“No, I am not backing out. I said I would marry you and I will,” I responded feeling full of sass. “I want to... ummm... clarify a couple of things.”
“Okay, Ms. Worrywart, go on — clarify,” he said with a laugh.
“It is soon to be Mrs. Worrywort. You realize that we are in a foreign country right?” I asked. He nodded and I felt a surge of relief that I hoped would be enough to satisfy the rational part of my brain. We were both foreign here and didn’t have the right paperwork, so this would never be considered legal. There would be no consequence for this. A giddy surge of excitement went through me. This was what an adventure was supposed to feel like. “Good. You realize that you never asked my dad’s permission?”
“You want me to call him right now?” Jack asked innocently as he began reaching for his phone. “Or are you just thinking up excuses not to marry me?”
I laughed and pushed his hand away from his pocket. There was no way I was going to let him win this game. “Oh, I’ll marry the hell out of you. Besides, then we can tell everyone we are on our honeymoon and get free drinks.”
“You are staying on an all-inclusive resort,” he snorted and I pushed him playfully.
“Before we do this though, you should at least propose properly,” I said trying to keep a straight face. Jack looked thoughtful for a moment before taking my hand and dropping to one knee.
“My dearest, loveliest Emma,” he began looking up at me with his hazel eyes full of laughter. I couldn’t have wiped the goofy smile off my face if he had paid me. “Will you do me the biggest honor of this vacation, and marry me?”
“Yes,” I giggled. He stood up and kissed me. He kissed me back with a passion I wasn’t expecting. It was like the wind was sucked out of my lungs and replaced with desire. He pulled away slowly after a moment, our eyes connecting. My breath came in small gasps.
“Come on!” Jack recovered first and grabbed my hand with a smile, pulling me towards the pretty awning. I nearly tripped over my own feet, but I wasn’t about to be late for my own wedding.
***
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the man in the white shirt said in a thick accent. I barely understood any of the words he said during the ceremony, simply repeating “I do” whenever he paused. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Jack smiled at me. I would have married him ten times over for that smile. My insides felt mushy and happy in a way I couldn’t describe or understand, but when he kissed me, everything felt perfect. His lips were soft against mine, his tongue slipping in at the last second. This is what a vacation should feel like, I thought to myself. I was truly having an adventure. No one at home would ever believe that I had married a stranger, let alone one as handsome as Jack. This was something that I would treasure forever.
“Smile for the camera,” the minister said holding up a digital camera. Jack’s hand went up and covered the lens before he could snap a picture.
“No pictures,” he growled at the man. The minister paled slightly but then smiled as he glanced back and forth between us.
“No pictures?” I asked, turning towards Jack. “Not even one, just for us?”
Jack frowned for a moment, then lowered his hand and reached in his pocket. “No pictures except this one. This one is for us,” he said as he pulled out his phone and handed it to the minister. Jack and I posed under the white awning, looking for all the world like newlyweds as the camera phone clicked.
The minister nodded happily as he handed back the phone to Jack. Jack grinned as he saw the screen and handed it to me. I gasped. I looked beautiful. Jack looked so handsome and we both looked genuinely happy. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was an actual wedding photo.
“I better get a copy,” I said as I handed him his phone. Jack laughed, and caught me up in his arms, pulling me in for another kiss. My head spun as he kissed me and nipped gently at my bottom lip with his teeth. I lost myself in his kiss.
“You’ll get the only copy,” he whispered. “This is ours and ours alone. No one can ever take this from us. This is our secret, one only we share.” His breath tickled my ear and made a heat surge between my thighs. I wondered how he could make my body react so quickly without even trying. His chest was strong beneath me and I could feel something hardening against my hip. I couldn’t wait to get him back to the hotel room.
“We should head back and start our honeymoon,” I whispered, pushing my hips against his. His hand tightened on my back and I wished I could have him right there on the sand.
“Ahem,” the man who married us coughed and raised his eyebrows. I felt the blush surge back onto my cheeks as Jack released me. I wondered if the minister could feel the energy between us, but he rolled his eyes and waited for us to leave his awning.
Jack grabbed my hand, his fingers entwining with mine. I wanted our legs to entwine like that, and together we hurried along the beach to begin our time as man and wife.