Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Delilah
" O h my God, finally!" Mattie screams when I walk into our apartment.
After dinner with the Hollises and Wilder convincing me to go with him next week, I drove home to tell Mattie the news.
I drop my suitcases when she hurls herself toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Jesus." I chuckle, grabbing onto her so we don't fall. "You act like I was gone for a month."
"You left me with Harper and Amanda at work..." She deadpans. "They couldn't find a clue even if they put their two brain cells together. I swear, if they weren't Lacey's nieces, they would've been fired by now."
I wince, feeling even more awful for what I'm about to tell her. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't hear from you very much. Did you have fun at least?"
She grabs one of my bags, and I take the other, bringing it to my bedroom. My heart hammers in my chest at what I need to tell her, but the sooner I spit it out, the better.
"Yeah, it was a good time. Lots of drinkin', which I haven't done in ages. Ellie kicked ass, so that was fun to watch."
"You and Wilder still going slow ?" She raises her hands into air quotes. "Or did you finally jump on him like a bronc rider?"
I snort, tossing my suitcase on my bed and opening it. She reaches for the lavender lingerie set that's wrinkled into a ball.
"I knew it!" She holds it like an active bomb before tossing it into my laundry basket. "So...how was it?"
"We didn't have sex," I confirm, and then decide to just spill it. "But we did get married."
Her head falls back as laughter erupts from her throat. "Good one. So how big is his dick?" She holds her palms up, spreading them apart wider as if she’s waiting for me to confirm.
"Mattie!" I chastise, then hold out my left hand to reveal my ring. "I'm being serious."
Her jaw drops and she freezes in place as her eyes narrow in on the rock.
"We were really drunk…like had seven shots too many drunk," I add. "I woke up to this on my finger, completely blackin' out on what we'd done the night before."
"What in the livin' fuck?" She yanks my hand, putting it two inches from her eyes. "This is legal ?"
I chuckle. "Yep, I found the license and receipt to prove it. You should see the photos. We look outta our damn minds."
"When I said go experience Vegas, I didn't mean get hitched!"
"You said don't come back pregnant ..." I teasingly remind her. "Which I'm not."
"So you're legally married but haven't done the horizontal tango?"
"We fooled around, but neither of us had a condom. However—" I give her my best don't be mad at me face. "We're goin' away this next week for a...honeymoon, of sorts? Up to his aunt and uncle's resort, so I need you to fill in for me at work."
"Please, no." Her face morphs into a frown. "I can't handle the Barbie twins anymore."
"I'll see if Lacey can take a couple of my shifts."
She hugs me. "Thank you! I don't mind workin' longer hours but I can't handle them."
"There's one more thing..."
Her shoulders drop. "Oh, God. What is it?"
"When I first realized what we'd done, I freaked out and told him we needed to get this annulled."
"Whew..." She releases a loud breath before I can finish. "So you did have a come to Jesus moment about how crazy this was?"
"Of course!" I throw the rest of my dirty laundry in the basket and then grab my other suitcase to unpack my toiletries. "He begged me to give him thirty days to prove we should stay married and wants me to move in with him during that time. Though, I told him I wasn't gonna become his maid or cook."
She snorts. "Good call."
"I'm nervous but after the talk I had with my mom, I think it's the right thing to do. If I don't give it a chance, I'll always wonder what-if . And I've lived with those long enough."
Mattie grabs my shoulder to stop me from pacing and meets my eyes. "I agree. You two deserve this shot and even though I'm sad as hell to be losin' you as a roommate, I want nothin' but happiness for you."
Tears well in the corner of my eyes and I pull her in for a hug. "Thank you. I love you."
"I love you, too." She pushes back slightly. "And I don't care that he's technically your husband, I still want details when y'all finally hook up."
I bellow out with laughter, shaking my head. "If you help me do laundry and re-pack, I'll tell you about his cock piercings."
"Oh hell yeah, deal!"
It feels weird being at work after five days off, but I'm happy to be back to a schedule, even if it's for a couple days. I let Lacey know I'll be leaving again and after some profuse begging and offering to work more over the holiday week, she gave me the time off.
Once I'm done with my shift, I'm going to Wilder's to "move in" for the next month. I'm still feeling weird about it, especially since I've never lived with a man besides my father, and Wilder's the last person I ever imagined as a roommate.
But I know I owe it to myself to try. Even though my instinct is to back out and go to my safe place hiding in my bed, I'm not letting myself.
I'm about to go on my lunch break when Jonah walks in, taking me by surprise.
"Hey!" I smile brightly. "What’re doin' here?"
He scrubs a hand through his hair. "On my break and wanted to see you since it's been a while. I also have that two grand I owe ya."
"Perfect timin'. I'm takin' mine now. Wanna go to the café?" I grab my bag from the backroom and let Amanda know I'm heading out.
"Thank you again for bailin' me out." He hands me an envelope of cash.
"Of course." I stuff it into my purse and then loop my arm through his. "I'm dyin' to hear how things are goin' at the ranch."
