Chapter 11 Camden
Camden
Istand at the entrance of Denver City Hall in downtown, waiting for Ellie to arrive.
Nerves fire off inside of me. I don’t know why. I’m not getting married for real.
Still though. I’m doing something I never, ever thought I’d do, and my nervous system is freaking out about it.
But then I think about how Ellie will be able to afford her meds now. She won’t have to go into debt just to survive. She won’t have to live in a dangerous neighborhood anymore.
The nerves inside of me disappear. Relief and happiness course through me.
I think about how sad and broken she looked the other day when I surprised her at her apartment with lunch. My chest aches at the memory of her tear-soaked face, twisted in pain.
How relieved I felt when she finally agreed to get married. Yeah, I’ll be benefiting from this fake marriage too. People will take me more seriously as the husband of a sweet girl like Ellie. And I’ll be taken more seriously as a candidate for alternate captain. I’m happy about that too, of course.
But I’m happier that she won’t ever have to feel that hopeless and broken again, not while she’s married to me and I’m taking care of her.
But even if that wasn’t the case, even if I’d get nothing out of this, I’d still want to marry Ellie.
I’d do anything to make sure she’s happy and healthy. I’d do anything to keep her from suffering. Because she’s my friend.
Your friend…who you have a crush on.
My skin goes hot just thinking about how much I like Ellie. At how my heart rate kicks up when she smiles. At how warm and happy I feel when I hear her do that little laugh-snort. At how my entire body relaxes when I hug her.
Okay, I finally admit to myself. I have a crush on her. Just like I did when I was a kid. But that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m doing this because I care about her.
Because the thought of her struggling to survive makes me crazy, and I can actually do something to help her.
I slide my hand in the pocket of my suit pants and palm the black velvet ring box.
Ellie didn’t mention a ring when we set up a time to meet at the County Court for our city hall wedding, so yesterday, after I helped her move out of her place and into my house, while she was unpacking, I drove to a vintage jewelry store that I remember Ryker mentioning.
I bought two gold bands for us to exchange during the ceremony.
I pull the box out of my pocket and open it up. Ellie’s slim gold band, which is lined in tiny diamonds, shimmers in the mid-morning sunlight.
I probably should have had her come with me so she could pick out a ring that she liked, but we’re on a time crunch. We agreed that getting married as soon as possible so that she could get on my health insurance was the best plan.
I really hope she likes it.
“Hey.”
I look up at the sound of Ellie’s sweet voice. She’s standing at the bottom of the stairs, smiling up at me.
My brow hits my hairline. Holy shit. She looks stunning.
She’s wearing this white dress that looks like it’s made of delicate lace. The hem hits just below her knees, flaring out at the bottom in soft waves.
Her hair is long and straight and swept over one shoulder, and she’s holding a bouquet of white daisies.
My mouth parts open. I try to speak as she walks up to me, but I can’t make out any words. My brain is too busy processing how gorgeous she is.
When she makes it up to me, she smiles.
“You look…” I shake my head, struggling to find the right words. “Insanely beautiful,” I finally say.
Her cheeks flush, and her smile turns shy. “Really?”
“Yeah. Just, wow.”
With her free hand, she fiddles with the thin strap of her dress. “I found this at a random department store yesterday. I really lucked out.” She holds up the bouquet. “I thought daisies would be cute. Like that Justin Bieber song.”
I grin. “I like that song.”
She runs her gaze down my suit. “You look really sharp.”
I suddenly feel like a chump for not buying something new to wear, like Ellie did. I just pulled a suit from my closet. In professional hockey, we have to wear suits, ties, and jackets before every game we play, so I have a million of them pressed and ready to go.
I look down at the navy blue suit, white shirt, and navy blue tie I’m wearing. I should have bought something nicer for today.
“I should have worn a darker color,” I say.
Ellie just smiles and shakes her head. “No, I like this color on you. It matches the color of your eyes. Ridiculously blue.”
I can’t help but smile.
“What’s that?” She looks down at the jewelry box in my hand.
“Our rings.”
The soft blue color of her eyes brightens. “You got us rings?”
“Yeah. All married couples wear rings.”
I open the box and show them to her. She gasps. “You got me diamonds?”
