Man, is she in for the surprise of a lifetime.
I fill up two glasses of water and slide them onto the kitchen island for her to take to the table. Then, with plates and napkins in hand, I join her in the dining area. She flops down on a chair and folds her arms as she watches me take a seat and set a plate in front of her. Without asking, because it seems as though I have an ornery bride, I set a piece of pizza on her plate and do the same for mine.
With her eyes still connected with mine, she picks up a napkin and haphazardly blots her pizza.
“Not a fan of grease?” I ask as I pick up my slice and take a large bite.
“No,” she answers and then tosses her greased-up napkin onto the table. “Okay, we’re eating, now we should talk. What the hell is going on?”
I set my pizza down on my plate and wipe my hands on a napkin. “As you must be aware by now, we got married last night.”
“Yes, I’m quite aware.”
“Good,” I say, smoothing my hands together. “Glad we agree about what happened last night.”
“Yes, well, hard to wake up and not remember such insanity.”
“Right, well . . .” I look her dead in the eyes and say, “I would like to give this marriage a chance, so, I moved in as you requested.”
I smile.
Her jaw falls open.
It’s quite obvious from her blanched expression that she wasn’t expecting me to say that.
Continuing, I add, “The apartment is smaller than I care for, but we can make it work.”
She blinks.
“But don’t worry about me, I was able to find some space. Nice box of condoms, by the way. Noticed they were untouched.”
She blinks some more.
“So . . . want to tell me about your day . . . wifey?”
Silence falls between us as I watch the woman in front of me slowly start to lose grip on her composure. It’s a rather chilling thing to witness, because I know in a matter of seconds, I’ll be the recipient of the wrath that’s swirling and gathering in the lair of her angry, yet confused, eyes.
Her hands slowly slide onto the table until her palms are completely flat. She leans forward, eyebrows drawn down, tension in her jaw, and through her clenched teeth, she asks, “Have you completely lost your mind?”
Probably.
But I don’t feel like I have a choice at this point.
If I get an annulment, I’m totally fucked. My pa will take everything Killian and I have worked so goddamn hard at developing. He’d make us a laughingstock, and sure, fine, that would hurt me, but I’ve started a new life here. I’m more worried about Killian, who’s rooted in England and is part of multiple boards to a vast array of charitable organizations.
The only choice I have is to make this marriage work, even if she hates me for it. Which, from the look of it, is a strong possibility. But, since we have a long road ahead of us, there’s always time to make her happy. Besides, she had been pursuing me even before Vegas.
“Lost my mind?” I nervously laugh. “Why do you ask?”
“Uh . . . because you barely know me, and yet you want to make this marriage work?”
“If anything, I believe in commitment.” I pick up my pizza and take a bite. “We spoke vows, Cora. Until death do us part.”
“Oh my God.” Her hand rises to her forehead as she looks around her apartment. “I’ve married someone suffering from a psychosis.”
“Actually, I’m quite fine. Thanks.”
Her eyes snap to mine and her finger shakily points at me. “You are not fine. You are insane.”
“Darling, do you really think we should be calling each other names? So early in our marriage?” I ask.
“Do NOT call me darling. Don’t call me wifey, and for the love of God, do not call me snookums.”
“What should I call you, then?”
“Nothing,” she shouts. “You should call me nothing, because this is nothing.” She motions between us. “This was just . . . I don’t know, this was . . . this . . .” Her eyes look crazy when she finishes, “This was a product of the devil’s juice, Fireball.”
“A lot of Fireball,” I say. “But, hey, you live and you learn, right?” I take another bite of my pizza.
“You live and you learn?” she asks in disbelief. “That’s your answer to us getting married?” When I nod, she says, “Uh, no, Pike. This isn’t a ‘you live and you learn’ moment. This is a ‘we call up the lawyers and get an annulment’ moment.”