“Well, it originally said, bottoms up, bitches, but Anika freaking censored me.”

She scoffs, taking the iPad back from my hands. “Sorry, not everyone considers the word bitch a term of endearment.”

He shrugs his shoulders.

“I love it,” I say, smiling up at my husband with beating hearts in my eyes. “You made it sound so romantic.”

“Yeah,” Anika jeers. “Nothing screams romance like stealing another man’s bride.”

And in one freaking breath she took his warm rendition of our wedding day and shit all over it.

“Are you always so rude?” I snap, my blood simmering.

“It isn’t my job to be nice, sweetheart,” she answers, repacking her bag. “I get paid to keep shit real honest around here. Sorry if your delicate feelings can’t handle it.”

“Enough, Annie.” Lyle rises to his feet, stalking after her toward the door. “As my wife, Sammi now pays a portion of the paycheck you just saw fit to bring up. You’d do well to remember that.”

Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips, which she promptly presses together in a firm line. “Lyle, you and I both know I’m not going anywhere, so cut the shit, huh?” She reaches up to push a tuft of hair back from his eyes, then pats his chest twice. “I’ll be downstairs in my room. Our flight leaves at nine a.m. tomorrow. I’ll see you then if I don’t see you before.”

Tomorrow morning?

I miss the end of their heated conversation, too hung up on the realization that he’s leaving so soon. Of course he is. He only came in to attend my wedding as a guest. Why on earth would he have planned to stay longer than the weekend?

Just when I think my life is coming together, I realize it’s more of a clusterfuck than ever before.

Chapter Seven

“You’re leaving in the morning?”

Her miserable tone hits me right in the chest. I was already up half the night watching her sleep, dreading my looming departure. This time it’s much worse than the last because this time, there’s nothing but my career keeping us apart.

In many ways it was easier to leave when we were younger, than to be tempted by her presence day in and day out. To constantly have the one thing I wanted more than anything else dangled in front of my face.

But she’s finally mine. And even if it’s only for a couple of days at a time, knowing I’m getting on that plane without her feels like the equivalent of ripping off a limb.

“Unfortunately,” I say, shutting and locking the door Anika just exited so she can’t storm back in here and wreak any more havoc on my life. “We’re in the middle of recording the new album in Nashville.”