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  “How can you not feel anything after drinking nine shots of liquor?” she asked, without raising her head. “I feel terrible. This is not how I envisioned the morning after my wedding would be. Actually, I never thought I’d get married, but here we are.”

  He was rubbing her back and she felt him tense a little when she said that. She wished she had kept that last little tidbit about never getting married to herself. The same way she was swallowing the urge to say it wasn’t the kind of wedding she would have wanted—if she had ever wanted a wedding. And she hadn’t. Yep. She was swallowing that right along with the bile that was stinging the back of her throat.

  “They say there’s nine shots of liquor, but I doubt it is true,” he said. “Maybe the drink started out that way, but for a group like ours they probably mixed it by the batch and those batches get watered down with ice and there are mixers. I doubt anyone got nine shots of liquor in their glass.”

  Then what was wrong with me?

  “Honestly, when we got our marriage license, my head was clear as glass,” he said. “I knew exactly what I was doing. You seemed like you were fine. Otherwise, I would have suggested we wait. I would not have tricked you into marrying me, Kate. You believe me, don’t you?”

  She raised her head, hoping the change in position would quell some of the queasiness. It didn’t.

  “Did you put something in my drink?” She had meant it as a joke, but the delivery fell flat, as evidenced by Aidan’s furrowed brow. He swung his feet over the side of the bed.

  “Of course not. I would not do something like that. I would not drug you and drag you down the aisle. What kind of a guy do you think I am?”

  “Aidan, that was supposed to be a joke. I’m sorry. It seemed funnier when it was in my head. Besides, if I remember anything it is that I was the one who proposed to you and dragged you down the aisle.”

  He glanced at her over his shoulder. His expression was proof that even the steadfast Aidan Quindlin had his limits. He raked his hand through his hair and cleared his throat.

  “For the record, I went willingly,” he said. “Are we still meeting Elle and Daniel for brunch?”

  Ugh. That’s right.

  They were supposed to meet her sister and brother-in-law, who also happened to be Aidan’s older brother, in the restaurant downstairs.

  Gigi and Charles were off to Paris on their honeymoon. Her mother, Zelda, had ridden to the airport with Gigi and Charles so she could get back to work at the Forsyth Galloway Inn, the grand Victorian mansion that had been in the family for six generations and was now operated as a bed-and-breakfast. Her oldest sister, Jane, and her husband, Liam, had caught an early morning flight to New York to attend an event at Liam’s restaurant, La Bula.

  Kate and Aidan, along with Elle and Daniel, were flying out later that evening.

  Her perfect sister Elle was the last person Kate wanted to see right now. Kate and Aidan had too much to sort out, before they faced others. What were they supposed to say to them—or to anyone, for that matter—“Good morning, we’re married”?

  She focused on Aidan’s broad, tanned back. It looked so good she couldn’t help but reach out and touch him, but as soon as she did, he flinched, and the sickening waves of nausea crested even higher. She put her hand over her mouth. “Ugh—” Uttering the sound was a mistake that sent her running into the bathroom.

  * * *

  “Are you okay?” Aidan asked through the closed bathroom door. His question was met with the sound of running water. He pushed open the door. The site of Kate hunched over the sink made his heart ache. She had wrapped herself in the cotton hotel bathrobe, which swallowed her slight body.

  She was splashing water on her face. He walked to her and gathered her long, curly red hair in his hands, smoothing it away from her face, half expecting her to ask him to leave. Kate’s fiery passion was one of the things that had always drawn Aidan to her from the first moment he had set eyes on her in Mrs. Wallace’s high school AP chemistry class ten years ago.

  Back then, it had been a rough go—a love-hate relationship. They had dated briefly, until Kate had fallen in with the cool crowd. Aidan had been called a lot of things in his life, but cool was not one of them. But they seemed to have a pattern of getting together and drifting apart again when she started to feel too claustrophobic. They had lost touch when Aidan went away to college and was married to someone else for a brief period of time.

  They had found their way back to each other after his marriage failed and he ended up in the intensive care unit after crashing his Harley.

  The accident had left him in a coma. When he had awakened, Kate’s beautiful face was the first thing he had seen. At that moment, all the uncertainty and indiscretions of their youth had fallen away. The chemistry that reunited them seemed even stronger. This time, things felt a little more permanent.

  Until she had claimed to not remember marrying him.

  But like it or not, Kate was his wife. They were married. He glanced down at the slim ivory column of her neck, wanting to kiss her there, but he resisted.

  He hated that she wasn’t feeling well. Protectiveness swelled inside him. After she felt more like herself, she would realize they had been heading toward this since the day they met.

  The only reason he hasn’t proposed already was that her two older sisters had recently tied the knot. Then her grandmother had announced her plans for a quick wedding to her longtime love, which was why they were in Vegas this week.

  Kate used to say that she never wanted to get married, because her father had abandoned the family when Kate and her sisters were young, and she didn’t want to end up heartbroken like her mother.

