Page 138 of The Wife Situation

“Why that tattoo?”

“My true north is my intuition. It always leads me in the direction I should go. No matter what happens in my life, no one will ever be able to take that away from me. My fortunes and my position at the company might disappear, but I will always be me. It’s why I’m not scared, because if I lose it all, I’ll get it back.”

“You won’t lose it,” I confirm.

“No one knows what will happen.”

“All we have is now,” I whisper.

“When I’m with you, I just want to live in theright now, Lexi. Not tomorrow. Not six months from now. Not next year. Right now. It’s all we have. The future isn’t guaranteed, and your life can change in in instant.” He snaps his other fingers, and it rings out in the silence. “You’re fucking proof of that. Two weeks ago … I could’ve never predicted I’d be here with you right now.”

I think about everything that’s happened. Two weeks ago, I was sleeping on Carlee’s couch and scrubbing porcelain toilets,wishing for a callback on a show I’d auditioned for. Now, I’m jet-setting across the country with this man, lying on a blanket at the Horseshoe Creek Ranch, viewing the stars.

“I’ve never thought about it like that.”

“I never predicted you,” he says, but a silent conversation takes place as we stare up.

“I didn’t either,” I admit. “Two weeks ago, had you asked me where I’d be, I would’ve never guessed this. So, point taken.”

We don’t say anything for a few seconds. I sit up, reaching for the bottle of Fireball Remi gave me when I told her I was coming out here. I take a big swig of it, then offer the bottle to Easton.

He shakes his head. “Not that shit again.”

Laughter escapes me. “It’s never done me wrong. The Milky Way will rise around midnight; I was going to stay here and wait for it. If you’d like to join me,” I say.

“I’m not going anywhere. We’ll ring in the new year together.”

“Day fifteen,” I whisper, placing my arm under my head. “So, about that breakup text in the morning?”

Easton rolls over onto his side, props himself up on his elbow, and focuses on me. “Would you like me to send one so you can have the full experience?”

“If you didn’tneedthis marriage, would your decision be different?”

“You’re not my last resort, Lexi. You’re my first choice. Someone I’d marry andnotdivorce a year later.”

I reach up and run my fingers through my hair. “It’s the confidence for me.”

“Sometimes, when you know, you fucking know. I’m waiting for you to catch up.”

“I know.” I pull his mouth close to mine.

“I’ve already told you once that I’d wait a lifetime. I meant it.”

His hands run through my hair, and he tastes like spearmint and moonshine.

A whimper escapes me as his tongue massages against mine. We’re greedy and desperate.

“Don’t break my heart,” he says, and it’s more of a demand than a plea.

I lightly paint my lips against his. “I don’t want to. But broken people break people. I know that,” I whisper.

“I’ll glue your heart together, piece by piece.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek as he searches my face. “This is real for me.”

“It’s real for me too,” I say, knowing it’s just us. No cameras, no friends, no family, only the two of us, alone. And when it’s us like this, it’s when the line is blurred. “Please tell me you brought a condom,” I say.

His forehead leans against mine. “Fuck.”

I laugh against his lips and lift my hips, pulling one from my back pocket. He gives me a shit-eating grin.

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