AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before I can allow my anxiety to control me, I take one step away from her and drop to one knee. My heart pounds as I near the floor, trying to remember my words.
As soon as my knee hits the ground, I snatch the box out of my pocket. Josephine’s looking at me with surprise written all over her face. I look her in the eyes, the ones I want to spend the rest of my life staring into. Opening the box, I produce a beautiful diamond ring.
“Josephine, I was an idiot before. But the fake marriage opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t want it to be fake anymore. I want to spend every day with you for the rest of my life. With that in mind, would you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife, for real?” I say with a lump in my throat.
I’m an anxious wreck waiting for her response. Josephine’s covering her mouth with her hands, and I can’t help but notice Shane behind the counter smiling at us from ear to ear. Josephine seems to collect herself and smiles.
“Aiden, nothing would make me happier,” she says finally.
I’m immediately on my feet, and my lips find hers. Their softness brings me to a familiar place of joy, one I’m no longer scared of craving. I pull away and slide the ring on her finger with a smile.
She’s actually saying yes. I can’t believe it! I’ll get to spend the rest of my life with her.
49
JOSEPHINE
Everything feels so different since the reality of our love has come to fruition. I sit in the back room of a church, in a wedding dress that Aiden helped me pick out, chatting and giggling with some of my best friends and coworkers. It has only been a month since the proposal, and the planning of the wedding has felt so much more natural.
I am in love with Aiden Hayes, and he is in love with me. There is nothing more wonderful and fulfilling in life than seeing the love for your spouse, reflected back in their eyes.
Our fake marriage is technically still legal, but we wanted to have another ceremony. It meant a lot to Aiden, too, to have a real ceremony with both of my parents present. That sentiment meant everything in the world to me.
My heart is full and bursting with love as I stand at the end of the aisle. The church is sublime, with high gothic ceilings and glistening stained glass. The sun shines through my path like a miracle.
When it is time for the procession, both my father and mother lead me down the aisle. They are ecstatic for me, I can feel it. Their love sends shockwaves through my very soul, making me feel like I am floating as I move toward the man of my dreams.
He is stunning in his tuxedo, grinning ear to ear. It all feels so different than the other ceremony, more relaxed, more fitting. As the minister talks, he doesn’t move his eyes from me. I am both weak and strong in his presence.
When it comes time for our vows, Aiden goes first. His hands shake as he reads off a neatly folded piece of paper.
“Josephine, our love story started off in the most unique format; as a business deal.”
The attendants guffaw, and I do, too. He glances up at me, smirking, and I bite my bottom lip. The light of the stained glass casts off his handsome face like a kaleidoscope. Everything is feeling surreal.
“But something happened as we both tried to work out our own ends of the deal, something neither of us planned on. We fell head over heels in love. And I couldn’t be happier for it.”
The crowd claps and murmurs, and then it is my turn. I’m not nuts about public speaking, but holding Aiden’s hand, I feel like I can do anything.
My hands also tremble as I talk, imagining that we are the only people in the universe. “Aiden, I never thought this day was going to come. Our lives are strange, aren’t they? The way we collide into others, like random comets in the sky. We never know which collisions are going to change our pathway, our entire way of being.”
The attendants cheer again, and I start to laugh. Aiden holds my hand, rubbing it with his thumb the entire time.
“That is what you have done for me. You changed my pathway, for the better. We collided, and created the most breathtaking catastrophe I have ever experienced; the implosion of our love.”
The crowd cheers once again, clapping loudly. Aiden smiles broadly, his eyes glassy with adoration.
The minister pronounces us husband and wife, and in that moment, I feel something shift inside me. We are one person now, one complete being. Our lips meet and everything is unified.
We walk down the aisle hand in hand and climb into the limo waiting outside. The reception is only a few minutes away, in an open field on a property Aiden’s father owns. He holds my thigh and kisses my neck as I giggle, telling me over and over again how much he loves me.
“You are so damn beautiful,” he whispers. “I don’t know how I landed such a babe.”
I feel my face heating, and I let it run wild. No one has ever made me feel this way, nor will anyone else ever again.
“You can keep telling me that. That is what will keep this marriage going.”
We arrive at the stunning ranch property, where several tents have been set up. The sun will be going down in a few hours, so we make the most of it, eating, laughing, and dancing alongside our guests.
