Chapter 19 Charlie
charlie
“He’s a good man,” Auburn said as she came up beside me, her eyes fixed on Austin.
He laughed with Dirks, helping him wrap up the speech they were putting together. There was something about the way he moved, the way he smiled—it was so genuine.
I turned to Auburn, and the resemblance between mother and son was undeniable. Her curly blonde hair and blue eyes—mirrors of Austin’s—made the similarities striking. She looked beautiful, elegant, like someone who carried the weight of many years but still had a softness about her.
“Thank you,” she murmured, placing a gentle hand on my back. “Thank you for doing this for him. Ledger and I haven’t . . . We haven’t been there for him the way he deserves recently. It’s not fair.”
I shrugged, feeling a little awkward but also grateful for her honesty. “It’s okay. He’s helping me too.”
Auburn’s eyes softened, and she gave me a small smile. “You seem like a really nice person, Charlie. He might mess up and—”
I reached out and took her hand, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. “I’m going to mess up too. We’re human. We’re flawed. I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect Austin to be either.”
Her smile widened, and she squeezed my hand in return. “You’re right.” She glanced at Austin, her expression thoughtful. “I was a teenager when I had him. My mother helped raise him, but she was . . . toxic, for both of us. Sometimes, I wonder, if I’d been there more, if he’d be . . . less flawed.”
“No,” I said gently, my eyes meeting hers with empathy. “You raised him just as he was supposed to be.”
I looked out at Austin, and, as if he could feel my eyes on him, he stopped talking to Dirks and turned in my direction. My cheeks flushed, and he smiled and gave me a wave. I awkwardly waved back at him with my free hand.
“He’s stronger than he knows.”
“He is,” Auburn whispered. “Ready to get married?”
“Fake married,” I corrected her.
“Right,” she laughed. “Fake married.”
She walked over to the boys, exchanged a few words with them, and they all got into position. In the corner, Evie had set up her little piano and started playing a simple chord.
Jennie laughed softly and looped her arm through mine as we made our way down the garden path toward where Austin stood waiting. Ledger and Auburn were beside him, their hands clasped together, looking every bit the supportive parents.
I should have felt guilty that my mom and brother weren’t here, but I wasn’t, because they would’ve ruined the moment. There was a power in standing alone in my own choice.
My eyes were locked on Austin. His white shirt hugged his frame perfectly under his jacket, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the way his blonde curls lightly moved in the breeze, or how his blue eyes held such a calm, serene expression.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous. In fact, I felt light, almost weightless.
This decision—though the wildest thing I’d ever done—felt like the easiest one I’d ever made.
Part of me was annoyed I hadn’t put “get married” on my bucket list sooner.
“Hi,” he murmured when I finally reached him.
At some point, Jennie had slipped away, standing on the other side of me, mirroring Auburn and Ledger.
“Hi,” I whispered, a smile tugging at my lips.
He reached out, and without a second thought, I slipped my hands into his. For what was supposed to be a fake wedding, every emotion coursing through me felt undeniably real.
Dirks cleared his throat. “Alright, folks, we’re gathered here today to witness the union of two people who, uh, decided to do things their own way.” He smiled at us. “Now, before I go any further, we’re going to exchange vows.”
I hadn’t prepared anything, assuming we’d go with the standard lines. But when Austin met my gaze, there was an intensity in his eyes that made my heart stutter. He drew in a deep breath and held it, and the moment seemed to still with him.
“Charlie, I promise to cherish you. To care for you when you need someone, and to be there when you need a shoulder, a friend, or just someone to listen.” His fingers tightened around mine.
“I promise to support you, to respect your independence, and to give you space to make your own decisions. I want to be your person—the one you can count on, and the one who helps you flourish into the best version of yourself.”
His words were so earnest that they felt real. A single tear rolled down my cheek, and then another. I hadn’t expected this—hadn’t prepared for the surge of emotions crashing over me.
He squeezed my hands gently, his thumb brushing over my knuckles, and all I could do was nod, trying to hold it together.
