Page 60 of About That Rule

Silence fell across the courtroom.

IT WAS Aquestion Nate should have been prepared for, but he was still surprised at hearing the words from the judge. For a second, he was annoyed he had even been asked about his sex life with Samantha. For some reason, it still felt private. Like it was their bubble, not anyone else’s.

He glanced over at Samantha, who was not only blushing, but fiddling with the papers on the desk. Fuck, how badly he wanted to go to her and let her know it was okay. To rub her back and assure her everything was going to work out for them. But he wasn’t sure that was the case.

Not anymore.

They caught each other’s eye, and Nate shrugged. He had no idea what else to do. This whole thing was a shit show.

He hid his laugh when he saw her stomp her foot because he wasn’t responding to the judge. Laughing was sure to not only piss of the judge but dig the hole he was in with Sammy even deeper. He wasn’t sure which was scarier: her or the judge.

“I expect an answer,” the judge demanded.

“Could you…uh, define consummate?” Samantha asked ever so sweetly, which was again laughable to Nate. He knew the truth. She was not so sweet—especially when it came to the bedroom. Or the living room. Or the hallway. Pretty much any place available for them to fuck.

The judge was not enthused by her request. He gave her and Nate a disturbed look. “While I feel you both know the answer to this, I will give a summary. In reference to marriage, consummation is the act of sexual intercourse after a marriage is obtained. This is most relevant through Canon Law, which means if you do not consummate, you qualify for an annulment. Is this clear?”

“Does the number of times matter or does it count regardless?”

“Nate!” Samantha screeched, and the judge shook his head.

Again, the gavel tapped. “Order in this room. Under oath, did you consummate the marriage?”

SAMANTHA LIFTED HERhead, tears of frustration building up inside her. How foolish they’d been to not be concerned about the aftermath of sex. And Nate had apparently decided to do a trial run of his comedy routine in front of the judicial system.

This was just great.

“Your honor, we did,” Nate answered the judge.

“As I expected with all the flare the both of you brought into this courtroom. As I have explained, this means you will have to file for a divorce, not an annulment.”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

It might not have been reflective in all her past behavior in relationships, but she believed in marriage. There was something dark creeping over her that her first walk down the aisle had been nothing but a joke—a ninety-day probationary period she failed. If she failed with someone who was her best friend, how could she ever make a real marriage work?

“What would that entail?” Nate asked.

The judge took off his glasses and cleaned them on his robe. He put them back on, still unimpressed with Nate and Samantha.

“The fastest way would be for you to file a joint petition for divorce. This would be uncontested. As long as you complete the process accurately, the divorce could be granted as early as within ten days. I do want to set the standard, however, and say, historically, it does take longer. You can speak to the front desk for all the appropriate paperwork and required next steps.”

“Thank you, sir,” Nate replied while Samantha was wrapping her head around her failed marriage.

“And if I may say one more thing…” The judge kept them in the room. Not like they had a choice. Who would tell a judge no?

The elderly man continued to talk. “I think both of you know, deep down, whether a divorce is the right decision here. Typically, couples who come in here from a quick, drunk marriage don’t have the love, trust, and friendship you two share. Obviously, I cannot tell you what to do next, but I do suggest truly evaluating how each of you feels about the other before taking any other action.”

“Yes, your honor,” Samantha and Nate mumbled at the same time.

It was like once the decision had been made for them, it wasn’t what either of them wanted to do.