Chapter Eighteen Euan
As Alex shifts to stand up, I’m tempted to tighten my arms around him to hold him down.
To ignore the persistent woman at the door.
Let the rest of the world fade away until it’s only the two of us.
Instead, I allow my arms to drop like lead weights onto the couch.
I don’t help him up, but I don’t hold him captive either.
He stumbles a little as he stands, like he’s lightheaded from our make-out session. I smirk as my eyes trail down his body, right to where all the blood went. “You sure you want to answer the door like that?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
Though maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all. I want him to answer the door exactly how he is: kiss-drunk, weak-kneed, and hard. The only thing missing is a trail of hickeys down his neck.
Alex snorts and adjusts himself then calls out, “Just a minute!” He looks down at me, conflict written all over his face. He doesn’t ask me to hide away even though he clearly wants to.
“Do you want me to get the door so you can go to the bathroom? Wash your face and give yourself a few minutes to calm down?”
“Could you?” he asks, inching toward the hall.
My predicament is less obvious than his, so I nod and stand up. He bolts down the hall quick as a rabbit. I wait until the bathroom door is firmly closed, then open the front door.
Theresa’s mouth opens to say something and remains open as she stares at me.
“Come on in,” I say it like I live here and she’s the first-time visitor.
Her mouth snaps shut with an audible click and stoicism masks her features. I’m no longer dealing with Theresa, the ex-girlfriend, but Theresa, the lawyer. The predator who swoops in to snatch up unsuspecting prey. “You must be Owen,” she says as she steps past me.
“Euan,” I correct, “but I know it’s a difficult name for some people to pronounce.”
Her lips twitch once before she wrangles them back under control. “Of course.” She dismisses me with a simple flick of her eyes as she looks around the apartment. “Where’s Alex?”
“In the bathroom.”
Twitch.
If I wasn’t watching closely, I would miss the small changes in her expression.
“Hold onto this for me, would you?” she asks, holding out a laptop case expectantly.
As soon as I take it from her, she sits on the bench next to the door like a queen sitting atop her throne.
“Alex bought this for me,” she says, stroking a possessive hand over the bench’s soft cushion.
“He’s always been so considerate of me.” She removes first one heel, then the other, her movements fluid and elegant.
When she stands again, she’s a head shorter than me.
She takes the laptop from me and walks toward the living room.
Her nose wrinkles when she sees the pizza box sitting on the coffee table.
With just her fingertips, she delicately scooches the box to the side until it’s out of her way.
Then she sets her case down and opens it up to pull out her laptop.
“I need your full name, address, and citizenship status.”
Straight to business. She clearly didn’t expect my presence, but she’s pivoted quickly and efficiently. I rattle off the information she needs, ending pointedly with, “US citizen.”
She types everything without comment. “And did you know Alexander was too intoxicated to consent when you married him?”
“Depends on how you define ‘know’,” I reply dryly. “Considering we went shot for shot and drink for drink, we were in similar states of intoxication.”
Twitch. “You’re claiming you were also too intoxicated to consent?”
“Yes.”
Theresa examines me from head to toe. “With your height and weight, your alcohol tolerance is probably higher than Alex’s.”
She clearly wants to blame me for this situation. I don’t know if it’s for her own peace of mind or if it will make the annulment easier if one party is to blame.
“Sorry about that,” Alex says as he reenters the sitting room. The skin around his mouth is still red and irritated but the source is less obvious after he’s washed his face and taken some time to calm down. “Theresa, what are you doing here?”
Theresa’s brow furrows as she forces a smile. “I told you I’d stop by today.”
From his blank expression, it’s clear he forgot. It takes him a second to recover, to smile and say, “Yes, but you’re usually working later than this.”
“I finished with my last client meeting and wanted to start on your annulment right away.” She pats the cushion next to her.
“Sit down so we can discuss the details.” Then she turns back to me with a sharp smile.
“I’m only representing Alexander in this case, of course—it’d be a conflict of interest for me to represent you both—and I need to speak with him privately.
Why don’t you return to wherever you’re staying?
