Page 80 of Married to Lies

My throat clogged with emotion as I slid back under the covers and curled behind her once more. Here, I could protect her. Here, I could cherish her.

Warmth seeped from her body to mine like a lullaby. Even though I didn’t have my blackout curtains, sleep mask, or mattress set to the perfect firmness, my eyes slid closed, and I had the best sleep of my life.

35 Rei

I added extra under-eye concealer to cover up my bad night’s sleep. I’d hoped to have dirt on Conrad by now so I could get him away from my company and start my marriage with Quentin off on better footing.

But the wedding was tomorrow, and Easton hadn’t turned up any useful information. All he’d given me were a few pictures of Conrad and Courtneigh in a lover’s embrace.

It didn’t surprise me that Conrad was sleeping with his assistant. Sickened me, because of his abuse of power, but I didn’t expect much of Conrad at all anymore. The fraternization was grounds for termination, but it wasn’t enough to ensure his silence. Bringing it up would probably just make him mad.

So I kept hoping Easton would work a miracle, even though my wedding day was tomorrow. We were running out of time.

And yet time marched on at a punishing pace. I needed to hurry to make it to my New Year’s Eve brunch with Jada before the celebration with Quentin’s family this evening.

Finishing my hair and makeup, I rolled up to Bryce and Jada’s place around eleven in the morning with brunch food, a bottle of sparkling cider, and a few party hats. I even wore a sparkly blazer over my stretchy black matching set.

Jada greeted me at the door, helping me carry in all the party supplies. “Celebrating New Year’s at the other twelve o’clock was a brilliant idea,” she said. “You’re a genius.”

I set the bottle of cider on the counter and then curtsied. “Happy to be of use.”

Giggling, she sorted through the boxes. “I’m thinking we take the food to the dining room and make it fancy? Or we could sit at the coffee table in the living room and watch some trashy TV.”

“Would Bryce be on board for that?” I asked. “I know my goddaughter will love it.”

“They’re both over at the guesthouse with Glamma.”

My bottom lip pouted out because it was so sweet. “I love that for them. Does that mean it’s just the two of us for now.”

“It is! So...?” She gestured toward the dining room or living room.

“Living room,” I said, gathering up takeout boxes. “You know I can’t turn down a good reality show. And, I can follow them all online and get bonus rounds of entertainment. They get content deals, I enjoy drama that’s not mine, win-win.”

Jada laughed, saying, “I like the way you think.” We set up a little buffet for ourselves on the coffee table, turned on some show where the people get married in a ridiculously short amount of time (relatable), and dug into our food.

“How are things going with Quentin?” she asked, spearing a piece of candied bacon with her fork.

It looked so good I got myself a piece too. “I really like him,” I confessed, looking from the bacon to her. “I could see it going somewhere.”

She raised her eyebrows with a cheeky smile. “You mean other than marriage?”

I laughed and bumped my shoulder into hers. “You know what I mean. At first it was just about the inheritance clause, but now it feels more real. Which is weird to say this soon, but I have a feeling about him, you know?” I shook my head. “This is all so strange.”

“I get it.” She might be the only one who really did.

“How did he react when you told him about your past?” There was an extra question to that—did you tell him about your past?

My bacon seemed to get stuck in my throat, because I hadn’t told either of them the whole truth. I coughed and looked around for my mimosa, realizing we hadn’t poured any yet.

“I’ll get you some water,” Jada said, rushing to stand up.

My coughing had eased a bit when she came back from the kitchen with a glass of water and my phone.

As I took a sip and stopped coughing, she said, “Someone’s blowing up your phone. It was buzzing all over the island while I filled your cup.” She handed it over to me. “Everything okay?”

I turned my phone over to look at the screen, noting the case with a cartoon goose in sunglasses and a cowboy hat. It usually brought me joy, but my heart was already in my throat. There were several text messages in a row from Conrad.

My hands shook as I stood up from the floor. “It’s a work thing. Let me take this call outside.”