Married With Me: A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel Read online

  Married With Me

  Bailie Hantam

  Contents

  Married With Me

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  The With Me in Seattle Universe

  Also by Bailie Hantam

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Married With Me

  A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel

  By Bailie Hantam

  MARRIED WITH ME

  A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel

  Bailie Hantam

  Copyright © 2020 by Bailie Hantam

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect are appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Design: Kari March Designs

  Published by Lady Boss Press, Inc.

  Chapter 1

  Angela

  All good things must come to an end. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. Not that I have any idea what’s supposed to come next. All I know is that if I don’t quit, I will never get out of the rut I’m in. At least not until injury or age forces me out.

  I’m twenty-seven years old and doing the same thing I’ve been doing since I was twelve. The only difference now is that I get paid, and I don’t have to worry about homework getting in the way.

  Watching the rest of the cheer squad gather in the studio waiting to start our final rehearsal, I inhale a long breath as I steel myself. I’ve captained the Vegas Dynamite professional cheer squad for about two years. It has been an honor; I cannot deny that. When I got chosen for the squad it had been the pinnacle of my career. But I knew it wouldn’t be permanent. And my time has to come to an end.

  I’ve been traipsing around in skimpy skirts and carrying pom-poms since my first week of middle school. I’ve been part of a national championship winning squad, cheered a professional football team to their own championship before joining the show squad with a Vegas residency. The pay is lousy, the hours excruciating, and the only reasonable next step for me is coaching. Something I have no interest in.

  Dropping my duffle bag on a bench outside the entrance of the studio, I take another breath. There’s no need to be nervous. The squad will be fine without me. I’m not indispensable. Yes, it’s scary walking away from the only thing I’ve ever known, but it’s time to make changes in my life.

  Changing careers is, of course, step two. Breaking up with Carl, my boyfriend of two years, was step one. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since I told him that it was over. Not that he understood. He even suggested he move back to Seattle with me. Something I really don’t want.

  Cheerleading and Carl are examples of a life I’d envisaged in high school. I met him in the same week I signed my contract to captain the Dynamite. I thought I had it all then. I had the perfect job and pretty good life. Two years later? I am bored out of my mind.

  Carl and I had become stale. We went to the same restaurants, socialized with the same people. Even the sex was predictable. Breaking up was the most exciting thing we’d done in a long while.

  Shoving my hands into the pockets of my zip-up hoodie, I entered the gym. I placed two fingers between my lips and whistled to draw the attention of my teammates. “Right everyone, gather around.”

  It was our final show week of the season. The team owners and the coach already knew about my decision to not renew my contract. I’d also spoken to Lilly, my closest friend on the team. Lilly would likely take over as the squad’s captain.

  Cassie Lincoln, our coach, nodded as I approached. Cassie was only a few years older than me at thirty-four. She was gorgeous with dark hair and pale eyes. Her small frame ensured that she was always at the top of the pyramid.

  A poor landing as she dismounted caused a career ending knee injury when she was in college. She shifted straight into coaching and teaching, wanting to stay in the game even if she couldn’t fully participate. She’d fast become one of my closest friends. A mentor and confidant who happened to be the occasional drinking buddy.

  We stand alongside one another and face the squad. Everyone is wearing the official training uniform. Black leggings with a blue stripe running down the outside of the leg and a plain blue tank top with a built-in bra. I unzip my hoodie and match my teammates.

  With one last deep breath, I silence everyone, lifting my hand. “Cassie has a few words for us.”

  Cassie’s lips lift in the smallest smile. “We have two performances each day of the competition. Five days and ten performances. You will dance as if you’re the ones competing. Show those cheerleaders what they’re working towards. I want everyone to dance their hearts out and have fun. This is the last event of the season, let’s make it a good one.”

  I nod, agreeing with Cassie. “I know it’s a middle school competition, but we do get paid for it, and we all should give our best. These kids look up to us.”

  As professional cheerleaders, we are paid for our performances, but we’re not allowed to compete. We often did exhibition performances at competitions. Each one carefully chosen with the routines choreographed to inspire the age group we were performing for.

  Cassie gives me a look, expecting me to carry on and give the team my news. I just shake my head. I will announce my resignation at the end of the pep talk.

  Instead she rolls her eyes as she addresses the team again. “Remember there are cheerleaders who will want to continue dancing after school. We need to show them that it is possible. That’s our job. And after this we get to enjoy a few months off from training. And soon enough we’ll be back here to start training again. And on that note, Angela has an announcement.”

  Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nod. “I want you all to know that this will be my last performance. I will not be returning next season.”

