Page 31 of Love & Other Drunken Mistakes
She blinks and her brow furrows. “I’m talking about Saturday night? After, well … I just wanted someone to talk to. We didn’t sleep together, in case he implied we did.”
“Saturday night,” I repeat slowly, still not following any of this. “You talked to Richard.”
“Yes.”
“And you think he tattled on you and I came to his office to confront him?”
“Tattled is a childish word, but yes.”
It would be so easy to let her think her questionable choices on Saturday night are what led me here instead of my own. It would also be a dick move. “Theresa, I’m not here because you went to an old boyfriend for comfort after a disaster of a night ending in a breakup. I’m here to see Richard because I need a lawyer. I didn’t even remember he was your ex-boyfriend.”
She blinks at me. “But why would you need a Family Law attorney? And why would you go to someone other than me?”
Fuck.There really is no way to explain this except to rip the band-aid off and expose the whole story. “Because after dinner on Saturday night I went to a bar and got drunk. I met a man and we … got married.” I try to smile but my lips just squirm in discomfort.
Theresa stares at me without saying anything.
“We came to Richard to seek an annulment.”
“An annulment,” she repeats, her voice faint. She slowly walks toward the large conference table. Instead of sitting in one of the dozens of chairs, she leans against the table, facing me. Her hands grip the edge until her knuckles turn white. “You’re married.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’m still kind of shocked about it too.”
“You didn’t mention anything yesterday.”
It’s not a question, but I explain myself as if it were one anyway. “I wasn’t sure if it was legitimate. We had to visit the County Clerk this morning to confirm it.”
She huffs in exasperation. “So you were going to keep it a secret if it turned out to be fake?”
You were planning to keep Richard a secret.I keep the jab to myself, not wanting to start a full-blown fight. “Yeah, probably.”
“Were you planning to keep the annulment a secret too? Is that why you went to another attorney?”
I don’t answer but she can read the truth in my silence. If I could keep it a secret, I would have.
“Okay.” She takes a deep breath and nods firmly. “You don’t need Richard. I’ll handle your annulment.”
I stare at her for a second, stunned. “What?”
She straightens up and takes both of my hands in hers. “We can’t be together if you’re married to someone else and, frankly, I’d rather be involved with the process than sit on the sidelines while you try to fix your mistake.”
“What?” I should probably think of something else to say but it’s the only word I can manage.
“Annulments are tricky, but if you were drunk, we have a good case. In fact, we might even have a civil case against whoever married you while you were too intoxicated to consent. They should have their ordination stripped from them at the very least.” Her brow furrows as she works through the problem. “How did you get married so quickly? The County Clerk’s office was closed for the weekend by the time we finished dinner.”
“Virtual Vows,” I reply, my voice faint. She’s moving too fast for me to keep up.
“We’ll investigate them too.” She squeezes my hands until her nails dig into my skin, but I don’t think she even notices. “This never should have happened, Alex. It’s going to be a long, difficult road, but you and I will get through it together.”
“And Euan.”
Her brow furrows. “Who?”
“My husband.”
She laughs, the sound strained and disjointed. “He’s not really your husband.”
“He is until the annulment goes through.” I don’t know why I’m arguing. I just don’t want him to be forgotten in this equation. This isn’t ‘Theresa and Iagainst the world.’ This is Euan and I trying to navigate a situation that impacts us both. If anyone doesn’t belong in the picture, it’s her.
