Page 46 of The Quirky Vet

"Where exactly do things stand with you guys?" Linus asks, bringing out his boss voice.

I leave the piles of clothes and rake a hand through my hair. "Dunno. We're still sorting things out."

The guys still think we're figuring out a way to dissolve our marriage. They're unaware of our, uh, shifting feelings.

"It turns out getting it annulled is a little harder than we anticipated," I answer, repeating what the lawyer told Fitz, who'd relayed it to me. It's actually a pretty rare thing in Australia. "You need to meet certain conditions, which we don't."

"Like what?" Wilby asks, scraping a chair across the floor before flipping it around and sitting on it.

"Like bigamy. Or a prohibited relationship. You know, like between a parent and their kid. That sort of thing."

"But marrying your best mate's son would be fine?" Wilby teases, smiling at an unimpressed-looking Linus. "Hypothetically."

"Yeah, that's fine." I play along. "As long as everyone is of legal age."

"Let's get back to Muir and Fitz," Linus says, unamused, clearly having had his fill of teasing for the day.

"So long story short, we're still married and exploring options."

Wilby nods, and Linus is quiet for a while then says, "I actually wasn't asking about the legal stuff, I wanted to know how things arebetweenthe two of you."

There's something about the way he saysbetweenthat makes me know exactly what he's talking about.

I play dumb. "I don't know what you mean."

He studies me for a long beat. "Okay. Well, if you ever do figure out what I mean, we're always here for you to talk to."

"Thanks." I drop my gaze to the floor. "Appreciate that."

"But you guys are going to Pride, right?" Wilby checks.

"Of course." I zip up my backpack and fling it over my shoulder. We go every year. Everyone in town does. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

It's one of the biggest events on the Scuttlebutt social calendar. It's a true-blue celebration of diversity. Everyone is welcome and celebrated.

"Who knows?" Wilby says with a grin. "Maybe going to Pride as a married couple might help you figure some shit out."

I roll my eyes. "You're an idiot."

He doesn't stop grinning. "We'll see."

8

Fitz

I open the front door, and Muir immediately shields his face.

"My eyes, my eyes!" he declares dramatically before lowering his hand and taking a proper look at me in my stunning outfit. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

I stretch my arms wide. "I'd call it art, but I don't want to sound pretentious."

He lets out an exaggeratedpfft. "I'd call it a visual eyesore, but I don't want to hurt your feelings."

I smile. "Aw, I really do have the best husband in the world. Come 'ere, you."

I grab Muir by the hand, and we kiss. He flattens his palm against my bare chest, and a jolt of electricity zaps through me. His hand slides down my body, and I try to focus on his lips against mine, but all I can feel is the glide of his palm against my skin as he goes lower and lower. When he stops just above my belly button and lifts his hand off me, I can't help but be a little disappointed.

Yeah. That's a new development.