Though, I’ll want the address for that too, so I can serve you properly. ”
I glance at Alex, looking for direction. If he wants me to, I’ll leave to find another hotel room. His invitation this morning was impromptu, offered in a moment of shock. I’d prefer to stay close to him, but I don’t want to push.
“Euan is staying here,” Alex says.
The twitch is more pronounced this time as Theresa starts to lose her composure.
She forces a smile and places a possessive hand on Alex’s thigh, squeezing just enough for me to see the flex of her fingers.
“Honey, that’s only going to complicate things.
You two should separate completely during the annulment process. ”
Alex’s brow furrows. “Is that a legal requirement for an annulment?”
“Not technically.” The more curveballs Alex throws her, the longer it takes her to recover.
“But you are seeking to invalidate this marriage, so there’s no reason to maintain a relationship with him.
You don’t need to call him your husband.
You don’t need to live together. You don’t need to have a single thing to do with him outside of the courtroom. ”
Alex’s big blue eyes turn to me. Is he thinking about the same thing I am? How, less than ten minutes ago, we were kissing passionately on the same couch he’s sitting on. “I don’t want …” he begins, his voice faint.
I hold my breath, waiting to see what he’ll say.
I don’t want to annul the marriage. That’s an unreasonable expectation.
Even if we want to pursue a deeper relationship, the accidental marriage would always hang over our heads.
The longer we stay married, the more issues will arise if we ever break up.
After a week we won’t have any combined assets, but after a year?
Ten years? Getting an annulment and then starting fresh would be the smarter option.
But a part of me still hopes that’s how he’ll finish his sentence.
“I don’t want to put Euan out like that,” Alex finishes, tearing his eyes away from me. “He’s only in town until the end of the week. He can stay here for now.”
Theresa’s lips pinch into a thin line. She takes a deep breath in through her nose and forces her mouth into a tight smile.
“I understand. You’ve always had a soft heart, Alexander, I just don’t want him to take advantage of you.
” She squeezes his thigh again. “But we do need to speak in private, and Euan will need to find his own representation.”
Alex grimaces and gives me an apologetic look.
“You said there was a library nearby?” I ask, keeping my tone light. “I’ll go there to do some work. Text me when you’re finished.” I walk to the spare room, feeling Theresa’s eyes on my back the whole way. Once I have my laptop, I leave, nodding goodbye to Alex.
“I need to know everything about that night,” Theresa says. Despite her requests for privacy, she doesn’t wait for the door to close before speaking. “We want to bring a strong case to the judge to make sure this annulment is approved.”
I close the door behind me and sag against it. This afternoon was amazing, practically a fantasy come true, until reality busted through the door in the form of a determined ex-girlfriend.
As I walk, I pull my phone out of my pocket and look up the number I need. It only takes two rings before someone answers: “Bailey, Beiler, and Pratchett, how can I help you?”
“I need to speak with Richard Beiler.” Before she can fob me off, I add, “Tell him Euan Blair is calling.”
The receptionist is quiet for a moment, then she says, “One moment please.”
By the time I’ve settled myself behind the steering wheel, the call picks up again. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from you, Mr. Blair.”
“Theresa will be representing Alex in the annulment case,” I explain. “Are you able to represent me?”
Silence stretches for a long time as Richard considers.
“Theresa and I work for different firms, so it’s possible.
We’ve represented opposing sides in the courtroom before.
Why do you want me to represent you? If I’m frank, you didn’t seem happy with me this afternoon, and I can’t blame you.
Are you attempting to use me to punish Alex in some way? ”
“No,” I snap. “I’m not angry with Alex.”
There’s a long pause, and then Richard asks, “Are you fighting the annulment?”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “No, I don’t want to do that either. I’m only seeking representation to ensure that my interests are properly looked after. You seem familiar with Theresa’s style. I want someone I know she can’t trample in the courtroom.”
“I’m honored by your confidence in me,” he replies. Although his tone is dry, he seems sincere. “I don’t have any more client meetings tonight. Why don’t you stop by my office again? We can discuss the details further.”
“I’ll see you there.” I hang up and type the directions into my phone, then put the car in drive and head straight to Richard Beiler’s office.