Her Reluctant Husband by Erica Marselas (summer beach reads txt) 📗

"I am. Now if you don’t mind.” I pick up another mini quiche about to head back to the dance floor to reclaim June when Whitney grabs my shoulder.

“All I’m doing is trying to protect you. I care.”

“It’s not your job.” I knock her hand off.

“As your loyal PA, it is. I mean, look at her.” Whitney points over to June who is now walking towards the clubhouse with Raf Maglio. He has his arm around her lower back, whispering into her ear, making her giggle.

I left her to dance with Adrian and she walks off with him? Raf’s reputation around the office with women is worse than mine.

“They look rather cozy, don’t they?”

“Cut it out, Whitney. I’m sure they’re just talking?”

“Talking?” Whitney laughs. “Okay.” She sips on her champagne. “But it doesn’t look like just talking to me.”

Raf and June laugh loudly. A true laugh leaving her sweet lips. Something that took me months to make her do. Her cheeks are flushed, loving his attention. June says something to him and Raf grins nodding towards the clubhouse. He wraps his arm tighter around her back and leads her inside. I tighten my fingers around my glass and my jaw ticks. What the hell is she doing?

I don’t like this one bit.

Why are they so friendly?

“Look. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did the same thing with him like she did with all those other guys when she was in high school.” She makes a fist, putting it to her mouth, and makes a sucking motion while her tongue pops out her cheek.

“What other guys?”

“Come on, like you don’t know.” Whitney nudges me. “She got around when she was in high school. Gave it away for free.”

“She—”

“She did,” she cuts me off sternly. “You remember Bradly, surely. The one she cheated on you with.”

“She was hooking up with Bradley in the bathroom right before they left. Bradly was all over her all night, getting her drinks. Then they disappeared into the bathroom for quite some time. He walked out looking pleased as punch and her lipstick was a mess. But then she wanted to leave. So, she forced your sister to leave. Your sister tried to stop her, but June made her go, dragging her out the door.”

“She wouldn’t.” I try to shake off the memory, but I’m hearing it as loud as day, staring at the clubhouse, waiting for her to reappear. Why did she go off with Raf of all people?

“Why? Because she’s now married to you?” Whitney rolls her eyes. “Give me a break.”

I fix my tie. “She’s not like that anymore.” She’s not. I haven’t seen anything remotely like that in June. She’s the girl who always tenses slightly when I touch her. She’s always home. But she is drifting away again.

“Keep believing that. I bet if you were to go in there, you would find them together.”

“No, I’m going to prove you wrong.”

Whitney shrugs as I storm away to the clubhouse. I enter a dining room, tables dressed in white cloth, the silverware, and wine glasses all laid out ready for a later dinner affair, but there’s no one around. I move into a large hall, and that’s when I see Raf coming down the large staircase, putting back on his suit jacket. But no sign of June.

“Raf,” I call out to him, as I stomp my way over to him.

“Hey, man.” He grins and slaps my arm. “What’s up?”

"Where's my wife?"

"Oh, June?” I nod and he glances up the stairwell, and his smile gets larger. “I just left her in the bathroom. The private one upstairs so she could be alone. Man, I had no idea she was your wife. She is something…"

That’s all it takes to ignite the bomb in me.

I shove past him, ignoring Raf calling my name behind me as I race up the stairs. The hall is quiet, the rest of the guests outside mingling and having a good time while I’m in the middle of a firestorm.

I find the private women’s bathroom and hear some shuffling around. I shake the door handle, expecting to find it locked, but it’s not. It only fuels my rage, and I push the door open with a slam. I find her standing in front of the mirror fixing her damn lipstick. Every image I ever imagined of what she did that night with Bradly comes rushing through my head in a flash. It’s like I’m getting a full play by play on the big screen.

“Alex?” June screeches, dropping her lipstick to the sink. “Fuck, what if I was peeing? Why would you just bust in here like that?”

“Maybe you should have locked it, but then I guess, why would you?”

Her eyebrows dip. “I did, or I thought…what is going on?”

“You almost had me fooled.”

“What?”

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Win people over? You've been doing it since I've known you. You’re doing it today. Wrapping everyone around your little finger. You did it to me.”

“I'm not doing anything.”

“No? Because you sure looked very comfortable and cozy with Raf.” I spit out the words Whitney said to me, but they feel bitter and poisonous as I say them out loud. I don’t care right now though; I’m burning inside. They came in here alone. Why did she need to come to this bathroom? Away from everyone?

She blinks at me but doesn’t say a word which only adds fuel to my raging fire.

“You did the same thing to me once. Made me think the world of you, till you ruined it that night.”

“So, we’re doing this again.” She scoffs, throwing her lipstick into her purse. “I don’t know what brought this on, but it’s time to change the