Chapter 1 · The Jackpot Husband

The guy my mom set me up with was an airline pilot making about 900 thousand a year.

He was only home twice a year. To me, he sounded like the absolute perfect husband.

But just as I was ready to say yes, he dropped a bomb. "I will marry you, but I have four conditions."

My heart sank. I knew a deal this good had a catch.

Yet after he laid out those four conditions, I sat there stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "

He was not setting terms. He was handing me a jackpot. I slapped the table and declared, "Deal. Let's go to the courthouse right now.

*****

The atmosphere at the dinner table was awful.

The dining room lights cast a greasy glare over the heavy mahogany table.

Tristan's mother, Jane, tapped her manicured nails against the wood.

"Eris, we need to talk," she finally said.

I put my fork down. "Sure. What is it?"

"You and Tristan have been together for three years. The foundation is there. I think it is time we discuss a wedding."

My heart jumped. I looked at Tristan.

He kept his head down and focused entirely on his soup, avoiding my eyes.

A cold knot of dread formed in my stomach.

Jane continued, "You know our financial situation. We stretched ourselves thin with the down payment on Tristan's new house.

"The mortgage is about 4,000 a month, which is a lot of pressure. Then there is the remodeling and the furniture.

"It is a fortune. So, we think it is best if we skip paying for any wedding expenses entirely."

She took a sip of her water and eyed me over the rim of her glass. She looked at me like I was an item on a clearance rack.

Her eyes glanced at me over the rim, like she was evaluating a piece of merchandise.

I did not say a word. My stomach dropped inch by inch.

Seeing my silence, she set her glass down. "Of course, we are not unreasonable. Skipping the wedding completely might embarrass your family.

"So here is our idea. Your parents have that paid-off condo downtown, right?

"It is small, maybe six hundred square feet. They can transfer the deed to you as an early wedding gift.

"We will hire contractors to touch it up, and Tristan's dad and I will move in. That way, the new house is entirely yours and Tristan's.

"We older folks will stay out of your hair. It is a win-win."

I almost laughed at the sheer audacity.

They wanted to skip the wedding costs entirely and hijack my parents' only home.

That was the home my parents had lived in for thirty years.

I turned to Tristan. He finally looked up from his bowl.

"Eris, my mom is just looking out for us," he said with his usual mild smile. "Think about it.

"Once we are married, we are one family. There is no need to draw hard lines. Letting my parents live in your parents' condo is a great way to show respect.

"Besides, you are marrying me. Do you really think I would mistreat you?"

At that moment, his smile looked incredibly fake.

I took a deep breath to force down the rage boiling in my chest. "Tristan, that condo belongs to my parents. I have absolutely no right to decide who lives there.

"And contributing to a wedding is about mutual respect and commitment. If the mortgage is too much pressure, we could have discussed it.

"But you cannot just refuse to pitch in and demand a free house on top of it."

His mother's face darkened instantly. "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that? Are you calling us poor? Let me tell you something.

"The only reason we even approved of you is because you have a stable job and you are obedient.

"There are a dozen girls lined up down the block who would kill to marry my son. Do not be ungrateful."

Her spiteful words hit like physical blows. Beneath the table, my hands curled into tight fists.

Tristan hastily tried to play the peacemaker.

"Mom, take it easy," he said.

He then turned to me with a softer tone. "Eris, do not get mad. You know how my mom is. She is all bark and no bite. We can figure the details out later.

"Just say yes, get your parents to sign over the condo, and everything else will fall into place."

"Everything else will fall into place?" I repeated. I stared right at him. "Tristan, do you honestly think I am that stupid?"

His smile froze. Jane slammed her hand on the table.

Chapter 1

The guy my mom set me up with was an airline pilot making about 900 thousand a year.

He was only home twice a year. To me, he sounded like the absolute perfect husband.

But just as I was ready to say yes, he dropped a bomb. "I will marry you, but I have four conditions."

My heart sank. I knew a deal this good had a catch.

Yet after he laid out those four conditions, I sat there stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "

He was not setting terms. He was handing me a jackpot. I slapped the table and declared, "Deal. Let's go to the courthouse right now.

*****

The atmosphere at the dinner table was awful.

The dining room lights cast a greasy glare over the heavy mahogany table.

Tristan's mother, Jane, tapped her manicured nails against the wood.

"Eris, we need to talk," she finally said.

I put my fork down. "Sure. What is it?"

"You and Tristan have been together for three years. The foundation is there. I think it is time we discuss a wedding."

My heart jumped. I looked at Tristan.

He kept his head down and focused entirely on his soup, avoiding my eyes.

A cold knot of dread formed in my stomach.

Jane continued, "You know our financial situation. We stretched ourselves thin with the down payment on Tristan's new house.

"The mortgage is about 4,000 a month, which is a lot of pressure. Then there is the remodeling and the furniture.

"It is a fortune. So, we think it is best if we skip paying for any wedding expenses entirely."

She took a sip of her water and eyed me over the rim of her glass. She looked at me like I was an item on a clearance rack.

Her eyes glanced at me over the rim, like she was evaluating a piece of merchandise.

I did not say a word. My stomach dropped inch by inch.

Seeing my silence, she set her glass down. "Of course, we are not unreasonable. Skipping the wedding completely might embarrass your family.

"So here is our idea. Your parents have that paid-off condo downtown, right?

"It is small, maybe six hundred square feet. They can transfer the deed to you as an early wedding gift.

"We will hire contractors to touch it up, and Tristan's dad and I will move in. That way, the new house is entirely yours and Tristan's.

"We older folks will stay out of your hair. It is a win-win."

I almost laughed at the sheer audacity.

They wanted to skip the wedding costs entirely and hijack my parents' only home.

That was the home my parents had lived in for thirty years.

I turned to Tristan. He finally looked up from his bowl.

"Eris, my mom is just looking out for us," he said with his usual mild smile. "Think about it.

"Once we are married, we are one family. There is no need to draw hard lines. Letting my parents live in your parents' condo is a great way to show respect.

"Besides, you are marrying me. Do you really think I would mistreat you?"

At that moment, his smile looked incredibly fake.

I took a deep breath to force down the rage boiling in my chest. "Tristan, that condo belongs to my parents. I have absolutely no right to decide who lives there.

"And contributing to a wedding is about mutual respect and commitment. If the mortgage is too much pressure, we could have discussed it.

"But you cannot just refuse to pitch in and demand a free house on top of it."

His mother's face darkened instantly. "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that? Are you calling us poor? Let me tell you something.

"The only reason we even approved of you is because you have a stable job and you are obedient.

"There are a dozen girls lined up down the block who would kill to marry my son. Do not be ungrateful."

Her spiteful words hit like physical blows. Beneath the table, my hands curled into tight fists.

Tristan hastily tried to play the peacemaker.

"Mom, take it easy," he said.

He then turned to me with a softer tone. "Eris, do not get mad. You know how my mom is. She is all bark and no bite. We can figure the details out later.

"Just say yes, get your parents to sign over the condo, and everything else will fall into place."

"Everything else will fall into place?" I repeated. I stared right at him. "Tristan, do you honestly think I am that stupid?"

His smile froze. Jane slammed her hand on the table.