Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
MARCUS
T here’s a weirdness in the air between the two of us. Harper has been quiet since I dropped the bomb on her of why I left.
If there’s one thing I knew about her, it’s that she was always loud and joyful. She was a ray of sunshine from the minute I met her. A southern California girl through and through.
I loved that about her.
It’s like her light has dimmed somehow. Under the bright lights of the strip, she’s not the brightest star out here.
“Talk to me, Harper.”
She’s picking at her fingernails. It was always her tell when she was nervous, usually while watching my games. Harper was never nervous around me. That’s something that’s new.
“It’s weird being here now. I never thought I’d come back to Vegas.”
“Too many bad memories?”
The light in front of us turns red and we stop. She looks up at me. Studying me. “We were happy once, right? I didn’t make that up?”
I shake my head. “You didn’t. We were really happy. I think being here with you was one of the happiest days of my life.”
“Mine too.” The light changes and the blinking light indicates we can walk. “It’s just…messing with my head is all.”
“I’m sorry.”
The blinking sign of the chapel comes into view. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Right.”
Get it over with.
Holding the glass door open for Harper, a wall of memories hits me. That happy feeling of walking in here with her on my arm. The anticipation of marrying her.
God, I remember just how much I loved her that day. My very first NHL game. She was there and it was the best damn day of my life, and I wanted to do something big.
Getting married while in Vegas? Why the hell not?
I didn’t want to let her get away.
I guess the joke was on me.
“There’s a happy couple!” A man with slicked-back, dark hair greets us. A tacky mustache sits above his lip. He’s wearing a cheap suit and smells of even cheaper cologne. Or it could be that he’s trying to cover up the scent of booze hanging in the air.
She turns to glare at me like I’m the cause of this welcome.
“Don’t look at me,” I mutter.
“How can I help you? Are you here to get married?”
Harper throws her hair behind her shoulder before plastering on what I can only determine is the world’s fakest smile .
“I called this week because we had originally gotten married a few years ago.” Harper pulls the same piece of paper she slapped against me onto the glass counter in front of her. “We were told that it wasn’t legal because there was a missing signature, but come to find out, it is legal.”
The man behind the counter looks stunned for the briefest of seconds before he puts on his happy face again. He picks up the paper she gave him and looks it over. “I’m not sure who told you that, but this is a perfectly legal document.”
Harper’s smile grows wider and the next words that come out of her mouth are dripping with more fake niceties.
“If it’s perfectly legal, then why did we receive a phone call that we had to come back in to sign it in order for our marriage to be valid?”
“Ma’am. I haven’t been here long enough to know the specifics. But see here?” The man points to a few different lines. “All valid signatures. You, your husband, and the officiant. I’m sorry you’re upset because you got drunk and?—”
“We weren’t drunk!” Harper yells at the greasy man, slapping her hand on the glass display case. “We were in love!”
Were.
That one word is a knife through the heart.
The man shakes his head, the smile slipping from his face. “Drunk or in love, it’s still a valid certificate. I cannot help you. You would need to speak with a lawyer to get it annulled.”
“I know that,” she snaps. “Why was this information not given to me over the phone?”
“Do you remember who you spoke with? ”
She shakes her head. “No, because, as you can imagine, it’s quite jarring to be told by someone that works here that the form wasn’t filled out correctly only to find out it actually was. And that I’m still married.”
The man behind the counter flits his gaze to mine and gives me a quick once-over. “I’m not sure why you’re complaining, lady. You’re doing better than most people that come in here.”
“That’s not the point!” Harper screams in frustration.
“Look,” I intercede. “We’re trying to figure out why we had to come out here to question a marriage license when we were told the signatures weren’t valid.”
Grabbing the license once again, he gives it another look. “I cannot see why anyone would have called you to tell you this. You and the officiant all signed, so all was in order.”
“Could they have gotten us mixed up with another couple?” I ask.
He shrugs. “It’s possible. Now, is there anything else you need?”
“Not from you,” Harper mumbles.
I try to hide my smile from her. The last thing I want is for her to turn her anger against me. I’ve already felt enough of that.
