Married to the Tight End, page 5
“I don’t understand.” Reese took my left hand in hers and studied it before looking up at me. “Where is he?”
“In his room taking a shower. What am I going to do?”
Reese’s phone rang, then Trent’s, then as if on cue, mine followed suit. “It’s my grandfather,” Reese said just as Trent announced it was his agent, which he ignored. Only for his phone to ding with a text. My mother was the one calling me, but I let it go to voicemail again because what could I say to her?
“Um, we have a problem,” Trent announced.
Tossing my arms out to the side, I shook my head—not the best idea in my condition, but not caring, I yelled, “That’s what I’ve been saying!”
“No, I mean you’re all over the internet.”
“What?” Reese shrieked while I nodded. Snatching his phone from his hand, Reese and I looked at what had been sent to him.
“That was the other thing I wanted to tell you.”
Both of them looked horrified, as I slowly made my way to look at the small screen. Images of me, Jackson, and pseudo Elvis. A memory of the king of rock singing “Love me Tender” flashed in my head.
I flopped down onto the edge of the sofa and stared at my best friend. She squatted in front of me. “We’ll figure this out. What does Jackson think? He can’t want to stay married.”
Trent dropped his head forward. I had no idea what thoughts ran around in his brain, but I had to believe it was something, because Jackson stating that we wouldn’t get an annulment decided to run in a loop in my memory bank.
“What gives, Archer? Tell me. What do you know that I don’t?” I begged.
Trent put his hands up. “Not my story to tell. How about we all go to breakfast and calmly talk about this? I’m going to get dressed.” Not waiting for confirmation, he disappeared into the separate bedroom and closed the door.
“I’m going to my room. I need to call my mother who I assume has seen the news or whatever.”
Reese wrapped her arms around me. “We’ll figure this out, okay? Breakfast in an hour? We can go to the restaurant downstairs near that tattoo place.”
At least I hadn’t gotten one of those last night. Had I? Ugh.
“Sure, sounds good.” I left and trudged to my room and once safely tucked away inside, I let my body fall backward onto the mattress and stared at the chandelier. Maybe if I gazed at it long enough, I could will it to fall and crash onto my head. “How am I going to get out of this?” Jackson flat out refusing to get an annulment was unacceptable. It had been the only thing that made sense. We would part ways and the sooner the better… for both of us.
First, I needed a shower. Hopefully once I washed off the remnants of last night, things would become clearer. At least that was what I hoped would happen, even though I knew no amount of soap would be able to fix this.
Chapter 6
Jackson
I stood in the bathroom and stared at my foggy reflection wondering what exactly happened last night. Seeing that marriage license had been one thing, then there were the pictures, and then the condom wrapper. That was the piece of the puzzle that annoyed me. Not because it had been used, I was thankful for that, but because I didn’t remember. How could I not remember, let alone perform to the best of my ability?
All I could hope for was that by some grace of God, the memories would come flooding back to me. I’d be lying if I never thought about being with Alexa in an intimate setting. Truth be told, I didn’t know many men who wouldn’t think that about her… regardless if they were just friends or not.
I brushed my teeth, skipped shaving, and combed my fingers through my hair. The silver band caught my attention. Being married didn’t scare me; actually, getting divorced did. Alexa wanted an annulment, and I turned her down flat. Since what happened last night refuted the city’s claim to fame about what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas, all bets were off—no pun intended.
After everything my parents’ divorce put me through, I vowed to never let that happen. I still remember the messages from strangers who felt sorry for me and therapists who wanted me to lie on their couches… yeah, not a chance. It was bad enough I had to hear the team psychologist say, “And how did that make you feel?” Um… like crap. Nothing could make me want to endure that again. Divorce was bad enough—public divorce was one hundred times worse.
Yet, that had been exactly what Alexa wanted. Granted, she didn’t know that part of my story. Trent knew and if she went to Reese the way I suspected she had, maybe he told her. Or knowing him, and not wanting to upset his fiancée’s best friend, he most likely kept it to himself.
