“Oh, well.” It was too late now. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table and cursed. The last thing I needed was to miss my own wedding.
Mason had arranged for a judge to do the ceremony at City Hall. So, we didn’t have to make the drive to the courthouse a few towns over. However, I was sure judges were busy people and couldn’t wait around for tardy brides. I snatched up my clutch and headed downstairs and outside.
The sun shone extra brightly as I slipped behind the wheel of my hatchback. I resisted the urge to text Justin for the fourth time today. He and Lyla had been invited over to Jensen and Tuck’s to have a sleepover. Lyla had been beside herself with excitement to spend the night at a wild horse rescue, and Jensen had promised to take her for a ride. But that didn’t stop my worrying.
I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as I guided my vehicle off the property and onto the road into town. The drive was short, only a couple of minutes, but my stomach still managed to knit itself into intricate knots. I slid into an empty space in front of City Hall and caught sight of Mason’s Range Rover a few spots down.
I took a deep breath. “You can do this. It’s just for a little while.” We hadn’t even settled on how long—so many significant details still to figure out.
I pushed open my door and stood, brushing out invisible wrinkles in the skirt of my dress. I closed the door and started towards the building that looked like a modern reincarnation of something from Old West times. My heels clicked on the asphalt, making the man on the sidewalk turn around.
Taking him in, my steps faltered. The navy-blue suit had to be custom-made, it fit him so well. Highlighting broad shoulders and a narrow waist. And the color of the material only made the gold in his irises seem to glow. His thick scruff was neatly trimmed and I had the sudden urge to know what it would feel like against my fingertips.
Mason swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “You look…amazing.”
My fingers itched to smooth my dress again. “It might be a little much—”
“It’s perfect.” He held out his arm for me to take. “Ready to do this?”
A wave of nerves swept through me. “Are you?” This wasn’t a sacrifice for me. I had no plans of marrying…ever, so I wasn’t giving anything up. But Mason? He practically hadwife and familytattooed on his forehead.
“Anna. I want to do this.”
Thewhydangled in my mind again. Something in his past had led him here, and I still didn’t know what that was. But it was unfair of me to push when I wasn’t ready to unpack so many things for him, either. So, instead, I slipped my arm through his. “Here we go.”
“Wait.” He handed me a gold band. “Thought rings would help.”
I hadn’t even thought about that detail. “Oh.” It was all I could muster.
Mason gave me a reassuring smile. “Now, we’re ready.”
The walk up the steps to City Hall seemed to take forever and be done in a flash at the same time. Mason pulled open the door and held it for me. My hand shook as my arm slipped from his steady hold. I flexed my fingers. I wouldn’t tremble. Not for anyone, not anymore. I’d been through hell and had come out the other side. I wouldn’t let anyone take the beautiful life I’d built from me, and that included having my niece and nephew safe and cared for. They would never experience what I had.
“Anna, you look gorgeous.” Kennedy beamed as she hurried over to me, pulling me into a tight hug. “Are you sure about this?”
There were a million questions contained in her simple query. But I appreciated that she didn’t voice them. I hugged her back. “I’m sure.”
Her eyes bounced from me to Mason and back again as she released me. “You two make quite the pair.”
“She’s not wrong,” Cain said as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
A woman who looked familiar but whose name I didn’t know, bustled up to our group. “Mr. Decker? The judge is ready for you.”
Mason threaded his fingers through mine. “Thank you.”
The heat of his palm against mine was more comforting than I wanted to admit. The first time his fingers had locked with mine had been a jolt to the system. It had been forever since I’d had the simple contact of holding someone’s hand. There was an innocent intimacy in the gesture. More so than even sex in a way. It was claiming. And I liked it too much.
We followed the woman down the hall to what looked like a conference room. A man waited outside with a camera. When he saw us, he lifted the lens in our direction, snapping a few shots. I did my best to make sure there was a pleasant expression on my face but worried it might look more like a grimace.
Mason read my anxiety and gave my hand a couple of quick squeezes. “You’re doing great. This will be over in just a few minutes.”
It would be over, and we would be husband and wife—on paper, at least. We hadn’t discussed what that meant. Would Mason have to take his dates a few counties over? My stomach hollowed out at the idea of him with another woman.
I shoved the feeling down. I had no rights to this man. He was only doing me a favor—the greatest one anyone would ever do for me. I could live with the rest, whatever it might be.
A woman with silver threaded through her blond hair stood as we entered. “Mason, it’s so good to see you.”
Mason reached out a hand to shake hers. “Angela, thank you so much for officiating. This is Anna, my fiancée.”
