Chapter 43
It had been three days since I almost lost the most amazing woman to ever step into my life.
And I was making damn sure it never happened again.
Eddie was wearing a simple white sheath dress with a white suit jacket over it. I’d offered her a custom-made ball gown and a big ceremony in a church. I’d offered her the princess wedding of every girl’s dreams. The kind that was splashed all over the tabloids, and the mayor attended.
She’d looked me dead in the eye and told me that people like us did not belong in a church making vows in front of God.
People like us answered to a much higher power—the law.
It made me love her so much more. She didn’t just understand how I thought. She was the same. I told her that once, and she didn’t believe me. Eddie harped on our different backgrounds, education, social status, and everything that I found irrelevant.
It didn’t matter.
She was wrong, and I got to spend the rest of my life proving it to her over and over.
Originally, we were going to do this the proper way. Plan a large reception, and make a spectacle even if it was just a judge to marry us, but my mother would not back the fuck off.
After we found out she was not only behind Eddie being taken by the mob, but she was also the mastermind behind Olivia’s kidnapping, I wasn’t willing to give her any time to plot. I hadn’t even told her where or when the ceremony would happen, although I had no doubt she would find it regardless.
We stood in front of Judge Thomas, a close friend of mine since law school. Only my father, Luc, my sister, Marksen, Olivia, and Eddie’s best friend, Sabrina—who had only threatened to butcher me a couple of times—were our witnesses as we professed our love to each other.
Judge Thomas was happy to officiate our wedding.
He even paused his murder trial for a fifteen-minute recess to get it taken care of immediately, before Eddie wised up and left me for a man with power and sexy robes. His words, not mine.
About three minutes after Judge Thomas started his speech, a commotion erupted outside the courtroom, filled with feminine screeches and loud banging sounds as things were toppled over. We all stopped and faced the door, waiting for the inevitable.
Sure enough, Mary Quinn Astrid threw open the doors like she was walking into a courtroom drama with the damning evidence that would lead to the real killer being arrested. That woman lived for the drama so intently she had dressed in a white pantsuit and had a net veil pinned onto the ridiculous, tiny hat perched in her hair.
“I object to this marriage. That woman is nothing but a two-bit gold digger, and she has tricked my son into marrying her without even a prenup.”
“There is a prenup,” my father said, standing up and blocking her path to where Eddie and I stood with our hands clasped.
“Who has looked it over? She is a legal secretary. She could have snuck something in. This entire wedding is a sham and cannot happen.”
“I wrote the prenup myself,” I called out. “It states if we divorce, she gets it all.”
There was some sick pleasure in watching my mother’s face pale and then turn a deep red in fury.
The whole situation was improved even more when Marksen rolled his eyes, reached into his jacket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Luc a stack of cash.
“She has tricked you into doing that. She has seduced you! She is a con woman and needs to be in jail. She is?—”
“Madam, this is a private affair. Get out of my courtroom,” Judge Thomas ordered.
“You can’t make me. Do you know who I am?” she screamed.
Sabrina stood and walked toward my mother with a creepy smile. She just kept walking toward her with her arm outstretched, her finger dripping something red.
Mary Quinn Astrid backed away for a moment, then knowing her Chanel suit would be ruined, pressed past Sabrina, who left a massive red smear over her stark white jacket.
“You bitch.” Mary’s hand reached out to slap Sabrina, who just stared her down. I didn’t think anyone had ever faced my mother and not flinched.
My father grabbed her wrist to stay her hand.
“I am holding you in contempt of court.” The judge banged his gavel, and the bailiff put her in cuffs.
It was the funniest fucking thing I had ever seen and the best damn wedding present I could have gotten.
We watched her be carted off, then Judge Thomas looked at Sabrina and asked what was on her hand.
She held it up, still covered in red gloop, and licked her finger. “Ketchup.” She smiled.
I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. Genuinely laughing, hard enough I doubled over. It took a second, but soon, everyone joined in laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the entire situation.
My father and I were still discussing the ramifications of what my mother had done and if it was better to handle it publicly or in-house. Neither of our concerns included my mother’s reputation but rather how she would spin the story and use it to slander Eddie.
I’d been a prominent figure even before I took public office, which meant any blood in the water, and the reporters would come swarming. I didn’t want Eddie to have to deal with that.
But I wasn’t prepared to let my mother get away with her meddling either.
That was a problem for later. Today was about watching my mother get arrested for causing a scene and legally binding myself to my partner.
It may have been wrong for me to enjoy the spectacle as much as I did. But I never claimed to be perfect.
“Now, where were we?” Judge Thomas asked, and I turned my gaze back to the only woman who ever mattered.
“I’m still not signing that bullshit prenup,” Eddie said firmly.
“You should. I’m loaded.”
She rolled her eyes at me and smiled.
