20. Jason Kingsley
Chapter twenty
Jason Kingsley
This can’t be real. I glance over at Willow. She’s looking at the various bushes in the rose garden we’re walking through, a small smile on her pink lips. I feel the way I did when I was a little kid and fell asleep in the car only to wake up in my bed at home. I missed all the steps that brought me to this exact moment, and now I’m disoriented and unsure.
Talking to Willow through the bathroom door made sense to me. She was hesitant and scared, as was I. But our rendezvous on the stairs? That…was different.
Willow turns her attention back to me, offering me a shy smile. My lips turn up in response, but I can’t manage my normal, easygoing grin when I know where we’re headed.
In a few short moments, we’ll be married . We’ll share a last name, bank account, and my home. What’s mine will be hers, and what’s hers will be–well, probably still hers. A pang of uncertainty threads through me. Over this past year I’ve dreamt of settling down. I've wanted to fill my empty farmhouse with a wife, babies, and animals. I've wanted to laugh as the single guys on the team teased me for rushing out of practice and games to get home, tell them they’d understand one day.
The way I imagined this day would be is much different than it is now, though it hasn’t been too bad. My core heats as I think of the little stunt Willow pulled earlier. She’s unbelievably gorgeous, and sexy beyond comprehension. I wanted to claim her mouth with my own and show her how I really felt about our bodies being pressed together on the stairs.
Willow squeezes my hand. I look down at her. “This is the spot, right?” she asks. I look up to find we’re standing beneath an ivy-covered arbor in the middle of the rose garden.
“Yeah, this is the spot.” I crane my neck and spot Augustus, the officiant I hired, and Soleil coming up the path.
The feeling of a soft hand on my cheek has me looking down at Willow.
“Are you okay?” she murmurs. “You can still back out.”
Her selfless offer makes me smile. “I think it’s a little late for that.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s not. It might cause a lot of trouble for us, but I know this is a big deal. I can handle it if you walk away now.”
“And waste this pretty makeup you spent all day doing?” I joke and she rolls her eyes.
“I’m trying to give you an out here,” she says in an exasperated tone.
I place my hand over hers, moving her palm to my lips. I press a kiss to the center and smirk when I notice her shiver.
“I don’t want an out, Lo.” I keep hold of her hand but lower it so I’m holding it between us.
Augustus closes in with a wide smile on his face. “Well hello, love birds!” he booms. “I’m honored to be officiating your lovely wedding today. Are you ready to get started?”
I look back down at Willow. She nods.
“We’re ready,” I tell Augustus.
“Happy to hear it!”
I hold both of Willow’s hands in mine and look into her eyes, feeling my nerves begin to settle. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and has a kind heart. Not to mention she’s the kind of sassy that never fails to make me laugh. I could do worse when it comes to fake wives. Maybe this marriage is just for paperwork and appearances, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. I’m not sure how ready either of us is for that kind of depth, but we’ll have time to figure it out. My biggest concern has been starting over after she leaves, but as I look down at Willow, I can’t help but hope that she’ll stay forever.
“This is a lovely day for a wedding,” Augustus comments, pulling me from my thoughts. “And a beautiful venue as well. Marriage is a lot like a garden, you know. You have to get down in the dirt sometimes and pull weeds, but the work yields a beautiful reward. Today is planting the seed for a garden that will last the rest of your lives.”
My throat tightens. The rest of our lives. Will we have that? Or will our garden dry up before we even get to see the first flower bloom?
Willow doesn’t say a word, and neither do I.
Augustus clears his throat. “Now, usually I say something to the crowd, but seeing as it’s just the two of you, I suppose we’ll jump right to the vows!”
I watch Willow to see if she has any regret over not having her family here. Granny Mae’s hip was bothering her, and her doctor suggested she rest instead of getting out. She fought the notion, but ended up giving in. No particular emotion beyond nerves seems to occupy her expression. “Do you have vows prepared, or would you like to repeat after me?”
Willow’s eyes widen. She must not have thought of vows.
“We’ll repeat after you,” I answer while the vows I wrote burn a hole in my pocket.
“Okay, Jason, repeat after me.”
