Chapter 13 Tess
Tess
I was getting married. Today. To Levi. The guy I had feelings for and had no clue because I was a coward, afraid to face the possibilities that came with something that big.
But I could only handle one monumental thing at a time, and this matter was more pressing, considering I had to meet Levi in the courtroom in ten minutes.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” I panted, fanning under my armpits so I didn’t get sweat stains on my dress.
This wasn’t a real wedding or a real marriage; it was all for show. So there was no reason for me to feel like I was going to jump out of my skin at any moment. But I did. It was as if my body couldn’t accept that this wasn’t real.
“You aren’t going to get sick,” Claire said, straightening out my hair and veil, while Savannah topped off my blush. I had cried this morning when she slid into the car at the last second on the way here and told me there was no way she was going to miss my wedding, fake or not.
“Ugh, I missed seeing you like this. You look like our sister again.” Claire clasped my shoulders, grinning at me in the mirror.
I reached back and held her, the shades of red in our hair blending together.
Brittany had done a perfect shade match to remove the black two days ago, so I could look like myself again on my wedding day.
“All done,” Savannah said, stepping aside so I could see the rest of my face.
I gasped, leaning over the sink. “Is that me?” My fingers slid up my cheeks lightly, not wanting to mess up the masterpiece she just finished.
My eyes were a bright, vibrant blue, my lips a glossy berry pink, my cheeks dusted with a rosy glow.
And my hair was styled in loose curls with the front pieces pulled back from my face with pearl barrettes.
Savannah turned around, her eyes glassy just like Claire’s. Just like mine. “It’s you, bug, our beautiful baby sister. A gorgeous bride.”
A bride. I guess I was one, wasn’t I? I couldn’t believe it. In all the ways I had dreamt of my wedding day, I never imagined this.
“I wish Mama were here,” Claire rasped, wiping under her eyes quickly.
I nodded, sniffling. “Me too. And Daddy.”
Savannah lay her head on my shoulder, both of us the same height in my heels. “They’re here,” she said with a trace of a bittersweet smile on her lips.
In this moment, here with my sisters, missing our parents, this wedding was as real as any, and I was so thankful they were here to support me.
Claire’s phone buzzed in her clutch. “It’s Beau. They’re ready for us.”
I took a step back, smoothing out my dress with a shaky breath, taking one final look in the mirror. The dress was simple, timeless. An ivory satin A-line dress that fell mid-calf, the skirt flaring out at my hips.
But looking at myself now, it was the first time I’d ever felt truly beautiful.
As foolish as it was, I couldn’t wait to show Levi.
“Let’s go,” I said with a new wave of determination, grabbing the small peony bouquet off the sink. We left the bathroom, where Emmett, Beau, and Weston were waiting for us, holding up the opposite wall with their big bodies.
Before I knew what was happening, Emmett’s body smacked into mine, pulling me up into a hug while he spun me around in the air.
My laughter cut short when he set me down, and I saw the tears in his eyes.
Emmett never cried. Not when he left for the Army, not when Daddy died, not when Mama died. Never.
I gripped his arm, panic flaring in my chest. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re just so beautiful,” he whispered shakily. “When did you get so grown up?”
I brushed his tears away, trying to stop my own from falling. I smiled softly. “Sometime in the last twenty-six years.”
He shook his head in disbelief, sniffling. “Well, I don’t like it. It happened too fast.”
“I’m nervous,” I admitted, just loud enough for us to hear. I took his hand. “Will you walk with me?”
He shut his eyes, bowing his head. His shoulders heaved with a deep inhale, letting it out in a shaky rush. “Don’t make me cry again,” he rasped. “Of course, I will.”
“Look at all my grandbabies!” We turned and found Gran coming towards us with Louise, their arms linked. “Aren’t they just beautiful, Louise?”
“They sure do clean up nice,” she said. She ran an appreciative sweep over Emmett. “‘Specially you, soldier. I’m takin’ you for a spin on the dance floor later.”
I bit back a laugh while Emmett’s ears went red.
“Your handsome groom wanted me to give this to you,” Gran said, holding out her hand.
My groom. The words hit like a punch to the gut. A reminder that this was actually happening and not a dream.
