Til Death Do Us Part (Vegas Vows)

by Harlow Layne

  “What can I do to help?”

  She pulled back with tears close to escaping her beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t leave me alone with anyone until I’m ready. I don’t want to get cornered and freak out.”

  “I promise.” I didn’t want to argue with her that no one would be pushing for any answers, nor did I think she’d freak out. “We really could get out though before they wonder what’s taking us so long and come to the car to greet us.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She bit her bottom lip and now that I wasn’t driving, I could remedy the problem the way I wanted to. Pulling her lip out from between her teeth with my thumb, I leaned forward and nibbled on it for myself before I swept my tongue inside and devoured her. I didn’t pull back until I needed to take a break for some much needed air.

  Opening my eyes, I found Everly’s eyes still closed with a peaceful look on her face. In that moment, I knew I loved her. The last three months had been the best of my life, and I didn’t know what I’d do if she up and decided she wanted to walk out of my life.

  The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I thought maybe I should save them for a better time.

  Giving her one last kiss, I helped her out of the car. Everly’s hold on my hand as we walked up the sidewalk was a vice grip. It felt as if she was trying to cut off the circulation, so we’d have to go to the hospital and leave.

  My hand was almost to the door, ready to knock, when the door flew open and Luke stood on the other side. One minute I was standing outside and the next I was lifted up and in a bear hug.

  “I missed you so damn much,” he murmured in my ear as he continued to hug me.

  “I missed you too.” I patted him on the back. I wanted to say it hadn’t been that long, but we didn’t get to see each other very often.

  He dropped me to my feet before he gave Everly a much gentler hug. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “Me too. It’s so good to meet you.”

  A flash of blonde came from behind Luke and pulled me into a big hug. She pulled back with tears dancing in her eyes. “I’m so glad you could come for Luke’s birthday.”

  “I didn’t come for his birthday. I came to see my niece and spoil my nephew for a few days. Where are they?” I asked, looking over her head.

  “Mason is over at his friend, Ben’s house. Taylor will bring him home soon, and Gracie is taking a nap.” I started to move by her, but she held onto my arms and narrowed her eyes at me. “Do not wake her up.”

  Luke looked at me over his wife and shook his head. It was then I noticed the dark circles under their eyes and wondered how much sleep they’d been getting.

  “You must be Everly,” Alex gave her a short hug and then wrapped herself around Luke. He looked like he was holding her up.

  “Why don’t we sit down. You two look like you could use the rest.”

  “Last night was a bad night. We only got a couple of hours of sleep. We think Gracie has colic. The second one of us falls asleep while rocking her, she starts crying.”

  “And she eats every two hours so not much sleep for mama,” Luke supplied.

  “Or daddy. He gets up with every feeding, even though I told him he doesn’t need to. He’s the best dad ever.”

  Luke sat down beside her, pulling Alex flush against him, almost pulling her into his lap, and beamed at the praise.

  Fatherhood looked good on my brother. He’d been great with Mason, but it was entirely different seeing how crazily overprotective he got of Alex with her pregnancy and hearing him doing baby talk to their daughter over the phone. I knew Luke was happy he turned down a three part movie deal that would have changed their lives. Some for the good, but I think it would have hurt them more than anything. They never would have had any privacy.

  Pulling Everly over to the other couch, I pulled her down with me and kept her hand in mine. “You look happy, bro.”

  “The happiest I’ve ever been. I can say the same for you. I swear you’ve grown up since you graduated.”

  “It’s the facial hair,” I joked, dragging my hand over the scruff I was sporting. Everly seemed to like it, so I thought I’d keep it until she told me to get rid of it.

  “Are you guys hungry? I could make you a sandwich or heat up some lasagna I made last night.” My stomach rumbled at the thought of her lasagna. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Alex jumped up and was halfway to the kitchen before I stopped her.

  “I’m starved now that you mentioned food, but I can heat it up for us. Why don’t you two lay down and if the baby wakes up, we’ll get her?”

  “Are you sure? We didn’t ask you here to be babysitters.”

  Drawing her away from the kitchen, I directed Alex straight into Luke’s arms. “I’m more than sure, and I’m not a babysitter. I’m Gracie and Mason’s uncle.”

  Luke dragged Alex out of the room but stopped as they started for the stairs and looked at us over his shoulder. “If you need anything, you know where to find us.”

  I held my hand out to Everly for her to take. “Come on, babe. I’m dying to eat some of Alex’s lasagna, even if it is a day old. She’s an excellent cook.”

  Taking my hand, Everly let me guide her into the kitchen. “Are you saying I should learn how to cook more than just scrambled eggs and spaghetti?”

  “Not if you don’t want to, but I wouldn’t be opposed.” I was pulled to a stop when Everly’s eyes landed on the kitchen. It was pretty spectacular. It was a cook’s dream kitchen with top of the line appliances, marble countertops with a farmer’s sink. There was a big window that looked out to the backyard where they had a pool.

  Their house was gorgeous, and Luke had worked his ass off since coming to America for it. It wasn’t until he met Alex that he started to slow down and had bought a couple of houses for them to live in. One in Fairlane and one in LA for when he was filming.

