Chapter 10
Ten
Adrian
I did have the sense to take a shower and bring my tux with me when I left the house. I’m a dude. It didn’t take long. It also didn’t take too long to get to the city.
Adam came with me for moral support. He helped me think of all the shit we needed to do in the city.
Mostly, he repeatedly sent and read texts from Rebekah, who reminded him that I should get flowers, a cake, and some champagne.
I also stopped for lingerie. That was more fun than the rest of the shopping.
I’m so nervous that I don’t think I would have remembered the extras.
I’m glad Adam is holding me up and ensuring nothing gets forgotten.
It may be a rushed wedding, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have all the nice things.
We even stopped at a well-known bakery that happened to have a beautiful cake they’d made that morning for display. It’s in my truck now.
The ring took the longest. I don’t know my wife-to-be well enough to know her style, but I picked out what I thought any woman would be proud to wear, then asked for a larger stone.
Luckily, my bride was wearing rings last night, so she handed me the one off her right-hand ring finger to take with me.
We did a great job. And I’m trying not to panic as I pace the judge’s office. Judge Robert Henderson was waiting for me. Aaric called him to let him know we were coming. He’s mostly just rubbed his jaw and chuckled since I arrived.
“Does everyone in your family feel the need to marry a woman on the same day he meets her?”
“Nope. Not everyone. Just most of us.”
“I’m starting to think there’s something in the water on Gallant Mountain.”
“Could be.” I shrug. “I’m not complaining.”
The door to the office opens, and the rest of my brothers step in. They’re all in suits. No one is judging me. They’ve had a few hours to process this development. I’m not the first one of us to send a group text announcing that I’m marrying someone no one has met.
Well, to be fair, we had all met Hannah and Rebekah, but we hadn’t seen them in over a decade.
“Everything good?” I ask, trying to peer around them.
Aaron slaps me on the back. “It’s all perfect. Your bride looks stunning.”
“And she didn’t jump out of your truck and take off running down the street?” I adjust my tie nervously, because this is a fear I have.
“Nope. She’s right outside.”
This office is too small for the size of weddings we keep having in here. The judge and his assistant humor us as our family grows and we jam more and more people into the tiny space. Blair makes twelve adults. With all the babies, we’re a clown car.
Hopefully, the fire marshal won’t come by and kick us all out.
Judge Henderson stands behind his small podium. “Ready when you are.”
Aaric opens the door, and the women walk in one by one: Rebekah, Hannah, Jaclyn, Emma, and Cheri. They’re holding my nieces. Blair is the last to enter, and she takes my breath away. Literally. I stop breathing and simply stare at her, not blinking.
She’s stunning. Her hair looks professionally done, piled on top of her head with ringlets hanging down around her face.
Baby’s Breath is tucked into the loose bun.
She’s wearing a white dress I’ve never seen before.
I suspect the women combined a few things and frantically made adjustments to dress this gorgeous angel in front of me.
Blair is trembling, but she meets my gaze, not looking away. She’s nervous, like any bride would be, but doesn’t look panicked to the point of calling this off.
I reach out a hand and pull her close. “You look so beautiful, baby,” I whisper.
“Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself.”
The judge starts speaking, but I barely listen to him.
I’m too focused on my bride. I hold both of her hands between us, rubbing her knuckles as he says all the important words and prompts us when it’s time for us to respond.
It takes minutes, and the next thing I know, he declares us husband and wife.
I cup Blair’s face and kiss her with more passion than is appropriate for the courthouse, but I don’t care. She’s mine. All we have to do is sign the paperwork and let it dry.
I’m married. And the woman in front of me is the absolute right choice for me. She may have literally fallen into my arms last night, but I’m not letting her go. Not in this lifetime.
In a whirlwind, we are back up the mountain, where everyone has scrambled to turn the main house into a reception hall. It’s perfect. The cake even survived the trip in my truck.
