Page 13 of Resisting You
Clutching the handle, she yanked the door open. “Oh, I need to step out in the hallway for this call.”
“Babe, just don’t wake up the whole hotel,” Reid said, the slightest smile splayed on his lips and an adoring look in his eyes that made me want to barf right there on the expensive carpet.
Compared to my hotel room that I’d booked for the night, this was like a palace. Sure, it was in the same hotel, but my room next door was the size of a shoebox and had a bathroom that barely fit me and my makeup all at once.
Noah’s suite was sprawling with high end fixtures, a jacuzzi bathtub, fully adorned with towels folded into swans.
He got towel swans, dammit.
I wanted towel swans. I wanted them with a paycheck I earned myself. Because the truth was, I grew up in this sort of lavish lifestyle. With a Senator for a father, we were never lacking in the amenities.
But they came at a price. A steep price.
A severe lack of privacy.
Our lives were never quite our own. And even this stupid drunken marriage, I couldn’t help the gnawing ache in my belly.
What if the press finds out? Will they come knocking on our doors? Will it ruin my father’s chances of getting reelected?
Despite the strain it put on our family, Apa did amazing work. I was proud of him and I wanted him to be able to continue his work.
But I had also worked damn hard to escape that life and get out of the spotlight, which was why I moved to New York from California. Once I got out of our home state, what I did in my free time seemed to matter less to constituents.
So the question was, could I manage to annul this stupid drunken marriage without anyone being the wiser?
If it wasn’t a marriage to television’s current hottest heartthrob, I might stand a chance. But as it was? I wasn’t so sure.
The slam of the door caused me to jump and Hazel stood there, phone in hand and fuming. “He didn’t answer my call, either.”
My brows lifted as I looked at Reid. I loved my bestie, but holy hell she was a force to be reckoned with. And I was sort of relieved that it wasn’t all on me to tame her anymore.
“Well, I’m sure you left him a perfectly polite message,” Reid joked in that dry sense of humor of his as he picked Cheeky up from the floor, placing her in his lap.
A message dinged on Reid’s phone and he held up a finger to get my attention. “Okay, okay. Good news. My lawyer said he can get the annulment started for you as soon as he hears from both you and Noah. But until there’s confirmation from each of you, his hands are tied. And with tomorrow being Sunday, you’re stuck until Monday if he can’t hit the ground running on this asap.”
Shit. “Does his letter count?” I grabbed the scribbled note from the table he had left me and held it up. “It says he promises to annul. Even has his signature at the bottom.”
Reid took the letter from me, examining it. “It might work? At least to draw up initial paperwork. Let me text it over and see.”
I stood up, hands on my hips and paced once more. Noah’s side of the bed was still rumpled and there was an indentation on his pillow. I could practically still smell his crisp scent clinging to the sheets.
Why would he do this? Why would he just leave when there was clearly so much to figure out?
The corner of heavy cardstock peeked out of the trashcan next to his side of the bed. Its swirled sapphire blue and rose gold emblem glistened, catching my eye and I bent down to retrieve it.
We cordially invite you to the wedding of Veronica Marie Tripp to Alexander Remington Bailey…
Wait. The date listed. That was today. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to conjure up some memories of last night. Didn’t he say he had to go home to Maple Grove for a wedding?
Hope sparked behind my ribs. That had to be it. He wouldn’t just leave because he’s an asshole. Hehadto leave. For his sister’s wedding.
It didn’t explain why he didn’t wake me up… but then again, I slept like the dead.
It didn’t exactly excuse his behavior, but at least it made more sense.
With a quick glance at my phone, I noted the time. If I left now, I might make it to Maple Grove before the wedding started.
I rushed to the door that adjoined our two rooms and threw it open, rifling through the clothes I’d bought. Thank God I’d packed several possible dresses for this weekend. I grabbed a shin-length black dress and rushed for the bathroom to change. If I was crashing a wedding, the least I could do is dress appropriately.
