He shook his head in disbelief, sniffling. “Well, I don’t like it. It happened too fast.”
“I’m nervous,” I admitted, just loud enough for us to hear. I took his hand. “Will you walk with me?”
He shut his eyes, bowing his head. His shoulders heaved with a deep inhale, letting it out in a shaky rush. “Don’t make me cry again,” he rasped. “Of course, I will.”
“Look at all my grandbabies!” We turned and found Gran coming towards us with Louise, their arms linked. “Aren’t they just beautiful, Louise?”
“They sure do clean up nice,” she said. She ran an appreciative sweep over Emmett. “‘Specially you, soldier. I’m takin’ you for a spin on the dance floor later.”
I bit back a laugh while Emmett’s ears went red.
“Your handsome groom wanted me to give this to you,” Gran said, holding out her hand.
My groom. The words hit like a punch to the gut. A reminder that this was actually happening and not a dream.
I held out my hand, and all the air left my lungs when I saw what it was: Levi’s ring. I hadn’t even thought about rings. My thumb brushed over the cool metal. It was a simple silver band. Understated and classic, Levi in jewelry form. “I’m really doing this, aren’t I?” My voice shook.
“Cold feet’s normal, sweet pea. But you love him, don’t you?” Gran asked with a tinge of worry.
The question rattled around in my brain. Heavy and big.
“Yes,” I confessed, looking at the ring I was about to slide onto Levi’s finger. “I do love him.”
I wasn’t sure when it happened, but it did. I hadn’t fallen for him; it had happened quietly, like walking. But that’s what made this whole thing so terrifying. How could I be fake married to someone I wouldn’t have minded being actually married to?
I guess I was about to find out.
My fingers fisted Emmet’s sleeve while we waited to walk into the courtroom. The edges of my vision were fuzzy. My knees were almost knocking. I could hardly breathe my heart was beating so fast.
But then the doors opened, and everything stopped. The knee knocking, the blurred vision. All of it. Because at the end of the small aisle was Levi.
His smile when he saw me felt like sunlight. Pure, warm, and so beautiful, I never wanted to go without it ever again.
That dimpled smile, that perfect face. He was all I saw as my brother walked me down the aisle. Nothing else mattered to me in this moment. Not the risk. Not the consequences. Not even that this whole thing wasn’t real.
We must’ve run down the aisle because it felt like only seconds had passed between the fear and the peace I felt when Levi took my hands in his, running his thumbs along the tops of my fingers.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfection.”
My heart did somersaults. “So are you.”
He was in a black suit. Crisp and clean like always. Except his tie was a pale lavender satin. How he knew that was my favorite color, I didn’t know. But it meant more to me than I could say that he’d worn it.
All of this meant more…so much more.
“We’re gathered here today to join Tess Elizabeth Hayes and Levi Asher Hollis in lawful marriage,” the officiant began. “Marriage is a partnership based on love, trust, and respect, and today you two are choosing to begin this journey together.”
I let out a shaky breath, the officiant’s words hitting me. There was no turning back. The only option was divorce. It was something I had always sworn I would never do after growing up with the kind of love my parents shared. And knowing it was inevitable between us made me want to savor this moment for what it was, even if it was just for show.
Levi’s hands squeezed mine gently, grounding me. I squeezed back.
We said our vows, the standard run-of-the-mill ones, since we weren’t some couple wildly in love like we were pretending to be. And that…stung.
My hand shook as I took Levi’s left hand and slid the ring on his finger. “I give you this ring as a token of my love and commitment,” I said. Levi put mine on after, a smaller version of his own, saying the same words. I looked down, wiggling my fingers as I adjusted to the new weight on my hand.
I smiled, liking the way it looked.
“By the power vested in me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Levi, you may kiss your bride.”
