Married in Vegas (The Townsends Book 3)

by Angie Campbell

  ******

  Thirty minutes later, they had made it to church. The building was already almost completely full, but her sister had saved them a seat, which they took as soon as they saw her and James. Jenny sat down, and immediately took her nephew off his mom’s lap and started playing with him. “Hey, Sweetheart. How’s the most gorgeous baby boy in the whole world?” She hugged him close and kissed him on top of the head.

  Mark couldn’t help himself, he had to ask. “How many kids do you want?”

  She answered him without thinking, “As many as I can talk you into.” When she heard him groan she realized what she had said, and her head snapped up, giving him a shocked look. She could read the fire in his eyes and she knew if they had been just about anywhere else, she would have found herself on the receiving end of a very passionate attack. He was obviously thinking about what they would have to do to get those kids. Thankfully it was time for church to start, and he couldn’t say anything back to her.

  The pastor announced their recent marriage, so she knew when they got up to leave they were going to be greeted with a chorus of congratulations. It also left her wondering if Mike was here. She had been hoping she would have a chance to tell him what had happened before he heard it any other way. That was probably out now. They had only dated a couple of times, but still, he deserved better than this. She hoped he could forgive her.

  Sure enough, when church was over, and they had started to the door, everyone they passed, stopped them to congratulate them, and wish them a long and happy life. She had just made it out of the door when she noticed Mike standing against the rail of the steps. He just looked at her and turned and walked off. She thought about going after him, but decided against it, realizing it would be very inappropriate for her to chase down another man after being married only for a few days.

  Mark was right behind her, and asked, “Did you want Lisa and Mindi to help you pack stuff? They said they could come along with Luke and James if you wanted them to. Lisa said she was sure your mom and dad would be willing to keep the baby.”

  She decided it would give her a chance to talk to them while the guys were moving the big stuff. “Sure. That sounds great, and I’m sure Mom and Dad will be more than willing to keep Andrew for a while,” she added with a soft laugh.

  ******

  Once they reached her apartment, she took a deep breath, bracing herself. Even if her sisters waited till they had all managed to eat sandwiches and chips for lunch, she knew there was an inquisition coming. Mark and the guys had just finished loading up the rest of her furniture and were heading over to his house to store it in his garage. Sure enough, the second the door closed behind them, and Mindi and Lisa had her alone in the apartment, the grilling started. “What happened in Las Vegas?” They both asked at the same time.

  “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Jenny smirked, being cryptic.

  Lisa shook her head, giving her the stink eye. “Not when you come home with a husband, it doesn’t,” Mindi said giving her, her own annoyed look. “Spill it.”

  She just shrugged her shoulders. “I really don’t know. I don’t remember a whole lot of it,” she said, being honest.

  “Seriously?” Mindi just looked at her, disbelief showing on her face.

  Lisa nodded her head, giving her a look of understanding. “Well, he did call me to ask how sick you might get while you were drunk. You had to have been pretty smashed. I told him I had only seen you drunk once, and that you had faired pretty well. That was until you woke up the next day. I remember you being pretty hungover.” Lisa stopped for a second, “He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t even a little buzzed. He said he drank mostly water at dinner.”

  “You didn’t tell him why I had gotten drunk that one time, did you?” she blurted, almost in a panic. She didn’t even seem to notice her sister had just told her, her husband had been sober when they got married in Vegas, even though she had been smashed.

  “No,” Lisa said, sounding almost insulted.

  “Sorry,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I shouldn’t have asked that. I knew better.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mindi asked, just then realizing there was something she didn’t know.

  Jenny took a deep breath. “Lisa’s the only one who knows. That’s because she found me dragging myself in, drunk as a skunk, and barely able to walk. I swore her to secrecy.”

  “We tell mom and dad everything,” Mindi said, sounding almost hurt. “Even the bad stuff.”

  “I know, but at the time I was beyond rational thinking,” Jenny said, looking apologetic.

  “Okay. Fine, I’ll let it go,” she shrugged her shoulders, deciding that was what was best for now. “But what happened? Why did you get drunk?”

  “It was four years ago, at Mom and Dad’s fourth of July party. He kissed me,” she replied, her cheeks flushing with heat. You would think I would be past getting embarrassed over a kiss at this point.

  “Kissed you?” she asked, wondering if this was when Jenny had realized she was in love with Mark.

  “Well, I was a full participant,” Jenny added, not really wanting to say anything more.

  “How did you end up kissing?” her sister asked, her eyes growing huge with interest.

  “We were in the game room by ourselves. I got nervous and stood up and fell right back down in his lap. That’s the short version,” she mumbled. “I’m not giving you anymore.”

  She agreed with a nod. “That’s good enough, for now. Why did you get drunk?”

  “That’s when I realized I was in love with him. You know how I feel about getting married, and why. That was the first time he asked me out. I was so upset over telling him no, and over how upset he had gotten, I got drunk,” Jenny said, biting her lip.

  “How many times has Lisa and I told you, Mark sees you as far, far more than a sex object?” Mindi stressed, feeling the need to shake her sister. “He loves you.”

