Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Let yourself have me. CJ’s words ring loud through my mind. As if it’s that easy. Just let myself have him. I want to. More than anything, I want to.
“Are you doing this because your father wants it, or because you want it?” I ask CJ.
“Really, Dani? You’re going to stand there and question my devotion to you?” He raises a challenging brow.
“No.” I shake my head. I’ve never doubted that CJ loves me. But I do know how loyal he is to his father. And if his dad wanted him to marry someone for the family, then I have no doubt he’d do just that. “I just want to be sure that you’re not agreeing to marry me out of obligation to your father.”
CJ smirks. “I wouldn’t marry someone out of obligation, Daniella.”
“So, you actually want to marry me?”
“Is that a proposal?” he asks.
Shit, is it? I think it is.
“These doubts I have about myself, about a future, are not just going to go away, CJ. Clearly, I’m messed up. But if you want to, I want to.”
“Okay.” He nods his head.
“Okay?”
“Let’s get married,” he says.
“If we do this, I want to do it because it’s our idea, not our fathers’,” I tell him. “I want to go find a chapel and marry you. Just the two of us.”
“You don’t want anyone there?”
“As much as I love my family, and yours, marrying you isn’t about anyone but you and me.
I want it to be just us. First. Then we can just have a ceremony later with all our family.
I think if I have to go through the process of planning a big wedding, it’s going to fuck with my head, CJ.
I’m not indecisive. I want to marry you.
But I know how my mind works and I know I’ll get anxious about everything,” I try to explain.
“If you become my wife and you run again, Dani, I will chase you. I will find you and I’ll fucking lock you away in our house somewhere so you can’t run from me a third time.”
“I don’t want to run, CJ,” I tell him, because I don’t. “But, if at any time in the future you want to end this because you decide I’m not enough, I’ll understand.”
“Come on.” CJ takes hold of my hand and starts leading me out of the office.
“Where are we going?”
“To a chapel, before you change your mind. Again,” he says.
“You really want to marry me, huh?” I smile. I’m actually doing this, and for the first time in a really long time, I’m not scared. I’m sure that feeling will come later. But right now, I’m good.
“I’ve wanted to marry you for a really long fucking time. Despite how much of a pain in the ass you’ve been,” he says.
Hand in hand, CJ and I walk into the first small chapel we find. I thought I’d be nervous, but a calmness has come over me. Like I’ve finally made a decision that’s not full of regret.
I turn to look at CJ, and he smiles at me. This is the CJ I fell in love with years ago, the same man I’ve never stopped loving.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For being able to forgive me, for not giving up on me.”
“I will never be able to give up on you, Dani,” he says. Stopping at the tiny reception counter, CJ turns to look at the older woman. “We’d like to get married.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right spot.” She smiles. “I’m Eileen. This is our catalog for service selection.” She hands him a folder filled with different themed ceremonies.
“We don’t need a theme,” I tell her. “We just want to be married.”
“Okay, no frills then. Do you have rings or will you need them supplied?” Eileen asks.
“Fuck,” CJ hisses. “I have a ring.” He turns to me. “For you. Not on me, but I do have one.”
“You do?”
“I’ve had it for a while.” He shrugs and then turns back to Eileen. “We’ll need you to supply some please.”
“Okay, that will be an extra five-hundred,” she says.
“That’s fine.” CJ takes his wallet from his pocket, pulls out a black card, and hands it over to Eileen.
“Thank you. Do you have witnesses?”
“No, it’s just us.”
“That’s okay. We can witness for you. Come on back and I’ll get you two lovebirds the paperwork.”
I let CJ take control of the entire process of filling out the forms. I do, however, decide to accept a bouquet of flowers but deny walking down the small aisle when asked. I’d prefer to just be with CJ.
Once everything is sorted, we’re introduced to Jack, Eileen’s husband, and we’re standing under a floral arch facing each other.
The minister goes through the motions. I keep my eyes on CJ the entire time.
He smiles back at me. When it gets to the part where he puts a ring on my finger, he slides it on and says I do without hesitation.
And then it’s my turn. I take the offered ring from the minister and hold it over CJ’s finger. “I have some vows I want to say,” I tell Jack.
“Okay, the floor is all yours.”
“CJ. I love you. I promise to always love you because that’s a promise I couldn’t break even if I wanted to.
You are the other half of my soul. I promise to work on my communication skills.
I promise to be honest and to always be your biggest ally.
I’ll help you dig holes and bury bodies.
I’ll help wash any amount of blood from your hands and I promise to always be there when you come home at night.
I love you with everything that I am.” I slide the ring on to his finger.
Jack clears his throat. “Well, can’t say I’ve ever heard vows like that before. Under the power vested in me from the state of Nevada, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
CJ wastes no time in wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me up tight against him.
“I love you,” he whispers right before his lips brush against mine. His tongue pushes into my mouth and then he’s picking me up off the floor.
When my feet hit the ground again, CJ pulls away but I’m not ready to let this kiss end, so I drag his mouth back to mine for another minute.
“I can’t believe we’re married,” I say when I finally break the kiss.
“Mrs. Bianchi, you’re now mine. Forever.”
A huge smile spreads across my face. I did it. I let myself have something that I’ve always wanted. I don’t know what the future holds. But perhaps I need to start living for today and not ten years from now.
“You know that makes you mine too,” I tell him. “Hearts are going to be breaking all over this city when the news spreads about you being officially off the market.”
“Doubtful. Besides, your heart is the only one I care about.” He leans in and kisses me again.
“We just need to sign the paperwork, and then we’ll have it finished off for you,” Jack reminds us.
“Oh shit.” My eyes widen.
“What?” CJ asks.
“Ah, I need to make a phone call.” Finding my bag I left on a chair, I grab my phone and hit Alistair’s number.
“Daniella? You okay?” he asks.
“Hi. Sorry, did I wake you?”
“It’s okay. What’s going on?”
“I have a question, a legal question.”
“Well, you called the right person. What do you need to know? For the love of god, tell me you are not calling me from jail.”
“No. I saw the prenup paperwork you did for my dad.”
“Oh, yeah, I hear congratulations are in order. When’s the big day?”
“Ah, soon,” I reply vaguely. “I was wondering… what happens if I were to get married before the papers were signed?”
“Don’t do that,” Alistair says. “We can do a postnuptial agreement, but the agreement we drafted was fair, for both parties.”
“Okay. Thanks. Say hi to Dani for me. Sorry I woke you.” I cut the call and find CJ looking at me.
“You want a prenup?” he asks.
“No, but those papers I handed you earlier? Rosie looked at them and then she told me they were a prenup, for us. Our fathers want one.”
“I don’t give a fuck about what our fathers want, Dani. It’s about what you and I want. I don’t need to protect assets from my wife. Besides, I’d never let you leave me anyway.” He smirks. But there’s an undertone of a threat there. I know he’s serious. If I left, he would find me.
“I’m not leaving,” I assure him.
“Let’s go home.” CJ takes my hand and picks up my bag from the chair.