I was in his room. In his bed.
I sat up. “Holy crap.”
I was married.
Holding up my hand, I squinted at my ring.
Married. With a big dang rock on my finger.
He’d wanted to buy an obnoxiously large diamond. No, thanks. The size of even this ring gave me palpitations. What if I lost it in Play-Doh? I loved the platinum setting. I loved the sparkle.
It couldn’t be real.
I blinked out the floor-to-ceilingwindows, then swept my gaze around the plush room with chests and dressers that probably cost more than my house.
The diamond was real.
I rubbed my forehead as the events of the night clicked back into place. The club. Flirting in the booth. Gideon’s charm. The guy was smooth, but I spent my day around kids who were afraid to tell me they’d peed their pants when a wet line ran down their leg. I knew all about lying and ulterior motives, though I couldn’t attribute all the skills to my current and former students. I’d dated some doozies.
Where was Gideon anyway?
The other side of the bed was smooth, the blankets pulled tight. After he’d agreed to give me kids in exchange for me helping him keep the land in the James name, I’d barely been able to keep my eyes open.
Where had he slept?
Had he slept, or had he roamed this massive penthouse and counted his money?
I swung my legs down. A bottle of water with moisture dripping down the sides was on the nightstand.
For a new husband, he was already sweeter than a lot of the guys I’d dated. Except Mark.
Guess I had a good reason to turn down Mark’s offer to go to Spokane. I chugged the whole thing. Then my attention caught on the suitcase by the bathroom door.
My luggage.
He’d had it brought up? How thoughtful, but my friends had to be worried. I shared a room with Kaitlyn. Had all signs of me been gone by the time she’d returned to her room?
I searched around for my phone. I should be rushed, but I couldn’t bring myself to be panicked.They hadn’t left the dance floor to see how I was doing.
I chewed my bottom lip. They were nice women, but also younger than me. We were in different seasons in our life. No wonder Gideon had thought he could trick me into marrying him.
My cheeks heated. I didn’t have time for embarrassment. I checked my screen.
Kaitlyn: Where are you?
Kaitlyn: Are you okay?
Destiny: Tell me you didn’t get stolen?
Kaitlyn: Did you fly home?
Brittany: I’m so sorry!
Destiny: Are you upset? I’m really sorry, babes.
Brittany: We’re terrible people. Just talk to us.
I sort of felt better reading their frantic texts. I was also tempted to continue ignoring them, but I couldn’t have them calling my siblings. That mess could wait until later.
