An arranged marriage?That’s what Claudia had said, though she hadn’t realized those still existed outside of books.At least, not in the sense that Mason and Yasmine had done.
Although when she thought about it, hadn’t that been what her parents had done with her and Cash?They’d been the ones to introduce them.They’d been incredibly encouraging of her and Cash dating.They’d been dropping hints about marriage.They’d been the ones trying to push her and Cash back together after she caught him cheating red-handed.Them and his parents, although he’d been on board for all of it, too.
She might not have asked them to arrange her marriage, but wasn’t that exactly what they’d tried to do?
There were a lot of marriages ‘arranged’ among their group, when she looked at it that way.
“So, you’re just marrying who your parents are telling you to?”Mick asked, looking horrified.
Audrey dipped her head, lifting her drink to her lips to cover her smile.At least she knew she wasn’t the only one feeling that way.While her parents might have done their best to maneuver things, the idea ofaskingthem to take control of her life in such a way was terrifying.
“No.”Mason shook his head.
She tried not to look directly at him because when she looked directly at him, it was hard to deny how attracted to him she was.Knowing he wasn’t in love with Yasmine, that it was arranged, made her feel a little less like an awful person, but the fact remained that he was still taken, and lusting after him was wrong.
“I just realized that I’ve never had thoughts of marrying any of my girlfriends, but I am now ready for marriage, and I want kids and a partner, and I figured my parents know me really well, and they might do a better job of setting me up for that than I was doing for myself.”
Mick still looked horrified at the explanation.
Grandma nudged Audrey with her elbow.
“You should let me arrange your marriage,” she whispered gleefully, a rather frightening look in her eyes.
“No, thank you,” Audrey whispered back.Her grandmother would probably do a better job than her parents, but she’d just gotten full control over her life for the first time in her life.Giving it away again was not on her to-do list.
“Come on, I bet I’d be good at it.”Grandma lifted her hands from her lap, spreading them apart as if to describe the size of something.“I’ll get you one with a giant?—”
“Brenda,” Cassidy whispered repressively from Grandma’s other side, cutting her off at what was probably exactly the right time.Despite interrupting, she was still grinning in amusement.
Leaning against the arm of the couch on her other side, David had his arms crossed, and he was glaring at Grandma, who either didn’t notice or was really good at pretending not to see him.
Which was when Audrey realized everyone was listening to Brenda’s whispers and that Mason and Yasmine had stopped talking.Which meant everyone had heard Brenda’s offer to find Audrey a man with a giantsomething.
As if her dignity hadn’t already fallen flat on its face tonight.
She could feel her cheeks turning red again.
“So, um, what about you?”she asked Yasmine.“If it’s okay to ask.”
“It’s okay.You’re probably the only one here, well, and maybe Mick, who doesn’t know I’m cursed.”
Cursed?
“You’re cursed?”Mick threw his hands up in the air.“Jensen never tells me anything.”
“I told you about her curse.”
“Did not.”
“Did too!”
“Um, how are you cursed?”Audrey asked, trying to ignore the brothers’ back and forth, as distracting as it was.The fact that no one had reacted like Yasmine was joking was very intriguing.Even her grandma didn’t bat an eye at the statement.
“My dating life is cursed.Everyone I date since college or even get involved in a serious relationship with, not only does it not work out, but after we break up, they find ‘the one’.”Yasmine made the statement completely matter-of-factly.
“The first time, I was kind of happy for them.It hadn’t been a bad breakup, and I was glad he’d found what he wanted.The second time seemed like coincidence.By the sixth time, it was hard not to feel cursed.After the tenth time, I’d given up, so when my parents said they knew someone who was looking to arrange their marriage, and they thought we’d be a good match… well, it seemed like maybe this is the way to break the curse.”
“No dating, straight to marriage.Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.”Everyone laughed at the moment.Sitting in one of the armchairs was the gorgeous Black woman who’d made the comment.She’d come in while Audrey was getting the tour, and they hadn’t been officially introduced yet, but from that joke alone, Audrey was pretty sure she was going to like her.