“I promise that no matter what happens, I will always take care of you and give everything I have to you. I promise to work on myself every single day, to become the best version of myself, so that I can be the person you need.”
A lump formed in my throat as I was overwhelmed by the sincerity in his voice.
It was my turn. I took a deep breath, wiping away a stray tear.
“Austin, I promise to always support you in being the best version of yourself. I promise to not rewrite the past but to help you build a future that’s bright and beautiful and full of blooming moments.
” I paused, a small smile forming. “I also promise not to leave too many of my socks on the floor.”
Everyone laughed, the lightness cutting through the weight of the moment, and Austin’s eyes sparkled as he smiled at me.
“I promise to be there for you when you need me the most, and maybe when you think you don’t need me at all. No matter what life throws at us for however long we’re married, I’ll be here.”
Dirks cleared his throat, grinning. “Alright, time to exchange rings.”
I glanced over at Austin, and Auburn stepped forward with a small, velvet box. She handed me the ring, her eyes bright. “This was part of my job this afternoon.”
Leaning in close, I whispered, “Why does this feel real?”
He grinned, his eyes darkening as they locked with mine. He leaned in close, his voice a low murmur. “If you’re going to be mine, even pretending, I want everyone to know you belong to me.”
He slid a small, round diamond ring onto my finger. The band was a soft rose gold, fitting so perfectly that it felt like it had been made for me.
“Lucky guess,” he muttered, almost like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
With shaky hands, I opened my own box and saw a simple gold band inside. I took a breath and slipped it onto his finger.
“Alright, perfect. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may go enjoy your new status,” Dirks said, deliberately skipping the kiss, knowing this was all a front.
Austin didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he turned to Dirks. “Say the whole thing. My mom’s recording. Just . . . for the full effect.”
Dirks narrowed his eyes, studying Austin. “You sure you want that?”
Austin’s grip tightened. “Yeah. It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”
“Alright, then. I now pronounce you husband and wife. Austin, you may kiss your bride.”
I let out a carefree laugh, shaking my head. “Really, Austin?”
He grinned, leaning in a little closer. “Come on, if this is the only chance to play pretend, let me do it right.”
Austin’s eyes burned as he grabbed my waist, pulling me flush against his body.
He slid his hand up to cradle my face, his thumb tracing the edge of my lips.
When his lips finally captured mine, it was like a fuse igniting—hot and possessive.
His kiss was deep and demanding as his grip on me tightened.
I moaned softly into his mouth, pressing my body into his as I slid my hands up his chest and tangled my fingers in his hair.
He angled his head and deepened the kiss further, his tongue teasing mine, exploring, coaxing.
The way he kissed me wasn’t about the moment—it was like he was pouring every ounce of want, of need, into that one kiss, making it impossible to think of anything else.
His hand slid down to the curve of my hip, his fingers digging in with a possessive grip that sent a shiver down my spine. The heat between us was palpable, and the way his lips moved against mine—soft, then urgent, then soft again—left me breathless and aching for more.
When he finally pulled back, it was only by a fraction, his lips still hovering over mine as he stared into my eyes. Everything about that kiss was raw and consuming, leaving me reeling and wanting nothing more than to pull him in.
I tried to remind myself that this was all for show, but my head was spinning. Nothing about that kiss felt like it was for our audience. I had to force myself to create some distance, to remember that this was all part of the plan—just an act.
Jennie’s voice pierced the moment, cutting through the tension. “Okay, seriously, this is the second time I’ve felt like I need to fast-forward a movie. That was like watching a kissing scene in front of your parents.”
Austin let out a laugh, his hand still resting on my waist. I forced myself to laugh along, though my body was still buzzing.
Everyone else joined in, clapping as we walked down the garden path together, hand in hand, with our friends and family cheering us on.
We made our way to the long table set up under the twinkling lights, the air filled with warmth and laughter.
As we approached the table, I tried to ground myself in the reality of the situation, reminding myself why we were here. But every glance from Austin, every brush of his fingers against mine, felt like it was blurring the lines of what was pretend and what was real.