We’ve got this, Dex said. He’s a liar. Unless by this he means a PR nightmare, an awkward friendship, and a clusterfuck of emotions I don’t want to deal with, then yes. We’ve totally got this.
Dex is adamant about setting things right, so even though he keeps telling me he’ll fix it, that I won’t be married to him for long, the constant reminder that us being husbands is ridiculous and needs to be “fixed” doesn’t sit right in my gut.
I never wanted to get married. Marriage, to me—and to Dex—has never meant anything. But there’s something in the way he says it that’s like nails on a chalkboard.
I could never be married to you.
I don’t want you.
He has never said those words, but when I hear, “This was a huge mistake,” I can’t help but take it that way.
My head knows it’s because he’s straight, but my heart likes to pretend logic doesn’t exist.
We’re not supposed to go out or draw attention to ourselves, but Dex is not himself. He’s kind of avoiding me, and I get the impression it’s because he feels guilty about the marriage being real. He wouldn’t let me take any of the blame, so now we’re in this weird place where we’re supposed to lie low, but he isn’t staying at my place or wanting to even see me. He claims he’s busy finding out how to get an annulment.
I don’t know what’s worse. Spending time with Dex and drowning in unrequited feelings or not seeing him at all. And this was my point to the other guys in the Collective.
I’m bored without Dex. And lonely. And this is why I’ve never told him about my feelings. Because it will drive him away. I have plenty of friends I can hang out with, but it’s different with him. No matter how many people are around, without him, that loneliness is constant.
Normally, when Dex stuff is getting me down, I go out and hook up, but I can’t do that. Not when I’m married. If it gets out and there’re photos of me and some guy or he speaks out saying he was with me, that will be even worse for PR.
When the buzzer for the building sounds, I run to my monitor, hoping it’s Dex coming to see me.
I’m mildly disappointed when I see Dex’s and my sisters on the screen, but I could do with the distraction. I let them in and then go to my front door, waiting for them to arrive on the elevator.
In our family, I got the recessive red hair gene from our Scottish ancestors from way back when. My sister, Sienna, has strawberry blonde hair, and Phoebe’s blonde hair is a shade lighter than Dex’s.
Our sisters look more related than Dex or I do to either of them. They even have matching sympathetic stares when the elevator doors open and they catch sight of me.
“My brother is an idiot.” Phoebe’s welcoming words make me laugh.
“No, he’s not.” I step aside to let them in.
Sienna hugs me on her way past. “Are you okay?”
I glance at Phoebe. “He told you we got married, didn’t he?”
Phoebe gasps. “You whaaaat?”
“I don’t believe your fake shock for a second.”
“Okay, fine. He did. And then I told Sienna. And that’s why we’re here.”
“To offer some really helpful advice and shower me with sisterly love? I mean, technically, Phoebs, you’re my sister now too.”
They both step toward me, those pitiful looks still across their faces. As they get closer, I anticipate a group hug, but instead, they both slap me upside the head like Oskar and Ezra did on vacation.
“Ow. Why do people keep doing that?”
“Because you might be as big of an idiot as Dex,” Sienna says.
“Bigger,” Phoebe agrees.
“Why did you put yourself through the torture of a fake wedding with the man you are secretly in love with?” my sister asks.
“Uh, because he asked me to?”
“I love Dex dearly,” Phoebe says, “but you just trusted him to get all the details of the fake wedding correct? Now you’re actually married, and this somehow went from a joke to a bigger joke? But not a funny ha-ha joke, but a ‘hey, isn’t it funny how two grown-ass men can be so totally—’”
I hold up my hand. “I get it. We made mistakes. Big ones. But I’m done trying to figure out how we could’ve been so dumb and trying to come up with solutions. Team management said they want to trade one of us if we can’t get out of this situation with as little drama as possible.”
“You can’t be traded!” Sienna says. “Either of you. What will Phoebe and I do?”
My sister works for a casino here in Vegas—she moved to be close to me—but Phoebe and Dex are really close too. Dex was sent to Vegas in the expansion draft, and as he tells it, Phoebe helped him move and then never left. Other than to get her own apartment. After surviving shitty childhoods together, they have each other’s back. If Dex is traded, she’ll leave too.
“If one of us has to be traded, I’ll volunteer. Then Sienna can stay here, and you three will still be together.”
My sister wraps her arms around me. “But I won’t have you.”
Phoebe joins the hug. “We love you both and don’t want to lose either of you. Also, as a side note, I’m glad he married you and not Jessica.”
I laugh, but it’s half-hearted. “Whatever happens, we’ll work it out.” They step away from me, and I can’t help myself. I ask, “How is he anyway? He’s been avoiding me.”
“He feels so guilty,” Phoebe says. “He’s worried if it gets out, you’ll hate him.”
“I could never hate—”
She holds up her hand. “I know you never could, but no matter how many times I tell him that, he doesn’t believe me. He said you didn’t want to get married in the first place.”
“I mean, in general no. But it wasn’t supposed to be real. I was wearing water wings, for fuck’s sake.”
“You were what?” Sienna asks.
“It was a joke. And then we totally forgot about it, went and had fun on vacation, and then we found out we actually got married.”
“Dex gets so much shit for being the dumb one, but can we all agree that you’re also not smart?”
“Hey, I am too.”
Phoebe taps her chin. “Remind me which of the three of us accidentally married their best friend.”
“I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“What are sisters for?” Sienna says.
“Love? Encouragement? Emotional support?”
They both stare at me.
“At least you got your dream man after all?” Sienna says. I can’t tell if she’s being helpful or a smartass.
“Yes,” I deadpan. “I’m so happy we’ve been married for three weeks, only been aware of it for a few days, and he already wants a divorce. You’re so right. It’s all my dreams come true.”
Phoebe cocks her head. “Are you saying you don’t want a divorce? Or an annulment?”