No Deal Breakers by Amanda Read Free Book Online

mom with
gifts, flowers, compliments, and more public displays of affection
than he cared to think about. He was sure that too many compliments
would scare her off, and anything physical, from the most innocent
to the most intimate of touches, was not an option, unless he
wanted her scared to death of him, and he did not. That left gifts,
and kindness.
    "I just…I…this is so uneven, you’ve been
nothing but a gentleman, buying me gifts, respecting my boundaries,
giving me a place to live, not forcing me to talk about my life
before I met you. I’ll never be able to measure up; I’ll never be
able to give you anything in return. I mean, I told you this
morning I’ll get a job and try to pull my own weight, but any
bartending or waitress job I get, I’ll never be able to repay
you."
    "This is a partnership, not a competition, it
isn’t about measuring or comparing, it’s about caring for one
another, and working together. I don’t want you to repay me,
everything I have is yours now, I’m your husband. I want to buy you
things and do things for you. It’s in my job description. And, like
I told you at breakfast; you’re welcome to get a job if you want
one, but you aren’t obligated to, and I won’t accept any of the
money you make as payment or some nonsense like that." She was the
most frustrating woman he had ever met; most women would love the
gifts and attention, not Aria.
    "Fine. This is all really hard for me, I
don’t know what to do or expect, I’m not used to anyone doing
anything for me without expecting something in return, it’s hard
for me to get my head around it all." That was the most she had
opened about herself since they met, he wasn’t going to point it
out, though. He was an open book, and she had barely given him a
synopsis, if she was going to start leaking details, he wasn’t
going to do or say anything to thwart her. What had her life been
like that she assumed everyone was after something, he
wondered.
    "I know, just be yourself, and I’ll be
myself, and I think we’ll be just fine. Just, please keep an open
mind about me; don’t assume the worst in me because of past
experience. Give me a chance to prove myself." She nodded and took
the box from him, she didn’t put it on, but took it and her new
pajamas with her to the backseat where she removed the tags from
her new coat and put it on and placed her new gifts in its
place.
     
    They were back on the road after getting the
few things they needed, Brian wasn’t looking forward to facing the
inquisition that awaited them at Zimmer’s, but Aria was insistent.
"It’s like a ripping off a band-aid, people will find out about me
sooner or later, we may as well be the ones to tell them," she had
said when he tried talking her into eating at a chain in town. She
was right, it would be best to just let everyone know he was
married and face the questions all at the same time, and their was
no better place to do that than at the town’s only diner on a
Saturday night, during the dinner rush. The whole town would be in
an uproar over this news, his mom really was going to kill him,
Genie Harris had been mad when her only daughter had eloped, she’d
be spitting nails when she found out he had too.
    He groaned loudly, "what’s wrong," Aria
asked, picking her head up from its resting spot on the window.
    "My parents, we haven’t told them yet, we’d
better call them before the whole town knows and starts calling
them." He shot a glance at her out of the corner of his eye as he
dialed his parents’ number. She had only nodded, but her entire
body had gone even more rigid, if that were possible.
    She was still keeping her distance as much as
possible when they were alone; her body angled toward the door,
leaning as far from him as possible, he wondered if she even
realized she was doing it. She never touched him in public, either,
but she seemed a lot more open when they were in crowds of
people.
    "Hello? Brian?" His dad’s familiar