I've Got a Feeling

Gary looked to Sam for some sort of explanation but Sam simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't imagine a woman finding herself in that sort of quandary," Gary stated carefully as he tried to determine what sort of hint Martha might be giving him. "If you happen to know one, however, I'd probably be willing to marry her no matter how homely, overweight and shrewish she might be."

"How can I resist that lead-in?" Monica asked from the open doorway. "I know what you're suggesting, Grandma. I'm having trouble believing you think I should marry this man just to secure my trust. Wouldn't I be better off hiring someone, or just finding some random guy at a club?

"Mr. Landis and I are not exactly the best of friends. I certainly wouldn't consider having him in my bed and I doubt I could endure him in my house."

"You were referring to your granddaughter?" asked a stunned Gary. "I can't imagine her having any problem that would be severe enough to cause her to consider marrying me. Women as beautiful as she is have wealthy, successful men waiting in line for a chance to date her. I'm not enjoying this joke very much."

"Listen to me, both of you," Martha Henderson demanded. "The fact that you two are not exactly best friends is a plus. This would be strictly a business decision without any emotional entanglements. One thing I know about you both is that you are honest. If you commit to something you'll do your best to make it work.

"Monica's grandfather on her mother's side, left a considerable amount of money in a trust when he died ten years ago. It simply stated that Monica's mother's children would assume possession of the trust at the age of 25, or when they married, whichever came first, after the age of 21. Monica is an only child, so she always assumed that she would inherit the trust when she turned 25.

"It's recently come to our attention that Monica's mother plans to marry a man with three teenage children from two different marriages Monica's mother, Sherry, has reportedly agreed to adopt them. If that happens they could argue, possibly with success, that they are entitled to a share of the trust.

"However," Martha continued, "if Monica were to marry before she has any step-siblings she would clearly be the only child and immediately be entitled to the entire trust."

"I'm not totally opposed to having siblings and sharing the trust, but we strongly suspect Mom is being scammed by a clever con man. We want to remove the possibility of a large financial gain for him from the situation," Monica clarified. "That would be the acid test for his intentions."

"That doesn't explain why you don't pick someone from a small herd of men who would love to marry you. Why me? I don't need your money," Gary stated.

"Bingo!" Martha blurted. "I have explained to Monica that you're an honorable man who would not try to take her money nor force yourself upon her if you shared a home."

"I have to be honest. I didn't want to resort to getting married to solve this issue. I was hoping Martha could pull some strings and find a way for me to adopt the kids as a single man," Gary revealed.

"I'm sure Ms. Henderson is a wonderful young woman, but I doubt our marriage would survive very long," Gary stated. "She's strong willed and spoiled. I can't see her being a mother figure to the two kids."

"This isn't supposed to be a long term thing, you opinionated jackass," Monica practically snarled. "I'm beginning to think no amount of money could make being your wife bearable."

Monica's grandparents had insisted to Monica that Gary Landis was the perfect solution for her trust fund dilemma. She very reluctantly agreed to discuss the idea with him, but she wondered if she'd soon regret any interaction with the man.

Sam Henderson had been quietly listening to the exchange. "I've heard enough. I am asking you both to accept this proposal. I admit that it isn't ideal, but it could benefit you both as well as the two children. Gary, will you do this?"

Gary felt trapped. Sam had been extremely kind to him since he began working for him at eighteen. He was worried that Monica was an exceptionally sharp woman and would quickly see through him.

Reluctantly, Gary nodded. "Okay, Sam. I expect you've already asked your lawyers to draw up prenuptial agreements. How soon does Ms. Henderson need this to happen?"

"Thanks, Gary," Sam beamed. "Would the day after tomorrow be too soon? I took the liberty to make an appointment at City Hall."

"I have a few questions," Monica stated. "Where are we going to live? How can I be sure he'll respect my privacy? What will I be expected to do for those kids?"

"Gary has a very nice home. If you insist on privacy in your marriage, you can use a separate bedroom with its own bath and a lock on the door. He's a perfect gentleman, so you'll have no problems there," Martha declared.

