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- THE WEDDING
ADRIAN BLACK
The day began with a bright sun and the chilly October air playing a teasing duel with my room curtains. I stepped out to find even more glamour than I expected—my parents were that thrilled. I would be, too, had the woman I was getting married to not lie to me. I tried to reason with her, but no matter how long and hard I pondered on it, there was no justification. She should have told me. I considered calling off our sham marriage, but I had to make the tough decision to proceed as planned, for my girls and my son, too—if the DNA test came out positive, that is. It would take some time to get used to. Truly, she was a liar and a deceitful person, but the girls loved her and thrived around her, hence, the tough decision to push through the wedding. However, there was no forgiveness or getting past it in our near future.
We agreed to—or more like I informed her that we'd be having a small garden wedding. Something intimate, where only a few friends and the closest family members were invited. My parents, thinking it was for my deep passion for my wife-to-be, agreed to it. And also, to the close wedding date I chose. Zoey just played along with no complaints. She probably deluded herself into thinking taking it all in silence would count as an apology. But it didn't. Instead, every time she nodded in agreement to something, a deep sense of rage flared inside of me.
Even as I stood before the minister, a bald old man that I had never seen before, I couldn't help feeling like I was making a mistake. The day was beautiful, and the sun shone just brightly enough to give everyone present a radiant glow.
My girls and Jason sat in the front row with Claire. When the organ began to play, I realized how real it was. I was getting married to Zoey. My breath hitched in my throat when a long train of girls in green dresses spilled through the middle arch made with green, white, and pink scented flowers. Six on each side, with crowns made of flowers and smiles that looked too rehearsed to be real. And then there was her best friend, Olivia. Honestly, I wasn't a big fan. She was a party to the lies, and as much as possible, in the weeks leading up to the wedding, I had managed to stay civil with her even though that meant saying no more than ten words.
Finally, there she was in the most beautiful wedding dress ever. I'd managed to conveniently miss the fitting, so I was just seeing her in the dress for the first time. The guests turned slowly as she passed by them, and the girls formed two lines down the side of the 'altar.' Her blue eyes sought and found mine, and just like that, I was entranced. Briefly forgetting every animosity. She looked beautiful, almost ethereal floating down the long aisle. Her eyes held a silent plea as she momentarily looked away from me toward Jason. I would not be fooled by her looks. She was deceitful, and that wasn't going away. She walked up to my side, and the rest of the wedding service became a blur of chants and verbosity. I was close to yanking free and fleeing when a soft hand on mine jerked me back to the present.
"The vows," she whispered.
The minister said some words, and she repeated them.
"I, Zoey Carter, take Adrian Black to be my lawfully wedded husband. To love and to hold. To cherish through rain and sunshine. Till death do us part."
Death. That line was always funny to me. It was humans resigning to fate. The cold hands of death had snatched Dana away. But not this time. It wasn't going to be death that parts up, it would be a premeditated divorce in five years, and she'd be the wiser to have kept that in mind.
Those were my thoughts as I reiterated the words that bore no weight.
"You may now kiss the bride," the minister announced as the whole audience erupted in cheers and loud applause.
It was all for show. Nothing more. I pulled her in gently and settled my lips on hers. Brief and sweet, that was the look I was going for. Sweet enough for anyone who paid attention but so brief they couldn’t tell it wasn’t heartfelt. But when my lips touched hers, it was as though I was caught in the haze of a spell. I slanted my mouth across hers, going in for a deeper kiss. With a soft sigh, she slid into the kiss, too, opening up to me. Her mouth was soft and sweet, like honey, and I took all that she gave and more. I was a starving man, and she was a feast. When I eventually regained a little bit of sense, I delivered one last peck to her lips before pulling back and trying to conceal the bulge in my pants. Apparently, the audience loved the little show as they burst into another round of applause and cheers. Her eyes sparkled up at me as a subtle blush enveloped her features. She'd felt it too, but it didn't matter.
What? Do I have to bear with her lies just because we have amazing chemistry?
The reception was grand. Colorful balloons hung from the vaulted ceilings, and there were at least a hundred guests, half of whom I didn't know. The food was delicious, but other than that, I couldn't wait to be done with the whole affair and back in my bed.
The clicking of heels and the overwhelming stench of strawberry perfume gave her away before she stood before me. "Hello, Doctor Black. Congratulations on your wedding. The bride is beautiful."
"Hello, Sasha. Thanks for coming," I greeted politely. I didn't remember sending her an invite, but there she was anyway.
She must have read my mind because then she said, “I didn't get an invite. Must have skipped your mind. I couldn't not attend though. My favorite doctor and mentor is getting married," she drawled, shoving her exposed cleavage in my face.
"Hello, you must be a friend of Adrian's." Just the person I wanted to see. "I'm Zoey, the bride," she said with a little awkward chuckle.
"Sasha. We work together. Didn't he tell you?"
"Oh, we tell each other about all the important stuff." It took everything in me to keep a laugh in. Sasha finally met her match. I had politely turned down her advances a couple of times, but she wasn't really keen on taking hints or accepting a loss.
"Once again, thanks for coming, Sash. If you'll excuse me, I have to go dance with my beautiful bride. Please do help yourself to the refreshments."
Zoey may be a liar, and the wedding was a sham, but I intended to do right by her. And that included not allowing anyone to disrespect her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as I pulled her to the dance floor, where a number of people were already twirling to the lively music from the band.
"Now's not the place or the time," I grounded out. "Try not to step on my feet again."
Her eyes glossed over with unshed tears, and for some reason, it hurt me to see her hurt. Especially knowing I caused it. "Whatever you do, do not cry. I don't want people thinking I'm already mistreating you when it's just day one."
Later that night,when we trudged into what would be our home, at least for the next five years, there was no carrying the bride across the threshold. Instead, I was carrying two sleepy girls while she held the long train of her dress in one hand and Jason in the other. We put the kids to bed silently.
"Please, can you help me undo the back? It's those little beaded buttons. I can't seem to undo them."
I peered at her intently, studying her to see if it was another one of her lying schemes. But all that I saw in her eyes was guilt and remorse. So, when she turned her back silently and made to leave, I pulled her hand back. And when she halted, I unclasped first one button and then the next. With every button I undid, her milky skin was revealed to my gaze, and I couldn't resist placing a kiss on her skin. She was driving me wild. Her little sighs and moans, the jolt I felt everywhere our skin met, the part of me straining against my pants.
