Chapter 11
JANE
If Nora said one more thing about all the ways in which my life could implode before noon, I might actually walk into traffic. Voluntarily. Gladly.
She’d spent the entire ride to the courthouse so far, thirty-seven very long minutes, in the back of the black sedan Alex had sent, rattling off increasingly dramatic scenarios. “What if he changed his mind?”
“What if he’s late and the judge leaves?”
“What if he meant another courthouse? Jane, what if we’re going to the wrong courthouse?”
“Did you read the contract again? What if—”
I tuned her out somewhere around Claremont Avenue, not bothering to respond to any of her doomsday scenarios. I hadn’t said a word in what felt like days.
Maybe since Saturday afternoon when I’d gone to coffee with him—my fiancé who would very soon be my husband.
My head was too full and too loud, my thoughts too brittle. Speech felt dangerous, like anything I said might crack me open, so I kept my hands folded in my lap, watching the city slide past outside the window.
It was freezing again today, gray and icy. I’d opted for a smart, off-white pantsuit, the nicest thing I owned that looked mildly bridal. My hair was swept back and twisted into a low, tight bun. When I checked the mirror one last time before we’d left, I’d looked regal.
Like an old-money regal goddess actually. At least, I thought so.
It had startled me a little, if I was being honest. The studded pearl earrings from my grandmother helped. I was grateful I hadn’t sold them yet. I’d sold almost everything else of value, all the gems that had been passed down to me from God only knew where.
As I fidgeted with my hands in my lap, I glanced down at them, allowing a tiny smile to break free at the color I’d chosen for my nails.
A light, glossy pink I wouldn’t usually let myself wear in the city.
It was too soft, too feminine, and maybe even a little bit whimsical, but it had felt right for today.
A tiny indulgence, a nod to the fact that I did have a softer side. I hid it like a champ, but it existed, and on my wedding day, no matter how abnormal the situation, I’d wanted to acknowledge it. I’d spent a bit of extra time on my makeup too, going for understated elegance.
I wouldn’t admit it to my mom or even really to myself, but I might just have put in a bit more effort than I thought I might because of Alex. Because I’d wanted to look pretty. For him.
I also wouldn’t admit that it might just destroy me if I showed up and he didn’t. I kept replaying that car ride with him on a loop in my head, and I hated it. I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about the few minutes we’d spent alone together in that car. At my house. Over coffee.
It was pathetic. I knew that, but as we arrived at the courthouse, I forced myself to inhale a deep breath and focus on the matter at hand. The multi-billion-dollar question—is he even here?
Mom and I climbed out of the car and I took her arm, tucking her close to my side as we hurried into the building. She was clutching her purse like it was going to run away from her, still muttering. Clearly still worried.
After taking the elevator up, I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, but I still didn’t say a word.
It felt like I might be sick if I opened my mouth at all right now.
We stepped into the third-floor hallway, our heels clicking in tandem.
The scent of old paper and floor polish filled my lungs when I inhaled a deep breath, my stomach a hollow pit of trepidation and dread.
It took more effort than it should’ve to keep walking, just putting one foot in front of the other until we reached the end of the hallway and found the appointed courtroom.
Black block lettering on the door told me we were in the right place, and I took a beat before we went in to straighten my shoulders, pulling in yet another deep breath that didn’t really calm me.
Today is my wedding day. Holy fuck. It’s my wedding day, and I don’t even know if the groom is going to show.
I couldn’t send one of my brothers at a fancy venue to check if my future husband was there, laughing and drinking scotch with his groomsmen.
There was no aroma of beautiful floral arrangements in the air and no instrumental music that swelled when I finally managed to convince myself to push open the door.
Inside, the courtroom was quiet, most of the benches empty and the space washed in muted morning light. My eyes swept forward and I stopped short, relief slamming into me first, so complete it almost even banished the nerves for a minute.
Alex was already here, standing with Nate near the judge’s bench. They were talking in low voices but both men turned when the door opened and we strode in.
