UNBROKEN (Friends, Lovers, or Nothing Book 5)

by Jackie Chanel

  “Actually,” I said seriously. “I was just joking. You think we really need a pre-nup? That’s like saying you don’t believe we’re going to make it.”

  I definitely believe that there are situations where a pre-nup is necessary. When you marry a stripper in Atlantic City, you should definitely have a pre-nup. I believe in my heart that I should have had an ironclad prenuptial agreement carved in stone before I married Ramey Hall. Marrying a Xanax-addicted, half-anorexic supermodel a few months after meeting her was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life, but this was Sunny. I trust her with my life and my kids’ lives.

  “Having a pre-nup does not mean I believe we’re going to get a divorce,” Sunny replied. “Just like having a will doesn’t mean we’re gonna die tomorrow. I want us to be together forever and I promise to do my part in making sure that happens. But hypothetically, what if something does happen? What if I had a moment of temporary insanity and cheated on you? Would you want to give me half of your shit and pay alimony and child support in this jacked up community property state? A pre-nup doesn’t change how we feel about each other.”

  “Then why have one?” I took my eyes off the road briefly so that Sunny could get a good look at my aggravated face. “You still haven’t explained the point of having a legally binding agreement that divides our shit if we get divorced. What’s the point of it if one, we’re not ever getting divorced and two, you’re not the kind of woman who’d try to take something from me that you didn’t earn. I trust you enough to know that you wouldn’t fuck me over.”

  Sunny leaned over to press the button on the dash to lower the drop top of the Mercedes.

  “That’s nice and all, but we’re still getting a pre-nup,” she said into the wind. “This is non-negotiable. It doesn’t have to be complicated, Aiden, so please don’t complicate this. Because if hell freezes over and pigs start flying, I certainly don’t want to be in divorce court fighting over who gets the Vitamix and the kids at Christmas.”

  I burst out laughing. “If hell freezes over?”

  “Yes, because that’s what’s gotta happen for us to divorce. And in case that really happens, we’ll have the documentation to make it quick and painless.”

  “You know you’re not getting my Vitamix, right? What use does a person who cannot cook have for a professional blender?”

  “Then we’ll just have two, his and hers,” Sunny chuckled and lowered her shades.

  Chapter 7: Back Out

  SANTA BARBARA IS A quaint little seaside town with lots of shops, restaurants, and old people. This worked to our advantage because the county clerk’s office was empty when Sunny and I walked in to apply for a marriage license. The old lady behind the counter was about sixty and had absolutely no idea who the hell we were.

  With California’s no waiting period and no blood test requirement, getting a marriage license was easier than getting a driver’s license. All we had to do was show our IDs and fill out the application. Instead of the usual $35, I paid two-fifty to have our license filed discreetly and not made available to the public. Having some idiot blogger stumble on that public record would not be good for either of us.

  The entire process took twenty minutes then we were standing outside of the Justice of the Peace’s chambers waiting for Judge Monroe Hailey to finish with the couple ahead of us. Sunny, in a pair of denim cut-offs, a pink tank top, and flip-flops, squeezed my hand with an excited and anxious smile on her face. There wasn’t a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

  “Last chance, A.T.,” she said. “Back out now or you’re stuck with me forever.”

  “I’ll take my chances on forever. I love you, Sunny.”

  “I love you more, Aiden.”

  The chamber doors opened and two of the happiest men I’ve ever seen walked out holding hands. They both were looking at each other like they’d been holding their breaths forever and were finally able to breathe.

  “Congratulations,” Sunny spoke as they passed us, oblivious to anyone and anything except each other.

  “Thank you,” one of the men answered.

  The judge, a dark-haired woman in her early fifties, was standing in the doorway smiling warmly at the departing couple.

  “My nephew and his husband,” she revealed. “They were fifteen when they got together. They’re thirty now. They’ve waited fifteen years for this day. And now they’re on their way to have lunch with a potential surrogate. They didn’t want to have a child out of wedlock.”

