Page 28 of Six Month Wife
Before I can even form a defense, a voice cuts through the buzz of the club.
“...Bets. And this must be our new ER doctor’s wife.”
Gunner. Bets’ brother, hospital board member, and chaos-starter, appears out of nowhere with none other than Parker in tow.
My breath stalls.
“Hi,” Parker says with a sheepish smile, eyes on me for half a beat before turning to Bets for an introduction.
Dammit. I literally just finished telling her I have notime, no social life, no interest in dating, and now I’m married?
Sitting beside me, Bets's face contorts as she digests everything, between our conversation and the announcement by her brother. Oh, boy.
“Wait a second. You two?” Her gaze bounces between us like she’s trying to do relationship calculus. “You told me you weren’t seeing anyone.”
I laugh. It's a little too loud, but I can't help it. “Right. I did say that. Which was... technically true. Parker and I are, um, newly married. I’m off the market, now, so not dating, clearly.”
She raises both eyebrows.
“Newly—what?” Bets sputters, eyes wide. “You’re married? Like married-married? I have thought Gunner was joking.”
I'm speechless, and she senses my discomfort. Once they make the perfunctory greetings, Bets asks them to join us.
Parker slides in beside me, effortlessly charming. He drapes an arm around my waist in a practiced move that feels annoyingly natural.
“It's very recent,” he confirms smoothly. “Courthouse special. We couldn’t wait. In her defense, I asked her to keep it on the down-low until I had a chance to tell my dad.”
“Very new,” I repeat, nodding like I’m trying to hypnotize her. “Like,less than seventy-two hours. That’s why I didn’t say anything earlier, Bets. We were planning to make an official announcement together,” I say with emphasis, pinching Parker and giving him the death stare. "We might have a reception later this year for our 'coming out.'"
He looks down at me with what I think is supposed tobe an adoring grin, but mostly says I warned you we needed a script.
Bets stares at us, processing. “Well,” she says finally. “That’s exciting. Congrats, you two. Now, Parker, you need to make this one work less.”
I’m about to thank her, but she leans in with a knowing smile. “So how exactly did this go from zero to married in a week?” She asks in a whisper as Gunner and Parker talk about something.
Oh, you know. Just a little light contract negotiation, a marriage clause, and two orgasms on a massage table.
“We reconnected recently,” I say, sensing my cheeks instantly light up bright red. “One of those fast-burn, didn’t-see-it-coming things. You know how it goes.”
She gives me a long look. “I didn’t, but apparently now I do.”
At that moment, the town’s biggest gossip, Hattie Sipp, turns around from a nearby table where she’s been eavesdropping. This scene is straight out of a sitcom, only I'm not laughing. She doesn’t even try to hide the excitement on her face.
“Oh my goodness! How wonderful! Young love in Palm Beach!” She practically floats over to our table, her eyes wide with delight. “I can’t wait to share the news with my mahjong group. You know my ladies adore a good love story.”
I’m suddenly acutely aware of how much of a scene this is becoming. Parker, of course, looks entirely unfazed.
I try to control my nerves, forcing myself to smile, but there’s a twinge of uncertainty gnawing at me. What are we doing?How did things go from a “fake marriage” to whatever this is now, so quickly?
I thought I had some time to digest this.
I don't think I thought this all the way through.
“Everyone’s going to be talking about this, I bet,” Hattie says, clearly delighted. “Palm Beach doesn’t get many young couples like you two. It’s about time.”
I know Hattie through Bets, and I guess she knows Parker, or at least about him, through Gunner. She may be dating Samuel Taylor, the big shot cardiothoracic surgeon, but I think that's more wishful thinking on her part.
The web of connections in this town is convoluted to an extreme.
