Til Death Do Us Part (Vegas Vows)

by Harlow Layne

  Everly

  My cheeks were still heated after I made a quick stop to my room to change my clothes and knocked on Camilla and Jordan’s hotel room door.

  Last night seemed like a dream. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten drunk and then suggested Leo and I get married before we had sex. But wholly hell, was he worth it.

  Never in a million years did I think sex could be that good. Yeah, I liked sex, but no man had ever brought me to completion so easily or so many times in the span of a few hours.

  Leo wasn’t joking when he said he was going to feast on me all night long. The way his tongue lapped up the Champagne he poured on me and the subsequent whipped cream was so damn delicious I would never look at either the same way again.

  I’d barely wiped the smile off my face when Camilla swung open the door. Her eyes were red rimmed with mascara streaked down her usually put together and perfect face, her nose and cheeks flushed, and her hair looked as if she’d stuck her finger in a light socket.

  “Where the hell have you been?” she cried out before she stomped away from the door.

  Closing the door, I followed behind her, dodging all the used tissues strewn all over the floor. There was a huge pile of them on the table in the living area, some of them with black streaks on them.

  Turning to face me with her hands on her hips, Camilla scowled at me. “Well, where have you been? I’ve been calling and messaging you for hours now.”

  “Sleeping,” I crossed my fingers behind my back at the lie. “I woke up when I heard your message and came as quick as I could.”

  “Well, I needed you and you weren’t there for me.” She curled up into herself on the couch and looked up at me with sad eyes. “What kind of maid of honor are you?”

  Sitting down in the chair beside her, I leaned forward and put my hand on her arm, letting her know I was here for her now. “A shitty one, and for that I’m sorry. Why don’t you tell me what happened and why it looks like you’ve been crying all night?”

  Camilla closed her eyes, her chin trembling. When she opened her green eyes a moment later, they had welled up with unshed tears.

  “He called off the wedding,” she cried.

  “Jordan?”

  “Who else? I was only engaged to one person. Really Everly, if you’re going to be here for me, don’t ask stupid questions.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “I can’t take it. Not today.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s hard to believe Jordan would call off your engagement hours before your wedding. He loves you more than anything in this world.”

  “Not anymore,” she grabbed the box of tissues and pulled one out before she dabbed at her eyes. “He’s done with me.”

  I knew there was more to the story that she wasn’t sharing. While Jordan and Camilla had broken up plenty of times through their relationship, there was always a reason and nine times out of ten the reason was because Camilla cheated on Jordan.

  Surely, she hadn’t cheated on him after they’d gone upstairs last night.

  “Maybe you can reason with him after he’s had a moment to cool off,” I tried to reassure her.

  Hanging her head, she let out a sob. “Not this time.”

  Moving over to sit with her on the couch, I pulled her into a hug and let her cry. Camilla’s body shook as tears ran down her cheeks and dampened my shirt.

  Thirty minutes later, she lifted her head and looked at me with devastation in her eyes. “I’m never going to get him back. What am I going to do?”

  “I don’t know, honey.” I smoothed her hair that was plastered to her face away and tucked it behind her ear. “Why don’t you tell me what has Jordan so upset and maybe I can help you?”

  “I…we were…I don’t even know why or how, but I called out someone else’s name after we came upstairs last night.”

  “What?” I choked out, my eyes wide as I digested what she’d said. “Whose name?”

  Had it been one of the guys she’s cheated on Jordan with?

  “It was a mistake, but Jordan wouldn’t hear of it. He pulled out, threw on a pair of shorts, yelled, and then called off the wedding before he left. I thought if I gave him time to cool off, he’d come back after he realized it was a blunder, but I haven’t seen him since. What am I going to do? How can I prove to him it was a mistake?”

  I shook my head, not wanting to voice I had no idea how she was going to do that. I wasn’t convinced, and I’d been best friends with Camilla since we were in middle school. I didn’t know her relationship with Jordan except what she’d told me over the phone, through text messages, from what I saw on Instagram, and the few times I’d been around them when Camilla brought him home with her. I’d gone to cosmetology school to do hair right after high school when Camilla left to go to school at Stanford. All I knew was Jordan kept taking Camilla back each and every time she’d cheated on him in the past, and I had no idea why. Maybe he would again.

  “Have you tried calling him?”

  Her head bobbed as her lower lip quivered. “He turned off his phone after I kept calling him, trying to get him to come back. This isn’t like before Everly. I know deep down in my soul it’s over.”

  Whose name had she said in the heat of passion that would make him end their four-year relationship?

  Her body started to shake as if she’d been sitting outside in the middle of an ice storm.

  Rubbing my hand up and down her hair and back, I tried to reassure her as best as I could. “Maybe he just needs time.”

  “What is this?” she shrieked, catching my left hand in hers, and stared down at the silver band adorning my finger. “Why do you have a ring sitting on your left hand?”

  Moving so my back was to the arm of the couch, I hugged my legs to my chest. “Because I got married last night,” I confessed.

  “I can’t believe while I was getting dumped, you were getting married to some rando. How did you even meet someone? When I left you, you and Leo were all over each other.” She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she stared at my hand.

