Page 91 of Keep Me

“I don’t know. Maybe don’t worry about your dad, we can try to make things work.”

“You’re delusional.”

“And you married me, so what does that make you.”

“Prone to a heart attack.” He grinned, stepping closer to me and holding his hand out. I looked down at his palm and stepped away. “I don’t know why you’re smiling. We’re in a huge mess, and you seem happy about it.”

“That’s because when I asked you to marry me, I meant it.”

When I said yes, I meant it too, but I wouldn’t divulge that information, as I had no doubts Matty would run with it.

“Set it up.” It looked like he wanted to say something, but when I glared at him in warning, he backed down.

“Okay, well, how about this weekend?”

“Yes.” I turned and strolled down the hall. Matty walked next to me, only occasionally brushing his arm against mine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

My husband.

I shook my head.Thiswas how I was getting my dream guy? No romantic wedding. No dating to woo me. No well-thought-out proposal. And a baby mama. There was no way to come backfrom this. All Matty and I would ever be was a drunken night in Vegas, and it sucked.

The elevator down to the banquet hall was silent, a stark contrast to last time we were in this position. Interlinked hands with knowing smiles on our faces because we just got married.

We’d had it all, but it crumbled in a few short hours.

“I don’t regret it, you know?” Matty muttered. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking at his shoes, and when I didn’t respond, he kept going. “If I knew this would be the outcome, I’d still ask you to marry me because being called your husband for even a few months is a privilege. I just wish you’d give me the time to prove how much you mean to me.”

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened, so I didn’t have to respond to him. It seemed like Matty was hell-bent on burning his future family down to have me. He gave me enough space to walk out on my own, but as I entered the hall and people started noticing me, I almost wished I’d had the extra protection of his body next to mine.

My face heated, and my heart was beating out of my chest. Did everyone know? Had the gossip spread that quickly? It wasn’t like Erik and Sienna were the best at keeping secrets.

Sienna was by my side, hauling me to a quiet corner before I had time to think. Shit. I still hadn’t interviewed the football team yet. How the hell was I supposed to interview Matty now?

“Sienna, I need to speak to—”

“Don’t worry. I got you. I told Dillon that you ate some bad shellfish and that you’d need some cover for the interviews.”

My stomach sank. I didn’t want to give away the opportunity, but my brain was too scrambled to think straight.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“No problem. In return, you’ve got to tell me what the hell happened with Matty?”

My stomach turned. I didn’t want to talk about it. Not here.

I cut a gaze to the rest of the crowd, feeling someone’s eyes on me. Sure enough, Erik was making his way over, and a knot formed in my stomach. What the hell was I supposed to say to him?

My cheeks heated; my breath caught.

Wait a minute. Was I having a panic attack?

I shook my head and as if Sienna knew what was wrong, she looped her arm in mine and directed me to the exit.

“You know what? I’ve got an early morning manicure appointment. I think if I stay here any later, I’m going to have issues making it. Do you want me to drive you home?” she asked. How gallant of her to try to help me out of this situation.

“Yeah, sure.” The idea of staying here was too much to bear. I needed some time to myself, and I needed to get out of here to keep from speaking to Matty again.

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