Page 66 of One Little Mistake
Easton crowds me before I finish the sentence.
“You are not a random, Locket. You. Are. My. Wife.” The emotion behind his words scares the shit out of me.
“O-Only by mistake. We … we’re not really married, East. We can’t stay married.”
He looks as if I wounded him, and I know I need to escape before I say something I shouldn’t. Pushing past him, I try to enter the ballroom, but Easton is close behind. I feel relief when I see Colton making a beeline for us.
“Lexi-con, want to dance?”
“Not fucking today, Colt. Back off.” Easton’s growl echoes in my head.
“Dude, whatever the fuck is going on, you need to get a handle on it.”
“Not now, Colton.”
I glance at him over my shoulder when we pass, and he gives an apologetic shrug as Easton drags me onto the dance floor. Wrapping me in his arms, he begins to move in time with the music while visions of Vegas flood my head.
Leaning in so his mouth is at my ear, he whispers, “I spoke to Ash. We are, in fact, married, princess. And for everyone’s safety, we not only need to stay married, but we need to stick close together.”
“What?” I screech, just as screaming erupts around us.
Easton releases one arm while we search for the commotion. He lets me go completely when we see his brother, Preston, lying limp on the floor with his girlfriend barking orders to everyone around her.
* * *
It’s been seven days since Preston collapsed, and I don’t think anyone has slept more than a couple of hours. We’re standing in the hallway just outside of Preston’s hospital room, and I realize it’s been the longest week of my life.
“Did you know?” Easton’s voice is deadly as he corners Ashton. “Is that why you said I would need Lexi? Is that why you told me to be ready? Did you know his heart was giving out? That he had the same heart defect as Dad?”
Ash lowers his eyes, and we have our answer.
“I only found out recently. He wanted to get through this wedding, and then he was going to tell everyone.”
“Jesus Christ, Ash. He could have fucking died, and it would have been Dad all over again. How could you keep that from us? How could you do that to Mom?”
“East,” I try, but it doesn’t calm him down. If anything, he only gets angrier.
“I’m sorry, East. It wasn’t my story to tell. I was just as pissed as you. God, it fucking broke me when I found out, but I’m doing the best I can to keep everything together. I did what I thought was right. You would have done the same goddamn thing.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ash. I’m tired of this ‘not my story to tell’ bullshit. Sometimes, you need to tell the fucking story. Sometimes, the fucking story is what will get you through all the bullshit. Sometimes, you need to stop pissing around—”
“Uncle East?” Tate’s little voice carries down the hall, and we all freeze.
Glancing up, I see Lanie holding his hand, and my heart shudders.
East swallows a few times before speaking. “Hey, buddy. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“It’s okay, Uncle East. But, don’t be mad at Uncle Ashton. It isn’t his fault. Uncle Preston had a broken heart, but I told you that Auntie Ems would fix him, and she did. I told you, remember?”
“Yeah, buddy, I remember. How’d you get to be so smart?” he asks as he ruffles the little boy’s hair.
“GG told me. She showed me her cards.”
Jesus, GG. The kid is like six years old.
“And, I’ve got something for you, too. I found it digging at Nanna Sylvie’s. She said I could have it, but I want to give it to you.”
I watch as Tate reaches into his little pocket, pulls out an old-fashioned key, and places it into Easton’s hand.
