Chapter 10 #3
There were so many reasons to. For me, for Gio, for his family. My throat tightened once more as I waited in the deafening silence, seeing if someone would call us out for the sham that this was.
“Seeing none, I will proceed.” The judge gave us both a smile and a slight nod. Gio’s hand gripped mine so tightly, it was all I could think about, and I was able to release the breath that had lodged in my throat.
I would have liked to have remembered every word that was said, but I didn’t.
It was all sort of a blur. The only thing I could focus on was Gio’s hand squeezing mine and the warmth of him beside me.
We both planned not to write personal vows, since we didn’t have a lot of material to work with, anyway.
So when I found myself repeating words that were coached to me, I said them without thought.
Gio turned me to face him and I found myself staring up at him, completely lost in the brown eyes that gleamed from behind his glasses.
“Do you have rings you wish to exchange?” The judge asked.
Rings? Shit! I didn’t think about that. My eyes widened in panic, but Gio remained calm and collected as he reached into his pocket. “We do.”
“We do?” I asked out loud, not meaning to.
He smiled wide and held out a box with matching bands. They were simple titanium or white gold, perhaps. No bling, no razzle dazzle, but clearly, a pair that belonged together. Something about seeing them made my heart leap in my chest and my eyes grew misty.
Moved by the thought he’d put into this, I threw my arms around Gio, and hugged him. The judge chuckled softly and the crowd of our friends aww-ed behind us.
“We’ll get there in a moment,” the judge said in a hushed tone.
I straightened and slid my bouquet-free hand over my suit. “Sorry. Sorry.” I looked up at Gio to say, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” He offered me a sweet smile and damn, I was ready to kiss him right there, but I forced myself to wait.
We exchanged rings as symbols of our love and devotion for as long as our love should last. I admired the way the band looked on my finger as the words really set in.
This really was no small thing, and again, I found myself wondering why Gio would give up so much to do this for me.
I half-considered not letting him and calling it all off.
Except, he didn’t seem bothered or uncertain as he stood before me. He was in this. I didn’t know why, but I felt more determined than ever to be as good as I could to him. I would forever be grateful to him and the role he was playing to help me fight for my freedom.
Our hands were joined and we stared into each other’s eyes as the judge announced, “By the virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of California, it is my great honor to pronounce you married. You may kiss your husband.”
Cheering erupted around the room, but time stood still as Gio took a step toward me.
He stared at me with such intensity, it made me feel like my knees would give out.
Instead of me having to take the lead with the kiss as I had in the bathroom, he startled me when he moved in a flash, leaning down, and covering my mouth with his.
My surprise was gone as I groaned into him and felt our tongues meet once more.
Gio’s arms folded around my back, lifting me on my toes, and deepening the kiss.
I was captive. Completely captive, surrendering to a man who kissed me like he’d finally found me after a lifetime of searching.
Gone completely was the shyness and the inexperience that seemed to bleed from him when we’d been in the bathroom, and present was a man who commanded my entire body’s attention. My. Entire. Body.
I couldn’t stop the blood rushing to my dick. Luckily, the judge cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to the present, and stopping the kiss before I creamed my pants in front of everyone. Gio pulled back slightly, and rested his forehead on mine, as he tried to catch his breath.
He whispered a hushed, “Sorry” before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead and straightening.
I carefully pulled at my jacket to hide the chubby that was pushing against my zipper.
Did I mention my suit was form-fitting? Gio caught my movement and looked down, his cheeks blushing at my predicament.
How could the man kiss me like he did and then blush because of what he did to me?
God, he was cute. But even with color on his cheeks, he drew me to his side, using his body to cover me, protecting me even now, and making me feel all gooey at the simple action.
“Congratulations Mr. Maldonado and Mr. Russo.” The judge announced with a wide smile.
We decided it would be easier to move things along quickly with my trust fund if we didn’t have to go through name-change paperwork first. Even still, I kind of wished it would have been different.
I would give anything to shed the name that tied me to my parents and their world.
Could I be a Russo? Perhaps. It had a nice ring to it.
With my blood reaching my chest again, and my dick back under control, we turned to face everyone who clapped and whistled for us. Strange. It wasn’t what I thought my wedding day would be like, but I found myself crying and smiling, and generally, a sappy mess over it anyway.
“Don’t forget, you and two witnesses need to sign the license. You have ten minutes to use the room before we need to bring in the next happy couple.” The judge patted both of us on our shoulders, and left through a door in the back to give us some privacy.
Pictures were taken, hugs were given, papers were signed.
It felt more celebratory than I could have imagined, and Gio, he seemed…
happy. A contented expression settled on his face as his kids congratulated us.
It was weird. This whole thing was weird.
But also… really fucking nice. It was a glimpse of what this could be like for real some day.