Page 66 of Paradise & Vodka

"And does he get the inheritance in full?" Nick questioned. "Because if he does, he can just divorce you right away, right?"

"As far as I know, it’s paid in full, but again, the spousal protection law."

"And what is that?" Joss asked.

"I get half or a payout if Doug leaves me out of his will, or I get something while we're married."

"Unless he divorces you after he gets the inheritance," Paul stated.

"Aw, man," Nick groaned. "You got played. That's exactly what he's going to do."

"What?" Everleigh blinked.

"He's right." I shook my head slowly.That fucking asshole."He conned you."

"I don't understand."

I grabbed her hands and faced her the best I could in the seat of the plane. "He never intended to stay married to you after he gets his money."

"I don't believe this." She looked out the tiny window. "I thought I was—"

"Hey"—I squeezed her hands that were still in mine—"it's okay. We'll figure this out."

I didn't know how, but I’d help with the medical bills for my father. I had to. Even though they had tried to shut me out, I still loved my family.

The party seemed to die at the realization that my sister had been duped, and eventually, everyone fell asleep. After we landed in Vegas, Paul and Joss took my family to check into a hotel. They were going to stay a few days before getting a flight home. Everleigh still hadn't heard from Douglas, and the four bodies that had been found hadn't been identified the last Joss checked.

Gabe offered to take Nick and me home. When we pulled up to my townhouse, Nick followed me to the door.

"Tell your boss to charge the same credit card for the extra days," I said as we stood outside my door.

Nick grunted. "I don't want your money. We almost died."

"I know, but—"

"But nothing. It wasn't your fault there was a natural disaster."

"But it was my fault we were kidnapped."

He cupped my cheek. "We don't know whose fault it was. For all we know, Dougie hired those guys to murder Everleigh."

My eyes widened. "You think so?"

Nick shrugged. "After learning about the agreement, I wouldn't put it past that fucker."

I closed my eyes briefly, Nick's hand still on my cheek. "I can't believe all of this."

"Me either." He finally dropped his hand, and I knew our time together was about to end. "But honestly, up until the tsunami warning, I had a really great time."

"Me too," I agreed, and then admitted before I realized the words were leaving my mouth, "I couldn't imagine spending those days with anyone else."

He leaned in and softly pressed his lips to mine. "Me either. Are you going to be okay tonight?"

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

"We went through some shit. Are you okay being alone?"

"I—"