“I’d rather you be a vault. Underground. Sealed by molten lava.”
“Then I’m all that as well.”
“I can’t believe this has happened.”
“And you don’t remember anything?” she asked.
“No. Not a damn thing. Everett went through this whole rigamarole with the downstairs staff this morning. We thought maybe you and Lucas had staged a very elaborate trick after figuring out we had slept together and passed out or something.”
“Oh, no. Even I couldn’t come up with something that genius. Though he might.”
“How are things going with you guys anyway?” I asked.
“We’re fine. We’re good. And you’re not distracting me from this.”
“I wasn’t trying to. Just… taking a breather. I’m glad you guys are going okay.”
“We’re doing more than okay,” she said, grinning.
“Good. Because then I’d have to beat him up.”
“You could get your husband to do that.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“Sorry. Sorry. Only joke, I swear.”
“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”
“Maybe one more,” she said, smirking.
I smiled and shook my head again. Leave it to Jessica to make me smile during one of the most panic-inducing experiences of my life.
“So, how did you guys find out about all of this?” she asked.
“Two fun phone conversations with the staff downstairs and scrolling through his bank account transactions,” I said.
“Oh! That’s good. Okay. What did the transactions reveal? Those didn’t jog any memories?”
“Nope. But they were numerous. I mean, there were charges to several different bars over the course of, like, a three-hour period.”
“Then that explains the ‘not remembering’ things.”
“I mean, for hell’s sake, we woke up with an empty tequila bottle underneath the bed.”
“Oh, girl. That’s my kind of party,” she said.
“There was a transaction at a pawn shop, which is where I assume our rings came from. Then there was a transaction for Cupid’s Wedding Chapel and a refunded transaction in progress from the front desk for some platinum premium honeymoon or whatever.”
“Wow. You guys just did it all. I can’t believe I missed my best friend’s wedding.”
I slapped Jessica’s arm as she threw her head back and laughed.
“That was your second one,” I said.
“I know. I know. No more jokes. At least out loud. Lots of them will happen in my head.”
“But none of them will make it back to Lucas.”
“Girl, I promise on that part. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“So, I take it this officially means you don’t hate Everett anymore? Because you really hated Everett when we first got here.”
I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath as I considered her words. Images flashed in my mind. The shoulder massage. How worried he had been about my shivering. How easy it was to talk with him. Confide in him. Images of him unraveling my hair from my ring bombarded my mind and him trying to console me while I lost my mind.
“No,” I said. “I don’t hate Everett anymore.”
“Is he secretly a sweetheart?”
I opened my eyes and found Jessica wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“Yes. He’s secretly a sweetheart,” I said.
“Oh, this is so great. I mean, not remembering and all that stuff is not great. But I’m really glad you found a guy to shake all those cobwebs off with.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I groaned.
“You said you guys had a plan. What’s the plan?”
“Everett’s supposed to be calling lawyers today to help us handle an uncontested divorce.”
“Wait, you can’t just get it annulled?”
“In the State of Nevada, there are all sorts of weird stipulations for what constitutes an annulment. None of which cover getting drunk and consenting,” I said.
“You could argue you weren’t in a coherent state of mind.”
“Which would mean arguing it in court.”
“Ah.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what does that mean for what you guys own? And stuff like that?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, in a divorce, don’t you have to split everything down the middle?”
“What?”
“Yeah. I mean, I guess if it’s uncontested you might be able to draw your own boundaries. But it’s not like you guys had a, you know, prenup or something,” she said.
Holy shit. I hadn’t thought about that.
“I can see the panic. Don’t panic. Let me look it up. Hold on. Don’t blow a gasket just yet,” Jessica said.
I felt my heart rate surging as she pulled out her phone. Was there really a possibility that Everett could get half of the youth center? Own half of my future? Forever? I felt sick. It felt as if I was going to throw up. My vision tunneled as my back hit the wall again, and my knees started to grow weak.
“No! No, no, no. Okay. Listen to this. You ready?” Jessica asked.
I nodded my head as I swallowed the bile rising up the back of my throat.
“Uncontested divorces are only suggested in a scenario when the couple in question can work things out on their own. Custodial agreements, the spitting of properties, and alimony payments, to name a few. In an uncontested divorce, the couple is in complete control of how things are split, with a magistrate then coming behind them and confirming the rules and regulations the couple set forth before making the divorce decree official.”
“That sounds promising,” I said.
“It means you and Everett can walk away with everything intact. You ‘split property’ like it’s supposed to be. His business, and your business, and nothing else,” she said.
I nodded my head as my heart rate settled back down.
“I don’t know what I’d do if that man took half of my youth center.”
“Andrea.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“It’s going to be okay.”
I looked into Jessica’s eyes as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.
“How could this have happened?” I asked.
Tears sprang to my eyes as Jessica wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for a hug.