Monica made a mental note to ask her grandmother how she knew so much about Gary and his home as soon as she had the chance.

"You just have to be civil to Frankie and Brent," Gary added. "I'll be the parent figure. You can go about your usual routine, except you can never bring any dates, lovers or boyfriends to my house."

"That would be awkward for me, too. I'll forgo dating until we see how this all works out. We're going to have a lot of discussions about rules and expectations," Monica predicted.

The next morning found Gary Landis and Monica Henderson applying for a marriage license. The following morning, the couple was married in a quick civil ceremony. Sam, Martha, Frankie and Brent were the only witnesses.

"Don't you have any relatives you could have invited?" Monica asked Gary. "I know we're trying to keep this whole thing low key, but your parents will probably be pissed at you for not inviting them."

"I haven't seen my parents since the day I turned eighteen," Gary responded. "We agreed to go our separate ways and it has worked fine so far."

"I'm so sorry for asking such an insensitive question," Monica apologized. "I didn't realize you were estranged from your parents. There's so much we have to learn about each other."

"I'm sure you'll do your best," were Gary's thoughts to himself. He had serious doubts that the whole marriage thing would be anything but a complete disaster, but he felt compelled to do his best for the two kids. His fondness for the two siblings was going to create major problems down the road. He was sure of that.

As soon as the ceremony was over Sam and Monica headed for the office of the lawyer who handled the trust fund. Martha and Gary immediately visited the Child Protection Services office to begin the process of adopting the siblings. Their grandmother was in hospice and not expected to survive much longer. It was obvious that Martha carried no small amount of influence. Gary was assured that he and Monica were on the fast track for adoption of the children.

Monica was not especially conceited, but Gary's lack of enthusiasm for being married to her was disconcerting. He would not be getting any of her money but he would have a wealthy, attractive wife. It seemed like that would be worth a smile or two. He had mentioned a couple of times that he found her very attractive. He didn't appear to be gay, but he remained aloof and somewhat distant.

She only agreed to her grandparents' scheme because they had stated complete confidence in Gary's character, plus it could be the difference between a nice inheritance and a few million dollars. She had promised herself that she would help out her new step-siblings if it turned out their father was truly in love with her mom. Monica had serious doubts about that being the situation. In any case, she would be able to keep her mother living in relative comfort if she lost her money to a con man.

Gary was very concerned about living with Monica. He felt he could keep the two kids in the dark about his secret life but Monica would be another story. He had no illusions that she would pick up on any mistakes he made. He had realized years ago that he needed to avoid close relationships in order to fly under the radar.

"I need to see where I'm going to be living, so I'll know how many outfits I can fit into my closet. I will have a closet, won't I?" Monica asked with a worried look.

It occurred to Gary that Monica assumed that he lived in some sort of hovel. "I know that you must have a lot of clothes, but you'll have plenty of room for a reasonable amount."

"You live here?" Monica asked in surprise as Gary parked his car in his garage. "This is a really nice house. How much property do you own here?"

"The house sits on a 17 acre tract. There's a stream in the back and lots of room for the kids. They've been here a few times and seem to like it." Gary was obviously proud of his home.

Monica was ecstatic when Gary showed her the suite she would be using. She had her own bathroom and a large walk-in closet.

"Could I ask how you can afford all of this? I know how much you make at our company and it isn't enough to support what I'm seeing here." Monica reasoned.

Gary thought to himself that it was starting already. "I made some sound investments over the years. I was very lucky."

Monica simply looked at Gary without expression for several seconds. He was an unusual man. Monica had taken the time to ask about him at work. He was well liked, but was a bit of a loner. He had no best friends and no one knew of any girlfriends.

He wore glasses, bulky, ill fitting clothes, but somehow pulled it off. Gary was a fashion disaster, but he wasn't unattractive. He was just a bit odd.

Monica complimented Gary on his home and how spacious and well laid out it was. She realized that living there wasn't going to be the torture she had imagined. Then she saw the pool.

"Holy shit! No wonder the kids like it here!" Monica exclaimed. "I think we might be able to make this arrangement work. You have a beautiful property."

