CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CLARA
Two weeks.
That’s how long we had to wait for an appointment.
Even Nash’s connections within the city couldn’t speed up the process.
We existed in this sexy-sweet limbo: going through the public-facing motions, appearing for the lunch dates, visiting the Queens neighborhood to look at the properties and meet with residents, and punctuating every meet-up with scorching detours to the bed, sometimes for hours, sometimes for a full day.
I was lost in the reverie, fully. I no longer had edges between where the contract began and my true feelings for Nash ended. So when we arrived at the austere city hall building on the date of our wedding ceremony, everything felt surreal.
The clouds in the sky were 3-D. The May air whipping through the streets was fragrant and heady. The man at my side, looking down at me like there’d never been a contract between us, felt like the most perfect partner I could have prayed for.
"You ready for this?" Zoey whispered on my left, linking her arm through mine as we climbed the steps.
She'd taken the morning off work to be here, and I was grateful beyond words.
Having her beside me made this feel slightly less insane.
Mia hopped up the steps ahead of us, while Nash squeezed my right hand and never left my side.
Trojan trailed behind us, scanning the area always.
"I'm fine," I lied.
Zoey tugged at my wrist, gesturing for me to slow down so she could speak to me privately. Nash continued, keeping an eye on Mia.
"Are you sure you want to do it this way?" Zoey asked, her eyes wide with concern.
“I do. It’s our second chance, Zoey. What can I say? I love this man.” My throat went tight as soon as the words escaped me. I’d managed to avoid the L-word until now.
“You’re glowing. I’ve never seen you like this before. I just wanted to make sure there’s no reason for rushing.”
“No reason for the rush,” I assured her, giving her hands an appreciative squeeze. A part of me was aware of the blatant lie passing my lips, but the guilt felt more distant now. Less threatening. “It’s not like he’s marrying me for my money, after all.”
We shared a laugh. Then Zoey wrapped me in a big hug.
“I can’t wait to see you get married to that hunk. And who knows—maybe I’ll be here next with his brother,” she cracked.
We giggled and hurried up the steps to reach Nash and Mia at the top.
When I looked at him, handsome beyond words in a navy blue suit that made his eyes look even more striking, her little body perched in his arms, the air went out of me.
I’d never seen such a precious sight. And more than anything else, it looked so natural.
My throat went tight again. Was the whole day going to be this emotional?
“Sorry for the delay,” I said, grabbing his hand as we breezed inside the building.
I glanced down at my simple cream wrap dress that Nash had picked out for the occasion, brushing off a speck of dust. I felt beautiful and ready to get married.
But there was one important order of business to finish first.
“There you are!” Archer’s confident voice echoed through the marble foyer as we strode inside. Once my eyes adjusted to the inside lighting, I spotted Archer and the guest of honor today: Nash and Archer’s mother.
She was a head shorter than her boys, dressed in a sophisticated blouse and slack combo. In lieu of a greeting, she marched toward me with open arms and embraced me with big smile.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she crooned into my ear. “I’m Teri, your almost mother-in-law.” When she pulled back, she had tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying these words. I never thought I’d see this day.”
“It’s so lovely to meet you, Teri,” I said, squeezing her hand. Now I had tears in my eyes. After she pulled Nash into a long, tight hug, we introduced Mia and Zoey.
“I was blessed with two boys, but I always wanted a daughter,” Teri said after pinching Mia’s cheek and looking at her like she was sent from Heaven. “And now I’m getting not only a daughter, but a granddaughter.”
Her words sent something strange and hot thundering through me.
For a split second I thought I might pass out.
This was wrong. All wrong. We weren’t just lying to my best friend, we were lying to his mother.
This angel of a woman who had longed for a daughter and granddaughter.
What the hell were we thinking? We’d break this woman’s heart at the end of the year when we divorced, and that might end up being one of the biggest casualties of all.
From there all I could think about was my own mother.
My best friend. My guide, my rock, the woman who was taken from me too soon when I was seventeen years old.
Cancer had stolen her from me, leaving my cold stepfather and disinterested family members to utterly fail to fill her shoes.
Her not being here today was one thing; knowing that I would have had to lie to her, just like I was lying to Teri, sent a special type of heartbreak cascading through me.
