Page 28 of One Night Bride
On paper only, of course.
Amelia took the chair Izzy vacated for her. It was the only one she could still get out of on her own with her distended belly. “So, you went and got hitched, huh?”
I folded my arms across my chest, knowing the interrogation from all four of my sisters wouldn’t be fun. “Like I was explaining to Izzy, it was a mistake. A drunken decision that shall be righted shortly when we file for an annulment.”
Izzy frowned. “But you went back to the hotel and had sex afterward, so how can you claim an annulment? Shouldn’t it be a divorce?”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, first of all, you need to stop reading so many historical romances. It’s not like fucking seals the deal anymore, Iz.”
“Sex afterward is definitely not a factor in being able to obtain an annulment,” Oakley helpfully piped up.
Vee snaked her arm through Remington’s and leaned into him. “I don’t know. You look like you’re of sound mind. And body.” She gave him a saucy wink.
My vision went wavy, and by the time I blinked, I was shoving Vee further down the couch and gluing myself to his side instead. He put his arm around my shoulders and I instantly felt calmer.
Vee and Amelia looked at each other and burst out laughing. Izzy just shook her head with a smile on her face. Oakley studied us like if she just watched us closely enough, she’d find the secret to all of life’s mysteries.
“What?” I finally asked when they’d calmed down.
That sent them into another peal of laughter, Izzy and Oakley joining in this time. I looked to Remington. He just gazed down at me with a smile. He leaned down, nuzzled behind my ear and whispered, “I love it when you get jealous, wife.”
My body froze and my brain finally pondered what had come over me the second I saw Vee touching Remington. I’d been jealous. Plain and simple, and I hadn’t even recognized it. Shit. Being jealous implied I cared.
Vee put her hand on my knee. “I’m sorry for laughing. And I’m sorry for flirting with your man, but sometimes you need a shove to see what’s right in front of you, Esme.”
I scrunched my nose at her, but leaned forward to grip her hand, anyway.
“You two clearly have something between you that’s real. All of us can see it, feel it. Why don’t you explore it?” Amelia said kindly, rubbing her baby belly.
A flutter of nerves crowded out what they were saying. How could I take a chance when so much hung in the balance?
“It was just supposed to be a vacation fling, you guys. You know my business. If they catch wind of a husband, they’ll freak out. It would only take one ugly comment from some keyboard warrior about being a fraud, and I could lose everything.”
Remington’s arm came off the back of the couch, his hand rubbing my back. Which was sweet. And comforting. And what I so badly wanted when I thought about my life outside of my business. He acted way too sweet for a guy who was only my fake husband.
“And I need a wife to get out of running the family ranch. If I’m married, I’m free to run the nonprofit I’ve started and want to put all my time and attention into. I vote for staying married.” Remington’s deep voice illustrated our dilemma.
Oakley, the newlywed of the group, cleared her throat. “How about you pause on the annulment and take some time to just date each other? That would give you time, Esme, to see if being with Remington is worth making a pivot in your business. It would give you time to put together a plan to slowly introduce the idea to your audience.”
That sounded reasonable. Maybe even brilliant. My heart rate kicked up at the thought of actually dating Remington. We’d put everything backwards by getting married before we even knew each other. The prospect of dating him set everything to a warm simmer inside of me.
“All I know is Mom and Dad are going to freak out you eloped. They nearly disowned me for getting married in Vegas with Titus. And that was even when I promised them a reception in Auburn Hill afterward!” Amelia had a gleam in her eye, like she couldn’t wait to see me get my ass handed to me by our parents.
“That’s true. They weren’t happy for a long while,” Izzy said quietly.
“I think it’s super romantic! Imagine the story you’ll have for your grandkids,” Vee exclaimed.
“Hold up, you guys. No one is telling Mom and Dad anything. You have to keep this all a secret. Until we decide what we’re going to do, I don’t want it getting out that the marriage license even exists. Are we clear?”
Vee pouted. “I don’t know how long I can keep quiet about a thing like that.”
I gaped at her. “Seriously, Vee? You’re my sister. Surely you can keep your trap shut for a few weeks.”
“A few weeks?” Amelia asked loudly. “I can do a week. Tops. Besides, you know Poppy will sniff it out if you drag everything out too long. That woman is like a drug-sniffing hound for gossip.”
Remington grimaced. “This Poppy sounds awful, but just like our town’s dispatcher. She knows everything about everyone.”
“I think Poppy’s nice. She only shares because she cares,” Izzy said, always with a kind word for everyone.
