Sure, there were lots of reporters shouting questions at us. But we didn't stop to answer any of them, not when we had a moment together where I could respect the hell out of my wife.
My wife.
That would never get old.
EPILOGUE
MAYA
I woke up staring at Elvis.
Or rather, the bust of Elvis in the corner of the condo where Sloan and I had first met. We were back in Vegas since it had been three hundred and sixty-five days since we first woke up hitched in this city.
Today, we were both naked again. But this time, we’d made it back to the condo, and there was no panic. No worry about an annulment or a divorce or how everyone would react to the news.
"'Morning, gorgeous," Sloan said softly in my ear, his arms wrapped around me. "Happy anniversary."
I turned in his arms, so we were nose to nose, skin to skin, chest to chest. "Happy anniversary, handsome."
"You feelin' like getting married again?" he asked as he brushed butterfly kisses against my cheek on his trek downward, past the column of my throat, along my collarbone.
"Well"—I snuggled in closer to the warmth that was my husband to give him better access—"Not to brag or anything, but it is kind of my thing when I come to town."
He chuckled, low and deep in his chest. "As long as I get to be the groom."
"Always," I said, and the truth of the word came out with a lifetime's worth of emotion.
I couldn't say much after that because his mouth was on my breast, and his hand was between my legs, and there were other things that took precedence over coherent speech.
The thing was, we'd made an entire year of memories we never wanted to forget, but there was one part both of us couldn't quite shake.
Neither of us remembered how it started. We decided that wouldn't work for us, so we set up a vow renewal for our anniversary. Together, and sober, we'd recreate some memories we could actually remember this time.
We were going to re-do that whole night, knowing what we'd pieced together and bringing along as many friends as possible. Even Jared and his wife were meeting up with us. Mom and Dad, my sisters, Emily, Elliott, Uncle Milo, Aunt Lisa, Angela, Finn, and most of the Stallions football team had even come to town for the big event. Heck, the Dimefront guys, Sami Jo,andHans were all on hand.
No one wanted to miss this backward charade of ours.
But that morning, it was only Sloan and me, the two of us cocooned in our own world.
We took full advantage of our time together—twice, actually.
After we came up for air, we headed out to spend the day with our friends. And when the afternoon became evening, our entourage of football players, family, and one of the biggest bands of our generation headed out on the town. We caused more than a minor commotion as we walked down The Strip to the Neon Nuptials wedding chapel. Let's just say the guy who played Tarzan had nothing on the chaos we caused simply by being present.
With a small amount of research, we discovered we'd been married at the Neon Nuptials with their Lucky in Love and Liberace package. So, that was what we booked this time.
The chapel itself was unassuming. Given the name, I figured that there would be more neon involved. But the chapel seemed to rely on the surrounding neon to live up to its name.
The interior was well-maintained, with a bright-red carpet that seemed to bleed a crimson path to happiness and white wooden pews with an undeniable charm, probably because of all they'd witnessed over the years. Over the top of the room was a painted ceiling that looked like stars.
Our crew squeezed into the limited space, everyone huddling together. The paparazzi might be outside, clamoring for a glimpse of our private celebration, but within the walls, only those closest to us mattered.
Those closest to us—and an actor playing Liberace.
The fake Liberace guy was the spitting image of the musician, with his sequined suit sparkling under the lights in the chapel. His perfectly styled hair and signature candelabra ring were like a time warp to another era.
"This is the singing couple!" Fake Liberace announced as we approached the altar at the front of the room. "I remember you like yesterday."
"Maya has the pipes, that's for sure." Sloan pulled me against his side and pressed a kiss to my hair.