  Jenny sighed from the frustration. “Please, don’t start. I know he does. But that doesn’t make this any easier. I’m trying.”

  “Well, at least she admits she knows he loves her,” Mindi grumbled under her breath.

  “Okay, let’s get back to the topic at hand,” Lisa said, getting their attention. “How did you end up married?”

  “I honestly don’t know what happened,” Jenny said, shrugging her shoulders. “Well, not everything anyway.”

  “What do you remember? If you start talking about the parts you remember, you might start to recall more of it,” Lisa said, encouraging her to talk about it.

  “I remember dinner. I could barely eat, and I drank way too much wine. I just kept sucking it down. I asked him to dance with me.” She hesitated, not wanting to go on.

  “Come on, Sis. Keep going,” Mindi said, scooting closer to her and rubbing her shoulder, hoping to help her relax a little.

  “I remember it being a slow song, and all we were doing was swaying from side to side. When the song stopped, he turned us back toward the table to leave.” Her cheeks got bright pink all of the sudden.

  “What is it, Sis?” Lisa asked, reaching out to touch Jenny’s hand.

  “I think I told him I wasn’t done holding him,” she answered, barely above a whisper. “I can’t be sure.”

  “Oh boy,” Mindi chuckled.

  “We stopped at the table and picked up my purse, and then he picked me up and carried me to the elevator. He only stopped long enough to tell the waitress to charge our meal to his room.” She was glowing again. She knew it. She was getting really warm.

  “Don’t stop now,” Mindi said, her eyes growing huge.

  “While we were standing there waiting for the elevator doors to open, I started nibbling on his ear. That’s where it all gets fuzzy. I do remember saying, if he wasn’t going to make love to me, I wanted him to take me to one of those instant wedding chapels. I don’t remember anything after that until morning. Well, except for the Elvis impersonator singing ‘Love
Me Tender’. The next morning, I thought that part was just a dream.”

  “You don’t remember your wedding night?” Mindi asked, taking the chance to look at Lisa when Jenny looked down at the floor.

  “I didn’t have one,” Jenny said, shaking her head in obvious frustration.

  “What?” Mindi just looked at her like she had lost her mind. I can’t believe it.

  “He told me I was still a virgin,” Jenny said, blushing bright pink. “And you know Mark. He was just that blunt about it.”

  “Seriously?” Mindi asked. Luke had won the whole bet like he said he was going to.

  “Yeah. There’s something else, as well. I woke up early this morning. All I had on was one of his old t-shirts. So, I decided to take it off and wake him up.” She was blushing again. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. “When I realized he was awake, I panicked, and pretended I was doing it in my sleep. He called my name a couple of times, but when I didn’t respond, he flipped me over to the other side of the bed, off him.”

  “Why didn’t you just roll back over, and pick up where you left off?” Lisa asked, grinning at her.

  “I lost my nerve,” she said, sounding a little irritated. “I did ask him why he stopped me.”

  “What did he say?” Lisa asked.

  She frowned when she noticed her pain-in-the-rear sister was struggling not to laugh. “That I had to be aware of what was going on from the start. He told me he won’t make love to me until I ask him to. I have to make the choice,” she said, sounding irritated again.

  “Are you mad at him?” Mindi asked, looking concerned.

  “No, I’m just really frustrated at myself,” she said, looking at the floor and shaking her head. “I really want to just shove him down on the nearest bed and forget all my fears.”

  “So, just do it then.” Jenny was starting to think Lisa’s solution for everything was sex. Like Mindi’s solution for everything was kissing.

  “You know, Jenny, he really is a good guy.” This had come from Mindi, and she just sat there waiting for her to say something back.

  “He got me drunk, didn’t he?” Jenny asked, knowing she was blaming him for something she did herself.

  Sure enough, Lisa called her on it. “Sounds like you got yourself drunk. And most men in that situation, would have had their wedding night. Well, actually, most men wouldn’t have married you first, even if they had been in Vegas.”

  “Okay, you know what. We need to have this done up before they get back,” Jenny said, trying to turn their attention back to the task at hand.

  “What are you going to do with all this extra stuff?” Mindi asked out of mild curiosity.

  “I don’t know. Store it in his garage for now,” Jenny said in an offhand manner.

  “Jenny, you don’t think this is going to work, do you?” Mindi asked with concern.

  “It will, if I can control my fears. I want it to work. I’m just terrified still,” she said, and just ended up sounding even more frustrated than before.

  “You’ve been in love with him for forever, it seems. Do yourself a favor. Stop thinking about it so hard,” Lisa said, pulling Jenny’s attention back to her.

  “Easier said than done,” she answered in defeat.

  ******

  By some miracle, they had managed to get all of Jenny’s stuff moved out of the apartment and into Mark’s garage for the time being. It probably helped that she didn’t own more than was necessary for her to live comfortably. With everything done, they had all decided to have dinner together at what was now her and Mark’s house. She gave a slight shiver, wondering when she was going to get used to that idea.

