“Wuthering Heights is a great book, and the cozy fantasy books are my escape from reality. Anyway, I’m not being dumb. My point is I don’t want to drag you down with my nonsense when you’ve worked so hard to get yourself to this point. It’ll be good for me to move out and give you some space. I still have a lot of work on myself to do. Maybe then we can figure out how to be sisters without so much drama and upheaval around us, when we’re both in a really good place. Both of our lives are changing quickly.” I rest my head on hers, where it’s still propped on my shoulder. Once again, we’re both disastrously tearing up. RIP perfect makeup.
“We’ve come a long way from a couple of scrappy, hellion young girls, haven’t we?” she whispers. This soft, happy version of my sister makes my heart swell at how much she’s grown. So many images play out across my mind. Traumatized, grieving, eight year old Tania shaking behind me while our older foster brother slapped me. The two of us sneaking into movies we weren’t old enough to see without a parent. I should not have taken her to see Let Me In when she was only eleven, but what did fifteen year old me know? She had nightmares for weeks.
Then I see Tania’s agonized face the first time she visited me in prison, the way her eyes catalogued my features with so much worry. It had been her being there forme that time, and the role reversal was a lot to process. We’re trauma bonded, but now that the worst is hopefully over, we can just be sisters from now on as we start our respective new lives.
“Yeah, Nia, we’ve come a long way,” I say, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head. She nods and stands up behind me again, fussing with more pearly pins before finishing my updo with little sprigs of baby’s breath. Finally, we both touch up our makeup that we messed up with our tears.
“Fake wedding or not, you’re a beautiful bride, Cece,” Tania says a little thickly. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“You are well aware that I never know what I’m doing. I’m just going to roll with it, and hope Gage and I come out unscathed and better off. Everyone else involved, too.”
“Let’s go, then,” she chirps, looping her arm through mine and escorting me out of the bathroom. I’m immediately climbed by Tish, with Gomez rubbing against my legs. Black cat hair on a white jumpsuit is the latest fashion statement for brides, what can I say. Tania grabs her bag and roots around.
“I already packed a lint roller, don’t worry,” she says, brandishing it like a trophy. Carlo comes out of their bedroom adjusting his black tie, not able to help himself in giving Tania an appreciative once over. He and Wayne are both wearing white short sleeve button downs, the ties, black shorts, and black loafers to sort of act as groomsmen, with Tania obviously acting as my maid of honor. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks for me and Gage, between all of our normal day to day things and trying to pull this wedding together, in spite of how easily we’ve been agreeing on things. We’ve somehow managed it, by some miracle. Ourlast item on the to-do list had been applying for the marriage license a few days ago, and he picked it up yesterday before his shift at the bar.
“You look so stunning, sweetheart,” he tells Tania, going to her and planting a sweet kiss on her lips. She grins and thanks him before he turns to me and hugs me.
“Let’s go get you married, lady,” he says fondly.
“So you don’t find anything weird about this situation?” Tania asks him. He shrugs lazily.
“Mi sueño, people get married for all sorts of different reasons. Who am I to judge? They’re both consenting and willing adults marrying for practical reasons, I see nothing wrong with that. It happens all of the time.”
“You know, you’re supposed to be on my side in all things, even if you’re right,” Tania shoots back, a twinkle in her eye. They share a smoldering glance that makes me want to give them some privacy, but we need to get going if we’re going to be on time.
“Control yourselves until later, you two,” I tease. “Let’s get to the courthouse before we’re late.”
“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 everyonecomes 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 mefeel 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.
