Except, what should’ve taken a couple minutes ended up taking nearly thirty because everyone and their dog wanted to come by and wish us congratulations.
Finally, during a conversation with Mrs. Wright, our ninth-grade algebra teacher, in which she insisted she’d known all the way back then that we’d be getting married, Nat clutched my hand and dug her nails in. Her unspoken plea to get us the hell out of there.
“That’s real sweet that you could see our love all the way back then,” I said, laying the charm on thick. “It was nice chattin’ with you, but we were just headed to grab a drink. And I believe my lovely wife is pretty parched by now.”
“Oh, of course. I won’t keep you. It was so nice to see you both.” Mrs. Wright smiled and placed a hand on my forearm. “And I want to extend my deepest condolences about your sister and brother-in-law.”
Between the funeral and this, I’d heard the sentiment more times than I could count, but it still hadn’t gotten any easier. Honestly, I wished people just wouldn’t say anything at all. I knew Aubrey and Nathan had been beloved members of the community. I didn’t need virtual strangers to remind me of it, bringing the fact of their passing back to the forefront of my mind each time they did so. Reminding me that my family hadn’t gotten to witness this wedding, even fake as it was.
“You okay?” Nat squeezed my hand, leaning into my side.
“As much as I can be. I just get sick of hearin’ it, you know? No matter what they say, it can’t bring them back. And I never know how to respond.”
“One of these times, you should just lose your shit. Maybe then they’d think twice about it.”
I chuckled under my breath. “They’re just tryin’ to be nice.”
“Nice is overrated. Like Mrs. Wright back there, actin’ like she hadn’t spent every second of our freshman year hatin’ our guts for bein’ pains in her ass.”
I snorted, recalling some of the more…colorful things we’d done while in her class. “No doubt about it.”
“Sidenote, I can’t believe you called me yourwife. That was weird.”
I stumbled only slightly on our way to the bar but caught myself and hummed in acknowledgment. It wasn’t like I hadn’t realized that was what she’d be when we said our I do’s. What really got me was that I hadn’t even realized I’d said it in the first place.
After placing our orders, she mumbled, “Of course my parents have an open bar at a backyard reception for a wedding that isn’t even real.”
“Maybe don’t say that quite so loud?” I said, scanning the crowd. “We got alotof people here, and one of ’em is Judge Seville.”
Nat whipped her head around and stared in the direction I had been looking. The judge and his wife stood at a tall cocktail table, looking for all the world as if they were attending a wake, rather than a wedding celebration.
“Shit,” she whispered.
I placed a hand on the small of her back, beating back memories of the bare expanse as I’d zipped her up less than an hour ago. It had taken every ounce of my self-control not to lean forward and brush my lips over her shoulder, down her spine. Had taken everything in me not to sink down onto my knees, spin her around, and brace her foot on the vanity just so I could finally taste how sweet she was.
I cleared my throat and willed down the ever-present semi that had been the bane of my existence all day. “It’s fine. We’re already married, remember? If anything, this just proves it even more.”
“Yeah, till you get me or any one of my sisters drunk, and we spill everything!” she hissed. “We aren’t exactly known for being quiet drunks.”
I stifled a laugh, knowing just exactly how talkative Nat got when she’d had a few. Secrets did not exist in her world when she was intoxicated, something Nash and I had teased her incessantly about. “Then don’t get drunk.”
“Are you kiddin’?” she asked, her mouth dropping open as she stared up at me. “One, I’m at a family event. Two, that event is one said family sprung on us with no notice. Three, I just got married—four, to my best friend, by the way. Five, a marriage that isn’t even real,” she said, lowering her voice so only I could hear. “Six, all of this is happenin’ in Havenbrook. And seven, with enough busybodies in attendance to fuel the gossip mill for months to come.”
I lifted my chin in thanks and grabbed the drinks Nat had ordered us from the bartender. I passed the dirty martini to her before taking a pull from my favorite beer. “Actually, I think the fact that Mac and Hudson snuck off to get married and didn’t tell anyone may actually shorten that time just a little bit. So, nice goin’ there.”
She finally cracked a grin. “Yeah, that was probably a dick move.”
“Probably. But still kinda fun to watch your mom hand Mac her ass, all while entertainin’ an eight-month-old.”
“Oh my God, the kids!” she said as she frantically scanned the party.
I slid an arm around her waist, cupping her hip possessively and tugging her into my side. “Relax, your mom’s got Owen, and Rory’s girls are playin’ with June.”
She exhaled so hard, she slumped into me, and I tightened my grip, making sure she stayed upright. “Fuck, I’m not cut out for this.”
“I don’t know,” I said, taking another pull from my beer. “I think you’ve done pretty great, all things considered.”
She huffed out an incredulous laugh. “For the past hour, I’ve legitimately not known where those children were. But besides that, the thought of where they were hasn’t even entered my mind.”
