The Loyal Groom

  The Loyal Groom

  Alexa Riley

  Contents

  The Loyal Groom

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Ringing in the New Year

  Chapter 1

  Read Me Romance

  Stalk the Author

  Copyright © 2021 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com

  http://alexariley.com/

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by Aquila Editing

  The Loyal Groom

  by Alexa Riley

  Rosy comes from an affluent family that expects her to follow a certain path. But when the new guy at school comes to her rescue, she's derailed. She gives up everything to follow her heart, and although they struggle financially over the years, their love never wavers.

  Darian works all the time to give his wife the perfect life he thinks she deserves. But could that be the thing that’s tearing them apart? When their foundation begins to rock, he starts seeing things in a new light.

  Warning: Married romances are the BEST and this is no exception. Young love can be tough when you’re trying to make ends meet, but what about when you get everything you dreamed of…? Can it last in bad times and in good? Find out just how Loyal this Groom is!

  To Julie M…

  Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring this one. Wishing you and your husband a lifetime of love,

  Lea and Mel

  Chapter 1

  Rosy

  How they met….

  I grab my chemistry book out of my locker before dropping a few others back inside. Luckily the first day of Kingswood Prep has been boring. People say that middle school has some of the worst bullying, but I hope that isn’t the case.

  The private elementary school I went to before was for girls only. It’s a bit strange to have boys in my classes now, but things actually seem calmer. Maybe it’s because we’re all trying to figure out where we fit in, but I’m feeling better than I thought I would.

  I check my schedule again, looking for the room number before I head to class.

  “Oh shit,” I hear a voice say before I run directly into someone.

  My head jerks up when two firm hands land on my shoulders, stopping me from walking. When I look up, I see a guy that’s much taller than me with a broad chest. I would think he’s a student teacher from the high school if not for the white polo shirt that has the school's name embroidered on it. Although uniforms suck, I love this one way more than my last. There we all had to wear dresses and here the girls can pick to wear the plaid skirt or khaki slacks.

  “Sorry. I didn't see you,” he apologizes, and I look up into his gray eyes.

  I’ve never seen that color before, and I notice as I keep on staring that there are tiny streaks of brown and gold within the gray. I stand there unable to form words as I look him over. He seems familiar, but I know I would remember him if we’d ever met. My heart races in my chest, and warmth blooms within me.

  “Are you okay?”

  Those eyes search my face, and I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I close it as I take in the sight of him and his hands on my shoulders. He’s got short black hair, a chiseled jaw, full lips, and a nose that has a small bump like he may have injured it at some point. The bump only adds to his perfect hotness somehow, and his olive skin is also flawless. Then he goes and smiles, revealing straight white teeth, and I unconsciously run my tongue across my braces.

  “I can take you to the nurse’s office. I don’t know where the fuc—I mean heck it is, but I’ll find out.”

  Realizing I haven't said a word and he probably thinks he injured my brain, I rush to explain. “I’m fine.” I step back, letting his hands drop away. “Gotta go.” I dart around him and almost run into someone else.

  “Watch where the hell where you’re going, Violet.”

  I ignore Cara and the name she calls me as I keep walking toward my classroom.

  I swear I can still feel the hot guy behind me, and I don’t have to turn around to check. I try to ignore it and focus on the fact that they won’t let that dumb nickname go.

  I showed up to one Friday fun night in the fourth grade wearing a purple dress. I have always been a little on the chubby side, and even though I’ve thinned out some, it’s nothing compared to the other girls. They dubbed me Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because she eats a piece of gum and turns into a giant purplish blueberry.

  It’s so stupid, and it’s been three years, but nobody will let it go. Especially coming from the Fabulous Four, as they call themselves. This was the first time I ran into one of them today.

  I was certain they’d all transferred over to Kingswood Prep, which is one of the best in the country. It’s rare that anyone coming out of this place isn’t able to get into whatever college they want. There will be a lot of students with scholarships and even more based on their last names. I’ll likely fall into both categories.

  There’s also a handful of students that come here on scholarships. They might not come from money or have a name, but they are brilliant in some way or another, and Kingswood seeks them out.

  When I find my class, I slip into one of the desks in the room then reach into my backpack and pull out what I might need. I text my best friend Lily, who only has a couple of classes with me this year. We’ve been best friends since we were little because our mothers are close. I only call it close because in my world I don’t think many people truly are. Friends are commodities around here.

  Lily and I are the exception. I fill her in on the Fabulous Four and tell her to remind me about the boy I saw. Not that I am going to forget.

  “Violet.” A familiar voice fills my ears, and the hot guy from the hallway towers over me before he takes the seat right next to mine. “I’m Darian.”

