8. Gabriella
Gabriella
I wasn’t sure how Damien did it, but he did. At three o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, sitting on the sofa in our hotel suite and staring into the camera atop Damien’s laptop, we met with a Hillsborough county clerk. As if our middle-of-the-night ceremony wasn’t obscure enough, we were meeting with the county official via Zoom.
It seemed that even the county clerk would make exceptions to rules. Our license was postdated to last Friday. I had no doubt that his wallet was a bit thicker for his flexibility.
By the clerk’s image, he was seated in front of a green screen that looked like a quintessential courtroom. In reality, I would guess he was at his pool or in his lanai on a Sunday afternoon. There were probably swim trunks below the shirt and tie.
After uploading our Indiana driver’s licenses, paying the nominal fee, and answering a few questions, the license was issued.
“Thank you again for your time,” Damien said. His dark-blond mane was no longer messy. His toned abs and muscular shoulders, as well as his earlier erection, were now covered, hidden beneath a layer of clothing. Dark blue jeans covered his long legs and a white button-down shirt with rolled sleeves finished his attire.
We’d secured a first-aid kit from the hotel. Damien’s hand was coated with antibacterial ointment and was wrapped in white bandages.
“Your license should arrive to your email in a matter of minutes. Remember to have the officiant sign. Once that signed license is returned to our office, you will receive your completed license via mail.”
“We appreciate your help,” I added as a knock came to our hotel door.
Damien squeezed my knee. “That should be Pastor Abrams now.”
As Damien said goodbye to the clerk, I went to the door.
“Mrs. Sinclair,” Pastor Abrams said with a smile.
“Getting closer to making that legal by the minute.” I gestured into the suite. “Please come in.”
Damien stood and greeted Pastor Abrams. “Thank you for coming on a Sunday afternoon.”
“You were able to get the license…I didn’t want to be the cause of a delay.” She tilted her head. “How is your father?”
“He’s a fighter.”
The pastor looked at Damien’s bandaged hand and to me. “Like father, like son.”
A grin lifted my cheeks. “When a Sinclair wants something done, it most usually happens.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Damien said. “I need to go to the business center to have the license printed. I’ll be right back.”
After brushing my cheek with a kiss, Damien disappeared into the hotel hallway.
“May I get you something?” I asked. “A water bottle? I’m afraid we don’t have much of a selection.”
“I’m good. Thank you.” She went to the sofa and took a seat. “While we have a moment, I wanted to talk to you about something, if you don’t mind.”
If she wanted to talk about our marriage, I was more confident in our decision than I was last night. After a good night’s sleep and a few orgasms, I was ready to defend our choice.
Smoothing the skirt of the cream-colored sundress Damien had delivered while I was showering, I sat in a nearby chair. “What do you want to discuss?”
“The couple that entered the chapel at the beginning of your ceremony…?”
That wasn’t what I expected.
I sat taller. “What about them?”
“I had the sense that there is animosity between that man and Mr. Sinclair.”
“They are both Mr. Sinclair. Brothers.”
“Oh,” she said. “I see. I debated mentioning something I observed to Mr. Sinclair…yours. I was concerned about the safety of his family. However, if that gentleman is his brother, I must have misunderstood.”
“What did you observe?”
She pressed her lips together. “You have to understand, it isn’t my place to tell tales.”
I pressed forward. “Whatever it is, it must be bothering you, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
She took a deep breath. “I almost didn’t recognize him—as the man from your ceremony. His face was swollen and bruised. I was in the emergency room early this morning after your wedding. He was waiting to be seen, and I was drawn to him. When I introduced myself, he didn’t mention that we’d met earlier or even his name. We spoke about his injuries.”
“Did he tell you how he was injured?”
“A mugging outside the hospital.”
Interesting.
I nodded.
“You weren’t surprised to hear he was injured,” she said.
“Darius is a grown man. I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
“That’s the thing. Before the doctor arrived, a man entered Darius’s…? That’s his name?”
“Yes.”
The pastor went on. “This man who entered, I didn’t recognize from the hospital. He identified himself as security and demanded that Darius leave the hospital. I tried to intervene. He was obviously in need of care.”
“What happened?”
“They exchanged words. A security guard, one I did recognize, joined the discussion and told the patient to leave. The woman…she was with him earlier.”
I nodded.
