I nodded. That was a better way to put it than ‘you all got drunk and got hitched in Vegas.’
“And just making sure, you both agree to this divorce and therefore will both be billed for my services? Or should I be expecting to hear from another lawyer on this matter?”
I tried to keep my eyes focused on Art but my gaze kept flitting to Wes. I knew this was the right thing to do but I couldn’t help thinking about what our future could be like together. Could we make it work? No. I had to shove those ideas in the back of my head. I had to move on.
“We’ll both be using you for this divorce,” I said.
“Okay, then.” Art nodded. “What I’m going to do then is get some paperwork filed, but first I need to ask you some questions. Do you two live separately?”
“Uh, well, Wes is currently staying at me while we get the process started,” I said.
Art’s face stayed mostly neutral except for a slight twitch of his lip. “Okay, well if we want to file this under irreconcilable differences you two will need to live separately. Then we should be able to get this all on the books in six months tops.”
“Six months?” My eyes practically bulged out of my head. “I thought this would be like a wam bam, over and done thing.”
Art smirked. “Ms. Wilder, I do apologize, but the divorce process isn’t as easy as signing a piece of paper.” He folded his hands on the file in front of him. “I’ll file the petitioner fee and it will be served to Mr. Cockrell. Within thirty days you will both need to sign the paperwork. Once it’s signed, we’ll start the divorce proceedings. Does that sound okay to you? It’s not wam bam, but it should be a seamless process.”
I swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. Who knew a quickie marriage could turn into such an ordeal?
“That’ll work fine for us, sir,” Wes said.
“Good,” Art said with a nod. “I’ll just get this filed and my processor will serve these to your home address.”
***
After our meeting we walked out of the building in silence. I didn’t know what to say to Wes. I didn’t know what I should say or where to go from here.
I stood on the sidewalk and watched the businessmen and women walk by us, going on with their lives. They barely even noticed us standing there. They didn’t know that my head was swimming with a jumbled mix of emotions and too much information about legal proceedings.
“So, I guess we sign those papers and then we’re done? Like it never happened?” Wes asked.
I turned toward him. He wasn’t looking at me, but the same span of sidewalk that I was staring at before.
“Yeah. I guess that’s it.”
He nodded slightly, shifting and glancing down at his feet. “Okay. I guess I’ll head back to your apartment for now, if that’s okay. Unless you want me to get a hotel or something.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. You can stay at my place as long as you need to.”
He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. I couldn’t tell what was behind them. Worry? Sadness? “I’ll leave anytime you want me to, Valerie. I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Would he? I wanted to ask him to stay with me. Not just for thirty days but for longer. See if we could work it out. But instead my reasonable side shut that idea back. “It’s fine. I’ll see you at home, Wes.”
“Okay, Val.”
He nodded curtly and then turned, walking in the other direction. I watched him as he made slow meticulous strides down the street. No one gave him a second look. No one else could hear how hard my heart was pounding in my chest. How wild I was for Mr. Wild.
Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned for The Wild One. The third installment in the series from Wes’s point of view!
Want more Valerie and Wes?
Keep up with all of the books in the Forever Wild Serial
Wild Hearts
The Wild One
The Wild Side
Wild For You
Forever Wild
About The Author
Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media.
You can find her online at http://www.maganvernon.com
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Wild Hearts (Forever Wild) Page 5
