Page 15 of The Forever Experiment

I can’t remember the last time I felt like that. I’m the oldest daughter of three, and my parents got divorced when I was only nine. Sure, my mother and father have always been present in my life, supportive and nurturing, but when they were single, they both worked full time. It meant a lot of walking my siblings to and from school, cooking them dinner at night, and helping them with their homework. It meant living out of a duffle bag for the vast majority of my childhood, switching from Mom’s to Dad’s every Friday, never really feeling like I had a home.

My parents are great. They did their best, and in the grand scheme of things, I have very little to complain about, but I’ve been hyper-independent through no choice of my own for as long as I can remember. I wouldn’t trade the skill. I like being able to take care of myself and those I love. It’s a comfort to know that no matter how many times I’m betrayed or disappointed, I can rely solely on myself to survive.

But fuck, it feels nice to have someone else take care of me for once, to have someonewantto take care of me the way Easton seems to.

“I’ll come find you later,” he whispers into my hair before heading to the door and pausing with his grip on the handle. “Oh, and Maya? The ring is real.” Tossing me a wink, he adds, “Looks real fuckin’ good on you too.”

7

Easton

I step off theescalator leading from the lobby to the conference area of the hotel. I know Maya is attending a number of workshops today, but I’m not sure which ones, and I forgot to ask for her phone number before I walked out of the room earlier.

My mind had been reeling.

I got married last night.

I got married, and I can’t stop grinning to myself every time the thought filters through my mind. I can’t stop thinking about how good it sounded when Maya called me her husband, how phenomenal she looked with that ring on her finger—so much so, I don’t regret dropping the down payment of a fucking house on it.

I know, logically, these thoughts—this excitement—are crazy. I’m a lunatic, always have been when it comes to her. There was a pit in my stomach the entire walk down to the chapel, and atwinge of relief when I was told our paperwork had already been filed, that we were legally married.

Now, there is a tornado raging inside my body, elevating all my internal organs and tossing them around because I’ve got to go explain to my wife that she is, in fact, my wife, even though she doesn’t want to be.

And the worst part of it is, I’m not sure I can say the same. I’m not mad about it at all.

After flipping through the conference itinerary, I chose the workshop I thought Maya would most likely be attending, following the directions to the conference room. I arrive just as the workshop is finishing, and sure enough, I catch Maya walking through the double doors with two men on her heels.

They both appear to be young—fresh out of law school, I’d imagine. One is tall, lean, and boyish, the other outrageously muscular but on the shorter side. I don’t like either of them standing so fucking close to my wife.

Fuck. I have to stop thinking that way.

She’s not really mine, and if I allow myself to get in the habit of referring to her as such, even inside my own head, I’m going to hurt my feelings.

They follow her to the refreshment table like puppies, crowding around her as she pours herself a cup of coffee. She hasn’t noticed me yet, but I see her pretty lips set into a deep frown, eyelashes fluttering with annoyance as one of them speaks to her. With her shoulders tense and body rigid, I can’t tell if it’s the two of them being a bother, or if it’s last night’s nuptials still haunting her.

I step toward the end of the table—not close enough to interrupt her conversation or crowd her space, but close enough to hear the conversation at hand, listening for the right moment to step in and steal her away.

“So, what did you have to do to get chosen to be a keynote speaker? I’d love to do that someday,” one of them asks.

“Did you attend my presentation yesterday? I kind of covered it there,” Maya murmurs as she shakes two sugar packets and tears them open.

“Oh. Well, no. There was another speech we wanted to attend.” The other one shrugs. “There was a panel with some guys who have a lot more experience. You get it.”

Maya stands straight, placing a lid on her cup, forcing a smile. “Totally.”

“Bu–but...” he back tracks. “You’re still very impressive, especially for a woman.”

Maya’s entire body pauses, moving in slow motion as she turns her head to him, brown eyes fucking blazing, yet she forces that smile wider. “Can you help me understand what you mean?”

Poor boy looks terribly confused.

“I don’t…” His brows furrow, and the tall man beside him looks queasy and uncomfortable. “It was a compliment.”

“Oh?” Maya’s voice drips with mock ignorance. “How so?”

“I said you were impressive.” His tone is defensive now, and the friend beside him runs a hand through his hair, eyes darting back and forth between them, as if he can’t decide whether to interrupt.

“‘Especially for a woman.’ I believe those were your exact words. I’m just confused by that.” There is innocence in her tone, not accusation. She’s playing it off like she genuinely doesn’t understand the man, forcing him to explain his behavior, and the guy isscrambling.

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