I wish I didn’t feel like I was about to fall apart.
We exchange rings, and then, before I know it, he’s pulling me into his arms.
My wrists are behind his neck, and this kiss is like every one that I’ve shared with him . . . incredible.
Applause erupts behind us, and we break the kiss before laughing slightly.
“Thank you.”
He leans closer. “If I only ever have one wedding, I’m glad it was this one.”
We hug a few people because that’s what you do when you pretend to marry someone and then we head out, both breathless and laughing as we wait for everyone to follow out behind us.
Fifteen
OLIVER
My brothers are the first to congratulate us. It’s surreal. This is supposed to be fake. All of it, and yet, it felt so damn real. The entire time, I just kept thinking about who else I could see myself with and there was no one.
Each time I tried to picture the girl at the altar with me, I saw Maren.
Even with Devney standing right behind her, which I thought would be insanely awkward, all I saw was Maren. All I felt was her.
I was grateful I was supposed to act that way and think I sold it.
Her father is the last person out, Linda holding onto his arm. He hugs me, thanking me again, and then he and Maren embrace.
This. This moment is why I did this. To see their relief and joy is worth it.
“Can we go to the back room to talk for a second?” he asks Maren and me.
Maren looks worried but says, “Sure, is everything okay?”
He nods and takes Linda’s hand. “Of course.” Mark appears before we walk off, and Patrick smiles. “Oh, good. You need to come too.”
“Go where?” Mark asks.
“We are going to the back room to discuss something. Do you have the license with you?”
Mark nods. “I have it right here, but I’m going to handle that later.”
“No need for that, son. Linda and I would be honored to be their witnesses. Every part of this is so special to me.”
Oh fucking hell. I blink a few times, and Maren speaks quickly.
“Oh, no, Daddy, that’s okay. We’ll sign it later. I’m sure Mark wants to see his wife.”
Daddy looks to Mark. “You can’t wait three minutes?”
Mark opens his mouth a few times. “I . . . can . . . but—”
“Good, we’ll take care of it.” He turns to me. “And then we can give you two your wedding gift.”
Linda and Patrick head toward the back room, but Mark, Maren, and I stand frozen, not sure what the hell to do or how to get out of this. I can’t sign that piece of paper. I can’t actually be married to Maren.
Mark turns to us. “Now what?”
Maren shakes her head, her eyes wide with panic. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. Someone tell me what we do.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “We go, sign the thing, and figure it out afterward. If Mark never files it, then it’s not official, right?”
Mark shrugs. “Yeah, technically. I think . . .”
“You think?” Maren hisses. “What kind of ordained minister are you?”
He chuckles. “The kind who got certified online. Listen, I’m sure Oliver is right. We’ll just sign it, and I’ll shred it later. No worries.”
Patrick stops and calls our names, and all three of us turn like prairie dogs. There’s nothing we can do at this point other than see it through. I take Maren’s hand in mine and squeeze. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t.”
I turn to Mark. “Go stall and give us a second?”
“I’m on it.”
He walks ahead, leading Patrick and Linda into one of the offices down the hall.
“Come, let’s go. It’ll be fine.”
Maren keeps her voice low. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“I know.”
“This is too much.”
I stop a few feet away, taking both her hands in mine. “What options do we have?”
“I don’t know.”
Maren looks like she’s about to have a full-on breakdown. “We just stood before our families and got married, so we’ve kind of gone too far to turn back now. In for a penny and all that.”
“And if you actually end up legally married to me?”
“Then we get a divorce and it’ll just be a funny story we tell down the line.”
I’m actually hoping that if Mark doesn’t file the thing it won’t be legal, but if that isn’t the case, then she and I will have the shortest marriage in history.
We enter the room, and Mark already has the marriage license on the table. “So, this is it. Oliver and Maren sign first and then the witnesses.”
Maren walks over, holding the back of her dress off the floor. “Right. I’ll sign here.”
She takes the pen, signs, and then hands it to me.
This is something I will never tell my siblings. Let them think this never happened. I sign it quickly, before handing the pen to Patrick so he and Linda can sign too.
Mark grabs it. “And that’s all. I’m going to find my wife, and I’ll see you all at the reception.”
After he leaves, Patrick turns to us, looking exhausted. “Your mother, Linda, and I have a gift for you,” he says before pulling out an envelope and handing it to Maren.
“We don’t need anything,” she says, holding it.
“Maybe that’s true, but I need to give it to you. Open it when you two are alone.” He kisses her cheek.
“Let’s get you seated at the table. You’re worn out,” Linda says as she helps him up.
“It’s a . . . long day,” he says with a smile.
She nods. “Yes, and you will need a week to recuperate.”
They leave, and Maren leans back against the table. After a few minutes of us staring at each other, she sighs. “Well, it seems we might actually be married.”
“It seems it. Maybe.”
“Maybe.”
Maren smiles. “I swear, if there is money in this envelope, it’s yours.”
“I don’t need you to pay me. You’ve already given me a vacation, which I hear you’re coming with me on.”
She looks away, biting her lower lip. “It was Stella’s idea. Until my father passes away, she thought we should keep up appearances as much as we can. Plus, since it’s in South Carolina, I can be close in case . . .”
I nod. “In case . . .”
Maren steps toward me, her hands move to my shirt and she adjusts my collar. “You had a crease.”
“Thanks for fixing it.”
“What are wives for?”
I laugh once. “Now what?”
“Now,” she says solemnly, “we go in there and we have a really fun party. Tomorrow, we go on vacation, and when we get back, we figure out if we’re legally married and I start trying to figure out how I can ever actually repay you for this.”
“Welcome to the club,” Jack says, slapping me on the shoulder. “You’re a married man now.”
“Kind of,” Grayson says with a smirk.
Maybe not as kind of as they think. “You’re both assholes.”
“We know.”
“Good, as long as no one is confused.”
Thank God that Josh is dancing with Delia and not here to harass me with them.
“Do you need the talk?” Grayson asks with complete seriousness.
“What talk?”