Sadie

It’s hard to look stern, when you’ve got a gorgeous, tattooed, shirtless man smirking at you.

“Stop it, Maverick, I’m serious! It’s been a year. I’m tired of waiting.”

He struts over to me, and strokes a curl of red hair behind my ear. “Trust me, Specs. There’s nothing I want more than to make you my wife. But you deserve whatever kind of wedding you want. And you know that wasn’t possible last year or during the season. Now we have time to plan it, and it’ll be perfect.”

I huff, because why does he have to be so sweet? “What if all I want for a wedding, is to be pronounced husband and wife, and have you kiss me?”

His smirk turns into a lust-filled smile. “Baby, I’ll kiss you whenever the fuck you want.” His lips drop to mine to emphasize the point, and pretty soon I’m swept up in to his arms, and being carried over to the couch. Showing off his muscular legs, honed from years of baseball, Maverick sits down with me in his lap.

I pull back, and put my hand on his chest. “You can’t distract me with sex, Maverick King. We need to discuss this.”

He pushed against my hand, easily overpowering me to kiss me again. “There’s nothing to discuss. You want to get married? Let’s do it tomorrow. You and me at the courthouse downtown. But only if that’s truly what you want. Because all I want, is you.”

I know he means every word. And honestly, it’s tempting. I’ve tried to envision our wedding day countless times over the last year, and I’ve always drawn a blank. After the media frenzy surrounding the beginning of our relationship, back when it was nothing but a ruse to get my ex off my back and make Maverick look good to the press, the last thing either of us wants is a big party with all eyes on us.

To say nothing of the fact that my husband-to-be is an introvert, who despises being the center of attention.

But, I’ve got my family to consider. My parents and two siblings who I know would want to be a part of our day. Maverick’s foster brothers, and of course the entire Tridents family, likely feel the same way.

Still…The idea of sneaking off to the courthouse and just making it official…

“Let’s do it.”

Maverick freezes, his lips pursed as if he was about to kiss me again. “Wait. Really?”

“Yes. Really. It’s perfect, in a way. We don’t have to have a crazy big event, the media doesn’t have to know, it can just be the two of us. Then maybe a party later on with everyone. We can surprise them.”

“We need witnesses.”

“Colin and Ali.”

“Colin’s in San Diego.”

I tilt my head, and give him a soft smile. “Then Eli?”

Maverick’s younger foster brother has come a long way this past year. He completed six months in residential rehab for his drug addiction, and is now pursuing courses to become an addictions counselor himself. They have a long road ahead of them to repair their relationship, but Maverick makes it a point to reach out at least once a week.

He clears his throat. “I could see if he’s free.”

“Great.” I reach between us, and manage to extract his phone from the pocket of his jeans. Opening up the web browser, I quickly search up courthouse weddings in Vancouver. “Oh perfect. They have an opening tomorrow afternoon.”

“Can we really pull it together that quickly?”

I stand up from his lap, and put my hands on my hips. “Don’t fail me now, Maverick King. We’re getting married tomorrow, so let’s get to it.”

He stands up, and grabs me by the waist, pulling me in and dipping me backwards in a long, slow kiss.

When he straightens, I clutch at his arms. “What was that for?”

“Practicing for tomorrow.”

***

I’ll be honest, part of me doubted we could pull this off. But here we are, standing outside a room in Vancouver’s City Hall. Ali and Eli are here with us, but my attention is on the man beside me.

“Ready?” He says softly, holding out his arm.

I nod, and take his arm. “So ready.”

We walk into the chambers, where the officiant greets us with a warm smile. I can feel my heart racing in my chest, not with nerves but with excitement. Nothing has ever felt as right as this moment.

The first part of our ceremony is a blur, and then it’s time for our vows. Last night, we agreed to say our own vows. I tossed and turned all night while Maverick seemed to sleep soundly. What could I possibly say to this man, that I haven’t already said, that would properly demonstrate my love for him?

As I grip his hands in mine, panic starts to hit in waves, slow at first. It’s time, and I have no clue what to vow.

Maverick, clearly sensing my turbulent emotions, leans in. “It’s okay, Specs. Just breathe.” He straightens, and looks to the officiant. “I’d like to go first.” They nod, and he turns back to me.

“Sadie, the day I met you was quite possibly one of the darkest days of my life. My future was more uncertain than it had ever been, my anger was rooted deep, and all I wanted was to be left alone to my misery. Then I heard you. And saw you. This redheaded angel, witnessing my lowest moment. Instead of making me feel worse, somehow you cast a sliver of light into the darkness. That’s what you’ve always done. Made things lighter, better. You are my light, Specs. The shining beacon, showing me the way when I can’t find it myself. I promise you, I will always follow your light. I will always protect you, I will always cherish you, I will always prove to you that you deserve every happiness in this world. And I will never forget how lucky I am to be the bastard that gets to be by your side. I’ll love you, til the end of this life and whatever comes next. That’s my vow.”

I sniff, tears freely running down my face. With a slight smirk only I can see, Maverick lifts one thumb to wipe them away. Grabbing his hand, I hold it against my cheek. And I know what to say.

“Maverick, I see you. All of you. The parts you show the world and the parts you hide. And I love every single one of them. You give me strength, you show me what courage looks like, and you prove to me that everyone deserves to reach their dreams. My dream is you. Loving you, now and always, is the greatest gift I could have been given. I promise to never stop letting you know you are loved, and that you are worthy of love and happiness.”

Maverick doesn’t wait for the officiant. As soon as I finish, his lips are on mine, his hands cradling my head like I’m the most precious thing on earth.

And the crazy thing is, to him? I am.

In the background I hear the officiant, and our friends, laughing as they announce us husband and wife. But even that isn’t enough to make me stop kissing this man.

My man.

My husband.

A short while later, after all the paperwork is signed, it’s over. We walked into this building as two people in love, and now we are walking out, as husband and wife. My cheeks hurt with how wide my smile is, until Ali goes and ruins it all.

“So, who’s going to tell your parents that they missed your wedding ceremony?”

THE END