Now the tears were coming, but for all the wrong reasons.
“It’s a big day, sweetie,” Teri murmured, rubbing my back.
At least I had an excuse for my tears, one that formed part of the truth. “I just wish my mom could be here. She passed when I was seventeen.”
“Oh, honey.” Teri wrapped me in a warm, motherly hug. I let her sweet scent wash over me, and for a moment, could almost feel my own mother’s arms around me again. The rest of our crew crowded around us, forming a supportive pod. By the end of it, we were all laughing and crying a little together.
“I think this means I’m ready to get married now,” I joked. “What do you think, Nash?”
“We’ve all been blessed. Let’s do this.” He scooped my hand into his, flattening my palm onto his chest. The butterflies swarmed my belly again, erasing the sadness that had taken root.
We filed through the building to our designated hall. The ceremony room was a simple space with wood paneling. A clerk stood behind a desk, her expression pleasant but detached.
"Do we have the witnesses?" she asked.
Teri, Archer, Zoey, and Trojan came forward, Mia in Zoey’s arms. The clerk directed them to sit in the chairs facing the desk, and then asked Nash and I to approach the podium. Mia sat in one of the chairs, swinging her legs and clutching the small basket of flower petals we'd given her.
"All right then," the clerk said, opening a worn book. "Let's begin.”
The clerk began reading the standard City Hall ceremony text, and I tried to focus on the words.
I really did. But my mind kept drifting to what my mother would think if she could see this.
What my grandmother would say if she were still around.
I felt like a fraud, even though from the outside, I looked like I’d finally struck gold.
And I had struck gold.
It just wasn’t mine to keep.
"Do you, Nash Jameson Nightingale, take Clara Marie Whitehall to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Nash's hand tightened around mine, his electric eyes searching my face. "I do."
His voice was steady. Certain. Like he meant it.
"And do you, Clara Marie Whitehall, take Nash Jameson Nightingale to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
I opened my mouth, and for a terrifying second, nothing came out. The room felt too small. Too hot. This was it. The moment that would change everything. I’d been hired to say yes.
Just say it. Say it.
"I do," I finally managed.
"The rings?"
Archer produced two simple platinum bands that Nash and I had picked out the week before. Nash slid the ring onto my finger, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. And then it was my turn, sliding the band onto his finger, feeling the weight of what we were doing settle over me like a blanket.
"By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."
Nash's hands came up to frame my face, and he leaned in close enough that only I could hear him whisper: "Thank you for saying yes to me."
The words hit me like a freight train. For a moment—just a moment—I forgot this was staged. Forgot about the contract and the money and the pending hurdle of the committee.
His lips met mine in a kiss that was supposed to be quick and perfunctory. But it wasn't. It was soft and deep and full of something I didn't have words for. When we finally broke apart, I was breathless.
"Congratulations," the clerk said, her brows raising. “That was quite a kiss.”
“Must have been good if we impressed her,” Nash murmured, catching my waist with his hand. “She’s probably seen eight million of these.”
"Flowers!" Mia announced, jumping up from her chair. She began throwing flower petals with wild abandon, most of them landing nowhere near us. My heart swelled as I watched the air fill with unevenly delivered petals. With Zoey, Archer, Teri and Trojan here, somehow it was perfect.
Archer and Zoey rushed forward with hugs and congratulations, and for a few minutes, the small room was cacophonous with joy.
After the marriage license was signed, the clerk stamped it with a huge seal that boasted the emblem of New York City.
Just like that, I was officially Nash Nightingale’s wife.
The six of us filed out of the room, buzzing from the quick yet meaningful ceremony.
“We’re going to celebrate over lunch, right?” Teri asked. “I need to properly gaze at my new daughter-in-law.”
“Absolutely,” Archer said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll have the car pick us up. I made reservations across town.”
“Will we all fit?” I asked, counting heads. “Maybe Zoey and Mia and I can—”
“Babe.” Nash pressed a kiss to my head. “We have a third row SUV too. We’ll fit. And all the cars have boosters now, just in case Mia comes along.”
I smiled as I realized I wasn’t the only one thinking ahead about these things. Nash—and his brother—were used to shouldering the planning, the prep, the details. God, it was a relief.