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From the courthouse, Grant ran off for a ‘date,’ which in Grant speak meant he was probably going to end up getting laid. Lucky him; although I couldn’t find it in me to be the slightest bit jealous. He was leaving me with the most beautiful woman in the whole damn city, after all.
Mackenzie and I sent him off with a wave and a laugh after he made the announcement. Left to our own devices to handle our ‘reception,’ we left the courthouse, newlyweds, hand in hand. I hadn’t really made a plan for this part of the day, but I felt like we should do something to commemorate the moment.
I turned to Mackenzie as we trotted down the courthouse stairs.
“Want something to eat? You know, to celebrate.”
She gave me a bemused smile and squeezed her fingers around mine. I wondered if maybe the reason she hadn’t let go yet was because she was enjoying having her hand in mine as much as I was enjoying my hand in hers.
“Sure. What’d you have in mind?” She smirked, nudging at me. “Nathan’s?”
I scoffed. “Hardly. Something a little nicer.”
“Umm, you do realize I have ink all over me?”
“Do you care?”
She laughed. “Of course I don’t.”
“Then I don’t, either.”
We ended up taking a quick trip through the city, down to a Japanese restaurant called Kyoto’s that was fitting for a post-wedding feast.
“Oh wow,” she commented as we pulled into the small parking lot behind the main building. “This is way fancier than Nathan’s.”
“Only the best for a Prince.”
She rolled her eyes at the double entendre. I smirked at her, taking her hand as I led her in.
Kyoto’s was a high-end, relatively new Japanese restaurant owned by a friend of mine. It boasted the commercial appeal of an all-you-could-eat sushi buffet, while maintaining the feel and presentation of a true authentic menu of Japanese dishes. Personally, I was a fan of pairing sushi with the sautéed octopus dish, but to each their own.
Seated, with drinks ordered, we glanced at the menus before our server came by to take our orders. I took the time to peruse the offerings, but I knew what I wanted from the sushi menu already. So instead, my gaze slid over the top of the menu to Mackenzie. She twirled one of her thick curls of hair between her ink-stained fingers, humming as she bit her bottom lip.
Goddamn. She was so gorgeous—
The buzz and ring of my phone in my pocket yanked me from my thoughts, and I pulled it out with a groan.
Mackenzie gave me a quizzical glance as I answered the phone.
“Williams,” I said, knowing the only reason a board member would be calling was if there was something important going. Of all the fucking days… “I told Anna I wouldn’t be available today.”
“Yes, she passed along that message,” he answered, his voice gruff from years of cigar smoke and harsh booze. “But something’s come up with an investor. It requires your immediate, in-person attention.”
I frowned. “I see. Hold on.”
Putting the call on hold, I looked over to Mackenzie. “Something’s come up at work,” I explained. “I’d tell them no but…”
I trailed off, figuring she’d understand. This whole thing was a sham, after all. Maybe it was for the best we wouldn’t have a chance to celebrate our ‘wedding’ together. Why make more of it than it was?
The light in her face, there bright and shining just moments before, faded out instantly. She tried to catch it, giving me a smile, but it didn’t fill her face like it usually did.
“It’s okay. You, uh… have to go?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I need to be there. I mean, I could probably get out of it—”
“No, don’t.” She shook her head. “It’s work. It’s not like this is a real reception.”
The smile remained on her f