“I don’t know. But we’ll get you out of it, okay?” she asked.
“This wasn’t how I envisioned getting married.”
“I know.”
“And this will be on my record forever. If anyone else comes along, I’ll have to legally tell them about this before we decide to get married.”
“It’s going to be fine.”
“I woke up to some stranger this morning with a ring on my finger and I can’t remember what happened.”
My jaw trembled as Jessica ran her hand up and down my back. I allowed my fear to take me over just for a second. I needed that moment. That vulnerable, scared little girl deep within me needed to rear her head just enough to feel as if she had been acknowledged. I wrapped my arms around my best friend and pulled her close, burying my face into her neck. I let my tears fall. I let my body tremble with fear. I stood there with her, allowing my mind to race and fall blank as it needed to.
Then, I drew in a deep breath and took a step back.
“You okay?” Jessica asked.
“As okay as I’m going to get for now. The only thing we can do is keep going forward and keep our mouths shut.”
“Mine’s very shut. Don’t worry.”
“Okay. And thanks for talking with me.”
“Always. You want to get back to the gambling?”
“Actually, no. I’m going to go upstairs and take a nap. Maybe lock myself in before I do so.”
We both shared a giggle before Jessica ran her hands up and down my arms.
“Well, if you need anything, call
me. I’ll come by your room and check on you this afternoon if you don’t resurface, okay?” she asked.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Always, girl.”
I hugged her one last time, then I made my way for the elevator. I needed to be alone. To process my thoughts. I needed to not be drinking or gambling or doing anything that might put me around a situation that could alter my state of mind. I walked over to the elevators and pressed the button, anxious and ready to get to my room.
Then, I felt a strong and familiar hand wrap around my arm.
“We need to talk,” Everett said.
Then, he ushered me into the empty elevator before the doors closed behind us.
SIXTEEN
Everett
“Is something wrong?” Andrea asked.
I dropped her arm as soon as the doors closed so I could push down the electricity rushing through my fingertips at the feel of her skin.
“I saw you talking with Jessica,” I said.
“And?”
“You told her, didn’t you?”
I watched Andrea chew on her bottom lip as I reached over and pressed the button for our floor.
“I thought we agreed not to tell anyone,” I said.
“I mean, yes? But, I didn’t react the way I needed to when that woman called me your wife, and Jessica caught on. What was I supposed to do? Lie to my best friend? Would you have been able to lie to your brothers if it was you?”
“My concern is that she’ll tell Lucas.”
“I made her promise me she wouldn't. I know Jessica. If she promises something, she sticks with it.”
“You might know her that way, but I don’t.”
“Well, what’s done is done. And I can guarantee you that Jessica isn’t the kind of girl to go off and tell something like this to a man she’s dating. She knows how worked up I am about this. How nervous it makes me. And besides, I needed someone to talk to about this.”
“You have me,” I said.
“Other than the man I married and can’t remember having half-decent sex with.”
“Just half-decent?”
She rolled her eyes before a grin slid across her cheeks.
“You’re sure she isn’t going to be talking with Lucas about this,” I said.
“I’m sure, Everett. Okay? Jessica’s one of my best friends. She wouldn't do that to me.”
“Well, just to reiterate it, we’re keeping this hush hush. You know, we aren’t blasting it out everywhere.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to,” she said.
I wasn’t sure why her words stung like they did, but I pushed the feeling aside to address what was in front of me.
“Did you, um…”
Fuck. How was I going to ask her this?
“Did I what?” Andrea asked.
“Have you been experiencing any sort of side effects from the pill you took?”
I watched her furrow her brow before she shook her head.
“I just wanted to ask. I took my winnings from the table to the bank, and I did some research on it. Apparently, it comes with some pretty nasty side effects for some women.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Nausea. Headaches. Joint pain. Mood swings. Ironically, the kind of things that might come with pregnancy, so then the woman panics and thinks it didn’t work and the stress becomes even greater.”
“Well, thank you for asking. But, no. I haven’t been feeling any—”
She cut off her statement before she drew in a quick breath.
“There was one point in my conversation with Jessica where I got a little nauseous.”
“Are you all right? Do you need anything?” I asked.
“No, no. It’s fine. I think it might have just been the panic of the situation? You know, with what we were talking about. Because once we got the issue settled, the nausea went away.”
“That’s good. What were you two talking about?”
“She brought up a good point about the difference between an annulment and a divorce.”
“Wow. So, you guys really talked,” I said.
“We really did. And I’m sorry if that upsets you, but it felt nice to talk with someone about it. You know, that isn’t you.”
“It’s fine. I get it. So, what was the difference?”
“The splitting of property,” she said.
“Oh, yeah. No, it’s fine. In an uncontested divorce—”
“The couple determines how to split property. So, you keep your business and I keep mine.”
“You have a business?” I asked.
