The Marriage Contract by Marlee Kimbrell (the snowy day read aloud txt) 📕

Ryan Steel's driver pulled up to the familiar large iron gates of the Burke house. Two guards stood on either side of the doors, protecting the people who resided on the other side of them.

"Name please," a guard ask the driver coolly.

"Ryan Steel," he spoke up for himself from the back of the sleek black Mercedes.

After a curt nod from the guard, the gates flew ajar, letting the car easily slip through and up towards the magnificent house of Ryan's dear friend, Everett Burke.

"I'll call when I'm finished here," Ryan said casually to his driver, Martin, then walked up the steps. He knocked only twice when a young girl, not much past her teen years came running through the doors, nearly toppling him over.

"Sorry, sir," she yelled behind her, her dark brunette waves that matched her fathers billowed out behind her. 

"Careful Rory," Everett himself yelled after his daughter, shaking his head staring after her lovingly but disapproving. His eyes finally snapped over to his old friend and a smile lit his face, "Ryan!" 

The men enveloped each other in a hug only long time friends could do and pulled away from each other, "How've you been, Everette?"

"Good, you know, still trying to watch out over Aurora," Everett said with a sigh. "I swear, that girl won't focus on anything but music. She is twenty one, she has got to get her head out of the clouds and be more serious."

"Funny, it's the exact opposite with my son. Ryland has done will for the company, but I worry he is a bit too caught up in it. I'm an old man, Everett, I want to retire, but I can't be settled leaving the company with Ryland."

"Well why not, you said yourself he has done well," Everett said.

Ryan nodded, "Indeed I did, but its not the company I'm worried about. I don't want my son to run himself into the ground."

Everett sighed, "I wish that Aurora would take our company that seriously. She seems to want nothing to do with it."

"Our kids " Ryan said as he and his friend laughed. Then an idea struck him. Ryland and Aurora were exactly what the other needed.

It was simple. If Ryland and Aurora were put together, Ryland would loosen up and Aurora would take her responsibilities more seriously. 

"Everett my dear friend, I have a proposition for you."

"And that would be what?"

"Your daughter is the exact opposite of my son. Its perfect!"

The wheels in Everett's mind started to turn, "So what is your proposal?"

"My proposal, is that he should propose..."

"Just one more go, I promise," my best friend Hayley begged, already crouching into a ready position.

"Why, you already know I'm going to kick your ass and hand it to you," I replied smugly as I crouched next to her. 

"Oh, whatever, Rory," she said playfully, setting her eyes on the end of the hundred yard mark on the track. "Alright, we go on one." I nodded once as she started to count backwards from three, "Three, two, one, go!"

I shot across the starting line and in no time at all, I flew past Hayley and crossed the finish line, barely out of breathe. Hayley glared at me and I shrugged, "I tried to tell you."

"Don't talk to me, Rory," she snapped playfully, throwing her arm over my shoulder.

As we walked towards our cars, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. "It's my dad. I'll text you later," I said and made my way over to my car. I swiped my finger across the screen to answer and placed it to my ear, "Hey dad, what's up?"

"I need you to come home, we need to talk," he said in a serious tone.

"OK, what's up," I asked as revved the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"We'll speak when you get here. Love you."

"Love you, too dad," I said and hung up the phone. I turned the radio up and sang happily along to Chains by Nick Jonas. 

Is it just me, or has he got A LOT sexier?

As I pulled up to the gates, Jerry - the guard - opened them and let me inside. I smiled at him, then continued up the drive, parking off to the side. I cut the engine and walked up the steps into the house.

"Dad, I'm-"

"In the living room, Aurora," he said using my full name, and I flinched. 

This can't be good.

"What's up," I asked, trying to stay casual as I sat down across from him on the couch. His brows were furrowed, but an excited glint was present in his green eyes. His usually well kept dark hair that I had inherited was slightly messy as well as his loosely slung tie.

