Chapter 6
Chapter six
Gabriel
“You sure about this?”
It’s her dad.
Not the clerk.
Not Mason.
Her father.
He says it quietly, but the question lands like a body check.
We’re standing on the courthouse steps. Natalie is between us, calm on the outside. Mason has his arms crossed like he’s guarding the Stanley Cup instead of his sister. Her mom is already teary. Maddie is vibrating in a sparkly silver dress that she informed me is "extra sparkly for weddings."
“Yes, sir,” I answer.
Natalie’s father studies me for a long second. He’s seen me play. He’s seen me win. He’s seen me lose my temper once or twice on the ice.
This is different.
“This isn’t hockey,” he says.
“No, sir.”
Natalie slips her hand into mine.
It’s subtle.
But it steadies me.
“We’re sure,” she says.
Her dad nods once. Not thrilled. Not furious. Just measuring.
Mason mutters, “Still insane,” under his breath.
I don’t disagree.
Inside, the courthouse smells like old paper and industrial cleaner. The clerk behind the counter looks like she’s seen every version of this. Crying couples. Angry couples. Pregnant couples. Vegas couples.
We probably fall into the suspiciously calm category.
Maddie tugs my sleeve. “Is this the room?”
“Yes.”
“Is this where you say yes?”
“Yes.”
She nods seriously. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Natalie laughs softly beside me.
I glance at her.
She looks beautiful.
Not in some dramatic, sweeping gown way.
Simple cream dress. Hair down. Minimal makeup.
Clean.
Intentional.
Exactly her.
“You look beautiful,” I say quietly, leaning closer so only she hears it.
A faint blush rises in her cheeks. “You clean up pretty well yourself,” she murmurs back, eyes flicking over my suit. “Very responsible husband energy.”
I huff a soft laugh. “High praise.”
I glance at her again, lowering my voice. “You ready for this?”
She holds my gaze. No nerves in it now. Just resolve.
“Yeah,” she says softly. “I’m ready.”
The clerk clears her throat and begins. The words are standard. Legal. Efficient.
I’ve heard wedding vows before. I’ve said them too. It was a long time ago.
The first time, they felt like fireworks.
This time, they feel like gravity. Not explosive. Not bright and reckless. Solid. Inevitable. Like something settling into place and holding me there on purpose. Like if I step into this, it won’t burn out. It will anchor.
“Do you, Gabriel—”
“I do.”
No hesitation.
Natalie turns her head toward me when I say it. Not surprised. Just checking.
The clerk continues.
“Do you, Natalie—”
She looks at me.
Just a fraction of a second longer than necessary.
“I do.”
It’s quiet.
It’s firm.
My whole body seems to shift into place.
The clerk pronounces us married.
Maddie gasps like we just scored in overtime.
“You have to kiss,” she stage-whispers loudly.
Her mom laughs through tears. Mason exhales like he’s losing a bet.
I step closer.
Natalie steps closer too.
This isn’t strategy.
This isn’t a play.
I cup her jaw lightly.
Soft.
Gentle.
Intentional.
Her lips are warm.
Not hurried.
Not shy.
Just there.
And I realize I was prepared for paperwork.
I wasn’t prepared for that.
When I pull back, she looks at me like she felt it too.
We don’t say anything.
We don’t need to.
Outside, her mom hugs us both at once. Her dad shakes my hand again, firmer this time.
“Take care of her,” he says.
“I will.”
Mason steps forward next.
“You look calm,” he says to me.
“I am calm.”
“That’s concerning.”
“Confident,” I correct. I don’t show it, but inside I’m beaming.
He snorts despite himself.
Maddie beams up at Natalie. “So you live with us now?”
“Mostly,” Natalie says.
I jump in. “We’re setting up the guest room too. So she has her own space. Office. Closet. You know I snore.”
Maddie bursts out laughing. “Daddy snores so loud,” she tells Natalie, delighted. “You definitely need your own room.”
Natalie squeezes my hand.
***
Lunch happens two blocks away in a small café that probably didn’t expect a spontaneous wedding party on a Tuesday afternoon.
We push tables together.
Her mom orders champagne. Mason orders water like he’s bracing for impact. Maddie insists on dessert first because “wedding rules.”
Natalie’s dad watches me from across the table.
“You understand this isn’t temporary,” he says.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you understand my daughter is not some solution to a problem.”
I meet his gaze.
“She’s not a solution,” I say. “She’s a partner.”
Natalie looks at me then.
Slow.
Intent.
Her mother dabs her eyes again.
Mason mutters, “Still insane,” but there’s less heat in it now.
Maddie leans across the table toward Natalie. “Can Daisy sleep in my room sometimes?”
“Sometimes,” Natalie says. “She has her own bed, though. We’ll bring it in and see where she likes it best. Maybe your room. Maybe mine.”
Maddie’s eyes light up. “She can try my room first.”
“Deal,” Natalie says.
“Good.”