“Thank you,” I tell the man as Harper grabs the paper and rushes out of the small chapel.
As we turn to leave, there’s a couple waiting behind us. They aren’t paying us any attention as they hang all over one another and are about two seconds from going at it.
Jesus. I don’t think Harper and I were that bad when we were here. We were in love but not nearly as obnoxious.
Harper is waiting for me outside under a bright, flashing light .
Get married in ten minutes by Elvis for $49.99. Includes rings and bouquet! Best deal in Sin City
I wonder how many places say that.
I stuff my hands into my jean pockets as Harper turns on me.
“What a dick,” Harper gripes.
“At least we have answers.”
Harper swoops her hair up and ties it into a sloppy mess on top of her head. “Answers that are going to cost us.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“You will?” Adjusting her bag, we both set off toward the main road.
“Yeah. The lawyer fees and whatever costs come with it. I’ll handle it.”
“I can afford it, you know,” Harper tells me.
“I know. But I have the money and maybe my guy will get it done faster.”
“Of course you want it done faster.”
If it’s up to me, I don’t want it done at all. But I don’t think now is the time to bring that up.
Harper hurries off in front of me as I jog after her to keep up.
“Hey.” I grab her elbow and pull her to a stop. People with large drinks pass us as they head toward the action. The sunlight catches on Harper’s hair, making her light up like an angel. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then how’d you mean it?”
Harper looks up at me, wearier than she did earlier. I can’t blame her. She had to waste a day off to come out here to deal with this headache. Maybe I should have called to take care of it.
It would’ve been the easy way out. Getting to spend time with her? I selfishly wanted that .
“You want this over and done with. I’m trying to make it easier on you,” I tell her.
“This is all so messed up.”
Harper buries her face in her hands. I wish I could pull her into my arms and tell her it’s all going to be okay.
It’s not my place. She’s going to go back to her room, and I’m going to take a cab to the hotel to get ready for the game tonight.
“We’ll meet with a lawyer at home and get it figured out, okay? Then you never have to see me again.”
She drops her hands from her face, and her blue eyes swim with emotion. “I never wanted this, Marcus.”
“Never wanted what?” I take a tentative step closer to her. Off the strip, the sidewalks aren’t as busy. Only a few passersby.
“To end up divorced from you.”
The pain in her words guts me. I never wanted it either. But I made that decision. I set the events in motion that led us here. Playing the what-if game now isn’t going to help anyone.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t either.”
Her lip quivers before she starts walking again. My guess is she wants to hide any emotion she’s showing. I give her the space, walking a few paces behind her.
By the time we make it to the crowds of the Strip, I jog up to meet her.
“Let me walk you back to your room?” It comes out as more of a question than anything.
“Sure.”
Harper’s voice is quiet as we walk side by side in relative silence back to her hotel.
“When do you head home?” I ask.
“Tomorrow morning. Do you guys leave tonight?”
“We’re out here for a few more days then head back. ”
“Who stays with the girls?”
“Their nanny. She’s really good with them.”
The walk is too short as we stop in front of the lobby entrance. Cars are coming and going as bags are wheeled inside. It’s bursting at the seams with people. I spot a few people in Vegas jerseys and move us off to the side.
I know I only have a few more minutes with Harper, but I’m not ready to leave. I can’t stall because I have to head to the game. The last thing I need is to be late for the team bus to take us to the rink.
“Look, I know this isn’t what you had in mind right now, but thanks for letting me come with you.”
Harper nods, giving me a small smile. “I guess I had to, didn’t I?”
“You didn’t, but I appreciate it.”
Harper walks backward toward the bank of elevators. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks.”
I watch her get swallowed up in the crowds before she disappears. Damn. I wish I didn’t have to go play for once. I want to follow her up to her room and spend time with her. Talk to her. Make her understand why I did what I did.
We’ll have to see each other at home. We’ll need to meet to sign papers. Text about it.
My thoughts flow like a reel, catching glimpses of what our life could have been, but it pauses on a scene in the future. One without divorce stamped on the frame. With one last smile, I turn toward my hotel room.
Instead of signing divorce papers…could this be a shot at a second chance with Harper?