Mia awoke, flicked her eyelids, clearing the cloudiness away so she could sure she was in fact looking at the overstated gold light fixture. Her intoxication the night before had left her mouth hot, sticky and thirsty. She sighed, stretched her hands in front of her. She ached all over, but it was not a bad feeling. Only exhaustion – payment for the night of wild abandonment she had indulged. Four in the morning – the sun had yet to rise, yet a beam of light flickered and reflected – from her finger. She sat up straight, surprised and startled by the lavish trinket.

"Damn." she muttered. It had finally happened. Her boyfriend, Roman had finally stepped up after five long years of her silently hoping. And she should have been happy, completely ecstatic – except she could not remember. The special moment that she had vowed to only experience once in her life was a complete blank in her mind, a memory lost as if someone had accidentally deleted the most precious of pictures from her laptop's hard drive.

Sulking wouldn't help, so she focused on the positive. She was Mrs. Reigns. Finally. It had taken him long enough. She smiled and glanced at the bulge beside her, covered above his head by the thick, gold comforter of the Las Vegas bed. She tucked herself beneath it, moved closer and wrapped her arms around his well toned waist. He stirred, moaning. No doubt feeling the hangover that she had never once been tortured with, no matter how many she downed.

A future she had been scared to dream of for so long graced her mind. And that real estate listing she had casually showed him – a subtle hint – was still available and possible! Life was finally as it should be – perfect. She wanted kids and he had never been sure, but he had not been sure about marriage either, so she knew he would come around eventually. She wanted four. A nice even number. Hopefully two boys and two girls as she had always wanted. Perhaps a one set of twins. A perfect family, not too big, or too small. Just right.

She closed her eyes and saw the photos. The large backyard, the wooden play-set, the immense laughter she would experience watching Roman and his best friend, Randy, trying to figure out how to erect it. The two had always provided her with entertainment and she could just imagine the teasing Randy would give the both of them when they joined him and his flavor of the weekend for breakfast the next morning.

It had been Randy's idea to fly away to Vegas on a whim and she had been unsure about calling in to work, knowing that by doing so put her employment in jeopardy. In the rising sun's glory, she had no regrets. She could find another job and doubted she would have had another chance to marry her long time sweetheart.

Roman was a reserved kind of man. Sweet, sensitive, yet cold at the same time. Romantic gestures were not his style, neither was putting his affection on display. She guessed the drink had loosened his resolve and she also knew he would not back out. She shook the feelings of entrapment out of her mind. She had done no such thing. Not once had she ever begged for his ever lasting commitment. Always, she accepted that their relationship had reached its peak and it had been fine. Up until that moment it had been. Now, she couldn't imagine going back to alternating nights at one another's apartments. There was no way he would want to keep that arrangement now that she was his wife.

"Good morning, baby." Purring lovingly with another stir of the muscular form beside her. He jumped and the blanket flew off of him, his head and shoulder twisted and steel blue eyes grew wide with shock, instant knowledge and complete devastation

No. No. No. Randy shook his head in complete disbelief. It couldn't be possible. How could it have happened? He had came to Vegas with his best friend and his woman. The two were always together, inseparable. Sure, he had a reoccurring crush on Mia. Yes, he had fantasized about her in daydreams sometimes as he stood right in front of him, but he had never acted. Not so much as a hint had ever flowed past his lips.

Mia gazed at the glittering gold band on her left ring finger, then back at him repeatedly. Her eyes watered at the revelation of what they had done. They had destroyed someone they both loved beyond comparison. A pain that could never be compensated. Nothing would ever be the same. Did he already know? Had he watched him steal his girl? Stormed off too horrified to react?

Mia rubbed her arms, suddenly frozen. One look, her in his shirt that threatened to swallow her slim frame, her wild, tangled hair, the slight purple marks on her neck – the marriage had been consummated.

"I am so sorry." He took the blame. It couldn't have been her fault. Sweet, honest Mia, whose morals had attracted him more than her long, wavy locks and curvacious body. Now those gray blue eyes were sad, heartbroken and dainty shoulders heaved up and down, hyperventilating sobs that failed to fall peacefully. Pulling her close to his chest, he cupped her head, attempting to console. A bad idea. The former friendly action was meant with a brutal shove. Completely bad judgment considering their plight. Roman had her heart at first gaze Not only did he have her, she was completely, unexplainably infatuated with him. Even when he had wronged her, completely tore at her soul, it never took more than his crooked finger lifting her chin to win her back. It disgusted Randy how wonderful his best friend's girl was and Roman was undeserving.

"Please don't cry." he begged, feeling his heart break for a different reason. He scolded himself for entertaining the idea that she would shrug it off, finally seeing her lover for the true fool he was.

He cared for Roman like a brother, he did. He never thought he would betray him, but there was just something about Mia. Something that would cause him to discard fifteen years without a moment of hesitation. In fact, he compared every girl he dated to her. Coming up short, he discarded them, but not before a one or two night seduction. It passed the time while he waited to find his soul mate, another needle in the haystack that he could be himself with. So far, only Mia had that gift.

Figures. He remembered the snuffed, under his breath mumble that escaped his lips the night he and Roman had met Mia. Sitting with a small group of friends at a nightclub, her face had caught his attention, so much more radiant than her buddies despite the absence of a heavy make-up the other women had painted on. She had stolen his heart and Roman had stolen her before he could make his move, even though he had seen her first. The bro code had been broken. It had been broken before, but that was the only time it had stung.

Randy was known for his straight forward personality. He said what he thought and held nothing back while at the same time, never mean about it. Except this instance. He stood back without a fight. Mostly because Mia was smitten at first sight. Those doe eyes followed his every move even before he had said hello. He could have stolen her glimpses. He was sure of it then and even more convinced after he had gotten to know her. He could make her laugh to the brink of crying, making those pouty lips widen in a way that no one else, including her boyfriend, could manage.

He had gotten over the inaugural bitterness, moved on, trying out other venues, but the past couple of years, her allure returned with a vengeance. With each bone headed insult that rolled off Roman's tongue, the acid ate away. Devouring his loyalty. Then Roman cheated. Just one time and he stood by, harboring his deception. Then again and again. He was stuck, knowing information that trapped him in an internal fight, a searing, unquenchable letch on one side and an unsaid bro code pact on the other.

"Don't touch me, Randy." Mia shoved away another effort to soothe. Bolting, she locked herself in the bathroom. Seconds later, running water echoed from the door. She liked to stand under hot water when she was upset. He could bet every considerable dime in his bank account without fear of loss that Roman didn't know that. He knew Mia well. Well enough to know that she had to have a considerable amount of time to herself before she would be ready to deal with the problem at hand. All he could do was wait. Mia was strong. Another quality he admired. Everything would be fine – for her. He wasn't so sure about himself.