Chapter 10 – Braelyn #2
My eyes snap open, and I spring up, my robe falling open, but I don’t care because all I can do is stare down at the row of large diamonds banded around my finger.
“Roman!” I scream as I scramble out of bed. Thankfully, I remember to close my gaping robe because I’m only in panties beneath it. “Roman!”
I fly out of my bedroom just as he comes racing into it, and we smash into each other.
“Ow!” I step back and rub my shoulder. “Do you have to have so many muscles? They hurt.”
He’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt and looks sweaty. How could he work out at a time like this?
“I take it you remembered that you married me last night.”
I blink up at him, only to flip down to his left hand that’s perched on his hip. He has a black band on it. “It’s real, right?”
“Yep. We closed the place down. We were their last wedding of the night. You were so relieved we made it in time.”
“Oh my god!” I cover my face with my hands. Then I laugh. Kind of loud and a lot hysterical. “Oh my god!”
“Yep.”
“Did we kiss? I don’t remember the ceremony. Well, not a lot of it. Some of it. I was in my blue dress, and we said our vows and… oh hell. I threw myself at you and kissed you. Didn’t I?”
“You kind of missed,” he tells me with some amusement in his tone. “You got more chin than lips.”
My hands fall to my sides, and the room sways with it.
Fuck, I’m so hungover. And when the room sways again, I hold up a finger, telling him I need a minute, and race for the bathroom.
I make it just in time to lift the lid and empty everything in my stomach into the toilet.
It’s awful. Alcohol retching is the worst, which is why I haven’t had enough alcohol to induce it since college. Ugh.
“Is this from realizing you married me or from alcohol or from my food last night?” comes from the other side of the door.
Somehow a smile manages to quirk my lips. “All three.”
He chuckles. “Are you okay? Can I get you something? Some water?”
“A sports drink would be great if they have it.”
“Any particular flavor?”
“Don’t care. Just not red.”
“How come not red?”
I sit back against the wall, sweaty and clammy and just gross. “Because I’m a nurse and vomiting red looks like blood.”
“Noted. I’ll be right back.”
I throw up a bit more, but my stomach is already feeling better by the time I pull away from the toilet to wash my face and brush my teeth. Roman is back, hovering outside the bathroom door to give me privacy, which I appreciate.
“I got you a few different kinds.”
“Awesome.” I tighten my robe and take the blue bottle from his hand. “This is perfect. Thank you.” I crack the top and take a few small sips.
Worry creases his brow. “You haven’t thrown up like that since you tried to kiss me the last time.”
“That’s accurate. Ironic that you rejected me then and married me last night.”
He puffs an annoyed breath. “I didn’t reject you.”
“You did.”
He holds up a hand. “Fine. But not the way you think I did. And I wasn’t drunk that night, whereas last night I definitely was.”
I sigh and lean against the doorframe, taking another sip. “How are you like this? You’re disgustingly chipper.”
“It’s professional stamina. Drinking after hours isn’t a new thing in restaurants.”
“Nurses can put them back too. Trust me, depending on the shift, we need it. But damn, that last tequila shot was not a good idea. What about getting married? Is that an after-hours professional thing too?”
He runs his fingers over my sweaty forehead. “That’s a new one for sure.”
“Does this make me a Fritz? We don’t have a prenup. I’m worth billions now.”
He rolls his eyes at my sardonic tone. “What’s mine has always been yours, married or not.”
“I wish I could say the same to you, but all I have to offer is my poor decision-making.”
“Well, you’re beautiful, so there’s that too.”
I scoff. “Especially right now. Did you put me to bed? I don’t remember coming back here. That part is a total blur.”
“You were half asleep by that point. I carried you back in here, and I unzipped your dress and handed you a robe. That’s it. The rest you did after I left.”
“So we didn’t…”
He gives me a do you even have to ask that look. “No, Braelyn. We didn’t. I didn’t kiss you when you were drunk that night. Do you honestly think I’d take advantage of you when you’re half blacked out and do more?”
I lean heavier into the doorway. “No. Sorry. I just had to ask.”
“Trust me, kid, if we’d done anything, you’d be feeling that today as well.”
Well then. A blush crawls up my face, and I cover it by taking another sip.
“So what do we do now? Other than get divorced.” I bark out a laugh and shake my head.
“This is so messed up. I’m sorry. I went from planning my wedding to one man to marrying another in a Vegas chapel.
My family is going to kill me. Your family is going to kill me.
Holy shit, Adam. He’s your friend. I made you marry your best friend’s ex. ”
“You didn’t make me marry you. I was a willing participant. I didn’t do it because of the dare or anything else.”
“And the other stuff?”
He looks away, out toward the window on the other side of the bedroom, his expression intense and thoughtful. “I don’t know what to say about Adam. I feel shitty. Very shitty. He wants me to help him win you back, and instead, I married you. Not to mention, you were engaged to him a week ago.”
“I feel so stupid. I know I talked you into it. Can we not tell anyone? Can we keep it a secret?”
He turns back to me, his eyes all over my face, even as his eyebrows pull together, my question turning into understanding. “You mean get a quickie divorce and pretend like it never happened?”
I gnaw on my lip, but I don’t know why I’m nervous to say yes.
He didn’t exactly marry me out of love and wanting forever with babies in the baby carriage.
He married me after a huge professional night and a lot of alcohol and teasing from his friends.
And because I thought it would be fun. And funny, which it kind of is superficially and kind of isn’t logistically.
“My life is already a mess, and my engagement ending was very public, considering we had to rescind our invitation and who my fiancé was. I don’t want more drama, and you’re Roman Fritz.
Us getting married the way we did will be mocked.
It’ll make the freaking news. And it’ll cause issues for you with Adam.
As much as I hate him right now, and I’m glad you’re here with me, he’s your friend, and I wouldn’t ever want to come between that.
Hopefully, we can get divorced, and no one will be the wiser. ”
His eyes search mine as he considers all of this. “If that’s what you want.”
Something in his voice catches me, but my head is still too muddled to think clearly. “I think it has to be that way. Let’s keep it a secret. At least for now.”