Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“So should I call off the hit? My guys are literally en route right now.” Corbin gave me a supportive smile, making us all chuckle. God, I loved them. I needed them.
“Let’s go inside,” Marcus said when Declan pulled away.
We went straight for the living room. Declan and Corbin sat on either side of me, Marcus across from us on a chair.
“I saw it first,” Marcus said. “I tried to get ahold of you before Dec got wind of it.”
“We thought our boy was going to head to Vegas. Marcus tried to talk some sense into him, but I think it was my sweet charm that eventually did the trick,” Corbin teased. He was good at reminding us to laugh, providing the levity we needed.
“What happened?” Declan asked.
I started at the beginning, telling them how Elliott and I originally met, and how after parting ways, I saw him with another man in like thirty seconds. About his flirting and trying to get me to go out with him.
Fast-forward to Vegas and how I was feeling lonely and he was there, then the drinking…all the drinking…and ending with this morning—though I didn’t tell them yet that we planned to stay married.
“So he continued to hit on you, knowing he doesn’t want love but that you do?” Marcus asked.
“No. I never told him that. It’s not typically my conversation starter. And he didn’t even know about The Vers until this weekend. When he found out, he messaged, apologizing because he felt bad.”
Marcus and Declan grumbled. It still didn’t endear Elliott to them. God, they were going to lose it when I told them the rest.
“I feel like shit that we left you in Vegas,” Dec said.
“You know I would have found a way to stay with you if you were having a hard time,” Corbin added.
“I wasn’t. I mean, yes and no, but that’s not your responsibility. I’m an adult. I don’t need you guys to handle my heart for me.”
“Did you fuck him?” Marcus asked, getting back on topic.
“No.”
He nodded. “What’s the plan from here? An annulment? I’ll speak to my attorney to make sure your ass is covered in any way you might need. We can—”
“We’re staying married.” Ripping off the Band-Aid seemed like the best way to deal with this.
“Excuse me, what? I thought you said you’re staying married?” Dec stared at me in confusion.
“We decided it makes sense. You guys saw how fast the news got out. Elliott’s dad is a member of Congress. He’s a good guy trying to do good work. Elliott feels like… Well, I don’t want to share too much of his business, but he cares about his dad and feels he’s let him down enough.”
“I looked him up. Elliott, that is. There’s porn. He’s packing,” Corbin informed me.
“Thanks, Corb.”
“There’s nothing wrong with sex work. It’s real work,” he clarified.
“I know, and I agree, but not everyone does. And his dad has taken a lot of shit for decisions Elliott’s made. He may be a ridiculous flirt who plans to fuck his way through life, but he’s not a bad person. And I’ve made the decision not to date or have sex for the foreseeable future, so it should be a piece of cake. We stay married so we don’t look like idiots. Then, after a specific amount of time, we announce our divorce and that we’re still good friends. Yada, yada. You know the spiel.”
The room was quiet for a moment before it erupted into questions and shouts of outrage. I’d expected this, and I couldn’t say I blamed them. If the situation were reversed, I’d feel the same. All we ever wanted was to protect each other, and I could see why they would worry about me here, but… “Stop!”
They did, except Declan. “I don’t get why you’re doing this for him.” He crossed his arms, clearly upset.
“I’m not,” I admitted. “Maybe part of me is, but I’m doing it for me too. For my dad. He raised me and loves me and knows I wanted nothing more than to find my person. He’d be crushed to find out I drunk-married someone I’m not in love with. I don’t want to do that to him. I want him to believe this is real, that I fell for someone and we tried to make it work. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to anyone except me, but that’s how I feel. Right now, what I really need is all of you. I can’t do this without you.”
It was Marcus who stood first. He walked over, held his hand out for me, pulled me to my feet, and wrapped his arms around me. Beneath that tough barrier he put up sometimes, he was more of a softy than any of us. He liked to pretend he wasn’t, but Marcus was all heart and our biggest supporter.