Nate grinned, warm and apparently unbothered about the fact that his brother was marrying a woman neither of them even really knew, but I barely registered him. Because Alex?
God, he looked incredible, and better yet, it looked like he’d actually been waiting for me, hoping I’d show rather than praying that I wouldn’t. As soon as our eyes met, his posture shifted, subtle but unmistakable relief flickering across his features before he masked it.
I saw it, though. Felt it like a warm balm being applied right behind my ribcage. Neither of us might’ve wanted to marry each other. At least not like this. Or perhaps ever, but we were in this together, and as much as I wanted to hate him for it, I just couldn’t.
As always, he was impeccably put together, today in a midnight blue suit and a tie the color of storm clouds.
I could tell that he’d spent a little extra time on himself too, his dark hair neatly styled out of his face, his jaw freshly shaven, and his shoes shining like a beacon, but it was the expression on his face that got to me even more than how objectively handsome he was.
Because it really looked like he hadn’t been sure I would come.
Just as I’d wondered if he would. I probably shouldn’t have been so touched that he’d doubted me, but honestly, I was.
Because it was real. He’d taken a risk, coming here without being absolutely certain I’d come, but he’d done it anyway, showing up for me even though he might’ve left feeling like a fool if I hadn’t.
Mom let out a little gasp beside me as we strode in, obviously as relieved as we were that so far, everything seemed to be going according to plan.
I walked forward with slow, measured footsteps, the way I’d seen my mother do at board meetings and charity galas back in the day when her entrance had still meant something. When it’d needed to carry weight.
My pulse was a runaway horse at this point, but I kept my chin lifted, offering Nate a polite nod when we reached them. “Nathaniel.”
“Good morning, Jane.” He smiled, surprisingly encouraging for a man who’d found out less than two days ago that his brother and CEO would be getting married today. “You look great.”
“Thank you,” I said, but my voice was too soft, so I cleared my throat, hoping that would fix it.
As I turned to face Alex, I found him already staring right at me. Openly and unapologetically, like I was something he hadn’t been prepared for.
“Good morning,” he said quietly, and it hit me low in the stomach, his voice so deep, smooth, and gentle that I kind of just wanted to crawl into him. “How’re you doing?”
“Do you want the real truth or the other one?” I folded my hands so he wouldn’t see them tremble, but they steadied a little when a spark of amusement lit those green eyes as he looked back at me.
I liked when that happened. When I could see humor flare to life inside him despite how serious and cold he came across.
“Let’s go with the other one,” he said. “Just this once, because I think if we start delving into the real truth now, we’re all going to need alcohol and I didn’t bring any.”
I bit back a laugh and nodded. “Then I’m fine. You?”
“Oh, fine.” He waved a hand like this was nothing, but I could see him trying not to laugh too.
For a moment, we just looked at each other, something soft and fragile but unexpectedly exciting humming to life between us. He stepped closer then, not touching me, but close enough that his warm breath ghosted across my cheek.
“I’m glad you’re here, Jane.”
It was stupid how those five simple words lodged in my chest like an anchor. I swallowed, unable to answer him honestly right now, so I gave him the same shielded, practiced smile I’d used on lawyers, bankers, and creditors for five years.
“Of course.”
His gaze lingered on mine like he knew that wasn’t the whole truth, but he nodded anyway. Then the judge entered, saving me from whatever Alex had been about to send my way. The older man clapped his hands briskly as he walked in, glancing between us with a curt nod.
“Alright. You’re both here. Let’s get started.”
My heart slammed painfully hard into my ribs as I took my place beside Alex, his shoulder inches from mine and his presence a steady heat I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into. He was so calm and confident, completely unshaken.
Whatever this already was and whatever we would become, I wasn’t ready for it, but he seemed to be. Maybe. Maybe if I actually just kept letting myself lean into his calm certainty, this wouldn’t be so bad.
The ceremony was quick, clinical, and almost brutally efficient. There was no music, or flowers, or witnesses other than Nate and my mother, who was openly tearful, like she still thought this was the most beautiful moment she ever could’ve imagined.