I couldn’t or wouldn’t blame Trent for not saying anything. Technically, it hadn’t been his story to tell. It was mine, and I despised it. The thought of another famous Cartwright’s divorce splattered all over the World Wide Web made my stomach clench.
The sound of a text coming in pulled me from my thoughts. Glancing at my phone, I saw Trent’s message.
Trent: Alexa was just here. We’re meeting in an hour for breakfast at the place next to that tattoo shop with the peace sign in the window. How are you doing? Are you okay?
Jackson: Yes, I’m fine. I guess. I don’t know. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.
Yanking a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from my bag, I got dressed, and decided to bite the bullet to see what else had been posted about my nuptials. And as soon as I clicked on one of the social media platforms, regret instantly filled me.
As expected, message upon message popped up as though there had been a glitch in the system, except I knew the only glitch had been my memory. Ignoring the messages, my thumb swiped the screen. The more it rolled up, the more pictures populated. Everyone between fans, sports news channels, influencers, entertainment sites, and countless others had pictures of us. Some were of Alexa and me sitting at the bar, some were of us holding hands.
I remembered the bar, the shots, but not the hand holding. Then one popped up of us at a kiosk. Using my fingers, I stretched the image to see it was the licensing bureau. Okay, well, that answered that question. Leave it to Vegas to have a pop-up location for just about everything. The caption read that it had been a special event. Looking at the image again, I noticed several couples standing behind us.
Time flew by and before I knew it, I had to head downstairs for breakfast. Grabbing my keycard, I pulled open my door and stepped into the hall. Her perfume found me before she did. Turning, Alexa stood near the elevators.
“Hey,” I casually said, strolling up to her.
“Hi.”
You’d never know she was hungover thanks to how gorgeous she looked. It didn’t matter what the woman had on—or didn’t—she was beautiful.
“Are you feeling better?”
She nodded. “Yes, a little. I’m just so confused.”
The door slid open, and we got on. A few people were inside, but thankfully, no one looked at us for more than a brief second. I glanced down at her left hand. The ring was still on her finger. For some unbeknownst reason, relief washed over me.
We stopped on the third floor, and a few more people got on, forcing me closer to Alexa. My body was pressed into the corner, and her bottom was grazing my jeans. Needing to do something with my hands, I placed them on her upper arms. Tiny goosepimples sprouted on her skin, making me wonder if she felt the same connection I did.
Oddly, I never noticed it before. Then again, my hands were on my wife. Wife. Shaking my head, the elevator stopped with a bit of a jolt before the doors opened. The sound of bells chiming, people chatting, and the other ambient noise that a casino boasted filled the air around us.
“We need to go this way,” I instructed, pointing to the right. With my hand on the small of her back, I led her toward the restaurant where I prayed our friends were waiting for us.
“People are staring.” Alexa sighed. She looked up at me and all I could think of doing was taking her hand in mine. Glad that she didn’t pull it away, we walked into the restaurant, and I was happy to see Trent and Reese standing at the host’s station.
“Hey.” I shook hands with Trent before giving Reese a kiss on the cheek. “You’re looking good this morning, Bird.”
She gave me a tight smile. “Thank you. I must say, you don’t look horrible, considering the night you had.”
One thing about my best friend’s girl was she didn’t hold any punches. Not from the first time I saw her when she was giving Trent the finger to right at this very moment. There had been zero doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t be on my case, but like I said to Alexa, it took two to say I do.
Not wanting to get into anything, I simply nodded and remained silent. A young woman walked up to us. “Mr. Archer, your table is ready. If you’ll follow me.”
We did just that, but rather than sit us in the main dining room where sets of eyes tracked our movements, she led us behind a large door and into a private dining room.
“Thank you, this is perfect,” Trent said before handing her some cash.