“She came in during the discussion. Before they left, I heard something about getting what they deserve. I believe I heard them mention your husband’s name.” She inhaled. “A moment ago, I saw the bandage on your Mr. Sinclair’s hand. I can’t help believing the two incidents are connected and honestly, the other couple was very upset. In my line of work, it isn’t always weddings. I see many revengeful and dangerous people. It was a feeling. I wanted to warn you to be careful.”
“They are connected,” I admitted. “From what I know, Darius is more bark than bite.” However, I knew next to nothing about Amber. Could she be vengeful? I sat taller. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll definitely inform Damien.”
As if summoned by his name, the door from the hallway beeped and opened.
“Later,” I whispered.
There were too many current concerns for me to give Damien another. I willingly took on the role of his wife. If he could juggle all that he had going on and still manage to get me a dress for my marriage license signing, I could investigate what Darius and Amber had planned.
Entering the suite, Damien held up a piece of paper. “We are a signature away.”
I forced a smile, unwilling to let Darius or Amber ruin what little remained of our wedding.
Pastor Abrams took the paper and scanned the information. “It all seems to be in order. With the license dated Friday, we’ll put Saturday’s date for the ceremony. It will raise fewer questions.”
“As long as it’s legal,” I said.
“It is.” She pointed to the line above my name. “Sign here.”
Taking the pen in hand, I scrolled Gabriella Louise. I stopped. “What last name do I sign?”
“On the license, you sign your maiden name.”
I nodded and wrote Crystal . Meeting Damien’s stare, I handed him the pen. “Your turn.”
“That’s the last time. From this day forward, your name is Gabriella Louise Sinclair.”
“Maybe I’ll choose to use my maiden name.”
He smirked as he signed his own name. “We can discuss this after our guest leaves.”
Recalling the sting of my behind from earlier, I said, “If you’re offering me a deal, I think I need to work on my negotiation skills.”
Damien handed the pen to the pastor. “You’re the last signature.”
She signed her name. “There. You are official. I’ll take this to the clerk’s office personally in the morning.”
Damien pulled out his phone. “Let me take a picture of it.” He snapped a photo. As we said goodbye to Pastor Abrams, Damien handed her a white envelope. “Thank you again for all you’ve done.”
“You don’t need to…”
Damien gently pushed the envelope toward her. “Our appreciation. Keep it, donate it. The choice is yours.”
Pastor Abrams nodded. “Thank you both. It’s been a pleasure.” She looked at me. “Stay safe and well.” She smiled at Damien. “Your father will be in my thoughts and prayers.”
“Thank you.”
After she left, I asked, “How much did you pay her?”
“Having you as my wife is priceless.”
“How much?”
“Enough to guarantee she follows through on filing the license tomorrow.” He looked around the suite and back to me. “You’re beautiful, Ella. I wish I could take you to a tropical paradise.” He teased a strap of the dress. “Where clothing is optional.”
“I like the dress. Thank you again.”
“I told you that I like dressing you. Your suitcase was packed for Ashland, Wisconsin, not Tampa, Florida. I didn’t want you succumbing to heatstroke before you signed that paper.”
“My hero.”
“We both know that isn’t true.” He took a step closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging me to him. “Ella, this wedding has been so much less than you deserve. I promise to keep my word and give you the most lavish wedding you can possibly dream of once life settles.” He took a deep breath, his chest pushing against my breasts. “I don’t want to keep our marriage a secret.”
I stiffened in his arms. “Damien, I don’t want to be divorced.”
“Neither do I.” He smiled a lopsided grin. “Rekindle. Pastor Abrams was right about a lot of things she said.”
“What did she say?”
“Our contingency plan is in place, but we shouldn’t concentrate on that. She also said to be open and honest. I’m being honest—I want the whole fucking world to know we’re married.”
Open.
Honest.
“So, keeping something from one another this early in our marriage isn’t a good idea?”
“If it’s that you’re not wearing panties, I think we can fit a fast fuck into our schedule.”
I playfully slapped his shoulder. “Yes, I’m wearing panties. I don’t want to fly back to Indiana with your come on my thighs.”
His navy orbs sparkled as his eyebrows danced.
“No,” I said definitively. “Are we ready to go back?”
“The driver will first take us to the hospital. If we can’t see Dad, at least we can see Mom. Also, Dani is going to meet us there and fly back with us.”
Dani.
Did she need to know what Pastor Abrams told me?
I needed to tell Damien.
“Before we go, I should tell you something the pastor told me.”