Page 45 of After the Vows

“Doesn’t mean you can’t get a little something, something.” He waggles his eyebrows.

I wrap my hand around his throat and slam him against a locker. “You will not disrespect my wife. Do you hear me?”

He claws at my hand on his throat. I release him since I shouldn’t be choking out my partner. At least not in the police station. “Your wife? The marriage is a sham, remember?”

I don’t give the first shit if the marriage is a sham. No one disrespects Chloe on my watch. Least of all a friend from childhood.

Hold on. Weston’s known Chloe most of her life. Maybe he can fill in some of the blanks about her history. “What happened with Chloe’s mom?”

“What do you mean?”

He knows exactly what I mean. It’s why he won’t meet my gaze.

“She left the island and Chloe has no contact with her. Something happened.”

“Sorry, bro. It’s Chloe’s story to tell.”

Damnit. I can’t push him. I don’t want Chloe’s secrets to be exposed to the whole island. Except I’m not the whole island. I’m her husband. He should—

His radio squawks. “Officer Milton.”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s an altercation atMermaid Mystical Gardens.”

“On our way.” Weston throws the car keys at me. “You’re driving.”

“Mermaid Mystical Gardensis the amusement park?” I ask as we drive out of town.

“Yep. The entire theme is mermaids.”

“What is the obsession with this island and mermaids anyway?” I couldn’t believe it when they brought out the cake at my wedding reception and there was a mermaid and merman on the top of it instead of a bride and groom.

“You don’t know the legend?”

“It wasn’t included in my welcome packet when I moved here.”

“Legend has it a mermaid fell in love with a smuggler. There was one little problem, though. The smuggler couldn’t live in the sea, and the mermaid couldn’t live on the land. But then the mermaid went to a witch and traded her immortality for legs. Meanwhile, another mermaid convinced the smuggler he could live in the sea.”

“I sense a tragic ending coming.”

“Yep. The mermaid arrived on Smuggler’s Hideaway to discover her lover had drowned. She threw herself off the cliffs atMermaid Mystical Gardens.”

“And now the entire island is obsessed with mermaids.”

“Nah, bro. We’re obsessed with bootleggers, moonshine, rumrunners,andmermaids. Mermaid Karaoke is the best.”

“You’re such a player.”

He smirks. “And proud of it.”

“Some day love is going to knock you over and you won’t know what hit you.”

“Nah. I don’t give women the chance to fall for me. I’m a one-night wonder.”

“Your loss,” I murmur as I park in front of the entrance to the amusement park.

We get out of the car and make our way to the manager who’s waiting for us.

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