Sophia’s POV
For a moment I was stunned silent. It wasn’t like my divorce with Jerry was top secret. A Google search would reveal everything there was about my marriage to Jerry Baxter.
But with Mr Prescott’s grandmother in front of me looking at me with barely concealed distrust in her eyes, I suddenly felt small.
But then again, this was a good chance to finish what I had started last night before Nana’s arrival.
I just had to tell Nana that this marriage with Mr Prescott wasn’t going to work. And I would be done with this pretense.
“I… I never intended to marry again,” I said, meeting Nana’s frank gaze. “My marriage with Jerry Baxter was an arranged loveless one. This marriage is just…”
I trailed off, my words failed me midway through my speech. I couldn’t seem to get the truth out of my mouth.
To my surprise, Nana took my hand in hers patting it affectionately, her previous look of distrust gone.
“You don’t have to explain to me. I know a thing or two about arranged marriages but more than that, I trust my grandson. If he chose to marry you, I know it was after careful consideration.”
Nana’s gaze went distant for a moment and I instinctively knew there was a story behind her sudden acceptance of my arranged marriage to Jerry.
Nana’s eyes steadied on me once more as she continued to speak.
“Because of my daughter’s ill-fated marriage my grandson, Reid, has always been a very private person. He was the perfect heir for Prescott Enterprise but his relationships…”
Nana shook her head, not finishing her statement.
“I was beginning to fear he would die alone, Sophia.”
Her hold on my hand tightened slightly, her gray eyes now slightly rimmed with tears.
“You are now a part of my family. Please keep Reid happy.”
Then Nana hugged me. For a moment, my hands hung limply at my sides as for the first time I came to the realization that this arranged marriage would have more implications than I could have previously imagined.
I felt guilty. I should have completed my words earlier and told Nana the truth but now I couldn’t afford to break her heart.
“I’ll do my best, Grandmother.” I said finally returning her hug.
She relaxed in my arms like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders then she called out.
“Are you going to keep standing at the door or are you going to come in?”
Huh?
I pulled away from the hug just to see Mr Prescott at the doorway of the study.
“M-Reid,” I stuttered, barely correcting myself in time. “You are home early.”
Mr Prescott looked even more handsome today and I couldn’t for the life of me say why.
He was wearing his usual white and black suit, his hair low in his carefully maintained buzz cut and his gray eyes friendly but distant with no trace of the passionate gaze of the man who had tried to stop me from leaving last night.
Next to me, I could feel rather than see Nana glance between us and I could tell that this was far from what she expected a newly married couple to greet each other.
Mr Prescott was quick to react, closing the distance between us, and pressing his lips to my forehead before kissing Nana’s cheek.
“Nana said there was an emergency so I rushed down.” Mr Prescott said by way of explanation and I glanced at Nana questioningly.
“An emergency?” I asked.
Nana shrugged unrepentantly before leveling a glare at Mr Prescott.
“Both of you have been married for over a month yet you haven’t gone on a honeymoon.”
A honeymoon? No way.
It was bad enough that we had to share a room. Going on a honeymoon together would be disastrous.
Mr Prescott stiffened visibly before responding to Nana’s demands.
“The company is undergoing major development, I can’t afford to go on a honeymoon right now.”
Nana didn’t seem impressed by this excuse.
“The company isn’t as important as your marriage, Reid.”
Mr Prescott didn’t budge either.
“Nana.”
“Fine,” Nana sighed with a long-suffering sigh, admitting defeat. “I’ll be understanding for now if… you take your wife out on a date tonight instead.”
I blinked in surprise at how quickly this situation was shifting. Just a moment ago, Nana had been all but questioning my commitment to Mr Prescott then she was suggesting a honeymoon and now a date?
“Grandmother,” I interjected. “There is no need for a date. Reid is-”
Mr Prescott didn’t let me finish before he interrupted me.
“It would be my pleasure to go out on a date with you.” He said and for a moment staring into his gray eyes, I might have even believed it.
I couldn’t decline without raising suspicion from Nana and that was how I found myself dressed in a blue dinner dress, Mr Prescott at my side and Nana in front of us with tears in her eyes about to head out on a dinner date.
“You look stunning, my dear,” Nana nodded in approval at my dress before lowering her voice to a stage whisper. “Please make sure your husband has fun. My grandson can be so stuck up sometimes.”
“Nana.” Mr Prescott sighed in slight annoyance at her words but there wasn’t any real anger in his voice.
I got the impression that this was something Nana tended to do a lot. Nana harrumphed in response and Mr Prescott kissed her cheek in parting and we were off.