EIGHT
Rain
“So areyou going to tell us why you called this emergency meeting?” Aspen asks.
I arrived at Aspen’s house fifteen minutes ago. Maggie was already there, and they already had food laid out. From charcuterie to pizza, crab dip to ice cream and brownies—they covered everything.
Fifteen minutes. That’s what they gave me before they decided enough was enough.
“Words escape me. I don’t even know if I want to speak them out loud,” I admit.
“It’s okay. Whatever it is, you can tell us. No judgment,” Maggie promises.
She is such a sweet soul.
I need to rip the Band-Aid off. Tell them the truth and quickly.
“I married Ridge yesterday,” I blurt out.
Maggie gasps, but Aspen has a silly smile on her face.
“What? Why are you smiling like that?” I ask her.
“I knew you were going to do it.”
“What? How? I didn’t even know until I said the words.” I fold my arms across my chest.
“It’s your family home. Ridge is a good guy. If you had said no, I would have beaten you over the head with a club and dragged you to the courthouse myself,” she admits.
I roll my eyes. “No need to be so dramatic. I married him, and now I’m moving in with him, and I feel like my life is out of control.”
Maggie hands me a glass of wine. “You could have moved into your place. Did you ask Ridge to move in?”
“No. I don’t know if I want to be there right now. The place feels like a mausoleum right now. I’m supposed to go over there today and grab some things, but I can’t even get myself to do that.”
“So did you stay at Ridge’s place last night?” Aspen asks.
I wince. “I told him I was going home, but I ended up at the clubhouse. I tried to go inside, but I didn’t want to be alone. I need to go get my things, though, just so I have something there for nights like tonight.”
“We could go with you,” Maggie offers.
“That’s sweet of you. I think it’s something I need to do alone. This? You being here is enough.” I give them both a grateful smile.
“Well, tell us about the wedding,” Aspen says.
“Not much to tell. We had the lawyer meet us and officiate. We didn’t want to do anything extravagant since it’s not a real wedding. If it wasn’t for the fact that we were worried the legitimacy might come into question, we wouldn’t have even had the lawyer there. We would have signed the papers and turned them right back into the clerk of court the same day.”
Maggie frowns. “Well, we need to celebrate. We will have a party at the new bar. It’s opening soon.”
“Do we have to? Really?” I ask. “It’s not even a real marriage.”
“Did you turn the papers into the state?” Aspen asks.
“The lawyer did.”
She smirks. “Then it’s a real marriage. Are you going to change your last name? I think Rain Harris has a nice ring to it.”
I place my hand on my head. I hadn’t even thought about that. Will I change my name? Would Ridge want me to?