Blair stares at her ring as she dances with me in the middle of the room. The only music is coming from a speaker attached to someone’s phone, but neither of us cares. “The ring is stunning, Adrian.”
“You like it?”
“Love it. I couldn’t have done a better job picking it out if you’d brought me along.”
“I’ll never know whether that’s true or not because you will wear that ring for the rest of your life, even if you hate it, while always telling me it’s beautiful.” I chuckle.
She swats at my shoulder. “That’s true, but in this case, I mean it. I do love it.”
My family lays out a full spread of food, and we all eat at the giant dining room table. We even take a moment of silence while my oldest brother, Andrew, says a few words about how proud Mom and Dad would be if they were here, and that he believes they are in spirit.
Blair squeezes my hand. When I look down at her, she’s tearing up. I bend toward her ear. “I’m sorry your parents aren’t here today, either, princess. Hopefully, they will understand and eventually come around. We can always do something special with them later.”
She wraps her arm around my biceps and leans into me hard. “You are the very best man I’ve ever met, Adrian Gallant. I hope you’re right, but if not, I now have an enormous family who has welcomed me beyond my wildest dreams.”
I kiss her temple, lingering because I like the feel of her skin against my lips. “I love you, Blair. I know it’s fast, but I know my heart.”
“I love you, too, Adrian. I’m praying I know your heart, also.” She brushes her cheek against my shoulder. “Now, feed me so we can eat that cake and go back to your house and consummate this marriage.”
I chuckle. “Yes, ma’am. But it’s our house now.”
Suddenly, she gasps, eyes wide as she looks at me. “We didn’t do a prenup.” She slaps her forehead. “I wanted you to have the judge prepare something.”
I frown. “What the hell would we need a prenup for, Blair?”
“Because I never ever want you or anyone else to think I’m after your money. If things go wrong, we split and go our separate ways. No harm, no foul.”
Everyone is quiet; they’re all staring at us because we’re not being quiet.
Blair glances around the table. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to shout, but I meant every word of that. I’m not a gold digger.”
“Baby…” I rub her back. “We don’t need a prenup. We’re not getting divorced. I told you that last night. I’m in this marriage for life. It’s not a trial run.”
“That’s crazy, Adrian. You don’t know me.”
“Well, I know you have your own money, princess. You don’t need mine.”
“Still, I could take you to the cleaners if I wanted, which I don’t and wouldn’t. But I bet your entire family thinks we’re batshit crazy, even though they’re all being so kind.”
“They don’t, baby.” I squeeze her hand.
Rebekah giggles. “I don’t have a prenup, and I came into this marriage with a pair of ill-fitting overalls and a picture of my mother.”
“That’s more than I had,” Hannah adds. “I was wearing an old-fashioned filthy skirt and blouse that went into the trash when I gave birth to Eve a day later. I don’t have a prenup.”
“See?” I wrap my arm around my wife. “If anyone should have a prenup, it probably should be me. Your parents are going to think I’m the gold digger,” I tease.
Blair stares at Hannah. “You gave birth to Eve the day you met Aaric?”
We all start laughing.
Hannah’s entire body shakes with her chuckling. “Yes.”
Blair glances at me. “Someone needs to explain this to me later.”
“Will do, baby.” I kiss her knuckles. “Now, let’s eat.”
“This conversation isn’t over.”
“It is, but I’ll humor you as often as you need me to, Blair.”
She shoves at my bicep. “You can’t humor me. I hate that idea.”
I kiss her knuckles again and wink at her. “Only when you argue with me irrationally about who has a bigger bank account because I don’t give a fuck about money, and I know you don’t, either. So, let’s drop it.”
She looks away for a few seconds and then sighs. “To be honest, my parents will probably cut me out of their will, so maybe you’re right. They can’t have my trust fund from my grandparents, but I bet my net worth just decreased significantly.”
“See? Problem solved.” I kiss her temple this time and pick up a plate. “Shall I fill your plate?”