A FILTHY Marriage (Filthy Line Book 4) Page 9

  “It happened fast,” Jay said. “You know me. It’s how I live.”

  “Hey, give the guy a break,” Sab said. “He didn’t kill anyone.”

  “This is insane,” Toby said. “I don’t know how to respond to this.”

  I looked at Liv. “What do you think, Liv?”

  “Me? What…”

  “Or you, Candice?” I asked. “Or even Abby. You three say something.”

  “Well, we all know I’m used to this life,” Abby said. “I’m surprised you all haven’t been married ten times already.”

  “I like that answer,” I said.

  “I don’t have anything to say,” Candice said. “I mean, it is what it is…”

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “Leave them out of this,” Nash said. “This is your fire to play in.”

  “I’m not playing in any fires,” I said.

  “What do I say to this?” Toby asked. “Huh?”

  “There’s nothing to say. It’s my personal business. Fuck anyone who says something.”

  “You’re going to get hounded when we land,” Dex said.

  “Shit,” Reed said. “I’m not in the mood for that.”

  “I’ll take it on,” I said. “It’s my thing. My personal life. My marriage.”

  Toby sighed.

  He stopped talking.

  Then he stood up and left me alone.

  I turned my head to the other side and shut my eyes.

  I already knew everyone was right about this.

  It was crazy. Probably stupid. Definitely a bad decision.

  None of that bothered me.

  I slowly drifted off to sleep.

  As a rock star… and a married man.

  10

  WREN

  Thankfully we were all tired.

  That meant we all took naps on the flight home.

  When we landed and exited the plane, all I wanted to do was get home.

  We didn’t have to wait for any luggage, which was good.

  Nia and Jack were arm in arm, all over each other, dying to get to one of their houses so they could jump back into bed together.

  Jack only had two friends show up in Vegas and those two friends had flown home on a different flight.

  I didn’t understand anything about the guy, but I didn’t need to.

  He wasn’t my problem.

  I had my own guy problem to deal with.

  I got my bag and hurried toward the airport door.

  When I got outside, the LA warmth hit me, along with the rumble of engines and horns beeping.

  As I stood there, waiting for the others to catch up to me, I noticed someone looking at me.

  It was a woman.

  She held up her phone and kept staring at me.

  “Excuse me,” I called out. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s… you…” She smiled. “Can I ask you a few questions? I knew you were going to fly into here. The others thought you’d be on the private jet.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Lola and Audrey came up next to me.

  “What’s going on?” Lola asked.

  “We have to go,” I said.

  “Wren, wait!” the woman called out.

  “Why does she know your name?” Audrey asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “We have to go now.”

  I looked to my right and saw Nia and Jack getting into a car.

  I hurried to the curb and looked left to right.

  I was going to run and hide between cars to get away from the woman.

  “I just want to hear the story!” the woman called out.

  “There is no story,” I said.

  “Who is that?” Lola asked.

  “Nobody,” I said.

  The woman then started to take my picture.

  “She’s taking our picture,” Audrey said. “Hell no…”

  “Audrey, stop,” I said.

  Audrey walked toward the woman.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  “Hey, who are you?” Audrey asked the woman. “What’s your deal?”

  “I just wanted to ask Wren about Jay,” the woman said.

  “Jay?” Audrey asked.

  I finally managed to get the attention of someone in a car.

  “I have a ride for us,” I called out. “Audrey, let’s go. Ignore her.”

  The woman wasn’t done yet.

  “What’s it like being married to a rock star?” the woman yelled.

  “Married?” Audrey asked.

  “To a rock star?” Lola threw in there.

  I dove into the car, then buried my face in my hands.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  That was Lola’s reaction.

  Audrey’s had a few curse words in the mix.

  Then they both stared at me.

  “You were with Jay this morning?” Lola asked.

  I shook my head.

  “Wren, this is online,” Audrey said. “It’s being shared on social media. It’s trending… it’s… it’s real.”

  “I know it’s real,” I said.

  “Do you have a ring?” Lola asked.

  “It’s in my bag.”

  “Shit, Nia just texted me,” Audrey said. “She wants to meet up.”

  “She’s ditching some fun in bed with Jack?” Lola asked.

  “Look, we can talk at the house,” I said. “Outside. I don’t want Grams to hear this. Believe me, this is nothing. It’s going to go away in a day. I’m a nobody. It was a wild night. A mistake. It’s going to be taken care of. Okay?”

  “Are you sure about that?” Lola asked.

  “Very sure,” I said.

  We rode in silence to the house, where Nia was waiting.

  Her car stayed and waited. With Jack in the backseat.

  Audrey had to pay the driver of our car to wait a few minutes so I could tell the story about Jay.

  Even though there was no story.

  “It’s a blur,” I said to all three. “A blur, okay?”

  “Look at this picture of you,” Nia said. “I mean… you look happy.”