He coaches me through the vows until I say, “I, Jason, take you, Willow, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you all my days.”
By some miracle, my voice stays steady through the vows. I don’t know how, when it feels as though I have a tennis ball stuck in my throat.
Next is Willow’s turn. “I, Willow, take you, Jason, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you all my days.”
Her eyes never leave mine as she repeats the vows. Her voice trembles on the last part, but she sounds more sure than I expected her to.
“Now for the rings,” Augustus says, still wearing a jolly smile that says he loves his job.
I let go of Willow’s hands to pull both of our rings out of my pocket, bypassing the folded-up paper next to them.
“Okay, Jason, put the ring on your bride and repeat after me…”
“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love; and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you,” I say as I slide the ring onto her left finger. The diamond-covered band sparkles beneath the afternoon sun.
“The same for you, Willow.”
Willow’s hand shakes as she slides the thick gold band onto my finger. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love; and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you.” Her words are barely above a whisper, but they burrow into my heart all the same.
“Wonderful! I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” Augustus says while raising his eyebrows and grinning.
I meet Willow’s gaze. We didn’t talk about this part. Everything has moved so fast that somehow the part where we’d have to kiss slipped my mind. Not that I hadn’t imagined kissing her; I’d done that plenty. But this particular part of the ceremony hadn’t come up in conversation.
I open my mouth to say something–though I’m not sure what–but Willow cuts off my words by grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling me down. She pushes up on her tiptoes and brushes her lips against mine, ever so softly. Her kiss is agonizingly chaste, akin to wisps of clouds and falling flower petals. Soft but gone much too soon. She pulls back before I can respond in kind, to pull her to me and give her a kiss she won’t forget.
“Congratulations!” Augustus cheers, but I can’t stop staring at Willow. She’s smiling, but it looks forced, or maybe nervous.
“That was so beautiful,” Soleil says from nearby. I glance at her. “I have just a few more photos I’d like to take of you two, then I’ll let you enjoy your wedding night.” She pulls her camera away from her face and winks.
“Thank you for officiating, Augustus,” I say, hoping I don’t sound as off as I feel.
“Of course. I’d say I hope to see you again, but that wouldn’t be good,” he chortles.
I smile as my stomach twists. “Maybe we’ll see you at a friend’s wedding,” I say and he nods.
“Yes, that I will hope for. Have a wonderful day, and I hope your marriage grows into a garden even more beautiful than the one we’re in.” He claps me on the shoulder before walking away.
“You two stand right there for a moment, I’m going to get a couple shots without Augustus under the arbor,” Soleil says before clicking away.
I grasp both of Willow’s hands again. “You kissed me,” I say, hopefully too quiet for Soleil to hear.
“You were standing there like a deer in headlights. I had to do something.”
“I didn’t want to kiss you without your permission,” I say and she blanches.
“Jase, I’m so sorry I didn’t think about that. I shouldn’t have–”
I cut her off by pulling her close and leaning down to her ear. “You never need permission to kiss me, Mrs. Kingsley.”
When I pull back, there’s a blush creeping up her neck that makes me smirk.
“Don’t expect the same sentiment to be returned,” she says, reverting to sass, likely to cover her reaction.
I chuckle. “I won’t. I’ll only kiss you if you ask me to.”
“That’s not going to happen,” she says quickly, too quickly.
“Says the woman who just forced me to kiss her.”
Her mouth drops. “I can’t stand you.”
“The ring on your finger says otherwise.” I run my thumb over her knuckles.
“It’s fake.”
“I can assure you the diamonds are very real.”
She swats my shoulder and I laugh.
“You know what I meant,” she says in a huff.
“Yes, I know,” I say, giving up my teasing as Soleil walks closer to us.
I release one of Willow’s hands to cup her cheek. She leans into my touch just barely, her eyes fluttering shut. Did she see Soleil getting closer too? Or is this her body saying things she wouldn’t dare?
I tamp down the rising desire within me. Not kissing her is an agony I’m likely going to have to get used to. But as I gaze down at her soft, full lips, I’m not sure I’m strong enough for this torture.