I looked a lot like my dad. I got his slightly curly, dark brown hair that fell down to just above my elbows as well as his dark complexion, leaving my skin lightly tanned. I was a decent height for a girl, standing at five feet, eight inches, which came from my dads side, too. The only thing that I got from my mom was her warm, brown eyes and curvy figure, which I was proud of.

My dad opened his mouth, then closed it and squinted. "Just say it, dad," I said laughing.

He raised his eyebrows and looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Alright. You're getting married."

I sat there silently looking him. Maybe I just heard him wrong. "I'm getting what, now?"

"You're getting married. In two weeks."

I was stunned into silence. My mouth hung loosely open as I stared at dad. This has got to be a joke. That's it, where is Ashton Kutcher. Come on out now. I have got to be getting punked right now... "What? To who? Because the last time I checked I was happily single." 

"To Ryland Steel."

A red flag immediately shot up when I heard that name. Ryland Steel. Around here - well among me and my friends - that name is synonymous with 'biggest ass in the world ". Rumor has it that he has the face of an angel, the body of a Greek god and a voice like silk. And to top it all off, the richest bitch since Oprah. That all sounds pretty good, until you add in the fact that he acts the part. He is a stuck up, little - well not exactly little, considering he is 6'4" - bitch that thinks that he's better than everyone.

Have I met him? No, but I've heard enough that I know that I never want to. "I'm sorry. I'm not marrying him," I said, crossing my legs and leaning back on the couch.

An evil smirk made it's way onto my dads face as me pulled a thick stack of papers from behind his back. "Actually, you are." He pushed the stack in my face and I started to read it. 

In short, it said that Ryland and I had to be married, and and stay married for a year. If we didn't, he forfeited his position in Steel Industries and that I would as well, in Burke Inc. Yeah, big whoop. 

I wanted nothing to do with my fathers company. In all honesty, I didn't even know what the hell they did there besides kiss my dads ass to get a paycheck. My dream was music.

I could play acoustic, electric and bass guitar, violin, piano and drums. My plan was to, obviously, become some sort of singer, and if not....I really don't know. There was no Plan B for me.

And I think following your dreams is better than sitting in an office doing God-knows-what and being bored for the rest of your life.

I looked up at my dad and smirked, "That's fine. I want nothing to do with the company anyway," I said smugly, however my dad just matched my smirk.

"Read the fine print, sweetheart."

I narrowed my eyes as I read the small print beneath my name.

This also voids any participation in music programs and/or Universities.

Oh that was low. "Dad, you can really be serious," I yelled realizing that he probably, in fact, was. 

"Oh, but I am," he said confirming my thoughts. "Look, Rory, you are not the only one going into this blind, Ryland is, too."

"What? Is that supposed to reassure me? I font want to marry his stupid arrogant ass," I yelled, throwing my hands around like I was having a seizure.

My dad frowned at me, "Have you ever met him," he asked with a stern look.

"No, but I don't need to! I've heard enough about him in the tabloids," I snapped, making my fathers glare towards me deepen.

"Aurora Arya Burke, I raised you better than that," my dad snapped raising his voice, which shocked me into silence. My dad was never one for shouting, and when he did he was furious or really passionate, and right now, I'm pretty sure he's leaning toward furious. If there was one thing my dad didn't tolerate, it was judging others unfairly...which I was doing right now.

My face reddened and then dropped my head. "I sorry, dad. You did raise me better than that. I don't know him and its unfair to judge him base on rumors I've read in magazines. I should meet him before a cast a judgment on him."

My dad smiled. "Its wonderful that you feel that way, because we are going to meet him and his father in an hour."

I sat in the backseat of the town car with a scowl on my face. My dad, however, sat across from me with a smug smirk. I glared at him and he just rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't give me that look, Rory. You'll thank me for this later," he said matter-of-factly.

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, that's totally going to happen. Just like I am going to wake up tomorrow morning and sprout a penis," I snapped and my dad just laughed at me, shaking his head.

Within a few minutes, the car came to a stop in front of large iron gates similar to ours. Our driver spoke to the guard and the gates opened for us, leading up to a large house with formidable but beautiful white columns and a black Benz parked in