Gary helped Monica transport her clothes and other necessities to his place. It took most of a day. Monica's grandparents seemed somewhat happy to have her moving in with him. They helped load items and made some good suggestions about things they would probably need.

Neither Gary nor Monica had any idea how to handle the situation at work. Should they try to keep the marriage secret, or make a big announcement? They finally decided they would never be able to keep their marriage from becoming common knowledge, but they weren't going to broadcast it to the world. They decided to simply allow the situation to take its natural course.

The next weekend, Monica insisted that Gary don a suit and go with her to her mother's wedding, which was being held at a small country club. "I want you to see the faces of everyone when I introduce you as my husband. The reaction from the different actors should be telling."

Gary allowed Monica to steer him around her mother's family and the few friends her mother and her mother's future husband were able to muster.

"Mom, James, this is my husband, Gary. We were married a few days ago and it's been fantastic so far!" asserted Monica more firmly than Gary felt the occasion warranted.

For her part, Monica's mother seemed genuinely delighted. "You never even told me that you were dating, let alone getting married. Congratulations, Sweetheart!"

James, the groom, appeared to be less thrilled by the announcement. "Are you telling us that you two are legally married, with a license and everything, or are you just living together?"

"We legally tied the knot, signed the paperwork, stood before a justice of the peace and took the plunge," Monica replied while flashing a big smile. "My trust fund has already been transferred to me, so I have several reasons to be happy."

"Did you have your husband carefully vetted?" asked James in Gary's presence. "He may have married you for your money. It may be a good idea to look into the situation more closely. You might be able to get the marriage annulled."

"Why would I ever want to end my marriage with this stud?" Monica asked innocently. "He's handsome, smart and great between the sheets. I'd say he's a keeper."

Gary felt his face turn several shades of red as he listened to Monica rave about his prowess in bed. He could see she was drawing out James, but it was still somewhat embarrassing for him.

"Excuse me, I need to speak with my children," mumbled James as he hurried off to find his progeny.

"It looks to me like he had his heart set on his kids getting a part of the trust," Monica whispered to Gary. "How did you find his reaction to my news?"

"On the surface, it appears he's up to no good, but the proof of the pudding is in the tasting," Gary responded. "Let's keep an eye on him and see how it all shakes out."

Gary and Monica each enjoyed a single drink as they waited for the wedding ceremony to begin. Shortly before the scheduled start, a well dressed man, who apparently worked for the club, stepped to the dais where the actual wedding was to take place.

"I'm sorry folks, but the groom has just revealed to me that he has been informed of a death in his family. His youngest daughter's mother has passed away in Quebec. They are making arrangements to leave for Canada immediately. The wedding has to be postponed indefinitely."

Gary searched the room, but James and his three children were nowhere to be seen. He felt some pride in being a part of a plan to expose James as a grifter, but was concerned about how Monica's mother would react. He escorted Monica to her mother's side.

"What an asshole," Monica's mother grumbled loudly. "Monica, I wondered if you'd step to the plate when you learned I was about to marry a man with three kids who had the potential to become your step-siblings."

"You mean you were concerned about James' intentions and you were going to marry him anyway?" Monica demanded. "Did you suspect that he would have insisted you adopt his kids and possibly make them partners with me in the trust Grandfather Mason set up?"

"Why do you think I broke my promise to James and made sure you knew about my pending nuptials a week ago?" Sherry asked. "He wanted me to tell no one we were getting married until a few days before the wedding.

"I'm not as smart as you're rumored to be, Monica, but I know a rat when I smell one. I made sure my lawyer passed the information on to your Grandmother Henderson without James' knowledge.

"It certainly lit a fire under your smooth little ass, didn't it?" Sherry continued. "You rushed out and found this guy on a moment's notice. Now that you have your trust, are you going to divorce the poor man?"

Monica looked at Gary as he waited for her response. He had cleaned up quite well for the wedding. His suit fit him perfectly and his easy smile made him look adorable. She was actually quite pleased to be seen with Gary as her escort.

