Page 25 of Colin (The Doherty Mafia)
She pulled the sheets up around her to cover herself, and I wished she didn’t, but said nothing about it.
It wasn’t like she was actually my wife. Like I could actually tell her what to do.
“Last night was…” she began to say, and when I turned to her, she smiled. Apparently, she didn’t have the words to describe what the previous night had meant to her.
“Yeah, it was fun.”
She nodded. She still hadn’t made a move to get out of bed or put on her clothes.
“But I have to leave,” I added.
“Oh! Another fun day out with your brothers?” she asked brightly.
I fixed a hard stare on her.
“Not really. Today is the day I leave Las Vegas. The weekend is over.” Even as I said the words, they sat heavy on me.
Why was this so difficult to do? Why did I give a shit?
Marley shifted uncomfortably, choosing to look away from me and stare out the window instead.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be over so quickly.”
“I have some pressing stuff to get back to,” I replied.
I tried to get her to look at me again but she refused. I didn’t know what she was thinking. Was she sad? I didn’t think anyone would care if they saw me again or not.
“Somehow, I’d managed to forget either of us have real lives to lead. Outside this hotel room,” she continued speaking in a hollow voice.
“I’ll get the lawyers working on our case as soon as I get back. You should leave me your number and maybe your address too so they can get in touch, Marley Price,” I said.
She finally looked back at me, but there was a knock on the door just then. It was room service with our breakfast.
I opened the door and the guy walked in with the food, leaving it all on the coffee table. Once he’d left and I shut the door, I turned to her again. Marley’s eyes were shining like she just had a bright idea.
“Or why don’t I go with you?” she said.
For a few moments I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. Go with me where?
Then she jumped out of bed, pulling the sheets with her.
“Come on! It’ll be fun. We could pretend to be actually married to each other. It doesn’t have to be over just yet, does it?” she said with her big blue eyes.
This felt like madness. Was she for real?
But Marley was excited, pumped full of energy as she poured herself a big cup of coffee from the pot, dragging the sheets with her around the room.
“I think it’ll be just perfect, don’t you?”
“Are you fuckin’ serious?” I growled.
But she didn’t seem bothered by my tone at all. Instead, she turned to me with a smile filling her face.
“Absolutely serious. I don’t have to actually be here. I’m kinda…in between jobs,” she confessed.
“In between jobs?”
She shrugged and rolled her eyes.
“Okay, I’ll admit it. I was let go. The company I was working for dissolved my department, and I was the newest employee so I was fired. Last to come in, first to go out—that sort of thing.”
This didn’t seem to bother her that much, but maybe that was why she seemed so upset when she woke up and found the ring on her finger. Maybe she was feeling lost and defeated and now this new idea sounded like an adventure to her.
“So you want to come to New York with me?”
“Why not? It’s not like I’m doing anything else. And won’t it be easier for your lawyers to take care of this annulment business if I’m right there to physically and quickly sign the papers?”
She had a point. Besides, this plan sounded exciting to me too—as much as I tried denying it. The idea of spending more time with Marley was a good one.
I cleared my throat and ran a hand through my hair.
“I have a big ass family and I’m pretty close to them,” I admitted.
“So you’re afraid of being embarrassed by me? By having to admit what we did?”
I said nothing and she threw her head back and laughed.
“Yeah, don’t worry, I get it. We don’t have to tell them the truth, do we?”
She didn’t know my family. They would eventually figure it out whether I gave them the facts or not. Besides, Aidan knew already.
“I don’t want you to end up feeling like I’m taking advantage of you in some way.”
“Why would I? This is my idea. I love New York.”
“We live in a small town, not actually in New York City.”
Marley shrugged.
“But you work in the city right?”
I didn’t want to have to explain it to her. She had no idea what she was voluntarily getting herself into.
“Look, before you make the decision to come with me, there are a few things you should know about me and my family first,” I said.
