by Sarah Bailey
“What do you say, Kira? Do we fulfil Stan’s wish and make your father happy? Because I think we should. I dare you to say otherwise.”
Chapter Twenty Five
Duke had actually lost the fucking plot. He’d just proposed we still go on our trip to New York and when we were there, get married. Who the hell suggests that type of thing? I was already emotional about my dad having pneumonia. My worst fucking nightmare come true. Then he goes and suggests this shit like it’s the solution to all of my problems.
“We can’t,” I whispered, “It’s too much.”
“You know what I’m going to say.”
I swallowed. His touch burnt my skin where his hands were on my cheeks. Marriage to Duke would be insanity. How could I marry my best friend?
You love him and you love your dad.
It wasn’t a reason to go through with it, was it?
“Don’t.”
“I dare you to say yes.”
“Duke.”
The way his blue eyes darkened had my breath catching in my throat. He had no idea the power he held over me. Of how I’d say yes to anything he asked because I cared about him. I loved him with my whole heart.
“Marry me, Kira.”
I never imagined in my life I’d ever hear those words from his lips. It was equal parts heart-pounding and devastating. Duke wasn’t asking me to do this because he was in love with me. He cared about my father enough to do something stupid and reckless.
“Marriage?”
Both Duke and I turned abruptly, finding my dad’s eyes wide open and staring at us. The word had come out through his raspy breath. He was having trouble with his breathing, which was why the doctor insisted he be hospitalised.
Oh shit, why did he have to wake up!
Duke let go of me and stood up, going over to my dad. He took my dad’s hand in his.
“Kira told me you want to see her get married.”
“I… do.”
“I asked her if she’ll still come to New York and marry me whilst we’re there. We can get Lisa to come in and Livestream it for you.”
I almost died on the spot. Duke was serious about doing this. There was absolutely no hesitation in his voice.
“You’d do that for… me?”
Duke nodded profusely.
“Do you really want to marry my daughter?”
I couldn’t see Duke’s face. I didn’t know what his reaction to Dad asking that was.
“Yeah, Stan, I love her.”
He sounded completely sincere like he actually meant every word. Hearing him say he loved me was like a damn bomb going off in my chest.
“Kira’s my world. She has been since I was four. I don’t know where I’d be without her. I’ve never thought about the future and marriage before, but I’m never going to find anyone else like her. No one makes me happy the way she does.”
My dad’s face had my heart melting in a pile of goo on the floor. There were tears in his eyes at Duke’s words. He reached out his other hand to me. I got up off the chair and came around the bed, taking it in both of my own.
“Is this what you want, darling?” he asked me.
I eyed Duke for a moment. Either I went with it or I destroyed that look in my father’s eyes.
“Yeah, Dad. I do.”
I brought his hand up and kissed it.
“You two are making an old man happy in his last days.”
“Don’t talk like that, Dad. You’re going to be okay.”
The thought of him dying was breaking me apart. I knew there was every possibility it might happen. It was a waiting game now.
“I hope so, darling.”
He turned to Duke.
“Are you sure you can get married in New York?”
Duke smiled and reached over, pulling up one of the chairs and sitting down next to Dad’s bed. I let go of Dad’s hand and moved back around the bed, pulling up my chair too.
“Yeah, we can apply for a marriage licence and get married twenty-four hours later. I’ll sort it all out. Kira doesn’t have to worry about any of it.”
I leant closer. Duke had clearly looked everything up before telling me about it to make sure we could do it.
“I don’t want to leave you here without me.”
Dad gave me a smile.
“Your old man will be okay, darling. The doctors will take care of me.”
They would, but it depended on Dad’s ability to fight the infection. It would be a huge gamble for me to go away for five days, but if I was ever to fulfil Dad’s desire to see me married, there was no other choice.
“As long as you’re sure.”
He nodded. I noticed Duke pulling out his phone and fiddling with it. I eyed his screen from where I was sat next to him. He was clearly arranging things to allow us to get married.
“Have you spoken to your parents about it, Duke?” Dad asked a moment later.
“Not yet,” he replied, “We’ll talk to them about it afterwards. You know they love Kira so they’ll understand.” He looked over at me before he reached out and took my hand, bringing it to his lips. “I’ll do anything to make your daughter happy, Stan. If she wants to have a big wedding here at a later date, we’ll do it even if we’re already legally married.”
I had no idea what to do with myself. I shrugged and looked away, knowing my face was on fire.
“Anyway, I need to go make some phone calls.”
He got up before kissing the top of my head and nodding to Dad. Duke walked out of the ward, leaving me staring after him.
“I always knew he’d open his eyes and see you one day, darling.”
I turned to my dad before sliding into Duke’s vacated seat to be closer to him. Picking up his hand, I gripped it in mine.
“Clearly you know him better than me.”
Dad smiled.
“Not at all. You know him better than anyone. Don’t forget I watched you both grow up.”
I didn’t want to make Dad talk too much as he was struggling with it. His voice was all raspy. I dropped his hand and put his breathing mask back on. He didn’t object. It was time for some honesty. Whilst I wasn’t going to tell him the whole marriage thing was a crazy plan we’d hatched up to make my dad happy, there were other things I needed to be truthful about. Things I’d never dared to admit out loud to anyone.
“I’ve always loved him, Dad. I mean, really loved him. My heart belongs to Duke. I don’t remember when it started, but I’ve held out hope in my heart he’d see me as a girl he could love forever.”
My chest ached with my words, the void of pain opening up and burying me alive. My one wish in life would never come to pass. This marriage? It wasn’t real. Duke and I were lying to my father, but at least I could tell him this. I could tell my dad how I felt. How Duke was the only person with whom I’d ever envisioned a future. Who I’d ever wanted with every inch of my being.