“And I have to show you new things in my room,” Maddie adds quickly, turning back to Natalie. “I have a whole drawer of drawings. And my unicorn folder. And Mr. Pickles needs to meet Daisy so she knows he’s in charge.”
Natalie smiles. “I can’t wait to see everything.”
“Everything,” Maddie repeats seriously. “It’s a lot.”
I watch them together.
They already look like a unit.
That should scare me.
Instead, it settles something.
***
By late afternoon, we’re back at the house after stopping at Natalie's to help her load her car.
She pulls into the driveway behind me. Her car is packed but not overflowing. A suitcase. A garment bag. A couple boxes. Daisy bouncing in the passenger seat.
When Natalie opens the door, Daisy launches out like she’s been drafted into a new team.
She runs straight toward me.
“Hi, girl,” I say as she nearly knocks me over.
“She likes you,” Natalie says, amused.
“I’ve been chosen,” I reply solemnly.
Maddie runs up behind me. “Daisy! We’re married now!”
Daisy wags harder.
“She looks happy to be here,” I say, watching her take in the yard like she’s already claimed it.
Maddie gasps. “Daisy! Come on! I have to give you a tour!” She grabs Daisy’s leash and marches toward the front door like a tiny real estate agent. “This is your new house! I’ll show you where everything is!”
Inside, the house looks exactly the same.
That’s the strange part.
This morning I left as a single dad.
I come back married.
The couch hasn’t moved.
The pictures are still straight.
But everything feels different.
Natalie wheels her suitcase in carefully.
Not claiming.
Not rearranging.
Just stepping into space that isn’t hers yet.
“Welcome to our home,” I say instead, the words feeling bigger than I expected. I hold her gaze for a second longer than necessary. “You know your way around,” I add quietly, “you’ve babysat Maddie enough times. But this is different.” I nod toward the staircase. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”
She studies me for a moment, something softening in her expression. “Yeah,” she says quietly. “It is.”
“I’ll grab that,” I say, reaching for her suitcase before she can protest. “After you.”
We head upstairs together. "Second room on the left."
I push the door open.
It’s neutral. Clean. A little bare.
“I figured this gives you room,” I add. “You can set up your office. Keep your own space.”
I set down her suitcase as she looks around.
“Your very thoughtful.”
“I try.”
“Especially if you snore, right?”
“Then I’m doing you a favor.”
She smiles.
Not wide.
Just enough.
Maddie appears in the doorway holding fairy lights.
“She needs these,” she announces.
Natalie kneels. “You think so?”
“Yes. Married people need sparkly lights.”
I choke back a laugh.
“Sparkly lights are important,” I agree gravely.
Maddie nods like we’ve passed a test.
The next hour is a blur of small domestic chaos.
Daisy claims Maddie’s beanbag chair.
Maddie negotiates like a tiny lawyer, hands on her hips, presenting arguments about beanbag ownership and visitation rights like she’s drafting a custody agreement for a stuffed animal.
Natalie hangs two dresses in the closet and lines her shoes carefully along the wall.
And then her toothbrush appears in my bathroom.
That’s the moment it hits.
Not the vows.
Not the kiss.
The toothbrush.
She belongs here now.
***
When the house finally quiets, Daisy curls up near the couch.
Natalie stands in the living room.
No parents.
No Mason.
No audience.
Just us.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yes.”
She looks tired.
Relieved.
A little stunned.
I step closer.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what?”
“For today. For choosing this.”
Her eyes soften.
“I didn’t do it just for you,” she says gently.
“I know. That makes it better.”
Silence settles between us.
Not awkward.
Heavy.
Her ring catches the light.
Simple.
Clean.
Intentional.
Like her.
“We don’t have to rush anything,” I say quietly.
“I know.”
She doesn’t step back.
Neither do I.
The air shifts.
I lift my hand.
Brush a strand of hair from her face.
She inhales.
So do I.
This would be easy to tip into something else.
But it’s the first night.
And this deserves patience.
“You can take the master bedroom tonight,” I say.
She tilts her head. “We’re negotiating already?”
“I’m being generous.”
She laughs softly.
“That’s okay,” she says gently. “I’ll take my new room tonight. Goodnight, Gabriel.”
“Goodnight, Natalie.”
She pauses.
“Goodnight… husband.”
It hits harder than it should.
When she disappears up the stairs, I stand there for a second.
The house hums.
Daisy sighs.
Everything feels… permanent.
The custody threat still exists.
But it’s not what’s sitting in my chest anymore.
What scares me now is something else entirely.
How right this felels.
How easy it was to say I do.
How natural it was to kiss her.
How much I’m already thinking in terms of we.
I turn out the lights, climb the stairs and look down the hallway where my wife just walked.
This wasn’t how I expected it to happen.
But neither was wanting it this much.
And for the first time in a long time, I’m not calculating outcomes.
I’m just standing in it.
Married.
And hoping I’m brave enough to deserve her.