“I’m tired of being the convenient groom, Jax. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun, but having Jodie here pushing the wedding thing has made me realize I want it. I want the marriage, maybe kids someday.”
“I want that too, Tan. With you. I’ve wanted it for so long. You know why I left?”
“For the Army medical program.”
I shook my head. “Yes, I wanted that more than anything, but I had good grades. I could have gotten a scholarship and stayed closer to home.”
“What are you saying?” The words almost got stuck in his throat.
“I’m saying that while there was an excellent financial reason for me to pick the path I did, I mainly did it because I was falling in love with you. You were straight, and I thought you and Jodie were the real deal. How could I stay and watch you two be together, get married one day, and have kids when I wanted those things with you, too?”
“And…how do you feel about me now?”
I kissed his cheek. “I’ve been consulting all the medical journals I can get my hands on to figure out how it’s possible to love you more now than I did before.” I kissed the other cheek.
I felt the corners of his mouth curl into a smile. “Found any answers there?”
“Not yet. I may need a cardiology assessment first to figure out if it’s normal that my heart stops every time you walk into a room and gallops as you come closer.”
“Sounds like a real issue.”
“You have no idea.” I captured his mouth in a searing kiss that I hoped showed him how much I loved him. I wanted the chance to grow into our relationship, have fun, and maybe one day have all the things we wanted. The kids, the big house with a backyard, and maybe a dog or two.
“What’s going on?”
Jodie’s voice jolted us apart. She stood by the door to Tanner’s apartment, which I must have forgotten to close behind me.
“Jodie,” Tanner started.
Her eyes moved between us as she clutched a folder against her chest.
Tanner
“You were kissing,” Jodie said. Her eyes were getting a good workout between looking at me and then Jax.
“We can explain,” Jax said. I was glad because I certainly couldn’t see how we could explain anything.
“You can explain why you were eating my fiancé’s face like it’s Thanksgiving?”
Jax let out an exasperated sigh. “For fuck’s sake, Jodie. You have to end this insanity. Tanner isn’t your fiancé. This is a stupid idea, and I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but my phone rang way too loud, making me jump.
I was going to silence it when I saw the Vegas number on the screen. I'd called them a few days ago in a desperate attempt to find out if Jax and I were still married so I had an excuse to back out of the wedding with Jodie.
“Is that?” Jax asked.
I shrugged and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Oh, hello, am I speaking to Mr. Tanner Beckett?”
“Yes, this is him. I mean, me.”
“Mr. Beckett, I’m calling from Chapel of Love as a follow-up to your call a few days ago. I’m afraid I owe you both a huge apology.”
I leaned against the window frame, trying to ignore the images of Jax fucking me against it only a few weeks ago.