  As much as I anticipated the rush of questions the team would have, I still don’t know how to answer them. I definitely don’t have an answer to the one question that is inevitable.

  Amanda, one of the junior cheerleaders is the one to ask it. “What will you be doing?”

  I force a smile. “I’m looking into a few things. I haven’t made any decisions yet.”

  Despite my marketing degree, dance is the only thing I’ve known. And it’s the only thing I no longer want to do.

  Maybe I can run my own business or join the corporate workforce. I can wear shift dresses and pantsuits. Oh, and high heels. Not that I don’t own some gorgeous footwear, I just never have a chance to wear it.

  Cassie finishes off the team chat and sends everyone off to warm up.

  I’m a little sad, but I am also looking forward to the end of the week. Friday night I’m going to finally take advantage of Sin City. There will be alcohol, and carbs. And who knows, maybe even a one-night stand.

  “Amelia Montgomery will be in Vegas, too.” Cassie sits next to me, mimicking me as I
stretch. “Her husband is attending some convention and she’s taking the opportunity to join the team since she’s one of our named sponsors.”

  “That is so cool.”

  Amelia Montgomery sponsors the team’s cosmetic products. She started as a beauty and fashion vlogger. Her following had grown so much, leading to the industry sitting up and taking note. She was a successful influencer and had her own line of beauty products.

  “She’ll be using a few of you for a video or two on show make-up.” Cassie rests back on the blue mat. “She may know someone looking for a temporary assistant. If you’d like, I can put in a good word for you. It may not be ideal, but she’s based in Seattle and it will give you time to figure out where you fit in.”

  What do I have to lose? Amelia, or Lia as she prefers to be called, works in a world that is different enough from my own to give me a new perspective. And adjacent enough that I won’t drown completely.

  “I would like that,” I say. “Are the two of you friends?”

  Cassie waves her hand dismissively. “We went to the same high school. Overlapped for a few years. Still travel in similar circles.”

  Lilly walks up to us holding a gift bag. She pulls out a box of condoms and hands it to Cassie. “Here you go. This week’s irresponsible behavior is sponsored by a condom manufacturer.”

  “What the hell?” I take the gift bag from Lilly and peek inside. “How exactly are you supposed to advertise these?”

  Lilly scrunches up her face. “Maybe if one of us hooked up with a hunky convention nerd, we should let our followers know we stayed safe with their product.”

  Cassie takes another box out of the bag and passes it to me. “You’re single now. Get yourself a rebound guy.”

  Lilly nods and smiles. “Now that you got rid of Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass maybe you could find Mr. Hunky-Convention-Nerd this week.”

  “What hunky convention nerd?”

  Lilly rolls her eyes. “There’s a conference on sustainable development at the same hotel where the competition is being held. Bunch of science nerds trying to make the world a better place.”

  I narrow my eyes and take the condoms. “You know, hooking up with a science nerd may be exactly what I need to close off this phase of my life.”

  Justin

  One of the perks of having a bit more money is being able to travel in comfort. I’m doing more than my bit to save my planet; I refuse to compromise on a little legroom. And at six-foot-three, I need plenty of legroom. And if that means having the hotel send a luxury car to shuttle me and my friends from the airport, so be it.

  Of course, this wasn’t always the case. After my parents and aunt and uncle died, my grandfather took me and my brother, as well as my two cousins in. Five people squeezed into a tiny two bedroom apartment was not fun. And probably the reason I valued my own space now that I can afford it.

  I switch off the podcast and pull my AirPods from my ears as we arrive outside the hotel. It isn’t one of the larger ones in Las Vegas, but it is hosting the conference I’m attending. And since I don’t plan on spending much time socializing, I don’t see any need to book into a different hotel just because it costs more. The one I’m staying in has everything I need.

  “Justin, when’s your panel speaking?” My friend, Wyatt Crawford sits in the seat across from me, with his wife, Lia, sitting next to him. “I want to make sure I’m there.”

  I’ll be a panelist for one of the sessions at the Sustainable Development Convention. Wyatt’s attending the conference for a different reason. He’s an architect and his clientele is becoming more aware of solar energy and living as much off-the-grid as they can. He mostly renovates homes that were built nearly five decades ago when saving the planet just wasn’t a priority.

  “I have two sessions.” I open the door, allowing Lia and Wyatt to step out first. “One tomorrow morning, and one on Thursday afternoon.

  My priority is creating affordable inner-city housing that’s off-the-grid. It wasn’t a new concept, but it did require a huge investment with a low and slow return. And after a lot of push-back I have finally managed to buy a few rent-controlled apartment buildings in Seattle. It’ll still be a while before I could start implementing the changes I wanted to make to those buildings, but it was a start.