  “Neither do we,” Sunny replied. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Judge Hailey led us into her chambers and shut the door. I expected something old and heavily decorated with dark wood and leather bound books like I see on television all the time. However, these chambers didn’t look anything like that. All the furniture was a pale blue. All the wood, including the desk and bookcases, was white.

  “I know you,” Judge Hailey looked directly at me. “I took my daughter and her friends to your concert at the Hollywood Bowl over the summer. You’re a very talented young man.”

  “Thanks, Your Honor.”

  “So, this is your big day.” Judge Hailey clapped her hands together. “How do you want to do this? Have you prepared vows or do you want to go traditional?”

  Sunny took it upon herself to explain our situation and reason for our impromptu nuptials. She didn’t hesitate to tell the judge all of our business and I wondered where this automatic trust came from. Just because the woman was a judge, didn’t mean she wouldn’t blab to some tabloid about us.

  “Did you bring witnesses?” Judge Hailey asked when Sunny finished spilling her guts.

  I shook my head. Strangely, I was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with the entire situation, especially when the judge volunteered to call her nephews back to stand in as our witnesses. Thankfully, my phone started to ring. I had forgotten to turn off the ringer. Sunny answered the judge’s questions while I attempted to silence the phone. As soon as I sent the call to voicemail, a text from Delilah came through.

  Dee-Lee: Plz answer or call me. It’s a 911 type situation

  I looked up from my phone at Sunny. “It’s my sister. She says it’s an emergency. I’ll be right back.”

  I stepped out of the judge’s chambers and shut the door behind me. Sunny’s phone hadn’t rang so I knew that problem wasn’t with Summer. As I waited for Delilah to answer, I said a quick prayer that nothing had happened to my mother. I couldn’t imagine losing my mom. Delilah answered and immediately, my heart plummeted to the bottom of my stomach. She was crying.

  “Delilah, what happened?”

  “Please don’t get married without me, Aiden,” Delilah wailed. “I’m driving up to Santa Barbara right now. Just please wait for me and Sara. Please, Aiden.”

  Delilah’s tearful plea was like a gut-punch. I felt horrible. The circumstances were different, but I knew that neither one of my sisters would have considered getting married without me being there. It hadn’t dawned on me how disappointed my family would be with our choice to elope. I couldn’t do that to them.

  “You don’t have to come up here, Delilah. I’m not getting married. Why’d you think that?”

  “Because Mom said you and Sunny were going to Santa Barbara. Sara and I were sitting around talking about our weddings and Sara joked that you’d probably elope when you realized how hard it is to plan a wedding. I knew that’s what you were up to because you hate Santa Barbara! Why else would you and Sunny sneak off and not tell anyone? Please don’t get married, Aiden. I’m begging you. You know I wouldn’t do that to you!”

  “I’m not getting married, Dee-Lee. I promise.”

  Even though it was a lie, I told her that we’d come up here because Sunny loves Santa Barbara and she needed to relax for a few days.

  “We’ll be back in three days and still engaged. You know I wouldn’t get hitched again without you.”

  “Thank you. I was scared. Seriously, me and Sara were on our way up there b
ut we’ll turn around and go back to work.”

  “Yeah, you do that. I need you to hold down Sunny’s fort for a couple of days so she can actually relax before Fashion Week. You’ll do that for me, right?”

  “Yes. Of course I will.”

  After hanging up, I walked to the door of the judge’s chambers and motioned for Sunny to come out into the hall. She was concerned, of course. An emergency in my family affected her too.

  “What happened?”

  “Umm, Delilah was scared that we were getting married without her so—”

  “So what?” she asked cautiously. “What did you do?”

  “I told her that we weren’t getting married.”

  “Good.”

  Sunny’s relieved smile made me mad. I just told her that my sister was upset because she thought I was getting married without her and Sunny’s response was to smile and say ‘good’?

  “Good? Maybe you didn’t understand what I said. I told her we’re not getting married because we aren’t. We can’t do this, Sunny. Not like this.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Sunny shrieked. She quickly lowered her voice and spoke in a hushed tone so no one would hear her. “You’re changing your mind? This is bullshit!”

