Chapter 18
Cal
I can’t remember the last time I saw my mom this happy and excited.
She’s hasn’t had people at her house in years.
And never this many people at one time. Granted, most of these people are like family to her, except for Wilby and Silvie.
But she’s becoming Silvie’s biggest fan.
Next to me. I’m definitely Silvie’s biggest fan.
Whether she knows it or not. I know she’s doing this for me, and that makes me even more grateful. And it also feels like progress.
Laughter spills out of the living room as I follow Mom and Silvie to the kitchen. She holds up a cake that she’s made for us.
“Oh, Carly! It’s beautiful!” Silvie exclaims, looking surprised and emotional. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, I wanted to,” Mom says sheepishly.
“Mom, that is so nice,” I add, looking at the simple triple-layer cake that she decorated to perfection.
My mom has always been a great baker, and she has made cakes for every birthday or any other special occasion she can think of.
It makes sense that she made us a wedding cake. I bet this made her so happy.
“I knew you’d want your favorite cake. And when I spoke with Wilby, he said Silvie loves a classic wedding cake, too. So, I hope you both love it.”
“We do,” I say as I take the cake from her and set it on the table.
“It looks so good,” Silvie says, sighing. “I love cake.”
“I can’t believe you changed your wedding to my house,” she says. “I woke up and checked my phone and was so happy. I thought you’d both come by, but this...this was so nice.”
Silvie smiles, “Of course. I’m glad we were able to do it this way.”
We cut the cake, set it on plates, and carry it to the living room, where everyone enjoys it for breakfast. Fitting for this day that makes no sense and every bit of sense, somehow at the same time.
“Carly, this is delicious,” Birdie says as she takes another bite.
We drag chairs into a loose circle in Mom’s small living room, except there aren’t enough. Birdie takes one and Carly perches on the couch next to Jonah and Wilby.
Without thinking, I gently pull Silvie into me, and she sits on my lap in the chair.
She pauses for half a second, then settles onto my lap like it’s the most normal thing in the world. She fits perfectly there, and my hand comes around to hold her, without thinking.
I’m strangely content. I know this is all fake, but it feels real. The crazy thing is I’m not panicking. Up until now, the idea of marriage has seemed a foreign concept to me. And, yet here I am. Married to the most beautiful woman I know.
She grins at me and takes a bite of her cake, as if this is perfectly natural. I can’t believe she surprised me and moved the wedding here to my mom’s. That meant everything to her and to me as well. Mom has already made a lot of strides since Silvie arrived. That one small thing meant everything.
Jonah’s brows lift at me as he takes a bite of his cake.
My mom shrugs and smiles as if this is the greatest match-making endeavor ever. “No more chairs.”
Birdie agrees. “Perfect fake marriage already.”
Everyone talks at once, overlapping stories and teasing. My mom and Birdie talk about the books overflowing on Mom’s shelves. Birdie tells her she’s missed her, and I notice my mom’s eyes get misty.
Silvie keeps everyone laughing, and her body is relaxed against mine. She’s glowing and happy. And ridiculously sexy in that wedding dress. I almost have to shove my hands into my pockets to keep myself from tracing the thin spaghetti straps on the back of the dress.
Nothing is staged or fake about how she’s acting right now. She’s so relaxed around my mom, Jonah, Birdie, and Wilby.
Wilby pulls out his phone and snaps a few pictures of us. He’s subtle about it, but I see every shot, clocking it immediately. He seems happy for us. But I know that this is all part of the plan. Make it look real. Save the company. And I get it. I’d want someone to help me, too.
Silvie’s too busy laughing at something Mom says, her hand braced on my shoulder, her body loose and happy. Wilby catches my eye and lifts his phone and takes more photos. He looks part proud friend, part working assistant.
After our cake and coffee, Wilby straightens and says, “I have to head out.”
Silvie blinks as if she’s back to reality. “Already?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I’m going to file the certificate. Make it official before Tyler and your sister beat us to it.”
“Oh, right,” she agrees.
She steps forward and wraps Wilby in a hug. He stiffens at first, then relaxes into it, and pats her back gently. She whispers something to him.
He nods. “Anytime.”
He shakes my hand and says, “Congratulations, Cal.”
“Thanks,” I say.
When he leaves, Birdie claps her hands together. “All right. What now?”
I glance at Silvie. “What do you want to do? Technically, this is our honeymoon time.”
She considers it, then smiles slowly and mischievously. “I want to go to Chaos and drink.”
