“Man, I really needed one of these,” I said, taking the stool next to him and downing almost half of one of the bottles. Sex with Tanner made me thirsty. Mostly for more of him, but his new ale somewhat quenched my thirst.
“Tough day at the hospital?”
“Huh?” I looked at him. “Oh, um…no. Well, yeah, but I finished early today. Anyway, how’s it been? And how’s your sexy silver fox of a husband?”
He huffed.
“Could be better. We’ve been married for just over a week and I’m already climbing the walls because I can’t climb my husband. “
“Okay, you’re gonna have to translate that into real-people speak.”
He huffed. “He thinks we shouldn’t have sex while we’re married because it could confuse things for us. But the problem is that he’s sex-on-legs twenty-four-seven, and I’m going out of my mind. If he doesn’t budge, it’ll be the lack of sex that’s going to make things bad.”
“Poor Noah. Blue balls don’t agree with you, huh?”
“Very funny. And how about you? Are you ready to tell me what happened in Vegas?”
I snorted. “I thought what happened in Vegas was supposed to stay in Vegas.”
“That’s what people say when shit happens in Vegas.”
“Shit always happens in Vegas.”
“Then spill it. Your disappearing act with Tanner didn’t fool anyone. What did you do? Hookup in a club or something?”
I sighed. A glance behind the bar showed no sign of Tanner. He was probably catching up with the paperwork I’d interrupted when I turned up at his place earlier.
Maybe I could confide in Noah and get some advice.
The thought of getting advice about my Vegas wedding from the guy who married in Vegas for convenience was laughable, but I trusted Noah, and this whole thing was twisting me up inside. The only time I wasn’t conflicted about it was when I was naked with Tanner.
“I…I mean, me and Tanner…Tanner and I, we kinda, probably got married in Vegas that night.”
Noah coughed, almost spilling the mouthful of beer he’d just sipped.
“You two did what again?”
“Don’t make me repeat it.”
“I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll go with, why probably? Did you or did you not get married?”
“We did, but it’s complicated. Some shit went down at the chapel and they can’t be sure the officiant filed the paperwork. We won’t know for a few days if we’re actually legally married.”
“Dude.” Noah laughed. “I want to say congrats because I can see you two make a great couple.”
I gave him a side-eye.
“But something tells me it’s not straightforward. Why did you do it?”
“I’m gonna need something stronger than this.”
Noah raised his arm to call the bartender as I started recounting the events of that night.
Hours later, I opened the door to my apartment and stumbled over a suitcase I didn’t recall putting there. “Fuck, I didn’t think I was drunk at all. Where did you come from?” I asked the suitcase.
“From home. Are you drunk?” Jodie asked.
I looked at the suitcase and then at my sister sitting on my couch with one of Tanner’s, no, my throws over her legs and a book in her hand.