  “You know this isn’t the right way to do this. Come on; think about it.”

  “I already thought about it! This is what I want to do!”

  “Well,” I said evenly because I wasn’t about to get into a shouting match with Sunny at a courthouse. “It’s not what I want to do and since you can’t marry yourself...”

  Sunny groaned. She put her hand on her belly and groaned as if that was going to change my mind.

  “This is insane. We’re supposed to be doing this for your children and you’re changing your mind because your sister doesn’t want it to happen? I mean—”

  “Sunny, wait in the car if you’re going to start yelling. I’ll explain to the judge.”

  I didn’t even acknowledge the fighting mad expression on Sunny’s face or the shoulder bump she gave when she rushed past me. That fight could come later when she’s near a bed or a chair and could sit the hell down.

  I explained what happened to the judge and her nephews who had walked right past us and into the chambers to stand witness for us. We exchanged numbers and addresses so they could attend our real wedding, sort of an apology for wasting their time.

  Not eloping was a good thing. I just had to convince Sunny that I was right.

  Sunny didn’t say anything to me while I drove around looking for a nice place for us to stay, a place where we wouldn’t attract a lot of tourist attention. After forty-five minutes of her pretending she wasn’t enjoying the smog-less fresh air, warm sun, and no traffic ruining our drive up the coast, Sunny ordered me to check us into a room at the Spanish Garden Inn, a damn luxury hotel in the middle of downtown.

  Since I’m more recognizable than my fiancée, I let her go in and get us a room. She picked the most expensive suite available, which I expected. The suite was beautiful, exactly the kind of suite that Sunny would love. There was a bedroom with separate living room and two private balconies overlooking Santa Barbara. The room was decorated in warm calming colors of deep oranges, soft yellows, and dark browns. I immediately felt more relaxed. As soon as Sunny stopped being mad at me, we were going to check out the oversized deep-soaking tub.

  Sunny had other plans. No sooner than I placed our bags into the closet and shut the door, she pounced.

  “You have so many issues!” she yelled. “I understand how important your family is. I understand how close y’all are. Hell, you have all of them practically living with you! But did you really just put your sister’s feelings before mine? You can’t do that!”

  “I didn’t do that. I made a decision. Stop and think rationally for a second.”

  I walked over to one of the chairs in the living room and sat down; hoping Sunny would have enough sense to do the same. The last thing that Dr. Margolis had said before she signed off on Sunny’s hospital release was that she needed to be off her feet as much as possible.

  “Sit down, Sunny, and let’s talk about this calmly. You just got out of the hospital. Please sit down.”

  Sunny flopped into the chair next to me and crossed her legs and arms. “Talk.”

  “You were so adamant about getting your parents’ blessing and doing things the right way so how can you not see how wrong this is? Our friends and families have been waiting for us to walk down the aisle for as long as they’ve known us. Would it be right to get married without them?”

  “What are you talking about? We’re doing this for us, not them. We were still going to have a wedding. I needed this and, once again, you took that moment from me.”

  “Sunny, that not having a baby out of wedlock shit is played. No one gives a shit anymore.”

  “I give a shit!” she yelled. “And that should be enough! Is this what being with you is going to be like? What Sara, Dina, and Delilah need or want is more important than me? I refuse to be in a relationship like that!”

  I couldn’t even look at her as Sunny continued to annoy me by saying the most ridiculous things I’ve heard come out of her mouth in a long time and making accusations that she knew weren’t true. She couldn’t even recall the last time I put someone else before her so everything she said was just hurt feelings, anger, and hormones. However, she was pissing me off and I knew exactly how to shut her up. I pulled out my cell phone, called her mother, and put the phone on speaker.

  “Hey future son-in-law,” Peaches said loudly. “What’s up?”

  Her daughter quickly shut up and glared at me. Sunny had no idea what I was about to tell her mother so the fear in her eyes was warranted and spoke volumes. Good. When it came to my family, the words dysfunctional and co-dependent shouldn’t have left her mouth. Plus, I had a point to prove.