Her eyes rose up to mine as the elevator stopped. The doors opened and I looked over to see who was getting in, but there was no one standing in front of the doors. I reached over and mashed the “door close” button to get us back on track, then turned my attention back to Andrea.
“Did you forget already?” she asked coyly.
“What business do you own?” I asked.
“The youth center? Downtown Charleston? That whole conversation?”
“I knew you ran it. I didn’t know you owned it.”
“I told you Mr. Wilson handed it over to me when he passed.”
“I thought you meant control of it. I didn’t think you meant the whole thing.”
She shook her head as my eyes danced around her face. I had found yet another thing to appreciate her for. She owned and operated that youth center. She was a businesswoman. And a caring one, at that. She had buckled down to devote her entire life to working with underprivileged youth like the ones she grew up with. Like the one she probably had been herself.
The more I learned about her, the more I came to enjoy her presence. Her countenance. Her resolve. Her strength.
“Then, yes. I own and operate the youth center in downtown Charleston,” Andrea said.
“I would never take that away from you, Andrea.”
Her eyes fluttered up to mine as the elevator stopped again. I bit back a groan and whipped my head over to see who was about to get on. And yet again, there was no one standing there. I reached over and pressed the “door close” button once more as giggles kicked up from Andrea’s throat again.
“Looks like some kids are having fun with the elevator,” she said.
“And by kids, you mean fully-grown, drunk adults.”
“Yep. Those, too,” she said, grinning.
“I’m sorry you’ve been put in this kind of situation,” I said.
I looked down at her and watched as her face grew somber again.
“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but I know you didn’t intentionally do this, either. It’s not like I don’t remember and you do. Neither of us remember what we really did that night. I think that’s the part that scares me more than anything. I don’t like not knowing what I did.”
“Is that why you’re heading to your hotel room so early during our last day in Vegas?”
“Partially. I’m tired. And I need to pack. But part of me wants to spend a day in, yeah. The beds are comfortable and I haven’t gotten a chance to actually use the room service yet. I figured there might be a television show or movie marathon on somewhere today I could watch.”
“Sounds like a nice, relaxing day.”
“Want to join me?” she asked.
“Do you want me to?” I asked.
“Sure. I mean, we’re married. I’m going to choke down two pills today that will throw me for a loop so we don’t get pregnant. I’m pretty sure we can’t get ourselves into anymore trouble than we already have.”
I grinned down at her as a smile slid across her cheeks.
“That sounds nice. Plus, if we stick together, there’s no chance that I’ll spill anything to my brothers.”
“Was that a jab at me talking with Jessica?”
“Maybe. But that’s the only one I’m making. Plus, if we don’t hang around the hotel lobby, no one else can call you my wife.”
“Or call you my husband.”
> I felt a burn deep within my gut as that phrase tumbled from her lips. The elevator doors opened and Andrea looked up at the level before she scooted past me. I followed quickly on her heels. If the invitation to spend time with her was an open one, then I sure as hell was taking it. I enjoyed learning more about her. I enjoyed being in her presence. I enjoyed talking with her.
And if she was giving me the opportunity to experience more, then I wasn’t turning that shit down.
She drew out her room key from her pocket and placed it into her door. She opened it up for the both of us and we slipped on in. I closed the door behind me as she tossed the key onto a throw-away table, then she kicked off her flip flops and fell into bed.
And every part of my body wanted to fall in with her.
“I don’t know about you, but that breakfast did not do it for me,” she said.
Then, right on cue, my stomach let out the loudest growl I’d ever heard from it in my life.
Andrea fell apart in laughter on the bed, clutching her stomach and drawing her knees up to her chest. Her toes curled and her back arched and I caught a luscious glimpse of the backs of her thighs. Fucking hell, the woman was phenomenally beautiful. And her panties were calling to my hands just so they could be ripped off. I bit down onto the inside of my cheek to keep my cool as she fell over onto her side, laughing so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath.
“You good?” I asked.
“Your body couldn't have had more perfect timing,” she said breathlessly.
“Is there anything specific you’d like to order for lunch?”
“I don’t know. What do they have? Is there a menu?”
“There isn’t. But the private chef we have on standby for our trip can make anything and everything you ask of him.”
“So, you mean to tell me that there’s some guy in a chef’s hat just chilling in a corner in the kitchen downstairs waiting for one of our rooms to call?”
“I’m sure he’s probably helping the kitchen staff as well, but yes. Essentially.”
“You guys have too much money,” she said.
“All the more to spoil you with, wife.”
I watched her face drop and her expression changed on a dime. But, she didn’t get upset with me like I thought she would. It almost seemed as if she was reflective. Like she was pulled into a well of memories that were clawing at her mind. I picked up the phone from the receiver as her eyes drifted off, and part of me regretted making the comment in the first place.
Accidentally Wild: An Accidental Marriage Romance (The Wilder Brothers Book 2) Page 13