  I wanted to hide it away, so she’d stop, but thought better of it. Who cared if Leo and I got married last night except our families?

  “Oh my God, Fiona is going to kill you for getting married without her. I wish I could be there to witness when you tell her.” Her eyes got wide as an evil grin spread across her tear-streaked face. “Or are you two going to get it annulled and pretend like it never happened?”

  Raising my hand, I looked at the silver band that had been sitting on my finger for less than ten hours. “I’m pretty sure we can’t get it annulled after how many times we had sex last night.”

  “Is he a beast in bed?” she asked, all her problems forgotten in that moment.

  “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.” I blushed as I thought of all the ways Leo had taken me last night and how I’d begged him for more until we could barely keep our eyes open. Last night had been the single most passionate and best night of my life.

  “Pfft, since when have you been a lady?” she scoffed at me.

  “Hey,” I called back, offended, “you’re thinking about yourself. You’re the one who’s always offering up details about your sex life with Jordan. I’ve never told you anything except for the fact that I hooked up with someone.”

  Camilla scowled at me from across the couch. “If last night was only a hook up, why do you care?”

  “It wasn’t a hook up. I mean, we didn’t set out to get married or have sex, but that’s where the night took us, and now…”

  “And now what?” Camilla sat up, her face shadowed in anger.

  Why was she so angry? Was it because we stole her spotlight?

  “We’re going to see if we can make it work. Did you know Leo’s moving to Oasis for a job?” Camilla had only mentioned he’d recently moved here, but she’d always been strangely quiet about Leo when I’d asked about her boyfriend’s best friend.

  She gave it a dismissive wave of her hand. “Something like that. It
didn’t really interest me since I was trying to plan a wedding.”

  “But Leo’s Jordan’s best friend, and I thought you liked him.” Something about this wasn’t adding up.

  “I do like him, but what do I care where he’s going to live if I’m not in the same city or hell even the same state.”

  “You act like you’re never going to come back to Oasis for even a visit.”

  “My dad moved to Florida with his new wife who’s barely older than me and my mom’s fucking her tennis instructor who she’s taking all over the world. Since neither of them are there, what do I have to visit in Oasis?”

  I recoiled, feeling her words like a physical slap to the face. What did she have in Oasis? Me, her best friend.

  “I guess your best friend doesn’t rank high enough to visit.” I jumped up from the couch and looked down at the woman who’d been my best friend for the last ten years. A woman I thought I knew until just now. “Was this weekend supposed to be some one and done thing where I’d never see you again?”

  “Everly,” she said my name exasperatedly, “while you have talent, you’re only a hairdresser. I can’t be wasting my time now that I’m going to be working for the biggest law firm in Minneapolis.”

  Who was the woman who sat before me?

  Not wanting to look at her for another moment, I made my way to the door. Opening the door, I looked back at Camilla and finally saw all the changes that I’d been too blind to see over the past couple of days and if I was being honest with myself, over the last two years. Jordan was smart to call off the wedding. He was too good for her.

  My best friend wouldn’t cheat on a man she loved, but she’d done it time and time again to Jordan. That wasn’t the only change. Little by little over the years, Camilla had started to think she was better than me and everyone else who wasn’t a lawyer. I wanted to believe our friendship meant something to her, but if it did, she wouldn’t have treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes.

  “Good luck with your big city life. If by any chance you ever see me again, I want you to keep on walking like we’re total strangers because clearly, that’s what you’ve become.”

  I didn’t have the energy to slam the door. Not wanting to be alone, I trudged to the elevator and hit the ground floor once I got inside.

  In a daze, I got off the elevator and let my feet take me where I wanted to go. I couldn’t believe Camilla thought so little of me.

  Stepping out into the bright sun, I spotted Leo and Jordan at the bar by the pool. Leo’s arm was slung around Jordan’s shoulders as they clinked beers.

  I sat down on the vacant stool next to Leo. When their eyes landed on me, I asked, “Is there room in this party for one more?”

  “Bartender, get her a beer,” Jordan called out. He gave me a sad smile as he tipped his beer to me. “I hear congratulations are in order.” He let out a sad sigh. “At least this weekend wasn’t a total waste.”

  Leo pulled my stool closer and put his arm around my waist as he kissed my temple.

  When the bartender sat a beer down in front of me, Jordan held his up. “To the newlyweds.”

  “To us,” I cheered, clinking my bottle with both of theirs before I took a long pull.

  Jordan gave a half laugh when I set my beer down. “I guess Camilla told you what happened?”

  “Some,” I answered. Reaching around Leo, I squeezed Jordan’s hand. “I’m sorry, but it’s probably better in the long run. I know in time you’ll find the woman for you because clearly, Camilla isn’t it.”

  “You’re too good for her,” Leo expressed my thought.

  “Maybe, but it still hurts.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I really am. If it makes you feel any better, she ended our decade long friendship because I’m a hairdresser.”

  Jordan scoffed at that. “That’s not the reason. The reason is that you got the man she wants.”

  My brows knitted together, unable to make sense of his words. “What are you talking about?”

