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“Oh geez,” Max groaned, already in a mood about the whole ‘shovel-the-snow-but-don’t-ask-Max-bit.’“Are we back to the mental games where I have to figure it out on my own?”
Obviously, everyone was listening to them in the back of the van. He heard laughter and saw Daphne’s face pale right before she looked away angrily, actually wiping her eyes. Well, now he felt like a complete heel after the morning started out so beautifully.
Dang it!
This was not his intent, and everything was falling apart. Daphne was brought to tears over a stupid polished pebble mounted in an everyday plain setting. He cared for her, loved her, but she didn’t want to talk about the ‘L’ word and had stopped him several times… but she wanted a wedding ring?
That made no sense. Anyone could go toanystore - Walmart, a jewelry store, a custom shop, and they were all the same. A scrap of metal softened and made round with a polished rock that half the time had a flaw in it was placed in prongs to make it look bigger than it really was.
As they got to the court building where the office for the justice of the peace was located, he tried to take Daphne’s hand – and she yanked it away, putting it on his shoulder instead. His lips were pressed together tightly to keep from asking questions or overreacting to her response, because they had walked the halls at the hospital just like this, so maybe it was nothing… except Daphne looked miserable every time he looked at her.
That look on her face was killing him. It was bad enough that he felt like he stood out standing there in borrowed clothing with the pants leg pinned up on one side. As he looked around, he saw that he wasn’t the only one that was having a tough time. Gideon and Christina looked like they both had a bad case of food poisoning, not holding hands.
The only ones that looked thrilled right now were Jake and Lena.
“Do you, Jake Elam Ortega, take Lena Elizabeth Bow to have and to hold as your esteemed wife through the good and the bad, so long as you both shall live?”
Max listened to them exchange their vows – and immediately reached for Daphne’s hand, half expecting her to pull away from him again… but she didn’t. He chanced a look at her and saw her eyes were still shiny, breaking his heart.
“Many couples wish to share their thoughts, their promises or vows with each other and…”
“He knows how I feel,” Lena said hoarsely – and Max almost laughed, noticing Daphne’s lips twitching as they shared a glance again. That was a classic Jake comment, basically telling someone to mind their own business. He brought Daphne’s hand to his lips, kissing the back of her hand, and saw her swallow silently.
“She knows how I feel,” Jake repeated.
“Oh,” the magistrate began, obviously surprised and hesitant. “Um, well, I see. I wasn’t expecting that. Ah, well, okay then. By the State of Wyoming and the Grace of God, I pronounce you both husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, sir. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ortega.”
Max didn’t care.
He didn’t need to see his friend kiss his wife… not when his own looked like she was ready to run out of there sobbing.
“Daphne,” he whispered painfully, needing to correct this misunderstanding between them. If she wanted a wedding ring, he’d get her the biggest one he could find. But something in him said that it wasn’t the diamond, the ring, or the symbolism. His woman needed something more, and he was failing her cluelessly. She shook her head and pulled her hand from his, laying it on his shoulder again.
As they all loaded up in the big fifteen-passenger van, the conversations flew like wildfire despite him watching Daphne like a hawk, trying to pick up a signal of what was going through her mind.God, give me literally thirty seconds to read her mind, and I’ll die a happy man,he thought and then sighed audibly as they climbed in the van last.
His mind was silent - and there were no psychic-readings happening today apparently.
“Now, I’m surprised… how come they got to wait and we didn’t?” Daphne blurted out, shocking him.
“Do you really want an answer to that?” Jake commented, chuckling.
“Actually, we had the option to wait…” Gideon volunteered and saw Christina’s head whip around in shock.
“What?” Max and Daphne uttered in unison.
“Look, Stumpy, just be grateful that…”
“Watch it, Ranger,” Max snarled, looking over his shoulder to where the large man was sitting on the back bench of the van. The only thing separating him from the other man was Jake. “You are treading on thin ice.”
“Max,” Daphne said, laying a hand on his shoulder.
“No,” he snapped, whirling on her… and then hesitated. “I’m sorry.”
“We’ll talk later,” Christina snapped hotly, causing everyone to get silent.
“Chris…”
“Don’t start,” Christina said glibly to Gideon sitting beside her. “You are no prize right now either with that bum leg and dent in your head.”
