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She rubs my shoulder with one hand for a second while her other keeps the curling iron in my hair.
I don’t know how I would get through today without her and even though I resisted this at first, dressing up, even for a courthouse wedding, makes this feel important.
And it is.
Ryker staying in the country and helping his team win the championship is a big deal and I get to be a part of that. That’s how I need to see this. Like Ryker said, this is real if our goal is to help each other reach our goals.
However, the fear of being found out still sticks at the back of my mind. How will I keep my brother’s new lease paid if I end up in jail for defrauding a K-1 visa to help Ryker? I have to push that out of my mind for today to make it through these vows.
After both of our makeup and hair is done, I slip into the dress. Shawnie zips me up and the minute the zipper touches the end, I know I’m ready to get married.
Shawnie slips into a dress of her own and then hands me a bag from the lingerie store in the mall.
“You didn't give me a chance to give you a bachelorette party. So at the very least, you need something for tonight.”
Something for tonight…
My wedding night with my husband.
I never imagined that I would spend the night after my wedding alone, but this thing between Ryker and I is uncharted territory and the last thing I want to do is complicate an already complicated situation.
I open the tissue paper and pull out the first piece—a beautiful silky white teddy with just barely-there triangles covering the nipples.
It's beautiful.
It really is.
And if I were getting married to the love of my life, I wouldn’t be able to wait to wear this for him. Then I look down to find a red lace teddy that’s completely see-through.
“You shouldn't have done this,” I tell her. “These won’t get any use over the next two years.”
“I just saw your shirtless fiancé; I wouldn’t make those claims so quickly. Just be open-minded, Juliet. You're marrying a man who's so far taken very good care of you. I don't think you should be as glum as you are about the situation.”
I put the white, silky teddy back into the bag and wrap the tissue over it.
She’s right, though I hate to admit it.
He’s given me the money that I need for my brother and offered to pay to put an office in his apartment for me to be able to work from home. Anything I’ve asked for, he’s given me… and even things I haven’t.
The more time that Ryker and I spend together, the more I enjoy his company. He's funny and kind and maybe if things had been different, and he wasn't a professional athlete, he would have asked me on a date and I would have said yes.
She looks down at the time on her cell phone.
“We need to go. Grab the lingerie bag and let’s get out of here,” she says.
I bend down, reaching for the short train behind me and pull it up so that it doesn’t drag on the ground. I grip the ribbon strings of the lingerie bag and walk behind her towards the door.
We load into Shawnie’s car and she gets us to the courthouse with more than enough time to make it to our scheduled appointment with the judge.
Shawnie finds a parking spot and then we head into the courthouse. We find our floor level, and as we exit the elevator to the courtroom, I see Seven standing outside of the double doors.
“He asked me to exchange the rings. He wasn’t sure if he’s allowed to see you beforehand,” Seven says.
“He’s not,” Shawnie interjects quickly.
Seven offers her up the gold band for Ryker and the moment that the ring hits her hand, I realize how serious this is. Ryker bought himself a ring.
A symbol of the vows we’re about to make today.
