5. Damien
FIVE
DAMIEN
Iam one step closer to sealing our fate. Once this is over, Bradshaw will process my inheritance.
I knew the moment the comment about kids came out of Bradshaw’s mouth there would be a reaction.
Thankfully, Felicity held herself together and didn’t let him know she had no idea about that particular term.
It’s a clause that’s lived in every NDA I’ve ever had, and I’d expected Bradshaw to take it out as some sort of test.
Maybe not questioning him had been the test. But would I change my mind for anyone? Even the woman I’m marrying? I got a vasectomy, and I haven’t thought twice about it since getting it done. Now though?
I try not to think about it too much as we make our way to the clerk to get married.
“You know, this is pretty sad, right?” Brandon says, stopping next to me. “Don’t you think your lovely bride deserves a little better than this?”
I stiffen and glance at him. “We don’t know any officiants.”
Brandon rolls his eyes. “You know how easy it is to do that kind of thing online? I did it for a buddy in college,” he replies. “And the fact you aren’t getting married in front of your supposed best friends? A shame, really.”
“Well, to be honest, we were kind of hoping for a small, personal thing, and were kind of planning something a little bigger…later,” Felicity says before I can respond.
“With everything going on with the lodge, a big wedding just seemed like a bad idea for right now. Plus, it’s not about the party, it’s about being together. ”
Brandon purses his lips, nodding in respect. “Fair point. Then you are definitely not going to like what I’ve done. Since the garden at the inn is just so nice and all…”
We return to the inn without lodging our marriage license or officially getting married, to find chairs set up in front of an arch Felicity has in the garden. Already seated are my friends, their ladies, and a few additional people I don’t expect to see.
I take in the small wedding party, surprise and worry settling like a lead weight within me. “How…?”
Brandon claps me on the back. “What good is a best man if I don’t abuse those responsibilities?”
Beside me, Felicity presses into my side. “The others look…mad.”
“No, they look furious,” I mutter. “This is the sort of thing we talk about. We discuss. I’m about to do something that goes against everything I have ever said, and they know it.”
“They could ruin this, couldn’t they?” she asks softly.
“They might.” I wouldn’t rule them out as possible threats to the plan, even though the reason I’m doing this is for them. They trust me with the money. They trust me to make sure we have the cash to make this work.
Well, I’m making it work.
Even if the way I’m doing it is something they wouldn’t agree with.
“Brandon, I will kill you,” I whisper to my brother as he moves past me. “That is a promise I intend to keep.”
My brother winks. “Come on, let the girl have her moment walking down the aisle.”
Felicity clutches my hand tighter, but Brandon looks at me like he isn’t going to take no for an answer. “Just…go with it,” I murmur, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. Hopefully, it just looks like nerves getting the best of her, and nothing else. “Maybe this will be a good thing.”
Her hand trembles in mine, her nerves coming through clearly. “We didn’t plan for this.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“You can go back to the car, and we can leave if this is too much.” It hadn’t occurred to me that she might be anxious.
She’s so, well, polite and soft around the guys and me that I never clocked she might be so quiet because she’s anxious about us.
She runs the inn with a proficiency that tells me she loves what she does, but I haven’t had a chance to see what she’s like around different guests. We’ve booked her out completely, so no one else has been able to stay here.
Felicity draws in a breath and shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. You’re right.” A tight smile forms on her lips, worry sparking in her eyes. “Go. And I’ll…I guess I’ll meet you there.”
I give her a single nod and release her hand. “We’ve got this.”
This time, the smile she gives me is a little more genuine. “Yeah, we do.”
Now, if only I could believe it.
I straighten my tie as I turn. Bradshaw and Daphne have taken their seats, the former giving me a nod as if to say yes, this is a test, perform or don’t see a penny of that money.
He’s smart, I’ll give him that, but the way this genuinely affects Felicity is too much.
The courthouse would have been fine. But Bradshaw just wants to test us.
Fine. I’ll play his game.
I swallow hard and give him a nod before continuing down the makeshift aisle towards the arch. I’ve walked through it a dozen times since coming here; vines of flowers wrap around the old wooden structure, making it the perfect backdrop for a wedding.
Somehow, Isabella—our assistant and Tobias’s girlfriend—found a camera, because she raises it in front of her face and snaps a shot before Tobias can tell her not to.
“Don’t bother,” my friend mutters. “This cannot be real.”
“Oh, come on, you can’t tell me this is a stunt he’d pull,” she replies softly. “I might not know him all that well, but this just seems a bit dramatic to be a prank. And really, you guys are too old for this sort of thing.”
Tobias shoots her a look, but I roll my eyes. “Felicity and I planned a courthouse wedding, but Brandon changed the plans,” I say loudly. “You lot weren’t going to know until we were ready.”
Brandon rubs the back of his neck. “Surprise.”
