Page 87 of Bully

“What!” Val cried, and Raven gave me a broad grin from her side of the table.

“Damn girl. Congrats.”

“It’s not—” I stammered, ripping my hand back from Trixie and glancing around at everyone. “I didn’t—.” Then I stopped, because denying it, even though I’d tucked the wedding ring Tamen bought me in the chapel that night away in my jewelry box the minute we returned to Boston, it didn’t feel right. Shame, heavy and suffocating, settled on me as I contemplated hiding Tamen and what he meant to me. “Actually, I did.” I sat up taller in my chair, accepting the shocked glares from the girls. “We got married in a drunken midnight chapel surrounded by crazy nursing home patients and other boozed up couples, looking to declare their love or lust or whatever else they were feeling at two am in Vegas.” I paused, smiling as I thought back to the way Tamen told me everything he remembered from that night, spurring my own memories to return. The way I felt that night, in Tamen’s arms, at the altar, was indescribable, yet the only thing that came close to capturing the emotions behind it was peace. Tamen gave me peace. “And I don’t care if you agree or not. Because I’m happy.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Val rubbed her forehead, pushing her alcohol away. “Seriously? You hardly know each other. And he’s a player and sketchy.”

“So what?” I blinked at her, “You’ve just described half of the men in America currently.”

“We’ve all done things with him!” She cried, drawing a few glances from the other tables again. “Doesn’t that bother you? That should bother you!”

I sighed, knowing there was going to be no more productive conversations on the topic at the moment, and pulled some money out of my purse before rising to my feet. “And I’ve done stuff with most of you at one point or another, for fun and for work. Does that make me a bad person?”

“No!” Trixie called in her sweet innocent way, shaking her head, “No, it doesn’t. And I don’t think he’s a bad guy either.”

“I agree.” Mya nodded firmly, “I think this is great, Sloane. I’m excited for you. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I replied softly as I walked behind her chair, facing Val. “I know you aren’t trying to be bitter or mean right now, Val. But that’s what is happening. So, to save our longstanding friendship, I’m going to walk away, and we can come back to this after the shock wears off.”

“Don’t go.” Lola tried, “We’re sorry, we were just surprised.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled, feeling braver and more at peace, having it out there and no longer treating it like a dirty little secret. “I have somewhere else to be, anyway.”

Walking away from the table, I took a deep breath as I waited for my car at the curb outside the restaurant.

I was married to Tamen Bryce.

My boss.

My bully.

And the only man, in all of history, to ever make my heart soar, accepting me exactly as I was.

I also had a date with him. Or at least I thought it was a date.

The address he sent me an hour ago to meet him at was in Hollowbrook, the sleepy little town that both Peyton and Olivia lived in with their men outside of the city. I didn’t know what he could possibly want to show me there, but I was going to find out.

As I got in the back of the car, the driver smiled at me, introducing herself and making small talk as we turned to leave the city. “Do you have any fun plans for the rest of today?” She asked.

I grinned to myself, feeling a blush crawl up my cheeks as I replied to the total stranger. “I’m meeting my husband. He’s always making some sort of fun for us.”

My husband.

Mine.

Chapter 36 – Tamen

“She’shere.”Icalledout, walking through the room to the spot I marked out. “You know what to do right? You remember your lines? You can’t mess this up. If you mess this up for me, I’m going to delete your profile on my Netflix account. Got it, kid? If this goes wrong, those pony shows get canned.”

Rory rolled her eyes at me and walked away like I hadn’t just spoken the ultimate warning to her in toddler talk. “Rainbow!”

“Uh—” Sloane’s voice called from the front door where she had her head peeked in. When she saw Rory and me standing in the empty space, she tentatively walked in, closing the door behind her. “Where are we?” She wore a navy-blue wrap dress and sandals, straight from brunch with the girls, and her rainbow hair cascaded down her back in the soft curls I loved to run my hands through. And pull.

“The future.” I said, smiling at her breathtaking beauty as she scowled at me briefly before leaning down to pick up Rory, who stood on her feet, begging to be held.

“I don’t understand.” She looked around the empty living space of the house and then at Rory. “Where is Liv?”

“I recruited Rory for a special mission. It’s just the two of us here.” I took Rory from her arms, letting her back down to tot around and find mischief. “I wanted to ask you something.”

---