Chapter 12 #2
“Bye furballs, be good! No flooding the apartment,” Carlo says as we shuffle out the door. He and Tania say it now every time they leave the apartment, never letting the little gremlins forget how they made the mess that brought them together. Gomez and Tish look pissed that we’re leaving them.
Time seems to compress as we make our way to the courthouse.
It’s a thirty minute drive in actual time, but it feels like only a nanosecond has passed when we pull in.
Blue skies and a scorching sun bathe the little downtown area we’re in with bright light that scatters off of the white buildings.
It’s one o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, we managed to grab the first slot after everyone comes back from lunch.
Some people are milling around outside, clearly taking their time coming back from their breaks, while others rush around with their briefcases, looking urgent.
Heading up the stairs into the lobby, we’re met with Gage and his family already there.
Gina and Ava raised holy hell at the suggestion that just Wayne come to the ceremony, but Braden wanted nothing to do with it.
So he’s at a friend’s house for the barely thirty or so minutes this ceremony should take.
Carlo and Wayne greet each other, looking adorably coordinated in their outfits.
My eyes don’t stray too long from Gage’s, though.
It’s that magnetic snap again as our gazes meet.
He can’t disguise the heat that burns in his eyes when he takes in my outfit.
I’m sure it’s a twin of my own heat as I look at him in a dapper black suit.
No tie for him, his white button down is casually open at the neck to reveal that damn silver chain.
He comes toward me with the biggest smile on his face, takes my hand, and runs his thumb tenderly across my knuckles.
“You look so beautiful,” he says quietly.
“You look pretty great yourself,” I murmur back, thankful my voice is steady in spite of my racing heart.
The pretty words, the sweet way he’s holding my hand, his blinding smile, it’s all so much.
I need to remember that it’s all for show in front of his family.
A little voice in the back of my mind reminds me snidely that we almost kissed at his house a couple of weeks ago, which was a show for no one but his birds.
I push that voice away quickly, because the attraction between us means nothing.
This man is not going to be the one to make me weak when I’ve had my defenses up for so damn long.
I’ve already shown him more vulnerability than I thought possible, and it’s disconcerting.
Too many men have made me feel helpless, and I’m not doing it again.
As long as we keep our boundaries, everything will be ok.
“Ready to get married?” He asks. His thumb still grazes my knuckles, and his warm brown eyes are more of an intense amber in the bright lights of the lobby. The sweet smile still on his face threatens to put serious cracks in my walls.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, Casanova,” I say, giving him what I hope is a confident smile.
He laughs and threads his fingers through mine as we go toward where Carlo and Tania are chatting with Gage’s family.
Gina and Ava squeal when they see me, rushing to give me hugs and exclaiming how much they love my jumpsuit.
Julio and Wayne are giving Gage backslapping hugs before they turn my way and hug me too.
All of this hugging is a lot, I am so not used to it.
Once all of the greetings are done, Gage and I head to the counter to check in.
I feel like I’m floating in a surreal dream as the receptionist runs through the procedures, and after a few minutes of waiting, we’re all brought before the Justice of the Peace in a little outdoor garden area.
White columns line a stone patio in a circle, with bushes of white azaleas growing wildly around them.
Two wrought iron benches sit on either side of the stone path leading to the column circle.
It’s beautiful. The Justice is older, balding, with wisps of white hair surrounding large ears and a kind face.
In his crisp white shirt, tie, and robe, an indulgent smile makes his eyes crinkle as he asks us to face each other.
His opening remarks about marriage are intoned in a reedy, higher voice, but blood is rushing through my ears too loudly to process his words.
Tania is at least a warm and comforting presence at my back.
Gage’s eyes remain steady on mine as my hands are enfolded in his to make our vows.
Somehow, his intent gaze keeps me steady while I repeat after the Justice in a quiet, clear voice.
“I, Celeste, take you, Gage, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward. I promise to be faithful to you, to honor, cherish, and respect you, as long as we both shall live.”
With our gazes still holding, it’s Gage’s turn to recite his vows.
“I, Gage, take you, Celeste, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward. I promise to be faithful to you, to honor, cherish, and respect you, as long as we both shall live.”
A myriad of emotions pass through his eyes as he says those weighty words. Our eyes are so locked on each other that it seems like we’re in our own little world, making these promises for our ears only.
Then the Justice asks for the rings. Wayne hands them to Gage, and we repeat more words while we slip the rings on each other’s fingers.
They’re simple gold bands that we quickly picked out about a week ago.
Mine is much thinner with delicate, antique looking scrolling on the edge.
If I’m going to be wearing this sucker for a while, it might as well have a little pizazz to it.
Our hands linger together, warmth and electricity passing through them like they’re connected by a live wire.
Then the justice says we can kiss. We knew this would be coming, of course, and decided that it would be a good way to show his dad especially that this is real.
Gage squeezes my hand briefly, and I give him an imperceptible nod.
His citrus and wood smoke scent envelops me as he leans in and gently presses his lips to mine.
That press is a lightning strike.
I gasp just as I hear his sharp intake of breath.
His lips are so plush, warm, and soft that they mold to mine easily.
Neither of us pull away right away, our heads angling to deepen the kiss instead.
My arms wind around his neck of their own volition, and I hear Carlo whoop as if from a great distance.
The whoop seems to bring us both out of our little vacuum, back to reality, and we reluctantly pull apart.
Our chests both heave with our quick breaths, Gage’s eyes searching my face with blown out pupils.
I give him a smile, because the small part of my brain that is still functioning knows that’s what a normal wife would do at this moment.
He smiles back and squeezes both of my hands that are still in his.
“Hi, wife,” he whispers only for me.
“Hey, hubby,” I manage to whisper back.
The Justice declares us man and wife, and we turn to see our nearest and dearest beaming at us.
They wrap us up in many hugs and well wishes, and it all feels like a blur.
We sign the document making it legally binding with Tania and Carlo as our witnesses, while I try to maintain my composure that this is all actually happening.
I hope to any higher being listening that this doesn’t come back to bite me and Gage in the ass. It might be already.
We’re officially married, and I am so fucked, because it turns out I really want my husband.