The entire drive back to Boulder City, I panicked. It was more than panic; it was utter dread mixed with a touch of existential crisis, and on top of all of that, the hangover of the century.
My thoughts didn't go to Brandon and what he'd say, or Mandy and how she'd react. He'd be angry but he could get over it. I was done doing what he wanted me to. We were over the very instant he entertained the idea of sleeping with someone other than me. And Mandy, well she'd think it was the stupidest thing I’d ever done, but she'd support me, and who knew? Maybe she'd applaud me for taking charge of something in my life for once.
But the disappointment in my parents' eyes was going to kill me.
Dad wanted so much for me. He and Mom weren't well off, so for me to have a chance to marry into a family like Brandon's was too good to be true. Brandon would go pro next year. That was a huge thing. It meant millions in salary and a chance to travel. Though that was never a reason I stayed with him.
The disappointment tried to crush me, but I had worse things to think about. I didn't have time to wallow in self-pity that wanted to suffocate me. I’d married a man I just met, making me one ofthe stupidest people on this planet. Now I had to march into my parents' house at some point and confess to it all. I had no clue how to get a divorce, but I was not staying married to him.
I pulled up and parked in front of my apartment complex, making a mental note to myself to stop by the super's office later this week to tell him I wouldn't be moving out after all. My head hung and my feet ached as I took the walk of shame up a flight of stairs to my apartment door.
A hot shower and a hot cup of coffee would start to fix the physical problems I had, but nothing could undo the damage of eloping with a stranger. I just wanted to get into my personal space and hide for a few hours to let all of this sink in, but the instant I opened my door, I was bombarded with another bad reality.
My entire family, including my sister and brother, were parked in my living room staring at me.
And something told me the angry expression on my father's face was because he wanted answers.
5
KADE
Gavin's nasty comments about Lainey really got in my head. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I walked toward the hotel room and tried not to think about what I was going to do when I told my father I got hitched without a prenup. We used to joke about something this stupid happening, but Gavin was always there watching my back. Just not last night.
If I stayed calm and explained things rationally to her, hopefully she would understand how silly it was for two adults to make such a thoughtless choice. Maybe not, but a man could hope. I stalked toward the door with her coffee tucked in my arm and mine in my hand, but as I approached, I saw the door standing open.
My gut turned as I pushed it open, my eyes immediately shooting to the bed. It was empty. The covers had been tossed and Lainey was gone, not a trace of her.
"Crap," I grunted, looking up the hallway, as if somehow I had passed her or she might appear magically where I'd just come from.
I couldn't believe she'd just run off like that, and for what? Didn't she realize we had to talk about this at some point? I wasn't going to stay married to her indefinitely, and so long as she had my name on that marriage license, she had access to my parents' money. This wasn't good.
My temper flared hotter than normal and I chucked the coffee I bought for her at the wall. The paper cup popped open, sloshing hot coffee over the wall and puddling on the carpet. I couldn't believe the nightmare I’d gotten myself into, all because I wanted to be a kind person and listen to someone’s story. I sure picked a horrible time to be a stand-up guy. Now I had to search for her and hunt her down just to make sure she didn't ruin my reputation.
Marching back up the hallway, I checked my phone. No response from the lawyer, but at least my parents had stopped hounding me when I told them I wouldn't be coming. I had no intention of spending any time with them until this was resolved if I could help it, though who knew how long that would take. I didn't know where Lainey Rowan lived, let alone how to contact her. We were both so wasted I hadn't paid attention to her scribbles on the marriage license. Hopefully Mr. Price would be able to track her down using chapel records or something.
I chugged the scalding coffee on the way downstairs and when I got off the elevator tossed the cup into the trash. I was on my way through the casino to my car when Mark Alvarez popped out of the service hallway and locked eyes with me. He strutted with that angry swagger he always had, but his glare was focused on me, not something else, and he carried a surveillance tablet in his hand.
My father’s head of security rarely left his office, and when he did it meant something wasn't good. The fact that he was headedright at me made me feel defensive before he even opened his mouth.
"Kade, we need to speak." His lips pursed as he stopped walking, standing with his tablet cradled against his chest and his bicep flexed.
"What now, man? I'm sort of having a rough morning." I ran a hand through my hair and glowered at him.
"We got this recording of you." His forehead drew together in the middle and he turned the tablet around to face me. It was like he’d followed my movements this morning, and when he saw me coming down the elevator he moved precisely then to cut me off, just to show me he had a video of me and Lainey making out in the elevator.
"Yeah, so?" I pushed past him, heading toward the exit. He called my name.
"Kade, stop it. This is serious." Judging by his tone I knew he was freaking out. And given past experiences, I knew if I didn't nip this in the bud, the next action he took would be to call my dad.
"Yeah, fine, so I took a girl to my room, no big deal. I've done that a hundred times." This was so annoying. Since when was Mark the Narc my boss?
"I'm here to ask you if we should be prepared for police to show up with questions?" He narrowed his eyes and ducked his head slightly so he was looking down his nose at me.
"What the heck are you talking about?" If I hadn't woken up confused and frustrated by my own stupidity I would laugh at him. Police? For what? Lainey and I were both consenting adults and we’d gotten married, for Christ's sake.
"The woman was clearly inebriated and?—"
"You mean drunk?" I hissed, cutting him off. "Wasted, plastered, pissed…. There are a hundred things you can call it. Dude, you're not that much older than me. Don’t say inebriated. You sound like a boomer." Annoyed as I was, I stood still and listened to his rant.
