Page 47 of Accidental Vegas Vows

She grinned. “You don’t really get used to it,” she explained, refilling her glass and topping mine off. “You just get used to the feeling of it.”

I wasn’t sure if that was reassuring to my psyche or reaffirming that I’d just keep feeling that stab in my chest for the rest of my life. Somehow it felt like a mixture of both.

“How’s the annulment going?”

I shrugged. “Ethan’s working on it. I’ve got enough on my plate to even consider worrying about it.”

Caroline’s tongue slid across her top teeth, her glasses wiggling on her face as her nose scrunched up. “I’m not sure if you’ve considered this,” she started, inching a little closer to me so she could drop her voice. “But if Grace is going to try to file for custody, it might look better on paper to be married.”

I stilled. I hadn’t even considered that.

“Is Grace single?”

“According to Ethan, yes. Recently divorced, unsurprisingly.”

She nodded, almost to herself, but her eyes flitted up to mine. “Maybe hold off if you can swing it. Just until the custody thing isn’t up in the air anymore. You’ve got the money, the home, the necessities for him, but she’s known him his entire life. She’s a pediatrician, right? That’s got to have some sway. You should use every bit of ammo you can.”

Shit. She wasn’t wrong — that would absolutely work out better for me if it came to that, and from what Ethan had said about the mound of paperwork he’d already received, it looked like that was the direction we were heading. But Olivia had made it clear that she wanted our marriage annulled the moment it could be…

I wondered if she’d agree to it if it was for Noah’s sake. Wondered if she’d give up just a little more for me.

“Hey!” Caroline snapped, her voice switching from calm sister to angry mother. Across the lawn, Lucas was poised with a fist full of mud, his hand cocked and ready to throw at Noah. “Absolutely not! Put it down!”

Noah bolted toward the house as Lucas dropped the mud, and Caroline sighed exasperatedly.

“Being a parent is so much fun,” she said, her voice thick with sarcasm.

But I was too engrossed in the message I was writing to Ethan, too caught up in the idea she’d presented me with.

Me: Hold off on filing the papers for the annulment.

Chapter 17

Olivia

Aknock on my door just barely pulled me from sleep. The blackout curtains that covered the floor-to-ceiling window of my ridiculously large bedroom blocked out most of the sun, but little flickers of light broke through the edges, warning me that it was only just past sunrise.

Another knock. And then another.

“It’s too early!” I called back, shoving my face into the plush, soft pillows I was absolutely never going to live without. I’d steal them when I moved back into my apartment.

The door cracked open and more light filled the room before abruptly darkening again as the door shut. “Liv.”

For fuck’s sake. Is this a nightmare?

“Liv, wake up,” Damien said, his voice soft as butter as he came closer.

I pulled the blankets down enough that I could squint through the darkness, his face just barely visible in the low light. “Why are you in my room?”

“Because I’m desperate for my son’s approval and you play a pivotal role in that,” he chuckled.

I stared at him.

“Too honest?”

“Too honest,” I agreed.

“Fine. Because you deserve a vacation, and so do I, and I want to surprise Noah. So get up.” He tapped the button on my bedside table that gently brought the lamp to life, filling the room with soft, warm light. He was in pajamas — joggers and… christ, a fucking tank top. Why do I not deserve relief from him?

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