This is my life

Chapter Nine "What did we do?!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my made up characters!

Papers on the dresser caught my eye. I went over to the dresser and touched them. Marriage license. Marriage certificate for Nathaniel Ely and Jade Underwood. Date? Saturday November 17th. Time: 10:45pm.

Clutching the papers, I slid down to the ground in shock. Nate and I were married. A tear slipped down my face and I swiped at it quickly as I heard the bed creak. This could not be freaking happening. No…no…just no.

"Jade?" Nate's voice broke the silence and he crouched down beside me. "What's wrong?"

My hands still shakily clutched the papers stating we were married and Nate gently pulled at them. "What's this?" I let them go and he read them over.

I heard him suck in a surprised breath and he looked back at me. "What is—"

"Apparently we got married last night." I said blankly. How could we be so stupid? How did it even happen? I remembered literally almost nothing about last night.

"I don't remember this happening." Nate looked up at me and I shook my head.

"I don't remember anything from last night, Nate." As hard as I tried, nothing came to mind from last night. I remembered arriving here but that was about it. What had happened? Why did I not remember anything? I doubted that I actually drank anything. There was no way since I was underage. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying as I looked down at my clothing. "And well, that's not the only thing we did that we don't remember."

Nate took in my appearance and his face fell. "Jade, I'm so sorry. I…" Nate seemed at a loss for words. He gently pulled me into his arms and then I started crying. It felt like one of those can't stop, can barely breathe, sobbing endlessly types of crying. I just couldn't help it. What had we done?

….

I glanced over uneasily as I saw Tommy gesturing wildly at Nate. We had just told Tommy and June what had happened—minus the sleeping together part—and Tommy was seemingly lecturing Nate. Loudly. People stared as they walked by in the café we were in and June gently grabbed my hand.

I jumped, being pulled back to where she and I were sitting. My bagel and coffee were untouched but she had eaten her scone and drank her tea. "It's going to be all right you know." June gave me a reassuring smile. "We'll help you and Nate figure this out. Don't keep looking so ashamed. It's not like Nate's some stranger or you're the first one to do it. He's your boyfriend and everyone gets in some trouble in Vegas. We'll get this settled."

Just as she finished, Nate and Tommy rejoined us. "The cab is outside waiting, we should get headed to the airport, or we'll miss our flight."

"Where's Lacy and Jessica?" I asked as neither one of them had shown up yet. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"They're catching a later flight home but we really need to get home." Tommy glanced at my left hand and sighed. I had taken off the diamond ring putting it on my right hand so I didn't have to think about the situation.

A few hours later, we were riding into Three Ponies Ranch and my stomach was churning at the thought of telling Maxine and Luke. I couldn't imagine what my parents would say either. Luckily, I had four days to work this out before seeing them. Tommy and June insisted we needed to be open with our parents about what had happened. They would know who to talk to and what to do.

Nate paid the cab driver and we walked up to the house, neither of us eager to go inside. Just as we entered the kitchen, Nate reached over to grab my hand to let me know I wasn't alone in this.

Maxine smiled as soon as she saw us. "You're home! Oh I was so worried you two would get into some trouble or lose all your money. Who knows what could happen in Vegas!" She hugged me and I looked, panicked, over at Nate. He just shook his head.

"As you can see we're in one piece and we even still have some money." Nate tried to joke but with his tight-lipped smile and strained tone, it was easy to see something was wrong. Maxine looked between the both of us and put her hands on her hips.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly. I noticed the house was quiet and really no one else was around. This was probably our best time and chance to tell her about our "situation.''

"You're going to want to sit down for this." Nate sighed, pulling out a chair for his mother at the kitchen table. "Now it's nothing horrible, we're not in any trouble with the law or anything that bad. It's just we made a mistake while we were there."

"Neither of us remember anything." I blurted out, feeling so ashamed. Nate flashed me a look of irritation but I couldn't help myself. It just came out without me even meaning to say it.

Maxine watched the both of us warily. Nate mumbled something under his breath but then squared his shoulders and looked into his mother's eyes. "Jade and I, we, well, we're married."

I heard a shriek from behind me and something heavy dropping to the ground. I turned around and my stomach dropped when I saw my parents standing there with my brother and Luke. Their faces were pure shock. Quinn came in the door behind them carrying some luggage. He grinned at me, obliviously to the situation. "Surprise!"

I shook my head at Quinn, letting him know something was wrong and he frowned as he noticed my father's reddening face. "Quinn, go outside and check on the horses. Make sure they're all okay." Luke told him sternly.

