Blame it on the Vodka (Blame it on the Alcohol)

“You’re my friend, Raelynn Vos. My best friend. And I’ll always be here. Even if I’m not your husband anymore—I’m still here. It was wrong of me to force it. I never want to make you feel trapped because you’ll end up hating me for it. So, if being your friend is what you’ll allow me to be, then I will gladly stand by your side. I just can’t not have you in my life. So, send me whatever papers you want, and I’ll sign them.”

“No,” she said, her voice cracking.

Tears built on her lashes before spilling over. I wanted to wipe them away, but I couldn’t move, the two letters holding me frozen. Had she decided she didn’t even want my friendship either? Had I read this all wrong?

“No, Austin Caldwell,” she said, brushing her own tears away. “I want you to throw the papers away.”

“What?” I asked softly, too scared to think what her words meant.

“Burn them. Shred them, Ruin them. I don’t care. I love you too, and I’m sorry it took me so long to admit it. I’m sorry I was so scared. I’m sorry I tried to push you away. I’m sor—”

The words reached across the space between us, holding me in their grasp, and yanked me across the bed. I leaned over, burying my hand into her hair and not wasting a second before latching on to her lips. I needed her. “Say it again,” I ordered, barely pulling up for a second of air.

“I love you. I don’t care that this is unconventional. I love you, and we can make it work.”

“Are you serious?” I asked, too scared to believe my ears. “We can get it annulled and try it the right way?”

“Fuck the right way,” she said, laughing against my mouth. “When have I ever done anything the right way?”

I smiled slowly. “I can think of a few things you do exactly the right way.”

“Oh yeah, and what is that?”

“Beg.”

“I would never dare beg,” she gasped between pressing kisses anywhere she could reach.

“Oh, you do for me. So beautifully.”

“Only for you. Always.”

Fuck, I loved the sound of that. I knew I’d always love her. I just never thought I’d be lucky enough to have her always love me in return. I wasn’t sure what I’d done in life to deserve her, but I did know how we got here.

We blamed it on the vodka.

Epilogue

Raelynn

“All you have to do is say the words, and we can make a break for it,” Nova said, tucking a stray piece of my hair back in place.

“I can distract them with Camila’s adorableness while Nova gets the getaway car,” Vera jumped in.

“Yup,” Nova agreed. “You don’t have to go through with it.”

I laughed, taking in the two stunning women I loved like sisters. They studied me with shrewd eyes, dressed in beautiful black dresses, looking ready to karate chop anyone’s head off if they dared try to stop me from running—if I wanted to run.

“Thanks, you badass bitches. But I’m kind of already married to him. I’m not sure running now will do anything.”

“True,” Vera agreed.

“But still…we’d find a way to get you out of it,” Nova promised just as Austin and the other guys came up.

“Are you trying to kidnap my wife?” he asked.

“A girl has to have options,” Nova explained.

“I’m not sure it’s called kidnapping if she wants to go,” Vera defended.

Austin raised a questioning brow and gave a pondering look for all of two seconds before he growled, making me laugh. “No, I don’t want to go,” I assured, stepping into his open arms.

“Good.”

I raised my mouth for a kiss, stealing them every chance I could get. How had I been around him for so many years and missed out on his delectable mouth? I had to make up for lost time.

“Besides, where would I go? I’d be lost before I hit the end of the driveway.”

“And you don’t know how to drive stick shift, which is the only thing up here on the farm.”

“I don’t know, I think I was getting the hang of it last week,” I defended.

Austin barked a laugh. “I think you might have wrecked the engine. Thank god we got a rental instead of driving Grandpa’s classic.”

“Let’s try the classic next time,” I said, batting my lashes.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he grumbled.

“You’re lucky we like you,” Vera cut in, looking damned scary despite the chubby baby on her hip with a fistful of her hair.

“Yeah,” Nova agreed. “You may already be married, but if you hurt our girl, we’ll mess you up.”

Vera gave Nova a confused glance.

“I can’t swear in front of Camila.”

Vera passed Camila to Nico and went toe to toe with Austin. “If you hurt her,” she started in a deathly quiet tone, “I’ll fucking skin you alive.”