Certificate of Marriage. Rings.
Giving myself to Hudson Gray. No protect?—
I ground my jaw when it trembled and vowed right then and there that I wouldn’t let myself think about what we’d done. There was no ignoring the elopement—that was a legal, binding ceremony. But the rest? I just...I couldn’t...
“When did all this happen?” I asked. The question left me on little more than a breath, but it seemed to shatter the strained quiet in the room.
“I dunno,” he said nearly a minute later, just as both our phones chimed.
I didn’t make a move for mine.
I wasn’t sure anything could’ve moved me until Gray climbed off the bed with a sigh and muttered, “We’ll figure this out,” in a voice that was so unlike him.
It was frustration. It was dread. It was worry.
And it had my heart clenching at the reminder that, no matter how much he teased and flirted with me, it was just because I was a woman, and Gray loved women far too much.
His love for me would never go beyond our friendship.
“Reverse it.” The words were strained with emotion as they scraped past that knot in my throat, and I hated that Gray was witnessing me coming so close to breaking. Willing back my tears and my hurt, I slanted a glare at him and continued. “Cancel it. Annul it—whatever it’s called. Take it back.”
A bitter sound that may have been a laugh left him, but he just continued toward the pile of clothes. Once he started searching through them, presumably for his phone, I forced myself to do the same.
Thankfully, mine was over on the opposite nightstand—far away from where Gray stood.
Scooping it off the furniture, I tapped into the group message someone had created for the wedding. Except for the newlywedded couple, everyone from our security team was in the group chat, with the addition of Thatch’s fiancée, and both Briggs’ and Lainey’s sisters.
Viking Cameron Rush
Breakfast by the pool in thirty. Let’s see who’s paying up.
I read the message from the gentle giant of our team over and over, my brow furrowing as I tried figuring out what he meant.
Quickly scrolling through our texts over the past days didn’t prove helpful. And no matter how hard I tried searching my mind for some memory, I wasn’t sure I could think of anything other than the fact that I’d woken up married to my best friend.
“Do you know what this means?”
My head subtly shook at Gray’s question before shaking more firmly when I was sure there wasn’t even a whisper of recognition at those words.
“Well, I . . . I need to go change.”
My head snapped up at that. “No one can know,” I blurted out before realizing everyone elsemightalready know.
Who knew what’d happened last night, or who all had been there?
After all, Rush’s text made as little sense as our marriage certificate and those gold bands.
But just when I was about to ask Gray,“What if they know?”I focused on him—on his face. His handsome features that were usually filled with amusement and mischief were hardened with anger and—is that pain?—as he studied me.
After immeasurable seconds trapped in his stare, he gave a nod and turned toward the chair, his movements sharp and agitated as he picked through the clothes there.
I didn’t move as he pulled on the remainder of his groomsmen outfit.
I didn’t say anything when he took a step toward the door, only to stop and look at the paper that claimed Briggs and Lainey weren’t the only two to get married yesterday.
I didn’t let the anguished sound climbing up my throat escape when his jaw flexed as he dropped one of the gold bands onto the certificate before storming out of the room.
I just held myself still, arms wrapped tightly around my waist and teeth grinding together until the door slammed behind him.