  He knew Kate well enough to know that while her father might have made her hard on the outside, she was a big softie on the inside. He was willing to bet that after she was feeling more like herself and things had a chance to sink in, she would be happy that they were married.

  If she wasn’t happy about the way the marriage had happened, they could rewind. They could do it again and invite family and friends. He would make sure she had the wedding of her dreams.

  All he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Kate turned off the faucet and stood up looking ashen. As Aidan let go of her hair and the fiery red strands fell around her shoulders, he was certain she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shrugged. No wonder she wasn’t excited. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and sleep.

  “Do you think it is food poisoning?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t have stomach cramps. I only had a couple of sips of alcohol, but I feel sick to my stomach. Maybe I picked up a bug on the flight out here. Or maybe I’m just tired.”

  She and her sisters and mother had flown in from Savannah, Georgia, a week before the wedding to get everything ready for Gigi and Charles. It was entirely possible that she had picked up something on the plane. Even though he didn’t want her to feel bad, it was a hell of a lot more palatable than thinking that waking up to the reality of being married to him made her physically ill.

  “Come in here and lie down.” She let him steer her back into the bedroom of the suite. He removed the robe and tucked her into bed. “I am going to get you a cold cloth for your forehead. That always helps when you’re feeling queasy. Then I’m going to go down to the lobby and get you some cold water and some of that pink stuff to settle your stomach. Try to sleep while I’m gone. After I get back, I’ll call Elle and Daniel and tell them we can’t make it to brunch. That we want to sleep in. They’ll understand that.”

  * * *

  It didn’t seem like she had slept, but she must’ve dozed. Because the next thing she knew, she was waking up to Aidan sitting on the bed next to her, offering her cold water and Pepto Bism
ol.

  She took a sip of the water and felt remarkably well again.

  “It is weird,” she said. “I feel a lot better. I appreciate you getting the Pepto, but I don’t think I need it.”

  “That’s great,” Aidan said. “Drink more water. It will keep you hydrated. At least you’ll have the pink stuff if you need it later.”

  He poured the cold liquid into a glass and handed it to her.

  “I haven’t called Daniel and Elle yet. Do you feel up to meeting them for brunch? Or do you still want me to cancel?”

  Kate’s stomach rumbled at the suggestion of food, and she suddenly realized she was ravenous. It was odd that one minute she felt like she was coming down with the flu and the next she was perfectly fine and starving. It would be a good idea to get some food in her stomach. Not to mention the fact that being around other people would get them away from the big marriage-elephant in the room. They didn’t have to tell Elle and Daniel what had happened.

  “I think I can make it,” she said. “But let’s not share our big news with them just yet. You know my family. If I tell one person and the others find out before we tell them, it will start an uncivil war. Besides, I don’t want to do anything that might overshadow Gigi and Charles’s wedding. This is their time. Let’s let them have their moment, even though they’re probably in Paris by now.”

  “Does that mean you’re open to telling them at some point?” he asked.

  Kate took a long sip, buying herself time before she answered. Aidan was looking at her expectantly. Unless she planned to chug the entire glass of water, she owed him an answer.

  “Aidan, we have a lot to think about. A lot to talk about. Getting married the way we did changes everything, and I have to be honest, I—”

  He held up a hand stopping her words. “I agree. We do have a lot to consider. And I’ll be completely honest. While I was downstairs, some things dawned on me.” He shrugged, and Kate realized he didn’t look like the happy newlywed who had greeted her with a kiss when he had woken up. “I have Chloe to consider.”

  “Oh my gosh, Chloe,” Kate said. “Of course. She has to be the first person to know.”

  Chloe was Aidan’s six-year-old daughter from his previous marriage. Kate loved her like she was her own. They needed to handle this situation carefully.

  Of course, he had to protect Chloe. Kate wanted to kick herself for being so self-absorbed and not thinking about the sweet little girl as soon as she opened her eyes. She had been trying to process everything as she coped with feeling like her insides were trying to wring her out. This marriage didn’t affect her alone. They had to think long and hard about how this would impact Chloe.

  Which brought to mind another delicate matter. Chloe’s mother, Veronica, had walked out on the two of them just days after the child was born, leaving Aidan to raise her as a single parent all these years.

  After his motorcycle accident, which was the catalyst that had brought Kate and Aidan back together, Kate had cared for Chloe as she helped nurse Aidan back to health and saw him through physical therapy.

  Marriage was not something to trifle with. Of course, an annulment was always a possibility. Although they had consummated the marriage last night—a couple of times—and many times over the decade they had known each other.

  After Aidan had recovered from his accident, he used to joke that making love to her was the very best kind of physical therapy and he owed his speedy recovery to it. She had certainly been eager to help him grow stronger.

  Divorce or annulment, she couldn’t shake the feeling that either one might damage their relationship beyond repair and it might hurt Chloe in the process. They hadn’t talked about it yet, of course, but Kate sensed it. It very well might spell the end of them.