Obviously confused but understanding something was wrong he disappeared. The silence continued. "What—what are you guys doing here?" I asked surprised and worried all at once. Mom looked near tears, Dad's face was redder than I'd ever saw it, and Chris looked uncomfortable.

No one answered. Maxine gently touched my back as she came to stand by me. "Maybe we should all sit down and talk about what Jade and Nate did."

….

"I can't believe you acted so irresponsibly!" I flinched as my father shouted. Now I wished for the silence. Once they got the shock out of their system, it went from quiet to loud very quickly. "Going to Vegas? Getting married to some guy you've known, what, four months!"

Mom put her hand on Dad's shoulder trying to calm him but he shook it off. "And you say this was accidental? That you don't remember anything, did you take drugs? Were you drinking?"

"No!" I almost shouted back. "Nate and I would never do drugs. We're both too young to drink. I remember getting there and that's it. Then I woke up this morning."

Chris put his arm around my shoulders in support. "Mom, Dad, you know Jade. You know she's not irresponsible and neither is Nate. What happened was a mistake. It happens to people twice their age all the time."

Dad seemed to calm down as he paced some more and thought about Chris's words. "You'll have to get an annulment. Immediately. There is a very short time frame for an annulment. It'll be as if you never got married and you two can go back to being in a regular relationship."

I just sat listening, too much in shock and a bit numb to respond anymore.

…..

I turned over when I heard my bedroom door open. I was laying in the dark, trying to convince myself to sleep. It wasn't working.

"You still awake?" Nate whispered and I wanted to smile but couldn't.

"Yeah, come on in." I scooted over to make room for him. He laid down and pulled me close to him.

"So, pretty mad huh?" He asked, talking of my parents. I nodded. "Mine too. But my dad is quieter." Nate chuckled.

"They want us to get an annulment."

"I know. Mom told me."

I felt Nate's arm gently rubbing my side. "I don't want it—this or the annulment—to change our relationship."

"It won't." Nate assured me and glanced down at me in the dark. "We're not ready to be married. We both know that, it was a Vegas mistake. We'll fix it, and get to know each other more as we have been."

His body tensed a little and he took a deep breath. "Jade, I have to ask. Before the other night, were you a virgin?"

I closed my eyes, holding back the tears and taking a shaky breath before I answered. "Yes."

Nate was quiet and then I was being almost crushed against his chest. "I'm sorry. I am so damn sorry. That is not the way your first time should have gone—we can't even remember it. I—I want to make it up to, somehow."

"By, what, having sex again?" I let out a quick laugh. Nate sighed.

"I don't know. I mean…if you wanted to, I'd make it as special as it should be."

I stilled in his arms. Did I want to now that we already had? Nate was probably a good person to do it with. He was sweet, he cared about me, we were dating—married at the moment. He was someone I wouldn't regret it with. Also, we had already been intimate together even if we couldn't remember it.

"I'm not sure." I admitted. Being intimate was special to me. "Can we kind of take it day by day?"

"Of course we can." He said softly. "So we'll get the annulment, things will settle down, and life will get back to normal."

"We haven't had much of normal lately." I rolled my eyes. "This will be such an unforgettable Thanksgiving."

…

Thursday, November 22nd (Thanksgiving)

"So should I start calling you Mrs. Ely?" Sam asked, petting Scamp. I glared at her and Jen as they both giggled.

"I didn't tell you both so you could tease me." I hissed at her. I glanced back at the barn door. "My dad is still so pissed about everything."

"I can't imagine what my dad would do if I showed up, married to Ryan." Jen mused quietly.

"Probably kill you for making Linc a part of the family." I said amusedly.

"He might have to get used to it." Jen smiled dreamily and I knew she was thinking about a future with Ryan.

I grinned. "Should I start calling you Mrs. Slocum?"

Sam pretended to gag and I laughed at Jen's expression. "Maybe I'll keep my maiden name."

"Good idea." Sam and I said at the same time.

We turned at the sound of Brynna's voice. She was calling us in—it was time for food. "All right, Scamp, you enjoy your time in your nice warm stall. I'll be back for you." I kissed his little pony face and we walked up to the Ely's house.

The Forsters, their cowboys, and the Kenworthy's were having Thanksgiving with us at the Ely's house. Linc was having his own thing with Rachel and Ryan, thank goodness. Mac, Nate's grandfather, was here too. The Ely's were hosting since they had the most space out of the three ranch houses.

When we got inside, I slid in between my mom and Nate. Chris was on the other side of Nate and they were talking about sports. Chris and Nate were becoming fast friends. My mom liked Nate…my dad was still a little stiff with Nate, thinking about the whole wedding thing.