  He holds his hand out, and it seems so sincere that I take it. When it touches me, the warmth spreads up my arm and all over me as I duck my chin to hide my blush.

  “It’s actually Rosy,” I correct him, releasing his hand, but before he lets go I feel his thumb drift across the back of my palm.

  I wonder if he can hear my heartbeat with only the small space between us.

  “Oh, I thought…” His brows furrow but then he shakes it off. “Never mind.” When he smiles at me again, I can’t help but return it.

  “Hey, Violet.” Mindy takes the seat behind mine, and Darian glances over to her.

  I expect for him to stare at Mindy and notice how beautiful she is, but to my surprise his eyes narrow in annoyance. I don’t respond to her, but I see her lean forward.

  “Why don’t you move back a spot, hottie?” I hear her say to Darian.

  My stomach cramps, and I try to ignore it. I hate feelin
g invisible, and I’d hoped in middle school to get away from the girls that always made me feel small.

  “No, I’m good,” he says to Mindy and then glances back at me. He opens his mouth to say something else, but the teacher begins speaking instead.

  All through class both Darian and I steal looks at each other, and I’m surprised I don’t feel more shy. Usually I’m the worst around guys, but there’s something about him.

  Mindy lets out a huff when she doesn't get Darian’s attention, so she decides to kick the back of my chair, making me jerk. She stops for a moment then does it again, this one so hard it causes my book to fall.

  Darian’s hand comes down hard on her desk. “You got a problem?” he asks Mindy.

  “Oops.” She preens, and her tone is thick with sarcasm.

  “Knock it off,” the teacher says, and my stomach cramps again.

  I stand up from my desk to grab my book, but Darian gets to it a second before I can.

  “Oh my god, Violet! Your period is all over your pants!” Mindy shouts before bursting into laughter.

  It’s then I feel the damp material of my panties and khakis against my skinas horror climbs up my body. Oh god, I haven’t gotten my first period yet, but that must have been why I was cramping.

  Without thinking or grabbing my things, I run out of the classroom before I can burst into tears. There’s a bathroom down the hall, and I dash into a stall just as the tears start to flow down my face. There is no stopping them now, and I can’t think beyond what the hell I’m going to do. I ran out of the room without my bag, so I can’t call someone. I want the world to open up and swallow me whole.

  I pop my head out of the stall and see no one is in here with me, and as I glance around the bathroom, my heart drops again. There’s nothing I can use to clean myself up or stop it from getting worse. I go back into the stall and cry some more as I try to come up with a plan. Can I sit here all day until the school clears out?

  “Rosy?” Darian's voice calls my name, and I look at the closed stall door in shock. “I’m coming in.”

  “That’s not allowed,” I hiss as I look around like something is going to give me the answer. What the hell is he doing here?

  “Too bad.” I see his feet at the bottom of the stall and then my backpack drops to the floor next to him.

  I see him place his jacket on top of it and then a pad on top of that, along with a few chocolate bars they keep in the vending machine. “I went to the school nurse's office and got you some stuff. You can tie the jacket around your waist or something until you get home.”

  There’s a pause of silence and then I see his feet retreat from the stall and the bathroom door open and close. I sit there staring at the pile and then pull it to me like it’s a lifejacket in the middle of the ocean.

  The first thing I do is text the head of our house, Elsa, that it’s an emergency and she needs to come get me. Then I grab the pad and put it on as I clean myself up the best I can. I don’t even have time to consider how mortifying this is because I’m so relieved that he showed up.

  When I’ve finished washing my hands, I hesitate before I tie the jacket around my waist. I feel terrible, but the shame of walking out of here with my period showing is worse than ruining a jacket I can replace.

  Once I’m covered and have my things, I slowly open the door to see Darian. His face is filled with concern and kindness, and even though there’s a part of me that’s still embarrassed, the gratitude I have for him pushes it out of the way.

  “Thank you,” I begin to say and then stumble over the words. “I wasn’t prepared, and god, this is all really sweet of you.” I hold up the candy bar, letting out a small laugh before I look away and shrug.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got older sisters.” When he says this, I look up into his gray eyes, which are so kind and gentle. “Besides, I don’t mind doing my job.”

  “Your job?” I ask in confusion.

  “Taking care of you.” He says it like it’s obvious.

  As crazy as it sounds, it feels right.

  Chapter 2

  Darian

  “It’s cold, where’s your jacket?” my oldest foster sister Lindsey asks, ready to scold me for forgetting it. She’s a senior this year but has always acted like my mother.