  “I’m not happy,” I said. “This isn’t real. It was a big mistake.”

  “You got married in Vegas,” Audrey said with a grin.

  I pointed to her. “Do not smile at that.”

  “Wow,” Lola said. “I was just hoping you’d have some fun. But getting married…”

  “I didn’t even have fun,” I said.

  “No sex?” Nia asked.

  “None. I passed out. I was so drunk. That’s the point I’m making. I was drunk. The entire thing is that…”

  “How did this happen?” Lola asked.

  I sighed. “I wandered off and ended up at some club. I got into an argument with the security guard and Jay came outside. We started talking and he invited me in. So I met the band and-”

  “You met the band?” Audrey asked. “FILTHY LINE?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I had a few drinks and started blabbing.”

  “What did you say?” Nia asked.

  “I told Jay about your wedding, Nia. That’s why I was in a dress and in Vegas for one night. And we just kind of kept drinking and talking. At some point, the idea of getting married came up and I wasn’t in the right mind to say no.”

  “Wow, Wren,” Lola said. “You really took the whole have fun for one night and made it stick.”

  “Nothing is sticking,” I said. “I’m going to figure out the paperwork today. This is nothing.”

  “You’re kind of famous,” Nia said.

  “Just don’t read the comments,” Audrey said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “People are brutal,” Lola said.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  I reached for my phone.

  It was easy to find the picture of Jay and I.

  It was posted all over social media. And people who knew me were already sharing the posts and tagging me in them.

  The comme
nts…

  They ranged from she looks beautiful! to what a whore… Jay should have married me.

  Then I saw a comment insinuating that I married Jay for money because my grandmother was dying.

  That made me gasp.

  “This…,” I pointed. “This is bad. This is a lie. How do I get this offline?”

  “You don’t,” Nia said.

  I looked at her.

  She would know.

  It was her job to handle a crisis like this.

  “What do I do, Nia?” I asked.

  “You can’t get ahead of it,” she said. “It’s too late for that. So… maybe arrange an interview. I can help. Sit down and talk with someone. Find out how you want to spin it. It’s going to be tough. You’re a smart, beautiful, professional woman. If you say it was a mistake, you might look stupid. Maybe you should just own it. You got married. Leave me alone. And then break it off behind the scenes. This is just a hot story right now.”

  “Maybe you can convince Jay to do something else,” Lola said. “Something crazier for attention.”

  “Maybe,” Nia said. “Damn, Wren, I wished you would have said something sooner. I could have helped more. Let me think on this.”

  “So, wait a second,” Audrey said. “I’m still processing this. You… Wren… are married to Jay… the guitarist from FILTHY LINE?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Audrey put her head back and let out a deep breath. “Wow. This is unbelievable.”

  “I know it is,” I said. “Nia, if you think of anything, let me know. I just need to go think. Maybe I can get this ended quietly.”

  “I guess that depends on Jay,” Lola said with a grin.

  “What’s with that grin?” I asked.

  “I can’t believe my best friend married a rock star in Vegas,” she said. “It’s so cool.”

  “It’s not cool at all,” I said.

  “Okay, let me think,” Nia said. “Let me get home and settled.”

  “And sleep with Jack, what, four more times?” Audrey asked.

  “I’ll make it five,” Nia said. “He’ll pass out and I’ll get to work.”

  “Either way, Wren, own the story,” Lola said. “I’m sorry, I know it’s all crazy and messed up, but just go with it. What’s the worst that happens?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to think about that.”

  I hugged them all one at a time.

  They left smiling.

  I went inside my house definitely not smiling.

  “There she is,” Bethany called out from the kitchen.

  “How’s Grams?” I asked.

  I dropped my bag and walked toward her room.

  “She’s good,” Bethany said. “Uh…we need to talk…before…”

  “In a minute,” I said. “I just need to see Grams. I need to hug her. It’s been…”

  I shook my head.

  “Wren, wait…,” Bethany said.

  Telling me to wait to see Grams only made me want to see her more.

  I ran to the door, expecting something to be wrong.

  When I opened the door and Grams saw me, she smiled bigger than I had ever seen her smile before.

  “Grams,” I said.

  “Well… where is he?” she asked.

  “Where’s who?” I asked.

  She clapped her hands together. “I want to meet your husband!”

  My heart sank.

  I stepped back out of the room and turned.

  Bethany was right there. “I wanted to talk to you first…”

  “How?” I asked.

  “She saw something on TV. Some kind of breaking news thing.”

  “TV?” I asked. “I’m on TV?”

  Bethany nodded. “She was watching the gossipy channel. Wren, what happened last night?”

  “I think you know the answer to that,” I said.

  “Wren!” Grams yelled. “Where’d you go? Are you bringing that hunky rock star in here to meet me?”

  “She’s been like this all morning,” Bethany said. “She’s so excited for you. She thinks it was your wedding all along.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She thinks you didn’t want her to feel bad for not being there,” Bethany said. “That it was your wedding. So you told her it was Nia’s.”