He pulled out Reese’s chair, and on instinct, I did the same for Alexa. We all sat down, waited for the server to take our drink orders, which consisted of a round of coffee and a variety of juices before Reese dove right in.
“Okay, you two. Start talking.”
Alexa and I glanced at each other before looking back at Reese. Not sure what to say since I didn’t have much to go on, I stated the obvious. “We’re married. I’m not sure how it happened exactly, but the fact is it did.”
“Yes, and my husband won’t get an annulment.”
“Because we can’t.”
My wife sighed. “Then a divorce?”
“No, I’m not doing it.” Our drinks arrived and despite my hangover, my stomach needed food. We placed our order without looking at the menu, and once it was just the four of us, I let out a breath. “Look, I get that this isn’t ideal—”
“Ideal? That’s what you’re going with? We’re not even dating. I vowed I’d never get married.”
“I vowed I’d never get divorced,” I quickly countered.
Silence stretched for a bit as we continued staring at each other. When her eyes flicked down, guilt settled in. Not that any of this was solely my fault, but not wanting to dissolve our legal connection had been.
Bringing my attention to Reese and Trent, I asked, “Could you please give us a minute?”
Reese looked at Alexa for confirmation, and she got it in the form of a slight nod. The happy couple got up and walked to the opposite end of the room.
Shifting on my chair, I angled my body toward Alexa’s and took her hand in mine. “I know this isn’t what you want or expected. Heck, I didn’t either, but here we are. Please don’t ask me to get a divorce. I realize how crazy that sounds, but news about our wedding is all over the place. I’ve been dodging messages and calls most likely for me to do interviews.” Her eyes sprung wide. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“It has to be more than the internet. Why don’t you want to get a divorce, Jackson? I know you don’t love me.”
“We’ve never been more than friends, so loving in the unconditional sense hasn’t really been on my radar. My parents’ divorce was made very public, thanks to their social status and occupations.” When her brows tugged together, I added, “My father is Charles Cartwright and my mom is Sonya Mason.”
As sure as I knew my dad’s name wouldn’t ring any bells, I knew my mother’s would. “Your mom is the Sonya Mason? The supermodel? The over-fifty wearing a bathing suit on the cover of a magazine, supermodel? That’s your mom?”
I nodded. “One and the same, yes. Just don’t mention the over fifty part when you meet her.” Going in for the kill so to speak, I divulged, “My dad owns Cartwright Enterprises.”
Alexa’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God! That’s your father? He was a topic in my business class. And I recently saw him in a magazine.” Her eyes widened and if I had to guess, she hadn’t been impressed by him.
“Did he happen to be on a yacht surrounded by women my age who wore practically nothing?”
She nodded. “Yes. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Not much to say, really. He made his choice. My father… he just enjoys life… a lot.”
She leaned back into her chair. “I still don’t understand what that has to do with us.”
“Our wedding is all over the news and social media. If we get a divorce, that will get even more attention. Trust me when I say that is attention you don’t want to have. I promised myself I’d never do that.” I stopped and stared into her pretty eyes. “Alexa, you said I didn’t love you and you’re right, I don’t in that sense. Just as you don’t love me. But I am attracted to you and to lay it all out there, I would have asked you out if I knew Bird wouldn’t kill me. One thing I do remember from last night was how much fun we had playing your game.”
“Right, the game that is probably why we’re in this mess. So, what now? I can’t pretend to be your wife. Can’t we just say we thought it was a joke and did it by mistake?”
“You won’t need to pretend since you are. No one will buy that excuse, and that could make things even worse. Give me… give us until Trent and Reese’s wedding. If you don’t want to be with me or vice versa, we’ll call it off, but just so you know, I’m not known to fumble. And maybe in time, we will fall in love. Odder things have happened.”
She lifted her left hand. “Clearly.”
“Plus, you owe me one.”