  “This house is gorgeous. Not that I’d expect anything less, but wow.” Her mouth hung open as she took in the space. “I’m glad they went to take a nap before I made a fool out of myself. I’m kind of freaking out here.”

  Shaking my head at her, I went to the fridge and pulled out the lasagna and went about putting it on two plates to warm it up. “So, maybe now isn’t a good time to tell you that Colton Patrick lives in the neighborhood, and he and his wife, Anna might be coming to the party?”

  “I think you should have warned me before we came,” she whisper-yelled at me from across the island. “I would have brought a lot nicer clothes if I’d known or I could’ve gone shopping. Is there anyone else who might pop in I should know about?”

  I thought about that for a minute. “Gabi from Shadowed Alley and Reeves Jenner and his wife. They’ve also got some famous author as a friend, but she writes under some pen name and I don’t know what it is.”

  “Leo, this is not alright! I should have been warned I was coming to some star-studded event,” she hissed.

  “Why? You just met my brother and as you can tell he’s perfectly normal just like the rest of them. It’s no big deal.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’ve been around this for more than a minute.” Her face turned red, and she turned and walked to the window.

  Was she mad at me?

  Who would have thought taking her home to meet my brother would result in our first fight? She’d given in pretty quickly when I told her she was not going to go back and live in her apartment. Every day up until today she was sweet, caring, and sexy as hell, but today she was all over the place.

  After putting the second plate in the microwave, I walked over to her but kept my distance by a couple of feet. “Are you mad at me?”

  She turned to look over her shoulder. “You think?”

  “I didn’t think it would matter. Trust me, Luke and Alex don’t surround themselves with assholes. The reason they like it here is that everyone treats them like normal everyday people.”

  “I can’t deal with this. I need a little time to myself,
” she whispered the last as she hung her head and walked out of the kitchen.

  For a moment I was shocked. How was this happening to me? I’d come to the realization I loved Everly, and now it felt like I might lose her.

  I couldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever. I did the only thing I could do. I went after my wife.

  Closing the front door behind me, I found Everly sitting in the passenger seat with her hands covering her face as she cried.

  Opening the door, I knelt on the ground, took her hands away from her face, and held them in one of mine while I dried her tears with the other. “Babe, what’s going on? This is so unlike you. Talk to me.”

  “I think I’m pregnant.”

  12

  Everly

  “Is everything okay out here?” a woman asked from her driveway.

  Leo’s brows drew together. “Everything’s fine. Just getting some air,” Leo called back. He stood to his full height and held his hand out to me. “How about we go inside and talk about this?”

  “Do you hate me? I wouldn’t blame you if you want to get a lawyer.” I spoke the last barely loud enough for him to hear, but I knew he did when his jaw clenched.

  He stayed silent as we made the short trek up the sidewalk. Alex and Luke were standing in their living room with worried expressions on their faces when we walked inside.

  “Are we in the same room I’ve stayed in before?” Leo asked as he bypassed them.

  “Oh, I thought you might want a little extra privacy, so I set up the last bedroom in the basement if that’s okay with you.” Alex chewed on her bottom lip.

  “That’s perfect.” He nodded as he guided me to a set of stairs that led down to the basement. “We’ll…I’ll be up in a little bit.”

  “I shouldn’t be taking you away from your family.” I should have been able to keep myself together better, but when I realized I’d missed my period and I might be pregnant, I couldn’t stop freaking out. Now I looked like a basket case in front of Leo’s brother and sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to redeem myself with them.

  Leo didn’t answer. His only response was to quicken his steps as he guided us down a hall. Once inside, he turned on a light, closed and locked the door, and then started to pace. He stopped once, and I thought he might say something only for him to start again.

  “I’m sorry I’ve blown your trip to see your new niece. That was never my intention,” I started, but stop when Leo fell on the bed and covered his eyes. Tears welled up, knowing he was going to end things.

  “When did you find out?” he asked without looking at me.

  “I don’t know for sure, but in the car, I was thinking I forgot to pack something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then I remembered thinking when we were planning to come last week how I was going to need to pack items for my period, only I forgot. I started calculating in my head and I’m late. Two weeks late, Leo.” My voice rose until I was nearly shrieking. “I’ve never been late once in my entire life.”

  Leo sat up and stared at me for a long moment before he patted the bed beside him. This was it. This was the moment when he told me he should have filed for divorce the second we landed in California.

  The last three months had been the best of my life, I had fallen hard for Leo and now I’d fucked it all up.

  I went to sit on the bed beside him, but Leo pulled me onto his lap and held me tight to him. With my back to him, I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him as he took in a deep breath.

  “While I don’t think either of us is ready, nor were we planning on having kids anytime soon, we can do this if you are indeed pregnant. The first step is you need to calm down. I’m not going anywhere; I can promise you that. You should not bear the burden of worry when I’m to blame for not wrapping it up. There’s something about you Everly that makes me forget all reason.”

  Tears trailed down my cheeks as I turned on his lap. I threw my arms around his neck and cried.

