone call.

Unfortunately, I knew the caller would just keep on calling until I answered.

I swiped my finger across the screen and placed the phone to my ear. "Hello, Peter."

"Hey, bro," my brother replied. "Long time no talk."

"Ten years." I could have easily gone another ten years without talking to him. "How did you get my number?"

I certainly hadn't given it to him.

"Mom gave it to me."

I sighed heavily. I couldn't berate my mother for giving my brother my cell number. I doubted she had done it on purpose. She probably didn't even know Peter had taken it.

"So, what do you want?" I asked. I doubted there was anything Peter could say that I wanted to hear. We hadn't been close as kids and we weren't close now.

"I'm getting married."

"Congratulations."

Still didn't know what that had to me.

"I want you to come to my wedding."

"No," I answered without hesitation.

"Patrick—"

"We haven't seen each other in ten years. Why ruin a good thing?"

"Just come to the wedding," Peter said. "Mom and Dad miss you and want to see you. This would be a great time for a family reunion."

I wanted to disagree specifically for the fact that I was still in contact with my parents. I'd even seen them just a couple of months ago when I'd flown to California for a medical conference.

We just hadn't informed Peter.

"When is the wedding?" I asked.

Maybe I was busy.

"Two weeks," Peter replied. "You have to be there. I've rented a tux for you and everything."

"I have a tux, Peter." I actually had two. "Just tell me when and where the wedding is going to be."

I still hadn't decided whether I was going or not, but I was leaning toward not going...and changing my number.

Peter relayed the information and then asked, "So, you'll come?"

"I'll think about it."

"You have to come, Patrick. You're my little brother. You have to be at my wedding. I can't wait to introduce you to my fiancé."

I could imagine the type of person that had agreed to marry my brother and I shuddered at just the idea of meeting them.

"I need to go, Peter. I have a meeting soon."

"What?" Peter scoffed. "They actually have meetings for convenience store workers?"

And there would be one of the reasons I wanted nothing to do with my brother. He was a jerk and had been since we were kids. He hadn't changed as he grew up.

"I don't work at a convenience store, Peter."

Peter let out a loud laugh. "Oh, you got fired?"

I rolled my eyes even if Peter couldn't see it. I had worked at a convenience store when I was in high school. That had been a long time ago. I wasn't about to tell him what I did for work now. Knowing my brother, he'd probably ask me for money.

"If you need a job," Peter said, amusement clear in his voice. "I could hire you on here at Dad's company. We could always use a janitor."

"I don't need a job, Peter."

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't ask me to pay for your airfare."

"I won't." I'd never ask my brother for money, not even a single penny. It wasn't worth being in contact with him. "Goodbye, Peter."

I hung up before he could say anything more.

I dialed my mom's number, wanting to get the truth about this wedding. I couldn't shake the feeling that Peter was scheming.

"Hey, Mom, it's me."

"Patrick," she replied in a happy tone. "How are you, son?"

"I'm good." I hadn't told them about my move yet. At this point, they didn't even know I was a doctor. They knew I worked in a hospital, but they assumed I was a janitor or a paper pusher or something.

It wasn't that I hadn't wanted to tell them, but I hadn't wanted word getting to Peter. As much as I loved my parents, they could never keep anything from him.

I held out hope that somewhere deep in their hearts, they knew that Peter was a bad seed. I hadn't seen it so far. From the day I was born, Peter was treated as the older sibling and golden child.

Granted, they showered me with love and affection, too. They just refused to see the bad in Peter.

"Peter called."

"He did?"

"He said he was getting married and asked me to attend his wedding in two weeks. Is he really getting married?"

My mother's sigh was not reassuring.

"He is," my mother replied. "But I almost wished he wasn't."

"Huh?" That wasn't something I ever expected my mother to say. "Why is that?"

"His fiancé is such a sweet young man. Peter insists that they are in love, but I have my doubts. He just doesn't seem like the type of person Peter would be interested in."

"Peter's gay?"

This was the first I was hearing of this.

"That's just it," my mother stated. "Peter has always gone out with women in the past and then suddenly three months ago, he showed up with his fiancé and said they were getting married."

That was weird.

"Is there money involved?" I asked.

It could be the only answer.

"I don't know, but why would that matter?"

God, my parents had blinders on where it came to Peter.

"I guess it doesn't," I finally answered. It wasn't my wedding after all. None of this was part of my life or the one I planned to build for myself when I moved to New York.

"So, we'll see you in two weeks then?" my mother asked.

Man, I so didn't want to go.

"I'll see, Mom. Work is pretty busy right now."

"Oh?"

"Lots of paperwork."

I wasn't lying.

"Try and make time, Patrick. This is your brother's wedding."

"We'll see, Mom. We'll see."

I wasn't placing any bets on it.