Page 57 of About That Rule

“Does it sound like this is a joke?” he matched her stance and crossed his arms. “It’s like it’s impossible for you to commit to anyone. Fuck, I was sitting right there when you told her you couldn’t wait to be her wingman again. You didn’t give a shit about me.”

Samantha was playing with her hair like it was somehow a distraction to her. He could tell she was aggravated, but he didn’t care.

“Nate, you’re being ridiculous. We decided we weren’t telling anyone about us until we were sure. What did you expect of me?” Her voice was clipped.

“I’m going to repeat what you just said. You aren’t sure we can work out, so what did I expect you to tell your friend. This is all bullshit. It’s like I’m the only one who is fucking committed here. You can’t even bail on being a fucking wingman.”

The tension and conversations they’d put on hold had hit boiling point. It was impossible to stop the train wreck they were becoming. He started to pace around the room, unable to sit with all the restlessness building inside him.

“Don’t you dare blame this on me.” She pointed at him. “When things started to change, it was all because you couldn’t sleep with anyone else. That’s probably the only reason you were ready for us to start fucking around. You say I have commitment issues, but you better look in the mirror and see who actually has problems staying in a relationship.”

“You have a damn husband for fuck’s sake!” Nate felt like he’d roared the words. “And it’s that hard for you to leave your past behind you.”

She threw her hands up in despair. “You’re the one who can’t even bear the idea of telling people we’re together, but you think you have the right to lose your shit because I followed your rule about keeping us a secret? Grow up!”

Through the yelling and pacing, they were now near the door of the hotel room. Which worked best for Nate. He needed to get away from her.

“I can’t wait to get this annulment,” he sneered.

She pushed him hard, and his back hit the door. “Fuck you, Nate. You are such a piece of shit. Get out of here!”

Without another word, he opened the door and walked out. The only noise was Samantha slamming the door behind him.

HER HEAD WASstill spinning. A shower and getting ready for her court appearance didn’t do anything to wash away her argument with Nate. If she weren’t so mad, she’d be impressed with how he’d managed to blame all the complications of their marriage on her. It took actual skill to be such an idiot. And Nate ranked high on the idiot-slash-asshole list.

She sat on the bed and shook her head.

This entire fight was because she told Becca she’d be her wingman again?

Okay, in hindsight, she could have assured Nate once they’d gotten back to her house. Told him she was just playing pretend like they had been the entire time. But how could she have gotten a word in with the way he’d devoured her as soon as they’d walked through the door?

He couldn’t have been that bothered by the situation.

She needed some advice, especially since she was about to see him in court.

That was not the time to be airing dirty laundry. It would be like an episode of Judge Judy, Vegas edition.

She grabbed her phone and called Charlotte. That woman was full of advice, even when no one wanted to hear it.

“Hey girl,” Charlotte answered brightly.

“Yeah, hey. So, I need some help.”

“Are you trying to bake again?” Charlotte asked in a teasing tone.

Samantha rolled her eyes. Apparently if you blew up just one oven, no one forgot about it.

“No, no. This is more of a hypothetical situation,” she said, mostly because no one was supposed to know what had happened between her and Nate. And just a little because she wasn’t ready to admit her heart was breaking to anyone else.

Charlotte paused. “Okay. What, hypothetically speaking, is happening?”

“I have a friend who might have married someone without telling anybody—”

“Are you talking about Rafe and me?” Charlotte sounded confused. Which made sense. They had started the marriage craze first.

“No, this is another friend.”

“Hmmm, okay,” Charlotte agreed, but didn’t sound too believing.