Jonah gives us a look and a nod and quietly ducks out the back door. And that’s Jonah. Never misses an important occasion but is a man of few words.
We head down to Cocktails & Chao. It might be just her and me having drinks.
I hold her hand as we drive to Chaos and park the truck behind it like I usually do. I come around and help her out. When she steps out of the truck, I pull her to me and kiss her forehead. “You look so beautiful,” I murmur.
“You look pretty amazing yourself, hot husband.”
And hearing the word “husband” on her lips doesn’t sound so bad. I’ll even allow the ridiculous hot part.
The second we round the corner and step into the bar, the place explodes with cheering and “Congratulations!”
Cheering, clapping, music, and someone whistles. There’s a white-and-silver banner strung above the bar that reads “Just Married.”
Flowers are on the table everywhere. Marina and Jonah stand behind the bar. Marina looks like she’s been planning this all day and is excited for us to finally show up. Locals I recognize fill the room, grinning and raising glasses.
Silvie freezes beside me, fingers tightening in mine. Wilby comes in behind us.
“Is this okay?” she whispers.
“They all wanted to celebrate you both,” Wilby says. “Figured it was alright. It’ll probably get leaked but at this point, it’s okay. I wanted the wedding to be official so that you get married before they do. Now, it doesn’t really matter who knows.”
Silvie presses herself into me, and I wrap an arm around her and rest my hand on her lower back. It seems to steady her.
“You okay?” I murmur.
She nods. “I just didn’t expect this. It’s so nice.”
I nod in agreement. “It is. Where it all started.”
Drinks appear in front of us, and food follows. Summer hands Silvie a flower and tucks it into her hair. Music shifts into something warm and familiar. It’s an Asher Walker song and it’s one of my favorites.
We eat and drink. So many laughs and stories told. I never leave her side. My hand stays on her, on her lower back. Holding her hand. At her waist. Making sure she’s okay and I pass her water in between drinks. We both eat and have snacks laid out.
When a song comes on that I like, I ask her to dance. She pulls me with her to the floor and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me close. And God, I like it. She feels so good. So right. If fake is all I ever get with her, it’ll hurt. But it’s better than having nothing.
Every time our eyes meet as we dance, she smiles and leans in closer. “Thanks for today, Cal. It’s been a good one so far.”
“Yeah, it has.”
She dances with Mia, Summer, and Wendy, another local and friend. People toast us and someone buys us all a round. Someone insists on taking photos. Wilby takes more pictures, and they’re mostly candid shots.
Silvie looks so damn happy. From the outside, it would be hard to tell this is fake. People in Coconut Beach have to be so confused. They’re all just going with it, though.
Before we know it, we’ve danced the day away, and the sun is starting to set. We’ve both drunk a lot, she more than I. I mostly can’t keep my eyes off her and make sure she’s staying hydrated.
It’s time to head out, and Silvie leans into me as we walk.
“I’m tipsy,” she announces.
“I know.” I smile.
“But I’m happy, though,” she adds. “I have a hot, hot husband. Like I never thought I’d seen a guy as beautiful as you when I first saw you. And here you are as my husband now. How did I get a guy like you?”
Is she for real right now? She thinks she got me? No, I got her.
“I think I’m the one who got lucky here,” I remind her.
We get dropped off at my house, kick our shoes off, and collapse on the bed without even turning off the lamps. It’s early, but we’ve partied all day. Silvie curls into my side and rests her head on my chest.
“I wish you were really my husband,” she whispers as she drifts off to sleep.
I close my eyes to hear that. Me too.
I lie there for a while, listening to her breathe, feeling the weight of what we’ve done settle into the new reality we are living in.
She’s here in my arms. And for now, that’s enough.
I sleep better than I have in years. Even after a day of drinking, that was a ton of fun. Our wedding day. It’s crazy to think we’re married.
Silvie is curled into my side, one arm draped over my chest, her leg thrown over mine, warm and grounding. My cock is rock hard and painful as it’s been every day since I met her. And I need to probably go shower and do something about that.
I don’t want to move and risk waking her, so I just lie here, listening to her breathe.
She sighs softly and tucks her face into my chest, and my palm spreads, holding her, feeling protective of her without even giving it a thought.
Yeah. This is dangerous.
Eventually, the light shifts, and I know the sun is about ready to come up. She stirs and blinks awake.
“Morning,” I murmur.
She hums instead of answering, closing her eyes, her mouth curving into a lazy smile. Then she blinks her eyes open again and freezes.