  “Hey, sweet girl. It’s going to be okay.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be mad,” I cried out.

  “How can I be mad when you told me you weren’t on birth control? I’m the one who should be apologizing. Never once have I asked if you ever wanted kids.”

  “I do, but I was thinking when I was thirty not twenty-two.”

  He rubbed his hands up and down my back while leaning his head against mine. The simple gesture meant more to me than any words could in that moment.

  “We need to go to the store and buy you a pregnancy test, so we can know one way or the other.”

  Raising my head to look at him, I knew I looked like a hot mess. Mascara was most likely all over my face, but I never would have guessed with the way Leo looked at me. His blue eyes were warm and his face soft as he took me in. I cupped his stubbly cheeks as I rested my forehead to his.

  “Are you going to tell them why I freaked out?”

  He kissed the corner of my mouth. “There’s no reason to hide it.”

  “Only the fact that they’ll definitely think I’m irresponsible. First, we get married while drunk and three months later, I’m pregnant. I’m the poster child for irresponsibility.”

  “Not even close, but I do think we should talk to them about it.”

  I could feel the confusion etched on my face. “Why?”

  “It might look bad if we’re seen out getting a pregnancy test. While there are no paparazzi here, there are some people who take pictures and are willing to sell them. I’m sure they don’t need people thinking Alex is pregnant again already.”

  I couldn’t imagine having to worry about what I did every time I left the house.

  “Is that even possible for them to be having sex?”

  Leo shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I don’t think they’re supposed to be having sex for at least a month after, but I could be wrong.” I had zero clue about pregnancy or what happened after except the telltale sign of a woman being pregnant; a missed period.

  “Really? I don’t think I could go longer than a week not having sex with you.” His hand moved from my waist to squeeze my ass as if to prove his point.

  I felt the same, but after seeing how tired the parents upstairs looked, I had a feeling I’d changed my mind after a few sleepless nights.

  “You know that’s why they put us down here, right?”

  “What?” My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Deadly. We’re very open about sex.”

  Had he talked to his brother about our sex?

  “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

  Leo laughed. “That right there is the problem. The way I grew up we’re not ashamed of our bodies or sexuality.”

  He had nothing to be ashamed of. Leo’s body was something every man, woman, and child, okay maybe not children, but everyone else should worship. It was spectacular and one of the reasons I couldn’t keep my hands off him and why I might be pregnant.

  With his hands cupping my ass, Leo picked me up and set me on my feet. “While I like the way you’re looking at me right now, we really need to go upstairs.”

  I knew he was right. I’d just hit him with a bombshell, and I was ready to jump his bones because Leo was being Leo which meant he was being sweet and fine as hell.

  With the way my moods were swinging all over the place and being late, it would be a miracle if I wasn’t pregnant.

  “You’re right. I’m just so embarrassed by the way I stormed out, I don’t want to face them.”

  Leo shook his head as he laced his fingers with mine. “Just because my brother is famous doesn’t mean he’s a robot. He’s a normal person who makes mistakes just like the rest of us. Later, if you want, I can tell you all the ways he’s fucked up.”

  “I don’t think he’d appreciate that, but thank you for trying to make me feel better.”

  “Anytime, babe.” He leaned down and kissed me before pulling me
up the stairs to the main living area and then to the kitchen where Alex was talking with a cute little boy with black hair and blue eyes.

  “Uncle Leo!” the little boy shouted as he ran and hugged Leo around the middle.

  “Hey, Mason!” Leo leaned down and got eye to eye with the boy. “Dang, I’ve missed you.”

  “You were close,” Alex laughed. She turned to look at me. “We have a rule where we don’t swear in front of the kids.”

  Mason rolled his eyes. “Mom’s the worst. She swears all the time.” We all laughed at that, making Mason beam. “Who are you?” he asked, looking up at me.

  “I’m Everly, Leo’s…” I looked at Leo, and he nodded. “I’m your uncle’s wife.”

  His eyes lit up. “Does that mean I can call you Aunt Everly?”

  “If you want.” Two minutes in a room with this boy, and I was already in love with him.

  “Hey, buddy, why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to while Everly and your mom talk?”

  “What are you doing?” I hissed.

  “Give me a second, buddy.” He rubbed the top of Mason’s head before he wrapped his hand around my hip and moved us a few feet away.

  “I thought you were going to be with me when I talked to her,” I stated quietly.

  “I thought so too, but Mason’s home now, so I doubt you want to talk about it in front of him.”

  I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone, but I needed to get over myself. If I was pregnant, I would need to be able to speak to others even when I was uncomfortable.

  “Fine, but don’t leave me alone for too long.”

  “You’ll be fine.” He kissed me on my forehead before he bent down to speak quietly to Alex and then left the room with Mason.

  It felt weird to be like, ‘Hey, I don’t really know your situation except what little Leo’s told me, but I need a pregnancy test and I don’t want people to assume it’s for you.’

  Can you say awkward?

  “Do you want to go into the kitchen and maybe get something to drink?”

  I nodded and followed Alex. Even though she was tired from her newborn, she was beautiful. I only hoped I’d look half as good with so little sleep.