  Just as marriage freaked her out, the thought of losing Aidan forever made her feel bereft to the core. What was she going to do? There wasn’t an easy answer.

  For a fleeting moment, Kate considered what it would be like to stay married to him. For the three of them to be a family. Really, for almost a year, they had been spending a lot of time together. Of course, they had each kept their respective residences and he had been protective of Chloe. Even though he hadn’t kept Kate a secret, he had been careful to let Chloe believe they were friends and nothing more. Kate had no idea how the little girl would feel if her daddy brought someone else into their close little family of two.

  Also, it would mean that one of them would have to give up their home so they could move in together. The rest of the scenario played out as if her life was flashing before her eyes.

  Suddenly, it felt as if it was hard to breathe.

  “Let’s not talk about it until we get home. Okay?” Aidan suggested. “And even then, it will be late when we get in. I say we sleep on it and get together tomorrow to begin sorting it out.”

  Aidan was right. It would be late when they got back to Savannah that night. Their best bet would be to wait until tomorrow and then set it right. In the meantime, living in marriage limbo was going to make this the longest twenty-four hours of her entire life. The best thing they could do would be to meet Elle and Daniel and try to act like everything was normal.

  * * *

  “I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride,” Elle gushed. “Gigi was positively radiant. And Charles was so handsome.”

  Dressed in a pink sundress with her blond hair pulled away from her face in a high ponytail, Elle looked pretty and dreamy as she sipped her mimosa while the others perused the menu.

  Everything Kate considered ordering made her stomach churn. So she closed the menu and pushed it away.

  “She was stunning,” Kate agreed. “They looked so happy. I’m glad that everything for the ceremony and reception came together the way it did. Especially given that we planned it in pretty short order.”

  “I know,” Elle said. “After planning three weddings in less than three years, I’d say we’re getting good at this. What are you going to order for breakfast? I still can’t decide.”

  “I’m just going to have toast,” Kate said. “I’m not very hungry.”

  “Are you okay?” her sister asked. “You’re not acting like yourself this morning.”

  Kate brushed it off by saying, “You know I never was much of a breakfast eater.”

  “I’m starving. I can’t make up my mind between the French toast and the traditional breakfast. I wish I could get half orders of both.”

  “Order both and eat what you want,” Daniel suggested. “Or maybe Kate would get one and you could get the other and share?”

  “No, I’m good with toast.” Kate sipped her tea and then changed the subject back to a safe subject. “I’m so happy Gigi and Charles finally have their chance at a life together. They deserve their own happily-ever-after.”

  Elle glanced at her watch. “They should be in Paris by now. Wasn’t their plane supposed to land at nine a.m. Savannah time? Daniel, I want to go to Paris someday. We should just pick a date for the trip now. Because you know what they say. If you don’t just do it, you’ll never do it. You’ll spend your whole life saying, ‘Someday I want to go to Paris.’”

  Daniel put his arm around Elle. “You know I’d give you the moon and Paris, if it would make you happy. However, we have our daughter, Maggie, to consider now. I don’t know how much she’d enjoy the Eiffel Tower at this age.”

  Elle shrugged and sighed. “I suppose you’re right. But don’t think I’m going to give up on it.”

  She smiled up at her handsome husband and he leaned in and kissed her. Their affection made Kate all too aware of how stiff she and Aidan must seem. Aidan was still studiously perusing the menu as if the secret to eternal youth was buried somewhere in the text and Kate was sitting arms crossed, listing to the right in her chair, away from Aidan. Not that the two lovebirds sitting across from them would notice.

 
Kate sighed. It hadn’t been love at first sight for Elle and Daniel. On the contrary. Daniel had been Elle’s most disliked person at one time, when she believed, wrongly, that he had encouraged her former fiancé to jilt her at the altar. But it had taken a long time for her to find out the truth and accept it.

  What if she had given up on him... Elle might have missed out on the love of her life.

  Their story was romantic and, just that, a great love story. But it was their story. Kate and Aidan’s long, tortured journey wasn’t nearly as romantic. They had been on again and off again since high school. More off than on, if truth be told.

  Aidan had taken a disastrous sojourn through marriage. It was a short-lived union that had ended when his wife walked out on him shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Chloe.

  And now here they were.

  Kate’s heart ached to think that she would be following suit. Poor Aidan. She slanted a glance at him and caught him looking at her. She smiled and looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the restaurant and its coffered ceilings, thick alabaster columns and rust-colored, floral-patterned carpet, which matched the upholstery on the chairs.

  It felt a little heavy and oppressive. Or maybe she was simply projecting her mood.

  Aidan definitely deserved better than she could give him. Him and Chloe. The little girl didn’t even know they were dating. Not that the traditional sequence of relationships mattered to six-year-olds. Kate had been around. They had told Chloe they were just friends. Would it seem strange to her if they came back from Vegas married?

  Kate shook the thought from her head. It wasn’t going to happen. They would look into an annulment as soon as they got home. In the meantime, she could slowly disengage from Aidan’s life.