He opens the door for me and then we walk out into the chilly air.
"I wanna hear about you gettin' hitched first..." He narrows his eyes at me.
"Heard about that, did ya?" I giggle.
"Wilder called you his wife about ten times this mornin' and I nearly choked on my tongue when I realized he was talkin’ about you."
"Yeah, he sure loves sayin' that." My cheeks heat at the memories of hearing him call me that. "I'm still gettin' used to it myself."
When we arrive, he opens the door for me and then I walk in. Everyone's gazes shift and a dozen people stare at me.
"Guess everyone else heard by now, too," he says behind me.
"Great," I murmur.
"So how's Raven and the baby doin'?" I ask once we have our food and find a table.
"Good. I took her to a prenatal appointment on Friday and got to hear the heartbeat."
"Oh my gosh, that's so sweet. Does she know the gender?"
"She decided she wants it to be a surprise."
"Oh, love that! That takes a lot of restraint though. How's she doin' in the shelter?"
"They found her a remote job so it's a lot better now. Savin' up to get her an apartment."
"That’s awesome! Well, I'd have to ask Mattie, but if she wants to get outta there sooner, my room's available. Assumin' she doesn't mind livin' with someone else."
"Really? I think she'd love that. Guess that means you're movin' in with Wilder?"
"Yep, tonight actually. My furniture will be stayin' so Raven can use it and anythin' else I don't take with me."
"Well, if Mattie's cool with it, I'll ask Raven. I'm sure she'd love to have more space but room with another woman so she's not alone."
"And Mattie's hardcore, so anyone tries messin' with Raven, Mattie wouldn't think twice about kickin' their ass."
Jonah laughs, taking a bite of his food. "I appreciate that. I dunno what I would've done if I hadn't met you that night at the bar and then found you at Lacey's. You've been a really good friend to me and you had no reason to be."
I tilt my head and frown. "Everyone deserves a second chance. And I went with my gut, which told me you were a good person."
"Thanks, I appreciate that."
"You're welcome." I smile warmly. "Now, tell me about work. How're you likin' it?"
"Uh no...we're talkin' about you gettin' hitched in Vegas first to a guy I didn’t even know you were datin’..."
I bark out a laugh and heat crawls up my neck thinking about Wilder. "Okay, fair."
Once I've confessed everything from start to finish, he finally tells me about working at the ranch.
"Besides takin' orders from a seventeen-year-old Satan, work has been fine. But goddamn, she's bossy and rude."
"If it makes ya feel any better, I think she gives Wilder a run for his money, too."
"I was huffin' and puffin' tryin' to get one of the horses to move—it was being a stubborn shit—and ya know what she said to me?"
"Not sure I even wanna know." I smirk around a French fry before eating it.
"If you wanna be a cry baby, go to daycare. Otherwise, suck it up and use those things you call muscles!"
The laugh that bubbles out of me has me quickly covering my mouth. “She’s a savage.”
"I wasn't even cryin'! Sweat got in my eyes."
"Oh my God, I'm dyin'." I take a drink before I choke on my food.
"She scares the shit outta me. And then she turns around and is all sweet to her little boyfriend."
"Well, of course." I snicker. "She's lived there since she was nine and was practically raised by the Hollises. She's gotta have thick skin to go through what she has in her short life, plus deal with four male cousins."
"I wondered about that...where are her parents?"
"Wilder didn't tell you?"
"No, he doesn't talk much. To me, at least."
"They died in a car accident. Dena and Garrett took her in."
"Oh damn. That's sad."
"I know. She's close to them and Gramma Grace. But I think she hides her pain from losin' them at such a young age."
"Which would be understandable. Guess that makes me a little less mad about how much she bosses me 'round."
I grin. "Maybe try talkin' to her about Raven and the baby. Find somethin' you can talk about that isn't work-related. I'm sure she'd love to hear about your sister and how brave she's been."
"Think so?"
"Yeah...doesn't hurt to try, at least."
"Alright, thanks. I will."
We finish our food and he walks me back to the store. I tell him about the honeymoon and that Wilder and I will be gone for a few days. Then, I promise to be better at staying in touch.
"Thanks for stoppin' in today. It was great catchin' up and seein' you."
He wraps me in a hug. "You too. Have a good rest of your day."
“Bye!” I wave once the door shuts.
"Who was that?" Amanda gushes as soon as he leaves.
"My friend, Jonah," I say, not making eye contact because I know what she's about to ask me next.
"Is Jonah single?"
"I fear you're not his type," I murmur, setting my purse in the backroom. "Sorry."
"What's that mean?"
I scratch my cheek, trying to come up with a quick lie. "He's into older women. That's why we've only stayed friends."
"Oh." She pouts, crossing her arms. "How old?"
"Like...at least fifty. I think his ex was fifty-two."
Her eyes widen and she drops her arms. "Oh. Never mind."
She spins on her heels and goes back into the front of the store.
Shaking my head, I mutter to myself, "You owe me one, Jonah. I just saved your ass."