  Lisa had gone and got little Andrew from Carl and Jamie, while Mindi and Jenny went to the store to pick up groceries. Mark was only a slightly better cook than James. As a result, he didn’t have a lot of food in the house. That morning, Jenny had ended up having to run to the store early to get what they had needed for breakfast. When they walked out the door, they could hear the guys talking sports, and they figured they would be the whole time they were gone.

  Jenny and Mindi had decided to go with something easy. So, when they got back, they fried hamburgers and made a salad. They added baked French fries and canned soda to round things out and had everything ready to go in no time.

  Mark had a good-sized kitchen, but his table was only big enough for four people. His house, despite the large size, really wasn’t anymore furnished than her apartment had been. With seating a problem in the kitchen, they ended up sitting in the living room, where they could all be together.

  Jenny found herself squeezed in between her new enormous husband and her not much smaller brother-in-law. Well, it was really a toss up which one was larger. James or Mark.

  James couldn’t help it that he was roughly the width of a grizzly bear, but she’d be willing to bet good money, Mark knew he was crowding her, and that he was doing it on purpose. She had to concentrate so hard on breathing, she didn’t have time to eat. By the time everyone else was done, she had barely taken three bites of her burger. She had managed to eat more of the salad just because she didn’t have to think about not burning herself with it.

  She stood up and started gathering everyone’s plates. To her surprise Mark had got up with her and was picking up plates, as well. He followed her back into the kitchen and helped her rinse everything off to put it in the dishwasher.

  She had just started the dishwasher and turned around when she found herself trapped against it. “Were you dating Mike Collins before our trip to Las Vegas?”

  The question caught her off guard, and she responded without thinking. “Yes. Why?”

  “Oh, I don’t think he’s pleased with recent developments.” He had his hands on the counter, and he leaned down, so he was at eye level with her, his nose almost touching hers. “We ran into him while we were over at the apartment getting your stuff. He was coming by to see you.” His tone sounded almost hostile. “We just happened to have driven up at the right time, so he never knocked. I think you better make it clear to him, you are married. Because if you don’t, I will.” She was very surprised by the threat she could hear in his voice. It was very out of character for him.

  “Mark, take it easy. How would you feel in his place?” Jenny asked, feeling just a little freaked out. Mark wasn’t usually prone to getting angry, easy. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t feeling so certain of Mike’s safety.

  “No matter how I felt, I wouldn’t be seeking out time alone with another man’s wife.” She found herself caught in his glare. The way he had used the word wife had sent chills running down her spine. At that moment, he was looking very possessive. She was going to have to pray he didn’t catch Mike out alone.

  “Hey, I’m not going to go against the deal I made with you,” she said, pushing him back a little with her hand in the middle of his chest, to give herself some breathing room. “I really do want to make this work, but you’ve got to do something for me.”

  “What?” Mark said, some of the anger leaving him after what she had just said.

  “You can’t try to kill every guy I ever went out on a date with.”

  “I don’t want to kill them all. Just one,” he growled, his knuckles turning white where they somehow still managed to grip the counter.

  “You’re not going to fire him, are you?” Jenny asked, more worried about Mark getting in trouble for firing him without a real reason.

  He gave her a hard look, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know. That depends on you.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “How much do you like the guy?”

  “No more than as a friend. I wasn’t planning on going out with him again. I was going to tell him when we got back from Vegas, but then everything else happened.”

  “Okay,” he said with a nod, taking a deep breath. “I won’t fire him. At least not yet, but I have the feeling he’ll do something to get him
self fired. And before you say anything, I don’t intend to go looking for a reason, so don’t think that’s what I mean.” He took a deep breath and continued on. “So, how many guys have you dated?”

  “Mark, I don’t think you should even have the audacity to ask me that question. I’m sure you’ve dated more often than I have,” Jenny snapped, crossing her arms in front of her and giving him a dirty look.

  “Okay,” he conceded. “I’ll rephrase the question. How many have you dated seriously?”

  “That depends on your definition of serious.”

  “More than five dates,” he said, just throwing out a number.

  “Oh, none then,” she answered in an offhand manner.

  “What?” he asked, truly surprised by her answer.

  “I never went out with anyone guy more than three or four times. I always kept it short lived.”

  “Why?”

  “That is something, I will not tell you.”

  “Do I need to get you drunk to get it out of you?” he smirked.

  “Seriously?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to stoop to that?”

  “No,” he said shaking his head when she called his bluff. “I wasn’t trying to get you drunk before. I don’t know if you remember, but I actually tried to slow you down. I would never intentionally do that,” he said, standing back up straight. “But I am willing to give you reminders.”

  “Reminders of what?”

  The next thing she knew, he had pulled her up in his arms and was kissing her, showing her the kind of reminders he was talking about. She started trembling from head-to-toe, and her mind had gone hazy. She couldn’t think very well, and she could just barely breathe. The only thing that was stopping her from ripping his clothes off, was they had a living room full of family. As it was, she was trying to get his shirt unbuttoned so she could feel his skin against her hands.