  “And what do you plan on doing with the rest of the time that you’re here,” Lia said as she took the smallest of her three suitcases from the back of the car. “You really don’t need to attend every session, do you?”

  I remove my own suitcase from the car and wave off the bellboy who had already loaded Lia and Wyatt’s luggage onto the trolley. “And what exactly would I do instead?”

  Wyatt clapped the back of my shoulder. “This is Vegas. Live a little. You can’t visit this city and live like a monk.”

  “I don’t live like a monk.” Okay, maybe over the last few months I have been a little closed off, but I have my priorities straight. “I have this new venture to get off the ground. It’s not like I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs.”

  “And it is important work. I’m not arguing with that.” Wyatt took Lia’s hand as we followed the bellboy into the hotel. “But the work will be there when we get back. Take the week to try and have, I don’t know, fun.”

  I roll my eyes trying to dismiss them. But they’re not wrong. Between my move back to Seattle and getting this project off the ground, the last two weeks have been more than a little hectic.

  The business side doesn’t bother me so much. I’ve started a new venture four times in the last decade, I was used to the teething problems that came with it.

  Trying to settle back in Seattle was another story. I love being around my family, but I had forgotten how interfering they could be. My cousin, Andi, had already tried to set me up on two blind dates. I’m not sure if she thinks I need a woman in my life, or because I accidentally mentioned that it had been a while since I got laid.

  Actually, it had been more than a while. Easy sex just wasn’t as much fun as it was a few years back. A mutually satisfying night spent with a beautiful woman had less and less appeal. And honestly, I hadn’t met anyone in a while I was prepared to put any effort into.

  We check-in and ride the elevator in relative silence. The bellboy fidgets with the buttons, using his card to access the penthouse floor. I step out and make a beeline for my door. There were two penthouse suites. Wyatt and Lia will be using one, and I’ll be using the other.

  Before I can step through the door Lia calls out to me. “Justin, hold up.” She walks across the space between our doors and hands me a box of condoms. “Here, I received a few boxes of these among my deliveries. I have no intention of using them, you may as well. Let me know if you need more.”

  “Who the hell is sending you condoms in the mail?” Lia is a beauty vlogger and social media influencer. She often gets products in the mail that companies want her to pimp. But this was new. “I mean they know you’re married, right?”

  “It’s a new company,” she says with a smile. “I did my research. They passed all the tests and the product is up to standard. I just think their marketing department could use some work.”

  With that she walks into her suite, leaving me standing in the doorway holding a box of condoms with the bellboy trying to hide his smile.

  I roll my suitcase into the suite and close the door. As I’m debating whether or not to check my email, my phone rings. I smile when I see Michael’s name appear on the screen.

  “Are you still debating whether or not you like Boston?”

  “It’s not like I don’t like Boston.” Michael sounded exasperated. We’d had this conversation at least a dozen times in the last month. “It’s just that I am ready to move back home. Well not my childhood home. I won’t be living with my parents, but back to Seattle at least. You’re back there now. And soon Angie will be back, too.”

  Angela was Michael’s younger sister. Well, one of them at least. “Your sister’s moving back?”

/>   “Yeah.” Michael was the oldest of six. He was used to a big family. “She broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job. Arrives back home in two weeks. Apparently, she still has a few performances this week.”

  “It will be good to see her again.”

  Angela started high school the same year Michael and I started college. I’ve not seen her as a cheerleader, despite her making a career of it. Even when I went home for the holidays and had dinner at the York’s home, she was still Michael’s annoying little sister. Annoying was putting it mildly. She had tried flirting with me, something that was more amusing than flirty. The fact that she had a crush on me was not exactly a secret, and she wasn’t really subtle.

  It wasn’t until we were both juniors, her in high school and me in college, that something had changed. Oh, she flirted with me. Despite her being more subtle about it, I knew when a girl was flirting with me. But I also found myself enjoying it. There was even the temptation to flirt back. That would’ve been a mistake. She was Michael’s little sister. His family had been good to mine.

  Instead, I stayed away. It may not have been the most mature way to handle things, but at least I managed to keep my friendships with Michael and his brother, Denver, intact.

  I haven’t seen Angela in person for over a decade. Sure, we followed each other on social media, and from what I can see, she’s stunning. She’d grown up. Obviously, she out-grew her crush on me. As for me? I could appreciate a beautiful woman without it leading anywhere.

  “… Are you still there?”

  Shaking my head, I focused back on my friend. “Sorry. Was checking out the room service menu.” I have no idea why I even made up a story. “What were you saying?”