“Of course I got you diamonds. What kind of husband would I be if I got you some crappy plain wedding band?”
She grins wide. A second later, it starts to fade. “Hey, um, did you invite your parents to the wedding?”
I shake my head. “No. Did you want me to?”
We didn’t talk about inviting anyone to our courthouse wedding. The thought didn’t even cross my mind, especially given the way my parents act every time they’re around each other. They fight like cats and dogs. No way did I want them here today. They’d probably argue and cause a scene.
But now I feel guilty because what if Ellie wanted to invite her parents?
She lets out a shy chuckle. “No, I didn’t invite them.
My parents are on a big RV trip, making their way across the country right now.
I didn’t want them to have to drop everything to come watch us get married.
It’s been years since they’ve been able to go on vacation, just the two of them.
I was going to just call them later and tell them. ”
“That was my plan too,” I say. I check the time. “It’s almost time. You ready?”
She nods. I grab her hand and lead her inside the courthouse.
After checking in, the officiant, who’s a gray-haired man in his sixties, leads us down the hallway.
“We could do the ceremony in one of the private rooms, if you’d like,” he says. “Or we could do it at the top of the grand staircase.”
He stops and gestures to the huge marble staircase leading up to the second floor of the building. With the detailed carvings along the railings and ceiling, it looks more like a cool museum than a state government building.
I glance at Ellie. “What do you think?”
Her gaze drifts over the staircase. “Let’s do it here.”
A minute later, we’re at the top of the stairs, facing each other while the officiant begins his remarks.
One of the city employees from his office stands off to the side as our witness, smiling at us.
She holds up my phone, which I gave her before the ceremony, to record our vows and to snap a few photos of us.
I try to smile, despite how nervous I feel. This needs to look convincing. We need to look like a real couple getting married. Especially given how quickly we’re getting married after reconnecting. Otherwise, people will doubt our marriage, which could ruin everything.
I notice Ellie fidgeting with the lace on her dress. I reach over and grab her free hand in mine. When I lock gazes with her, the nerves dial back.
“Good?” I mouth.
Her expression relaxes, and she gives me a shy smile. She nods.
“My hands are a little clammy,” Ellie whispers. “I’m nervous.”
I chuckle. “It’s okay.”
The officiant turns to me, and I get ready for the vows.
When we registered at the front, he asked us if we’d like to recite our own vows or if we wanted to follow the standard ceremony.
Ellie and I opted for the standard ceremony.
We didn’t prepare our own vows because this marriage isn’t real for us, and we felt bad making up vows.
That’s something real couples do, not friends who are getting married for health insurance and to get ahead in their career.
“Camden, do you take Ellie to be your wife? To have and to hold from this day on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, as long as you live?”
I look at Ellie, slide the ring on her finger, and smile. “I do.”
“Ellie, do you take Camden to be your husband? To have and to hold from this day on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, as long as you live?”
Her smile is shy as she looks at me. “I do.”
Around us, people stop and look. I can hear a few whispers. Someone behind us says, “Is that Camden Connors? Never thought that guy would ever get married.”
I take another breath. It’s a good thing people are seeing our wedding. It means word will spread about us, and that will give legitimacy to this whole thing, which we need if we want people to believe that we’re a real married couple.
The officiant wraps up and looks between us. “Camden, you may now kiss your bride.”
Ellie’s chest heaves as she takes a quiet, shaky breath. She’s nervous. To be honest, so am I.
I’m about to kiss my best friend.
My skin is hot under my suit. My heart pounds. A dozen people are standing around us now.
This kiss can’t be hesitant or awkward, not when this many people are watching. I need to kiss Ellie like she’s my wife and I’m madly in love with her.
I lift my hand to her cheek, closing the space between us.
Damn. Her skin is so fucking soft. And warm. She feels like silk and velvet.
My gaze focus on her lips. So lush and pink.
My heartbeat kicks up and my breath gets stuck in my throat. I swallow hard.
The air between us sparks. It’s thick and heavy and loaded with anticipation. My entire body buzzes.
A second later, I kiss my wife for the first time.
My brain short-circuits as I breathe in her scent. She smells like sugar and flowers and her lips are so damn soft.
She lets out a soft moan, and my head spins.
Well, shit. Kissing my wife is hot as fuck.