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“Gracie’s family owns a vineyard, and the cousin of Blake Townsend works there, too. He introduced us,” I say, keeping it simple.
“Well, he introduced you and Amelia,” she clarifies. “That’s my sister,” she says to Ava and Grayson. “They dated a while, broke up, and now…” She trails off since she seems not to be certain whether we’re sharing the news that we got married during the week leading up to their wedding.
In their wedding clothes.
This feels messy, and I don’t do well with messy.
“And now?” Ava prompts.
“We’re seeing each other,” I finish. It’s not a lie, exactly. She’s sitting right beside me, and I can see her. It’s also not the full truth, but I don’t think we can tell the full truth right at this particular moment. How do you tell someone you got so blasted that you wore their wedding attire to your own impromptu wedding?
It sounds absolutely and completely ridiculous.
And at the same time, I feel like they should know. It feels wrong to keep that from them.
The server comes by to take our order, and I honestly didn't even look at the menu. I order a coffee, water, orange juice, and the first thing I see when I glance at the menu—the breakfast special, whatever the fuck that is.
I watch as everyone else at the table places their orders, too, and I realize I can't sit here lying to my brother. Maybe we don't need to tell him all the details about what went down last night—like, for example, the wedding dress topic—but I do feel like he needs to know that last night I married the woman sitting beside me.
It still seems surreal. It still seems like it's not true.
I don't know how one thing led to another, and this is where we ended up, but I do remember her proposing marriage to me yesterday as a means to an end. I'm not sure the bride and groom sitting in front of me would quite understand that since they're getting married for love.
And I do have feelings of friendship for Grace, and I think she’s gorgeous, but it's not like this is going to turn into a real marriage.
I'm still very burned and hurt by the fact that her sister cheated on me. I apparently agreed to the next year, but I don’t know what might come next. It’s not like I can just stay married to her and eventually create a future at the vineyard where the scene of the crime occurred.
It’s probably safer for me to extract myself altogether from the Newman family.
But I’m tied up in it now, that’s for damn sure. For a year, anyway, since it seems that might be what I agreed to last night.
When the server ducks away to get our order started, I can’t help it when the words tumble out of my mouth. “We actually did get married last night.”
Ava gasps at the same time my blushing bride does, and Grayson’s eyes widen.
Nobody says a word for a few agonizingly long seconds.
“You…you what?” Grayson finally asks.
“We, uh…we got drunk on tequila, we both had an allergic reaction to mustard, and then somehow we woke up with no memory of last night, these rings on our fingers, and a marriage certificate on the dresser,” I say.
Grayson stares at me as if I’ve grown two heads. “Uh…what?”
I shrug, and I glance at Grace. “Feels good to get that off my chest.”
“Are you serious right now?” Ava asks. She sounds…incredulous.
“Serious as a W2,” I confirm. I glance over at Grace. “Right, wife?”
She sighs and covers her eyes with her hands for a beat. “Yep. That’s right, hubby.”
“Jesus Christ, Spencer. I expected this out of Asher, but you?” my brother berates.
“It’s…a lot. I know,” I say. “And I’m sorry. But I promise you here and now, this takes nothing away from your wedding weekend, okay? Nobody else has to know. Nobody will find out. This is your time, and we’re here celebrating you.”
“Oh, come on, Spence. It’s a pretty great story,” Ava says, and I love that she’s lighthearted and sweet and can poke fun at this. She’s definitely a great match for my brother in that regard.
“If you really feel that way, then A, take your rings off, and B, you might want to make sure nobody else knows,” Grayson suggests.
