Contracted To Love

Chapter 6

When David had invited Michelle to lunch at his club, he wasn’t so sure what to expect. The fact that she had come in as Michelle Smith and left as his fiancé showed that he was a better negotiator than he’d thought. It didn’t take long for the news to break about their engagement.

One tabloid had a splash of Michelle’s last night as an anchor at Manhattan Voices. There was an inset picture of her hand. The Favre ring looked gracious on her finger and suddenly that was all anyone could talk about. She’d made the announcement on her final news show, telling the faithful viewers of Manhattan Voices that she was leaving the station.

“Does your leaving have anything to do with the ring blinding me right now?” her co-anchor Jared Bohm had asked and Michelle had smiled uncomfortably.

“Well, you could say that.”

“Hearts are breaking around America right now, I can assure you,” Jared said and Michelle pushed a lock of hair back from her face.

The ring glimmered dangerously in the light.

“Well, I’m sorry about that but I am just one person. I was always going to end up with just one man, of course.”

Jared smiled.

“Well, it’s been an honor being your co-host for all these years,” he said before they signed off.

That marked the beginning of the media spectacle. Suddenly the tabloids, radio stations, and gossip sites were all talking about David and Michelle. The paparazzi made it impossible for the two of them to go anywhere anymore. The chaos caused by the paparazzi was what made David take the next step. He had to find them a house away from the city. It was the only way to get away from the madness. He wasn’t so sure what Michelle’s taste was but he wanted to make sure that she got to choose her own décor. To make the place feel like home for her. He worked with the same realtor he’d worked with to get his apartment building as well as the building that housed his club.

“What about a lovely penthouse in the Upper East Side?” his realtor asked and he shook his head.

“No. I want a place outside the business district. Far from it but not too far. My fiancé and I both work in the city,” David said.

“What about Connecticut?” the realtor went on.

“You did hear me say that we both work in New York City, right?” David asked, surprised that he actually had to say that.

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first client I have who has to frequent New York from a distance. I can get you something with great grounds so that you have a landing pad and as for working in New York, almost every building has a helipad,” the realtor said and David exhaled loudly. The whole idea behind getting a place outside the city was to maintain a low profile and being airlifted in and out of the city was anything but.

“No, that doesn’t work for me,” he said. “I already have to jet in and out of New York on a weekly basis and besides, I already have a property in Greenwich. It is a getaway like the place at The Hamptons.”

He sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his thick brown locks.

“I just want a home. A normal home with a beautiful , quiet garden but close enough to the city.”

The realtor snapped his fingers.

“Of course, I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier,” he said as he pulled up a property on his iPad. “There’s this place listed in Rye. Beautiful lush grounds, quiet environment and out of the city.”

He handed the iPad to David.

“Six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and two guest houses on the property for your overflow or maybe to use as staff quarters.”

David nodded as he flipped through the pictures.

“Rye, you said?”

The realtor nodded.

“Yeah. It’s a short drive from New York City. So, that’s that and it’s great for a new, young family.”

David looked at him, expressionless before he went back to looking at the pictures.

“A pool, huh?” he asked without looking up.

“Yes and a gym. Fully equipped.”

David handed the iPad back to the realtor.

“How much?’

“The property is listed at seven million. A throwaway price considering everything.”

David nodded.

“I’ll have my accountant contact you. In the meantime, take it off the market.”

The pictures he’d seen were perfect. The grounds were exactly what he needed for his engagement photo shoot. And the house? Well, the house was his wedding gift to his bride to be. It wasn’t like she needed the help. He was well aware that she could afford the property or any other one that she wanted but he wanted to do that for her. Be the husband that he was supposed to be by doing so. Even his father thought that it was a great idea.

“That was a great move, my son,” Taggert had said.

“Yes, sweetie. I am so proud of you,” Sarah said, smiling.

David was greatly relieved when he told Michelle about the property and saw in her eyes that she was agreeable to the whole process.

“Your taste is impeccable,” she said when she looked at the pictures.

“You can ask for any changes you need to be done. Make the space feel a little more familiar,” David had told her.

She shook her head.

“I love everything as is. I would however like one bedroom for Andrea that I will decorate myself,” she said and he nodded. “She likes black and white and I just want to do it for her.”

He nodded.

“Of course. Whatever you want.”

                                                            *****

Michelle was surprised at how different David was. After meeting him at Creed, she was convinced that there was no way he could be the same person she’d met at the restaurant; the man who’d been full of himself. Ever since their ‘engagement’—if she could even call it that—he’d been a completely different man and they were busier than ever.

First, it was the announcement in the paper. The save the date photo shoot had been done at their new property in Rye and as soon as the world knew about David Favre and his new bride-to-be, their names and faces were everywhere. Histories of their families and their businesses. The New York Times, which had exclusive rights to their wedding, published a complete history of how far back the two families went, how they got started in business, as well as their rise in society. Michelle was beginning to think that they should probably move on already. She wished she could just ask David to fly to Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator or something of the sort. Something really low key. She was already so tired of the whole process and the wedding was still a few weeks away.