Page 26 of Billionaire's Accidental Marriage
8
Michael
The rest of the evening passed by in such a whirlwind of events that I didn’t have time to register them until I woke up Sunday morning. And as the sun streamed heavily through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, the first thing I heard was soft snores coming from my lap.
Maggie’s snores, to be exact.
Last night, we had done so much breaking down to prepare for the transition into today that we had both flopped onto the couch after we had gotten back with our clothes still on. And it wasn’t until I saw Maggie’s head resting softly against my thigh that I realized we had both fallen asleep together. For the entire night. And it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I like waking up to her.
She was so peaceful, like a dove nestling in its own feathers for warmth and comfort. I smiled as I ran my fingers through her hair, working out its soft knots as she continued to sleep soundly against my leg. It brought me great pride to know that I could comfort her like this. That even clad in what was probably an extremely uncomfortable dress, she could still find what she needed from me enough to slip into her most vulnerable state, to trust me, even when her body was incapable of defending itself.
“Good morning,” I whispered.
After I was done working out the knots in her hair, I slid softly away from her body. I held her head in the palm of my hand before settling it down against the couch cushion my body had kept warm all night, then I padded my way into my bedroom. I needed to order some breakfast. We had to scarf down some food, chug some caffeine, and get back out to the event before it opened to the public again in a couple of hours.
But, I saw a flashing blue light beneath the phrase “front desk message.” So, I picked up the phone and dialed them instead.
“Front desk, how may I assist you?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, this is Michael Gainsley up in the penthouse. My phone says I’ve been left a message?”
“Ah, yes! Mr. Gainsley, give me just a second to track it down. I have it right… yes! Okay, are you ready, sir?”
I nodded. “Ready when you are.”
“Great. Okay. The message reads, ‘Mr. Gainsley, I need to know if you’d like a video copy of your wedding last night. I had a recorder running just in case, which was part of the waiver people signed when coming into the event. If you let me know early enough, I can bring it with me to the event today.’ And that’s the message!”
I blinked. “What wedding?”
The front desk woman paused. “What do you mean?”
I furrowed my brow. “What wedding are you talking about? I didn’t have—”
The woman cleared her throat. “Well, the man who came by dropped off a small bag of things. Would you like me to send it up to you?”
“Yeah, yeah. If you could do that immediately, please, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
“Of course! I’ll bring it up myself. Leaving now!”
I didn’t bother saying goodbye as I dropped the phone back onto its receiver. Panic filled my veins as I rushed toward the door of the penthouse, waiting for those footsteps to come down the hallway. There had to be some mistake. There was no way in hell what Mags and I did yesterday was considered anything close to a wedding. I mean, we didn’t even exchange rings!
The second I heard the elevator ding, I ripped open the door. With Maggie still sleeping soundly on the couch, I took the bag from the front desk woman and sent her down to the kitchen with a quick breakfast order. I closed the door, not bothering to lock it as I rushed back into my bedroom to dump out the contents of the bag before my cell phone started ringing.
“This is Michael,” I said softly as I picked it up. I made my way out of my bedroom as my public relations guy started rattling off in my ear.
“Do you have any idea what you’re about to put me through?”
I blinked. “Uh, sorry. I just woke up. What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about! Why in the world didn’t you call me last night and tell me? This is insane!”
I rushed my way into the kitchen. “You’re going to have to be more specific, Langley, because I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about.”
Everything happened so quickly that I still wasn’t sure exactly when Maggie had gotten up. I wasn’t sure how long I was bickering on the phone with Langley, nor did I hear our breakfast get whizzed up to our room. But, when I heard Maggie cry out my name, I hung up the phone immediately without a resolution and darted down the hallway.
Until I found her sitting upright on the couch, her face as white as a sheet. “What is it?” I asked breathlessly. I lunged to her side and sat down beside her, ignoring the vibrating of my phone.