I held out my hand, and all the air left my lungs when I saw what it was: Levi’s ring. I hadn’t even thought about rings. My thumb brushed over the cool metal. It was a simple silver band. Understated and classic, Levi in jewelry form. “I’m really doing this, aren’t I?” My voice shook.
“Cold feet’s normal, sweet pea. But you love him, don’t you?” Gran asked with a tinge of worry.
The question rattled around in my brain. Heavy and big.
“Yes,” I confessed, looking at the ring I was about to slide onto Levi’s finger. “I do love him.”
I wasn’t sure when it happened, but it did. I hadn’t fallen for him; it had happened quietly, like walking. But that’s what made this whole thing so terrifying. How could I be fake married to someone I wouldn’t have minded being actually married to?
I guess I was about to find out.
My fingers fisted Emmet’s sleeve while we waited to walk into the courtroom. The edges of my vision were fuzzy. My knees were almost knocking. I could hardly breathe my heart was beating so fast.
But then the doors opened, and everything stopped. The knee knocking, the blurred vision. All of it. Because at the end of the small aisle was Levi.
His smile when he saw me felt like sunlight. Pure, warm, and so beautiful, I never wanted to go without it ever again.
That dimpled smile, that perfect face. He was all I saw as my brother walked me down the aisle. Nothing else mattered to me in this moment. Not the risk. Not the consequences. Not even that this whole thing wasn’t real.
We must’ve run down the aisle because it felt like only seconds had passed between the fear and the peace I felt when Levi took my hands in his, running his thumbs along the tops of my fingers.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfection.”
My heart did somersaults. “So are you.”
He was in a black suit. Crisp and clean like always. Except his tie was a pale lavender satin. How he knew that was my favorite color, I didn’t know. But it meant more to me than I could say that he’d worn it.
All of this meant more…so much more.
“We’re gathered here today to join Tess Elizabeth Hayes and Levi Asher Hollis in lawful marriage,” the officiant began. “Marriage is a partnership based on love, trust, and respect, and today you two are choosing to begin this journey together.”
I let out a shaky breath, the officiant’s words hitting me.
There was no turning back. The only option was divorce.
It was something I had always sworn I would never do after growing up with the kind of love my parents shared.
And knowing it was inevitable between us made me want to savor this moment for what it was, even if it was just for show.
Levi’s hands squeezed mine gently, grounding me. I squeezed back.
We said our vows, the standard run-of-the-mill ones, since we weren’t some couple wildly in love like we were pretending to be. And that…stung.
My hand shook as I took Levi’s left hand and slid the ring on his finger. “I give you this ring as a token of my love and commitment,” I said. Levi put mine on after, a smaller version of his own, saying the same words. I looked down, wiggling my fingers as I adjusted to the new weight on my hand.
I smiled, liking the way it looked.
“By the power vested in me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Levi, you may kiss your bride.”
My breath caught in the back of my throat, my eyes widening at Levi. Kiss? Did she just say kiss?
I knew the word hit Levi just as hard. His palms instantly got sweaty, his throat moving with a hard swallow. But then his eyes dropped to my mouth, and he licked his lips. Licked them like he could already taste me, sending heat blooming beneath my skin.
That same pull I felt in the coffee shop last Saturday tugged deep within me. The same pull I felt every other time I saw him. Except now I didn’t have to fight it because Levi was my husband.
Levi was my husband.
We reached for each other at the same time. The metal of his ring was cool on my cheek when he cradled my face, but it did nothing to tame the blazing heat that roared through me when his lips met mine.
Kissing him was like the big drop on a roller coaster. That exhilarating, wind-in-your-hair, lightness-in-your-soul feeling that had you coming back for more. His tongue gave a timid lick against my lips, and I parted for him right away. And nothing about the way he kissed me after was timid.
I went boneless as his mouth moved against mine, his hand firmly planted on my lower back, fingers digging into me like he never wanted to let go.
I forgot where I was, who was watching, what we were doing.
Nothing mattered but Levi. Need rushed through me until I was dizzy with it.
Until I was clinging to him to keep me upright.
“Goddamn, are you two gonna consummate this thing right here?” Weston asked with a shocked laugh.
We sprang apart, and I turned away from everyone, wiping my still tingling lips.
“Sorry,” Levi murmured to everyone with an awkward chuckle. He sounded just as breathless as I felt.
I touched my lips again with a singular thought: that was the best kiss I’d ever had in my life.