All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rest sounded so unfamiliar yet so close. Tears streamed down my face as I drowned in my own grief, silently suffering. After a while, sobs slowed to crying, then crying to soft whimpers into Grayson's t-shirt.

He wordlessly handed me a tissue, letting me scrub my eyes and runny nose. "I'm sorry, I'll let you sleep now," I said, still shaking.

"No, please tell me what's wrong," Grayson said, not letting go of me. "Or at least don't just try falling back asleep immediately."

"I miss home," I blurted out.

He looked like I'd punched him in the stomach. "Oh, Jackie," he said helplessly.

"It's silly, it's not like I'm a five year old on vacation," I sniffled. "You've been so nice and I promise, it's really important that I stick around, but I just didn't realize how much I miss it back in Arlington. Maybe having Kylie and Nina around is messing me up, I don't know."

"You don't have to stay," Grayson said, hugging me a little harder. "I can get you on a plane tomorrow morning, okay? We'll confess everything and you can head home with your friends."

I shook my head vigorously. "No, no, I'm fine, really. Just like...I fell in a rain cloud today. But this is fine. I'm going to get you past Laura and we'll have the wedding, then it'll all be over."

"Not for six months. That's a long time," he reminded me.

A brave smile forced its way onto my face. "I can handle it," I said quietly. "Really, Grayson."

"I can't keep asking you to do this, day after day," he said, a crack in his voice.

"You're not asking, I'm demanding that I help you," I said, laughing a little through my sniffles. "I can still take you to court, you big jerk."

"You're still stuck on that, huh?" he sighed, smiling.

"Well it's not like I'll forget."

Grayson chuckled and held me for a moment, tucking my head under his chin as he stared into space. "I'm really sorry I screwed up your life."

"You didn't–"

"Jackie, I don't want to make this sound worse than it is, but your whole life has changed from here on out," he said gravely. "Anywhere you go, you'll be remembered as the girl who divorced Grayson Answell. That will follow you forever. And you'll always have an ex-husband, no matter how peaceful our divorce appears. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for that."

"It was an accident, Grayson," I said softly. "Yes, maybe we've sort of dragged it into this huge thing, but we still would've gotten married that night. It's not your fault, we weren't ourselves. I know neither of us would ever marry someone they met that day."

He smiled wearily. "You're pretty wise for a girl who married someone she met in a day."

"I try," I said, returning the sad smile. We both knew the insane amount of pressure and insanity we were wrapped up in with this whole mess, and it was beginning to catch up to us.

"Sorry it's so late," I said sheepishly. "We can sleep now."

"Actually, are you up for a three-in-the-morning snack?" Grayson asked, trying to lighten the depressing mood.

I quickly hugged him, saying, "A snack sounds great."

I yelped as he scooped me up as he stood, carrying me like a koala. Peeking out the door, Grayson carried me down the hall and into a small kitchen. It was nowhere near the size of the main kitchen downstairs, or even the fake kitchen I knew Laura had never used in her life. It was slightly larger than a kitchenette, with black granite countertops and black cupboards.