  “Oh, god,” I said. “This is getting worse by the second.”

  “There were people here earlier,” Bethany said. “I chased them off. They wanted to talk to you.”

  “They know where I live?” I asked.

  “It’s a small world now a days, Wren. I told them about Grams. That they weren’t allowed here because of it.”

  So that means Grams will be pulled into this messy story.

  Oh, I needed Nia to figure out something. Or I needed to call Jay again.

  We needed to talk for real.

  He was rich. He was famous. He was meant for this kind of life.

  I wasn’t.

  And Grams wasn’t either.

  “Let me talk to her,” I said to Bethany. “I have to figure this out.”

  I stepped back into the room.

  Grams put her arms out.

  I smiled and hugged her.

  She squeezed me with a strength she hadn’t had in months.

  “Grams…”

  “I’m so happy for you,” she said. “I knew something was up. The way you were acting. I just knew it. I’m not mad at you. I wish I could have been there for you. But I get it. You didn’t want me to push myself.”

  “Grams, it’s not that.”

  I broke the hug.

  She grabbed my hand. “Where’s your ring?”

  “In my bag,” I said.

  “What about the engagement ring? How long were you engaged? Or was this is a fast thing?”

  “It was fast…”

  “That’s okay!” she yelled. “You know me. I’m not into tradition. I think you should make your own tradition. It’s wonderful!”

  “Grams… I need to tell you something.”

  “What? And where is he?”

  “He’s on a private jet,” I said. “Probably landed by now. Well, I’m sure of it. Private and all…”

  “Okay,” she said. “He had to fly with the band?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, call his ass up,” she said. “I want to meet him. Someone stole my granddaughter away!”

  “No,” I said. “Nobody stole me, Grams. I’m right here. It was just one night away. Nothing is going to change.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Grams said. “You can’t be married and not live together. I don’t think he’s going to want to live here. Do you think he’d have an old woman like me living in his mansion? Oh, now that’s the way to go. Being in a mansion…”

  I hung my head and my eyes filled with tears.

  She was excited like a kid on Christmas morning.

  And I was going to have to break her heart…

  I lifted my head.

  Grams was smiling ear to ear.

  “Grams…”

  “What?” she asked, so cheery.

  “I’m…” I licked my lips. I took a deep breath. “I’m going to give him a call and see what’s going on right now.”

  I couldn’t do it.

  At least not yet.

  Grams clapped her hands together again.

  She was almost bouncing in the bed.

  I left the bedroom and put my back against the wall.

  I started to realize just how bad I had messed things up.

  11

  JAY

  As soon as we touched down, I saw the paparazzi waiting.

  I looked at the rest of the band and they were not happy with me over it.

  I smiled. It reminded me of the old days. Before these guys started falling in love.

  When we’d go out on tour and do something crazy then come back home to dozens of paparazzi and reporters wanting to hear the story. At least our version of the story. We were always masters of
spinning things ten times over to keep everyone guessing.

  Now…

  Yeah, they were definitely pissed at me over the whole thing.

  “I’ll go out first,” I said before anyone else spoke. “Let them come after me. Then you all sneak out and grab your ride home.”

  “And what ride are you taking?” Nash asked.

  “And where are you going?” Dex asked.

  “Don’t know and not sure,” I said.

  “So, not to bring up two sore subjects here,” Reed said, “but you have to figure out this marriage thing. And we have to figure out the Mitchy thing.”

  “There is no Mitchy thing,” Nash said. “If he’s in Jay’s beach house, that’s on him.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Just everyone split up for today. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Sab turned around and looked at me. “You okay, man?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You know this is crazy, right? You have to admit it. I’m supportive of it. But it’s still fucking crazy.”

  “So what?” I asked. “It’s crazy. How’s it going to hurt everyone in the band? I met some woman, she was down on her luck, and we got married. I don’t value marriage. I don’t give a shit about it.”

  “And that’s her take on things?” Liv asked me.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “I’m going to have to meet up with her. Track down the old ball and chain, huh?”

  Liv shook her head.

  I snapped my fingers. “Hey, if I need a good spin on the story, can I count on you?”

  “No,” Nash said.

  “Oh, I’d love to write this one,” Liv said.

  I stood up and got my bag and my guitar. “Just do what I said. Hang here. I’ll take this on. It’s my mess. It’s just Jay being Jay…”

  I took two steps and Dex stood up. “You didn’t even invite us.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You got married and didn’t invite us,” he said.

  I looked behind me. “Is that why you’re all pissed?”

  Nash shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe.”

  “I mean, that would have been one hell of a party to have,” Reed said.

  “I would have loved to have dressed up,” Abby said. “I could have been a slutty bridesmaid, like in a music video.”

  I slowly smiled. “I think you’re all as crazy as me.”