  “Don’t you dare tell her about the baby,” Sunny whispered.

  “Don’t tell me what to do. Hi, Peaches,” I said into the speaker. “You busy?”

  “No. Just catchin’ up on my shows on the DVR. I’m two episodes behind on Game of Thrones. How you been?”

  “I’m fine. I got somethin’ to tell you though. Sunny and I are in Santa Barbara. We eloped.”

  “Nooooo!” Peaches cried. “Why would y’all do that? Why? Where’s my child? Let me talk to her right now! Oh my Lord, I can’t believe y’all did this!”

  By the time she finished that sentence, Peaches was sobbing and my point was proven. I looked over at her daughter. Sunny was trying to hold back her own tears.

  “Mama,” she said. “Stop crying. We didn’t elope. I promise.”

  “Then why would he say that? Aiden, that shit ain’t funny, boy. You done got my pressure up. Are you tryin’ to kill me?”

  “No, ma’am. I was just trying to prove a point to your daughter.”

  “I should have known you were lying. Eloping sounds like some crazy shit my daughter would want to do, not you. Sunny Rain Russell, let me tell you somethin’ right now, little girl. If you deprive your own mama the chance to see her only child walk down the aisle for the first time, I will die of a broken heart then I will haunt your ass forever. You will never have any peace. I ain’t playin’ with you.”

  “Mama, I’m not going to elope and my fiancé is an asshole for making you think we would. We’re going to have a big wedding. I promise.”

  “You better. Now let me get back to my show and don’t call me for two days. I’m mad at both of you. Y’all worry the hell outta me and I ain’t got time for that. Bye.”

  Peaches hung up and I grinned at Sunny. I didn’t have to say anything because she already knew I was right. It wasn’t just my family that would be affected by our spur-of-the-moment decision. Sunny rolled her eyes, but she got up and sat on my lap.

  “Fine, Aiden,” she said without looking at me. “I get it.”

  I wrapped my arms around her and rested my hands on her stomach. I wished I could fee
l my child growing in there. This time I get to do this the right way. I get to be a part of Sunny’s pregnancy from the beginning. I get to say things like “We’re having a boy” and “We had a doctor’s appointment today.” That was more important than a wedding.

  “I love you, Sunny. You deserve more than a quickie wedding.”

  Then I remembered something Tahir had told me a few months ago about Sara.

  “You deserve the world, Sunny. My kids deserve the world. I don’t mean to be insensitive to your feelings but understand this. For me, when it comes to family, there’s no my family and your family. In my eyes, we’re all family. I told your parents that I would never hurt you and that wasn’t the intention earlier. I just don’t want to hurt them either.”

  “I don’t either. Thank you for proving me wrong.”

  Sunny shifted on my lap so that she was facing me. I loved the way she was trying her hardest not smile at me but, as always, her eyes were the mirrors to her emotions.

  “I meant what I said in the hospital though. I’m not getting married pregnant. We just have to push back the wedding until after I give birth.”

  “I have to go on tour, remember? The date we picked fits right in our schedules now. If we don’t do it in the next couple of months then you have to decide if you want me to be on tour while you’re in your last trimester or be on tour while you’re at home with a newborn.”

  “I don’t care. Either we do it this week or we wait until next year. Pick.”

  I gave in. “I guess it’s next year.”

  I didn’t want to wait that long for Sunny to be my wife but, what Sunny wants, Sunny gets.

  Chapter 8: Love on Top

  “WAKE UP, SUNNY.”

  Aiden’s breath on my neck as he whispered in my ear sent shivers down my spine. I turned over and couldn’t stop smiling. He’s been amazing since we’ve been here. Finally, I got to see the hopeless romantic side of Aiden.

  I looked over his shoulder at the small nightstand. My engagement ring sat on top of my iPhone. In its place on my left ring finger was Aiden’s name tattooed around my finger in a black script. Aiden laced his fingers through mine. Sunny was tattooed on his ring finger in the same script. I squeezed his hand a little tighter. We may not have gotten married, but our tattoos are just as permanent.