  Leo pressed his hand further into my side. “I’m guessing she didn’t tell you whose name she called out while they were having sex, did she?”

  “No, she didn’t, and before I could get it out of her, she saw my ring and freaked out.” I hated to ask, but I had to know. “Whose name did she say?”

  Jordan’s face fell and his jaw ticked before he uttered one simple word.

  “Leo’s.”

  7

  Leo

  “Excuse me,” Everly choked out. “I think I heard you wrong. I could have sworn you said Camilla, your fiancée, ex-fiancée,” she corrected, her knuckles turning white on the grip she had on her beer bottle. “Are you saying that she called out my husband’s name while you were having sex?”

  Jordan nudged me with a smile. “She’s already possessive of you. I think you landed yourself a good one.”

  “Tell me you’re lying,” she demanded, her face now flushed.

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. After that, I knew I was making a mistake. I was never going to be enough for Camilla. She was always going to seek out the attention of other men and continue to be unfaithful.” He finished off his beer and signaled for another.

  “Your past is your past, but I’ve got to know if you ever—”

  I cut Everly off before she could finish her sentence. What kind of friend would I be if I slept with my best friend’s girl? Resting my elbows on the bar, I looked Everly in the eyes, so she’d know with one hundred percent certainty I was telling her the truth. “Not once. The thought never even crossed my mind.”

  Letting out a sigh of relief, she placed her hand over mine. “I’m sorry I had to ask, but why would she say your name?”

  With my other free hand, I covered hers. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve never even spent any time with her one on one. I was only happy Jordan believed me. If she would have fucked up my relationship with him, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “Not going to happen, man. Even though Minneapolis is a big city, there’s no way in hell I’m going to live in the same city as her,” Jordan pointed his new beer at me. “When I get back, I’m going to start searching for jobs back in California. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll find one near you.”

  “You know, when I confronted her on if she knew if you were moving to Oasis, she said she didn’t care where you lived since you weren’t going to be living in the same city. Oh, and get this. Apparently, she’s never coming back to Oasis because she doesn’t have anyone there anymore.” Everly’s eyes turned glassy before she cleared her throat, straightened in her seat, and with one shake of her head they were gone.

  “It seems like Camilla is breaking her ties with everyone in her path today.”

  Everly rested her head in her hand. “I have to say she was devastated when I showed up. She was crying the entire time up until she saw my ring.” She raised her hand and looked at the ring that rested on her finger.

  “I still can’t believe you two got married last night. This whole weekend is wild.” While his tone was jubilant, there was no hiding the misery in Jordan’s eyes.

  While I wanted to wrap my arms around Everly, I didn’t want to rub our new relationship in Jordan’s face when he’d ended his four years with Camilla. Dropping my hand, I rubbed my knuckles along the smooth skin of her thigh. Everly’s gaze dropped to my hand for only a second, but I saw the way her mouth kicked up in that moment.

  Seeing Jordan tense out of the corner of my eye had me scanning the area to see what had caught his attention. I should have known Camilla would eventually try to find him.

  “I’ve got to go.” Jordan jumped up from his stool. “There’s no way I can deal with her without causing a scene. You two have fun being newlyweds. I’m glad this weekend worked out for someone.”

  We watched as Jordan went in the opposite direction as Camilla. She called out his name over and over again, but Jordan acted as if he hadn’t heard his ex screaming his name across the pool. Cami
lla chased after him, and I hoped Jordan held strong and didn’t take her back.

  The moment Camilla was out of sight, Everly stood, her raspy voice against my ear. Her voice was such a turn on, I didn’t think there’d ever be a time when I didn’t hear it and not get hard. “What do you say we get out of here before she comes back, and we get the brunt of her anger?”

  Turning on my stool, I pulled her between my legs and kept my hands on her hips. My thumbs started rubbing circles on her hipbone. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Well,” she put her arms around my neck, “I think we should go back to your room and continue the honeymoon.”

  “You’re a woman after my heart.” I stood, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Why don’t we grab some lunch? We’re going to need our strength because I plan to make last night look like an appetizer compared to what I have in store for you.”

  Reaching up, she kissed the dimple in my chin and smiled up at me. “That sounds like the perfect way to spend the rest of our honeymoon.”

  I still couldn’t believe we had gotten married the night before. I hadn’t even asked her how her family would take the news that she married a complete stranger since I was so caught up in what my own family would think.

  As if he knew I was thinking about him, Luke’s name flashed on my screen. I hit decline, not wanting to get into it with him out where everyone could hear. When my phone rang again, Everly looked down at my phone with concern.

  “Do you need to answer that? It might be important.”

  “It’s my brother, so I need to answer it, but I’m not going to do it with an audience. Do you care if we go up to my room first and then we’ll get lunch?”

  “How about we go upstairs and while you talk to your brother, I order some food and maybe some more champagne?”

  “Sounds perfect, thank you.” I kissed the top of her head as my phone started to go off again. Hitting decline one more time, I sent Luke a quick message letting him know I would call him back in a few minutes. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you, but how will your family feel about missing you getting married?”