  “Left it at school.” I curl up against the door of the car and hope she doesn’t catch the lie. When I look down at my khakis I inwardly groan because I hate this uniform. I guess it’s better than wearing my own clothes and the guys at school making jokes because I don’t have the right labels.

  “You know you’re not getting a new one if you lost it.” Amber, my other foster sister, who is two years older than me, crosses her arms and purses her lips in challenge. Her twin sister Allison is sitting in the front seat and turns around to do the same thing.

  “Gina already said we’re skint until the third, so you better find it,” Allison chimes in, not wanting to be left out of the dog pile.

  Gina is our foster mom, and she does the bare minimum to keep the state happy. Which basically means she keeps us alive and out of trouble. Although, if it were just my three older sisters in charge, the same would happen. Their favorite pastime is telling me what to do, but I’m used to it and don’t really fight them on it.

  “You’ll bring it home today, right?” Lindsey asks from the driver's seat, her eyes on me in the rearview mirror. I nod, and she lets the subject drop. “I’m dropping off Darian first.”

  Amber and Allison begin to complain, but Lindsey talks over them. No matter what, we all fall in line when Lindsey speaks. She might not be the mom, but she’s in charge. I used to think it’s because she doesn’t abuse her power, but the older I got, the more I found out about her past and the shitty foster homes she’d been in before Gina. Lindsey knew what it was like out there in other situations, and although Gina is only in it for a check, it’s better than the alternative.

  “Your fancy-ass school doesn’t send a Rolls around to pick you up?” Amber sneers.

  “Only for field trips,” I answer back, taking the bait.

  “Enough,” Lindsey says, and Amber sticks her tongue out at me.

  “Just because you're so smart doesn’t mean you’re better than us.” Allison’s comment makes the car go quiet, and my eyes meet Lindsey’s again in the rearview.

  Lindsey filled out my application for Kingswood Prep without me knowing. She saw my grades in elementary school and asked one of my old teachers to give me an IQ test. She didn’t tell me or Gina about it until I got in because she needed a car. The school didn’t offer transportation or have buses, and Gina wasn’t about to get out of bed before noon to take me anywhere. Lindsey agreed to take me and the twins to school and do all the errands Gina didn’t want to if she could have enough cash to buy an old car. I don’t know how she got Gina to agree, but Lindsey went to the junkyard that weekend and came home with the rusted beater we call the green beast. It’s a real piece of shit, but with it comes freedom, and I realized right away that’s what I wanted.

  My thoughts drift to Rosy and her wearing my coat to the office yesterday. She never came back after that, because I didn’t see her the rest of the day. I warned Mindy within an inch of her life if she breathed a word of it, I would make her sorry.

  As far as I know it hasn't gotten out, because that’s the kind of gossip that would spread like wildfire. I look to the front seat to where Lindsey is passing a tampon to Amber, and maybe I’m just desensitized, but who gives a shit?

  Rosy was so grateful, but I meant what I said about taking care of her. I don’t know how because I have nothing, but I plan on keeping my word. There’s something special about her, something that hasn’t seen the dark side of the world or been around enough assholes to darken her shine. She’s pure and sweet, and I don’t want anyone taking that away.

  “I’ll be back at four thirty,” Lindsey says as she turns the green beast into the parking lot, and right away, heads are turning.

  I
ignore it just like I did the day before, because I’m using this school as much as they’re using me. Kids with test scores as high as mine make them look good, and this school is my ticket to college. If all I have to do is endure comments about being poor during my time here, then so be it. They wouldn’t be wrong; we are poor.

  Lindsey pulls up in the student parking lot, and Amber rolls the window down as students walk by and turn their heads in our direction.

  “These rich boys know how to eat pussy?” she asks loudly to the passing group of jocks as she makes a V with her fingers and runs her tongue between them.

  “They’re too busy counting their money. Give me a bad boy from the west side who likes ass,” Allison says, and she and her twin high-five.

  “Watch your back, Darian,” Lindsey says quietly as she raises her chin in the mirror, and I get out of the car.

  “Go be smart,” Allison calls out in her Boston accent as the green beast drives away, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

  As I walk across the lot I hear my name called, and I turn around to see Rosy. Her red hair is braided over one shoulder, and she’s bundled up in a tan jacket with fur around the collar. She’s so perfect she looks like she belongs in a movie. I feel my smile match hers as I walk in her direction and meet her halfway.

  “Hey, I wanted to catch you before class.” She holds out my coat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t replace it, but I had it cleaned last night.”

  “This is great, thanks.” She probably couldn’t replace it because she doesn’t shop at Goodwill. But it smells clean and like vanilla, which reminds me of her. I pull it on quickly and then walk in step with her. “You doing okay?”