“Can we speed this along?” I asked. “You have a murder trial to finish, and I would really like to get to my honeymoon.”
Judge Thomas laughed. And did the abbreviated version of the vows.
“Do you, Harrison Phillip Astrid, take Edwina Morgan Carmichael to be your lawful wedded wife?”
“I do,” I said, and a warmth spread through my chest as I smiled down at my Eddie.
“And are you, Edwina Morgan Carmichael, really sure you want to do this?” the judge asked, and I shot him a dirty look. He shot a shit-eating grin back at me. “Seriously, you can still sign that prenup and take everything.”
“I am absolutely positive,” she said, pulling my attention back to her.
“Well, if you insist. By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride, then get the fuck out of my courtroom. I have more important shit to do.”
I laced my fingers in her hair before pulling her into an earth-shattering kiss. Our friends and family cheered and followed close behind as I picked her up and carried her out of the courtroom.
“What now?” she asked.
“Now, you and the ball and chain are coming with us to celebrate this happy occasion with dinner and a few drinks while we welcome you into the family,” my father said.
“What do you say?” I asked Eddie. “You up for a small family dinner with your new ball and chain?”
“That depends. Will your mother be there?”
“Absolutely not,” my father answered for me, then turned to Sabrina and asked if she would like to join.
“Sure, where are we going?” she asked, wiping the last of the ketchup from her fingers with a wet wipe before tucking her arm through Eddie’s as soon as I set her down.
“I made reservations at The Grid if that is okay.”
“That sounds great,” Eddie said, lacing the fingers of her free hand with mine.
“That is amazing. I know the chef, and I am going to give him hell,” Sabrina said, rubbing her hands together like a scary little gremlin.
I really was going to have to watch my back around her, but she had spent the last four years watching my girl’s back, and for that, she was family.
I even had a proposal to fund her own restaurant if she was interested.
All of that would have to wait until after the honeymoon.
* * *
Dinner had been amazing,full of laughter and embarrassing stories. It was exactly what Eddie and I needed to celebrate the beginning of our new life together.
Once it was over, I was ready to take my bride home and make love to her until the flight preparation was completed for the jet we’d be using to take us to a tropical getaway for a full two weeks of blissful vacation.
Another first for me, but I was looking forward to it. This was why I couldn’t for the life of me understand why Eddie insisted we head back to the office, just the two of us, before going home.
“What is this all about?” I asked, sitting behind my desk.
She sat on my lap and opened my laptop. I kissed her shoulder and let my hands wander down her long legs while she typed away, and then I heard the printer warming up.
“You’ll see,” she said. “We have a little more work to do before we can leave for our trip.”
“We really don’t,” I said. “The O’Murphy clan has all been arrested. They are being charged with everything, and since they kidnapped my wife, I recused myself from the case.”
I kissed the back of her neck and moved my hands up her thighs. “The lawyer taking over is competent, and I gave him everything he needs. I hear most of them are trying for a plea deal. They will plead guilty and get a chance at parole in thirty years or so.”
“That isn’t what we need to take care of,” she said rudely, ignoring my wandering hands.
“Then what is it? Did you want to get half naked in my bathroom again for old times’ sake?” I teased.
She let out a sexy, throaty laugh and stood to grab the papers off the printer.
“Sign this,” she said, handing me the stack of papers.
I took the documents, and the second I saw the words “postnuptial agreement,” I threw them down on the desk.
“No. I told you it was my prenup or none.”
“This isn’t a prenup. It’s a postnup. I drew it up myself. Look it over. For me?” She batted her eyes at me.
“One of these days, that isn’t going to work,” I warned.
“As long as that day isn’t today, I can live with that. Now, can you live with this?”
I read over the agreement.
Not only was it well written, but it was fair.
Not solely to me or her, but to both parties, like a proper contract should be.
It stated that if the parties reached a point at which divorce was discussed, then the parties would attend counseling sessions for a time no shorter than six months. Both parties would see individual counselors at least once a week and couples counseling as often as required, no less than once a week.
If children were involved, counseling would include them as well as any recommended by the therapist. It went on to say that assets gained during the marriage were all community property. However, assets obtained prior to the marriage and things such as inheritance were not considered community property.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It’s what I believe is fair, and so you know that at no point did I consider marrying you for your money. You should know I drew this up yesterday, and I e-mailed it to your father to approve.”
“Did he approve?”
“Not exactly. He felt that it was a ridiculous contract that, while it should be signed and filed, we should forget was there because there is no end to this marriage.”
“He is a wise man,” I said as I signed the papers and moved them over for her to sign as well.
She signed with her new name, “Mrs. Edwina Astrid.”
“Now that that is settled, there is just one more thing.”
“What’s that, wife?”
“I think this time you should be the one half naked in your bathroom.”