"No, Mom. We're in this for more than the trust fund. I'm going to be keeping this guy around for awhile," Monica assured her mother.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Sherry agreed with a smile. "Next time you get married, please let me know. I realize you were trying to fight fire with fire, or marriage with marriage in this case. I will be available for babysitting the grandkids, by the way."

"That's great news, Mom, because we hope to have two kids by the end of the month," Monica revealed. "Gary's been involved with helping two children whose parents have no part in their life. They lived with their grandmother but she recently passed away. We hope to legally adopt them within a few weeks."

"That's a lot of responsibility. You both must be very fond of the children to adopt them and have a family as newlyweds. You surprise me, Monica, but in a very good way. I think Gary is good for you," Sherry opined.

"If these children are well behaved, I'd love to have them visit me. Where are you living now? I hope you have enough room for a large family. I'll be expecting a few more grandkids before long."

"Don't get your hopes up, Mother. Gary and I are still learning about each other and have no plans to add to the family," Monica insisted.

As Gary drove home from the canceled wedding, he had to smile at Monica's good mood. She chatted constantly about her mother, her grandparents and how relieved she was to have her trust fund in her possession. She was surprisingly warm and bubbly. Gary had never seen that side of her before.

Monica realized that she had blathered all the way home, but she couldn't help it. Her purpose for marrying a man she hardly knew had been validated. She had prevented her mother from making a serious mistake. She felt closer to her mom than she had in years. The steady stream of boyfriends and lovers her mother had entertained since her father's deadly heart attack had calloused her against anything her mother said or did. They had simply grown apart. Monica had moved in with her paternal grandparents, the Hendersons, after she graduated college.

Monica enjoyed living in Gary's home. Her bedroom was large with a huge walk-in closet and a full bath. She found her curiosity piqued. It was obvious that Gary was not the simple machine operator he portrayed himself to be.

He was a perfect gentleman, never saying or doing anything remotely inappropriate. He was focused on gaining custody of the two children and seemed willing to do almost anything to achieve that goal, including marrying a woman he didn't seem to like very much.

It began to fall apart for Gary on a Saturday morning. Monica went into work for an all day meeting with important suppliers. Her grandfather was there and several other management personnel were required to attend.

Monica was scheduled to deliver a presentation that afternoon. Then she realized she had forgotten her flash drive which held the presentation and several other items she wanted to discuss with her team. Not wanting her grandfather to find out she had forgotten a matter important to her company's success, she tried calling Gary to ask him to bring the forgotten drive to work. He failed to answer her call.

Monica didn't feel that leaving a message would result in a timely delivery, so she called one of her friends.

"Heather, could you do me a favor and drive by my house and pick up a flash drive for me and bring it into my work, like right now? It's on the nightstand next to my bed. My bedroom is the one down the hallway to the right as you enter though the front door. I'll text you the code for the door. Gary doesn't answer his phone, so he's probably not home."

"I'm finally going to get to see your house?" Heather asked with some sarcasm. "I've driven by the place every day for five years and I've never been inside. You've been there a couple weeks, but you've never invited me over. I know you're a newlywed, but you can't be banging the guy all weekend, every weekend. How come you have your own bedroom, anyway?"

"Shit! I forgot about your inquisitive nature. If you'll just stop and get that flash drive, I'll explain it all to you Sunday," Monica reluctantly promised.

Heather was barely able to contain herself when she entered Monica's office an hour later. Several members of the management team were in the office as Heather began to babble excitedly.

"Monica! I saw your husband climb out of the pool and I'm the one who's wet! Where did you find that guy, and more importantly, why do you have your own bedroom? If he was my husband, I'd be making him flex his muscles for me every chance I got. He's incredible."

"Are you talking about Gary?" Monica asked while trying to make sense of Heather's outburst. "Did you run into Gary? I didn't think he was home."

"It was the guy you married. You posted his picture to our group, remember? You left out the muscles, the tan and that amazing smile in your post," Heather complained. "You won the lottery, Girl. Your husband's the best looking man I've ever seen."