Chapter 35
Kia
For a place where I’m about to make a life-altering decision, the Cook County Courthouse feels absurdly ordinary. Gray marble floors. Fluorescent lights. The faint smell of paper and cleaner lingering in the air.
Our footsteps echo as we walk down the corridor.
Elody skips ahead, her dress swishing around her knees, shiny, black patent leather shoes tapping against the floor. She hums to herself, swinging the small bouquet she insisted on picking up from the flower shop.
I smooth my hands down the front of my dress for the third time in as many minutes. Rina surprised me when she brought it over the other day. It’s pale pink, soft, and simple. In other words, absolutely perfect. I didn’t even bother to argue. I just let her zip me into it while my hands shook.
More than twenty-four hours later, they’re still shaking.
This isn’t how I pictured getting married. There isn’t a white gown, aisle, or music swelling in the background. Just an ordinary dress, paperwork tucked under Laiken’s arm, and the knowledge I’m stepping into something that started out as a solution and already feels like so much more.
I glance sideways at the man I’m about to marry.
He’s wearing a suit that’s charcoal gray, tailored, and fits him perfectly.
The sight sends a fresh wave of desire through me, and my cheeks heat for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with waking up with his face buried between my thighs this morning.
I can’t shake the memory of how he took his time, treating my pleasure like it was something to savor, something worth lingering over, as though it truly mattered.
As if I mattered.
Like what I felt was just as important, maybe even more so, than what he wanted for himself.
The realization leaves me unsteady, because it’s not just rare, it’s foreign to me. I’ve never met a man like him. His selflessness and generosity continue to throw me off balance at every turn.
With a swallow, I force my gaze forward before he can catch me staring.
But I’m too late.
This man notices everything. He reaches for my hand, his thumb sweeping over my knuckles. When I glance up, I find him watching me.
“Are you all right?” he asks quietly.
I nod, even though my heart feels like it might beat its way right out of my chest.
He leans closer. “Your cheeks are flushed. I’m curious as to what you’re thinking about.”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “It’s cold out.”
One dark brow lifts as he continues to stare. It feels like he can see straight through the lie.
“Are you sure it doesn’t have anything to do with this morning?”
Heat floods my face, and the second I bite my bottom lip, his gaze dips to it.
I get the feeling he’s remembering too, replaying it in his head the same way I am.
His mouth curves, the smallest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips as he leans in close enough for his breath to feather against my ear. “I’ve been thinking about it too,” he murmurs. “And I promise… there’ll be a lot more of that, if you enjoy it so much.”
My breath catches as my body reacts instantly.
And the worst part?
He knows it.
A few steps later, we reach the courtroom.
Laiken opens the door and I step inside.
Oliver and Rina are already there waiting for us.
My brother looks handsome in a navy suit without a tie, his hair slightly damp, as if he rushed to get here on time.
Rina glows beside him in a green wrap dress, her eyes bright with excitement.
A fresh wave of tension crashes over me as I meet Oliver’s gaze.
“Hey, kid,” he says. “You look stunning.”
Tears prick my eyes as I cross the room and throw my arms around him. “Thank you for being here.”
He squeezes me tight. “Like I’d miss your wedding day. What kind of brother would that make me?”
I pull back just enough to meet his gaze. “You’ve always been there when I needed you, and I don’t say it enough, but… thank you.”
He flashes a quick grin. “We’re Van Dorens. Showing up for one another is what we do.”
The familiar saying has everything loosening inside me.
“Lennox?” the clerk calls out.
Laiken steps forward. “Yup. We’re here.”
The woman barely looks up as she motions us closer. I can’t help but imagine how many other couples have stood right where we are.
Did their marriages last?
Or were they impetuous decisions?
Ones they ended up regretting?
I shove that thought away and refocus my attention on Elody as she climbs onto a chair next to Rina and whispers loudly, “That’s my daddy and new mommy.”
Every time she says it, my heart clenches. I never imagined a time when my life would feel so full or so right. Especially when, not that long ago, everything was falling apart.
Laiken’s hand tightens around mine, steadying me as emotion surges through my body. I blink hard, forcing myself to stay present and feel the moment instead of allowing it to pass by in a blur.
As expected, the vows are simple and short. They’re words about partnership and commitment spoken plainly, without ceremony or flourish.
And yet, when Laiken looks at me, nothing about what we’re doing feels simple at all. Instead, it feels steady. Intentional. Like the beginning of something solid that’s meant to last. A foundation we can build upon instead of a moment meant to impress.
I’ve always imagined marriage as a vow made before friends and family that comes after years of knowing someone you have shared memories with. A future mapped out in advance, built on plans and promises made long before a ring is ever slipped onto a finger.
That’s not what this is.
It’s a leap of faith taken in the middle of uncertainty. We’re choosing each other without guarantees, and deciding that partnership matters more than perfect timing. I’ve realized that safety doesn’t always come from waiting until everything is certain.
I have no idea what the road ahead looks like. All I know is that whatever this is with Laiken feels right.
For the first time in my life, that’s enough to risk taking a chance on.
Laiken slides the ring onto my finger, and the sensation sends a shiver through me as the cool metal settles against my skin.
It’s not flashy or extravagant, but I wouldn’t have wanted it to be.
It’s a quiet promise. One I can feel with every small movement of my hand. It’s a reminder that this is something we’re stepping into together, fully aware of both the risk and reward. As my fingers curl reflexively, the ring banded around it feels less like an ornament and more like a beginning.
“You may kiss the bride,” the judge says.
Laiken leans in until his lips brush mine before deepening it just a fraction.
“All right,” Oliver grumbles. “That’s enough of that.”
Rina elbows him in the side as she sniffles. “Shush. Let them have their moment.”
Elody claps and cheers. My lips curve as I laugh against Laiken’s mouth.
Once we make our way outside, sunlight spills over us as Rina snaps pictures on the courthouse steps, her voice filled with happiness as she tells us to hold still, smile, and look at each other.
With everything else racing through my mind, I hadn’t even thought to take photos or capture the moment. I’m glad she’s here to do it for us.
Cars rush past on the street below as someone nearby laughs. Life continues exactly as it did five minutes ago. And yet everything feels different.
Elody wedges herself between Laiken and me as a woman waiting on the steps glances our way. Her gaze lingers as she observes the three of us together, and it hits me that we must look like a family.
Laiken’s hand settles at the small of my back as Elody slips her hand into mine, swinging it while we head toward the sidewalk. The simple, ordinary gesture fills me with contentment.
“We did it,” I whisper, the words strange on my tongue. “We’re married.”
Laiken looks at me, raw emotion flooding his eyes. “Yeah,” he agrees. “We did. You’re my wife now.”
The words burrow deep, anchoring themselves inside me.
I expected the paperwork, logistics, and the legal finality of it all.
What I didn’t expect was for this to feel like a promise or the beginning of something I’m no longer afraid to want.