"So how's your training going—with the horse, Boots is it?" Mom asked as we filled our plates with food.

"Good. He's learning so fast and he's picked up everything so well. I've taken it slow with him because he's still young—three—and I've spent a lot of time on the groundwork with him. I think he's ready for a rider—what do you think, Jed?" I turned to the Gold Dust foreman.

He had just scooped up some potatoes when he looked at me. "I agree. In fact, I've been thinking it for weeks."

I flushed. "Ryan and I have been focusing a lot on desensitizing." I told my mom. "And one could say that we baby him."

Jed snorted. "More like would say."

I grinned. "You know that Boots is Ryan's baby."

Jed rolled his eyes and Jen laughed. "That is very true."

"Do we get to watch the first time you get on him?" Quinn grinned over at me, rubbing his hands together. "Maybe it'll be a rodeo."

I laughed. "I don't think Boots is a bronc."

"I still want to be there." Quinn said excitedly.

"You can come but Boots is a sweetheart and has been acing his training." I answered.

"Let's leave the bronc riding to Kit—and Jake." Maxine said, giving Quinn a look. I knew Kit was their oldest brother. He was rarely home as he was competing on the rodeo circuit. I hadn't met him yet. Maxine said he might come home for Christmas.

I glanced at Seth, their other brother who was rarely home. He was working up in Elko and attending school to become a lawyer. I had met him earlier this week. He had the similar Ely looks but had a long black braid down his back and he wore glasses.

I knew Maxine included Jake because he helped train horses with Wyatt, Sam's dad, so he got some crazy rides too.

"Well if Boots turns out to be a bronc, maybe Jake can give me pointers." I smiled at him and he chuckled.

"I'd make sure I was in a western saddle, first of all." Jake commented and I nodded.

"Agreed. I'm not trying to mount a untrained horse in an English saddle. No security."

"It's too bad it's cold outside or you could work him in the water. That's the best way to mount a horse for the first time." Jake said, looking over at Sam. I knew that he had helped her train her horse—who was now the Phantom—and used these methods.

"I'm sure Boots will do fine. You and Ryan have worked with him so much over the last few months, it'll be no surprise to that baby." Lila spoke up from her seat.

"This weekend might be a good idea. Linc's gonna be out of town." Jed looked my way and I smiled as we had the same thought—we didn't want to do this with Linc around.

"Guess we're doing some saddle riding this weekend then." I grinned excitedly.

"We're there!" Quinn crowed and I rolled my eyes along with Sam at his excitement that I might possibly get thrown.

Dinner was mix of conversations—especially with so many people there. I even saw my dad and Jed talking—my dad finally smiling. He had been off ever since Sunday, after finding out about the marriage thing.

I thought about how we went to the courthouse that next day after Nate and I had gotten out of school. Our parents went with us and Seth had met us at the courthouse to help us file for an annulment.

We just had to wait on a hearing date.

Later that night, Nate and I were out in the barn, after I had let out Scamp into the field with the other horses. He had a heck of a time keeping up but he enjoyed being out with the other horses. I smiled when he fell to grazing beside Chip, who was the sweetest of the Ely's horses.

"So…the semester's over in a few weeks." Nate glanced at me as we watched the horses graze.

I swallowed thinking of what I had said a few weeks ago—about leaving in December. "Yeah, it's coming up quick."

"Thinking about what you're gonna do?" Nate asked quietly.

I looked over at Nate. "I…think I was too rash a few weeks ago. I still miss Magic like crazy," Just thinking of her made me ache. "but I still love working with horses so much. Boots, Scamp, Kitty. I think I'm going to stay and keep working towards my degree."

Nate squeezed my hand. "I'm glad you are. I think it's the best decision you could make."

"Because I'll be here with you still or because of my academics?"

"Both." Nate said with a smile. "You might change your mind after you get your degree but at least it'll be a decision made in a calm state of mind, not an emotional one."

"That little pony and Boots have really changed my mind. Saving Scamp and working with Boots made me realize how much I really love it. How much I want to work with horses." I confided in Nate.

He smiled. "I'm just glad you changed your mind."

"Me too."

…

AN: Hey readers! Sorry the delay in updates! I'm back & updating. Hoping to have all my stories finished by the end of 2021!

Thank you for everyone who is still reading and following along! Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter with a review! Check out my other PS fanfics if you haven't already (I have way too many stories!).

If people aren't interested in this story, it may hit the back burner so I can focus on others. So if you want to see this continue, please let me know!

Thanks again for reading!

Always,

QuinnandSeth'sgirl15