I forced myself to focus on the judge’s voice, steady and practiced as he guided us through the legalities. Alex answered with a firm, even yes, like he was signing a contract he’d already reviewed and was completely confident about. I matched his tone, trying not to let my nerves show at all.
The judge nodded at Alex. “You’ve got rings?”
Alex reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and my breath caught when I saw the ring he pulled out. It was vintage, not flashy or ostentatious, but gold with tiny etched details engraved into it that caught the light when he held it between his fingers.
It looked old, like it’d lived a life before this moment and it was exactly my style. So much so that my knees went weak for a beat. How on earth did he know?
When he took my left hand, his fingers were warm and steady, sliding the ring onto my finger like he’d done this a thousand times before. It fit perfectly, and for one suspended moment, I just stared at it, the weight unfamiliar yet oddly comforting.
Nate stepped forward and handed Alex a simple gold band for himself. Without ceremony, Alex slipped it onto his own finger and the sight punched straight through something raw and vulnerable inside me. For better or worse, this is real now.
The judge cleared his throat, obviously sensing some of the tension in the air, and a glint of humor entered his eyes. “Alright, then. Now for the fun part. You may kiss your bride.”
My heart lurched, an actual skip, then a heavy, echoing thud. How the hell did I forget this was going to happen?
Alex turned to look at me, and for a split second, the world narrowed to just the two of us. His eyes dipped to my mouth before he sharply cut them back to the judge, scowling for a beat before he took a step forward and leaned over.
He smelled like crisp soap, mint, and something warm underneath. His lips brushed my cheek, so close to the corner of my mouth that I could almost taste the faintest hint of his toothpaste. He was gentle and deliberate, his mouth as warm as his hands.
It was nothing, and at the same time, it was also just entirely too much. My pulse was a skittering mess by the time he pulled back.
Nora let out a shaky laugh, fanning herself dramatically. Nate quickly slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a friendly smile. “Why don’t I take you home? Douglas is planning a small reception in a week or two. You can help him coordinate.”
Mom brightened at the opportunity and let Nate guide her out, waving at me enthusiastically as they left. Meanwhile, I was stuck in some kind of Alex-induced haze, my skin still buzzing where his lips had brushed across it.
Suddenly, with them and the judge gone, the courtroom felt too big and too quiet, but Alex turned slightly, silently offering me his arm. The gesture was formal and almost old-fashioned, but I wrapped my fingers around it, feeling the iron tension in his muscles beneath the fabric of his suit.
We walked out together, down the hall, through the double doors, and into the late morning where Nate was already helping my mother into the black sedan that had brought us here. I moved toward it automatically—because what else was I supposed to do—but Alex’s hand closed around my arm.
His grip wasn’t hard or bruising. It wasn’t demanding, just firm enough to redirect me. “We’re not in that car.”
I looked up at him. “Then what happens now?”
The question tumbled out before I could stop it, my mind suddenly racing with possibilities born half in logic, half in fear, and half in panic. Does he expect me to move in immediately? Is he going to take me back to his place to… consummate our marriage?
The thought flashed through me so quickly, my cheeks warmed. We hadn’t spoken about that kind of thing at all, but I supposed I was his wife now. Alex studied me for a fraction of a second, as if he could read every frantic thought in my head.
“It’s Monday, Jane,” he said simply, like that explained everything. “I have some work to do and so do you.”
“Oh. Right.” My voice was embarrassingly small. “So you’re, what, dropping me off at my office on the way to yours?”
He didn’t smile, but his expression softened, the corners of his eyes easing just a touch. “No, Jane. You’re coming with me.”
My heart gave another one of those unpredictable kicks. “I’m coming with you?”
“For a while,” he clarified. “Then I’m taking you out to dinner.”
Dinner. My stomach dipped at the thought, but there was also a strange bubbly sensation, like butterflies were waking and stretching their wings.
This man terrified me and drew me in all at once, and he was taking me to work on our wedding day. The weirdest part of that, however, was that honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.