“Two.” She clarified letting her voice trail off. After a pause long enough for my pulse to gain a bit of speed, Alexa let out a long breath. “Okay,” she relented. “Until their wedding. I suppose no one will care about us once they tie the knot. We can slip under the radar.”
“Or we could fall in love.”
“Doubtful.”
She may have thought that, but I didn’t. Or maybe she was scared, which made perfect sense. But like I had said to her, we got along and had a mutual respect for each other, and most importantly we’re friends. Granted, we didn’t know much about one another, but that would come in time. There was one question I needed answered. “Why don’t you want to be married? You never said.”
“Same reason, I’m single. I like my independence.”
“Fair. I understand what you mean, and you can still have that, Alexa. We’re partners in this. Teammates if you will.”
“Teammates.” She let the word settle for a minute before nodding. “Stubborn teammates.”
“See, we already have something in common.” I shot her a playful wink earning me a smile. Thank God.
Reese and Trent appeared. “Everything okay here?” he asked before they sat down.
“Yes,” we said in unison.
“Wow, already answering at the same time.” Trent chuckled. “Reese and I still don’t do that.”
She nudged him with her shoulder before looking at Alexa. “Are you sure you’re okay? What did you guys decide to do?”
Alexa explained our plan. Despite hearing her say that we were going to give it a try, something told me she didn’t think we could actually fall in love. Except, the same something told me, we could.
Chapter 7
Alexa
The entire plane ride home, I did my best to recall everything that happened after the engagement party. One thing I did remember was laughing with Jackson. The way his deep chuckle made my giggles grow tenfold, the way his Adam’s apple bobbed, and how his eyes sparkled in the casino’s overhead lighting. If nothing else, Jackson had to be one of, if not, the sexiest men I’d ever seen up close and personal.
Personal. That was a word I wished I could get a better grasp on when it came to him. I continued to wrack my brain about that night—how he felt, how I felt, how he made my body feel, sparked life into my libido. I’d never had drunk sex before. Yes, I’d been buzzed in the past, but it hadn’t been like I was a Jezebel and slept around all the time.
Jackson was a gentleman down to his core. He wanted to give me time to speak to my mother and had called at least three times to check to see if I was okay. The man even offered to come with me and be a part of the conversation, but I declined. However, I promised to text him after I spoke to her.
My mom and I were very close and although she’d be disappointed that she wasn’t there, or that this wasn’t what she had in mind when her only daughter got married, I knew we’d be okay. The only thing that bothered me was telling her that we’d be getting our marriage dissolved sooner rather than later. Granted, Jackson believed we could fall in love and stay married, but I didn’t put much stock into that. It would take a miracle for that to happen.
Thanks to the time difference, the bakery was closed when I got home last night, but now the sun was shining, and it was time to face the music. I put on my favorite jeans, a white T-shirt with the bakery’s logo on it, and my pink baseball cap. Despite being tired, I didn’t look too shabby. I gave my reflection a nod and headed downstairs.
The comforting smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the small stairwell as I made my way toward the bakery’s back door. Opening it, I saw my mom writing the week’s special flavors on a chalkboard. She turned her head and beamed when she saw me.
“Sweetheart, you’re home.”
“Hi, Mom.” I walked toward her, and her arms immediately surrounded me. I hadn’t known how much I needed that hug because I squeezed her right back.
When her vise-like embrace loosened, she took a step back and palmed my cheek. “Are you okay? You and Jackson are all over the news. I’ve been trying to call you.”
Guilt slammed into me like a truck. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m fine, really. Talking about this on the phone didn’t seem right.”
“Is Jackson here? I’d love to see my son-in-law. I still can’t believe you deprived me of that moment. But it isn’t about me, right? Tell me all about it. Did you wear a gown? Do you have pictures? A ring? Ooh, let me see your hand.”
Blinking, I did as she asked almost in slow motion wondering how her disappointment had flipped so quickly. “It’s—”
