Always Almost Married

Jaxon Slater and I had lived as a married couple for five years, but we had never made it official.

Every time we went to City Hall to sign the papers, Lisa Clark, Jaxon's coworker, found a way to derail it.

The first time, she did not know how to format a document, so he stayed behind at the office to help her.

The second time, she came down with a fever. He hung up on me mid-call and left without a backward glance.

The third time, she had a performance review. He got so caught up in it that he left me at City Hall for an entire day.

It happened fifteen times. Every attempt to make our marriage legal was interrupted by something involving her.

I saw the pattern for what it was. A man like that was not worth keeping.

Thus, I left for good.

And the moment I did, he came after me as if nothing else in his life mattered.

Today marked my fifth anniversary with Jaxon. It was also the fifteenth time we had scheduled a trip to City Hall to get officially married.

We had agreed to meet at noon at his favorite restaurant, have lunch, then go together.

I wrapped up my work and arrived on time. That was when I saw them. A crowd filled the space, loud and scattered across the dining room.

I paused in the doorway. Something tightened in my chest.

I looked at Jaxon and waited for an explanation.

"Anna, you're here." He spotted me and waved. "Lisa closed a big deal today. Everyone wanted to celebrate, but they couldn't get a reservation anywhere, so I brought them all here. More people, more fun, right?"

The pressure in my chest deepened. I had spent half a month securing that reservation. The entire city of Avella had only one restaurant that served the Suverian-style dishes Jaxon loved, and I had wanted to give him the most perfect anniversary we had ever had.

He did not seem to notice.

"Hey, Annabelle!" Lisa Clark, Jaxon's coworker, smiled at me from his side. "I really didn't want to crash your date, but Jax insisted on celebrating for me. You're not mad, are you?"

I shook my head and pushed the hurt somewhere quieter. "Of course not."

"Then sit down!" Lisa said brightly, but she made no move to offer me the seat beside Jaxon.

I took the one across from them.

"Jax, this piece is too fatty. I don't want it." Lisa pouted and pushed the meat aside.

Without a word, Jaxon reached over, picked up the half-eaten piece from her plate, and put it in his mouth. He did not even glance up. He did it with the ease of habit.

I sat very still.

Jaxon would not share a glass of water with me after I had drunk from it. I had learned that early on. Now he ate food she had already bitten into without hesitation.

My appetite