Thankfully, we’re stopped by a swell of instrumental music that sounds like the wedding march. My friends all share looks of disbelief, and I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to tell the truth—or the lie.
Not the truth, I tell myself as I straighten. They can’t know.
I look down the makeshift aisle towards Felicity, a breath catching in my throat.
Somehow, she looks more radiant now than she did this morning when I saw her for the first time. The sun catches her hair, turning it into a fiery inferno. Someone had gotten her a small bouquet, which she now clutches as her eyes find mine.
I draw in a sharp breath as the music carries her down the aisle towards me. Our guests stand and watch, but I keep my eyes locked on her. The tremble of her hands is only barely visible, but it has my heart clenching.
Eyes on me, I mouth, keeping my gaze steady on her.
The closer she gets, the more I can make out the stressed flush coursing down her neck. I know, she mouths back once she makes it to me.
The music dims, and I take one of Felicity’s hands. Callahan’s kid runs towards us, hand held out for the bouquet, which Felicity hands over with a grateful smile.
I take her other hand and redirect her to me. “Don’t worry about anyone else,” I murmur. “Just focus on me.”
She gives me a small nod. “Okay.”
“Marriage,” Brandon starts, his voice carrying.
“Who would have thought we’d be here today?
Not me, that’s for sure, until I got the call that Bradshaw—the family lawyer—had to fly here to oversee my big brother’s wedding.
Which is insane, because I never thought my brother would be the kind of man to marry.
Then I saw the way he held Felicity, and well…
Makes sense. Somehow, she’s got him wrapped around her pinkie finger. ”
I swallow hard, almost tempted to kick him in the shin, but somehow, Felicity’s steady stare keeps me in place. Something shifts in her bright eyes, and the flush turns from fear to embarrassment fast. It has my heart skipping a beat painfully.
“Well, I suppose much to all our shock, they are now getting married. But apparently that makes sense in this town,” Brandon continues without missing a beat.
“And to their surprise, I figured it would be better they did this in the open before friends and family, so we could all welcome them together as a happy couple.”
Fuck you, I think as I finally tear my eyes off Felicity to glare at my brother.
“Damien thinks he’s scary, but apparently he plays in gardens now, so I think she’s made him soft.
” A few light chuckles and polite coughs follow that comment.
“Okay. Now is the time to ask if anyone wants to object. I specifically didn’t invite anyone who would, so the only one who might is Bradshaw.
If so, do it now or shut up for the rest of this trip. ”
I sigh and close my eyes. God, anyone else could have done this. Or, we could have actually stayed at the fucking courthouse. Let them all stew. I never should have walked out of the building with Felicity without our marriage officially recognised.
Felicity giggles under her breath, making me open my eyes. Her laugh is so genuine, it makes warmth rise in my chest. And for a moment, I can’t help but wonder what it would sound like to hear it again.
“No takers? Great. Do you guys have your own vows? I don’t have the other ones memorised.” Brandon looks between us with raised brows, and the warmth dissipates as it settles like a lead weight in my stomach.
“We have our own vows,” I say, nodding to Felicity.
Fear crosses her eyes as she stills, but I continue as I pull out the ring box.
“I take you, Felicity Kingston, to be my wife, under the gaze of our friends and family, and the magic of the mountain that brought us together, in the garden of the place where we fell in love. There aren’t enough words to describe how grateful I am for you, but I can tell you that you are one of the greatest blessings of my life.
And I don’t know what I would do without you.
” Slowly, I slide the wedding band onto her ring finger, settling it above her engagement ring.
Felicity’s eyes well with tears as she draws in a sharp breath, fishing the matching box from her pocket.
“And I, Felicity, take you, Damien Winthrop, as my husband. With those we love as our witnesses and with their blessing, and with Jade Mountain as our guide to one another. I do this with my grandparents watching over us, their rings our sign of love and devotion. You came into my life during a time when I didn’t think I needed anyone, and you’ve shown me that’s simply not true.
I…I need you.” She places it onto my finger, and somehow, it fits almost perfectly.
I know our words are just the truth wrapped up in a pretty bow to seem like we’re in love and this is real, but her vows still have my heart skipping, stomach fluttering with nerves I’ve never felt before.
“Well, I guess this is the part where you two kiss!” Brandon announces, slapping me on the shoulder. “Congratulations. I name you husband and wife.”
Felicity freezes, but I step into her. “Trust me,” I whisper, leaning into her.
“I do,” she replies softly, making my heart twist again.
To the sound of clapping, I kiss my now-real wife. Her lips mould against mine, a soft sound falling from them as I press against her firmly. Even though I know I should pull away, I don’t immediately.
There is something too right—too real—feeling her against me. The world disappears, leaving only us. Her kiss is safety, it’s hope, and it’s all the things I try desperately to hide from.
Only when she pulls back do I finally remember where I am. I blink rapidly and clear my throat as everything clicks into place.