“And now he has, I’m scared it will all fall apart. I’m scared he’s doing this to make you happy. It’s all so sudden. I don’t know how to feel or whether to believe it’s all real.”
Dad took my hand in his shaky one, squeezing it to reassure me.
“I mean, I know it is… this is Duke. He’d never lie to me, but everything has happened so fast. I’m terrified of the future, especially now I don’t know if you’ll be here to see it through with me.”
A tear slid down my cheek. Losing my dad would decimate me. The only way I’d survive is if Duke stayed by my side. I needed my best friend more than ever. I had to admire the fact Duke was going to these lengths to give my father peace of mind. It showed how, despite his outward behaviour to everyone else, he was still the same Duke deep down. He still cared for the people he loved. The people he’d do anything for. The world didn’t see this side of Duke, but I did and I loved him for it all the more.
Dad’s expression fell. He couldn’t talk right now, but I could see the sadness
in his eyes. He didn’t want to leave this world just yet. But even if he did, at least I could give him this final piece of joy. He might not be able to give me away, but he could be there with us in spirit. He could see me get married and truly believe it was real.
It would be the most reckless thing Duke and I had ever done. The most insane dare.
Duke was right. We were two wild teenagers who didn’t care about the consequences. If we thought too much about them, we wouldn’t go through with half the stuff we did.
“I just want to make you happy, Dad.”
His eyes told me everything. This wedding would make him hold on tight to life and not let go. He had to. I couldn’t bear it if he faded from the world and I wasn’t by his side.
Duke came back a few minutes later and sat with me and Dad. We made jokes and talked about how we were going to pull this off. He’d started the arrangements so we could get married quickly. I had no idea he was this resourceful, but Duke surprised me.
“After we touch down and get settled at the hotel, we’ll go straight to the City Clerk’s office and get the licence. I’ve already contacted an officiant who is happy to do it at short notice. I told them the whole story. She told me it was super cute and romantic, whatever that means.”
I snorted. No doubt she did. It was romantic. Well, it would be if it was real and we were in love. It only made my stomach sink. I couldn’t help it. This really was the most fucked up idea Duke had ever had. But I was going to go through with it. For Dad, I would do anything. The light in his eyes had me shoving down my misgivings about the situation. I couldn’t tell him it was a lie. Not now. I’d sacrifice the whole damn world if it meant he’d survive through pneumonia. Getting married to Duke was the very least I could do.
It could be worse. Duke and I were best friends. We were loyal to a fault when it came to each other. Whilst it would hurt knowing it wasn’t a real marriage, it wasn’t the end of the fucking world either. He’d treat me right. I trusted him to help me through all of this.
“She probably thinks you’re like a hero out of a romance book right now.”
Duke laughed and shook his head.
“Don’t think I’d make a good romance hero.”
I nudged his arm with mine.
“Me either.”
He responded by wrapping an arm around me and kissing my temple.
“Oh, really? I can do romance, Kira. Just wait, you’ll see.”
Dad pulled his mask down with trembling fingers.
“I have no doubt Duke will make it a trip of a lifetime.”
He replaced the mask and smiled at us. I reached out and took Dad’s hand.
“I’m sure he will.”
Duke’s blue eyes twinkled, making me melt all over again.
Fuck. How am I going to do this? He’s making it feel so real, but it’s not.
The whole thing was insane, but I’d agreed to go through with it. And deep down, I was excited.
Before we left at the end of visiting hours, Dad told me he wanted me to have fun whilst I was away and not to worry about him too much. He said I deserved this and I should make the most of it. I assured him I would. As long as Dad’s health didn’t deteriorate any further in the next few days, everything would be okay.
Now Duke and I had to go hunt down the documents we needed to make sure we could get a marriage license. Tomorrow, we’d be jetting off to New York and by the time we got back to the UK, I’d be a married woman.
How crazy is that?
Chapter Twenty Six
By the time Kira and I had travelled on an eight-hour flight, checked into the hotel and made a trip to the City Clerk’s office to get our marriage licence, it was evening and we were both tired as hell. There was only a five hour time difference between New York and the UK, but we both wanted to curl up and sleep.
We collapsed on the sofa of our suite, neither wanting to move an inch after grabbing some dinner in a diner near the hotel. Dad had booked us into a two-bedroomed suite. We had a living room area and a kitchen. I didn’t think we’d be using it whilst we were here.
Kira took the marriage licence out of her bag and handed it to me. I looked it over. It was weird to see our names on there. Here we had a legal document saying we could get married. I never thought I’d be in a position where I’d get married, let alone doing it at only eighteen.
We’d had to bring our birth certificates with us. It was a mission to get a hold of mine. I’d snuck into Quinn’s office and hunted them down in a drawer where he kept all our important documents. No one would be any the wiser. I’d been careful not to disturb anything else. Kira and I couldn’t afford for my parents to find out about what we were doing. It was our secret.
Lisa, one of Stan’s full-time carers, had agreed to help us set up the Livestream in the hospital and arranged it with the staff there. Kira had checked in on her dad when we touched down. His condition hadn’t changed, which gave her some reassurance. I knew she was scared of him passing away before we got home. We were taking an overnight flight back on our last day here.
“We need to go shopping tomorrow, find some wedding outfits,” I said, looking over at Kira who’d spread out across the sofa with her feet resting in my lap whilst I was looking at the marriage licence.
Given the short notice, we hadn’t had a chance to get anything. We’d had an early morning flight, but I knew we could find something here.
My parents had been surprised we wanted to go to New York with Stan in hospital, but we’d assured them he wanted us to enjoy our trip. Kira had been so excited before all of this happened. I wanted to give her a trip to remember, despite the cloud of sadness and worry hovering over us.
“I never put much thought into a wedding, you know.” She waved a hand around. “Like the whole big fancy occasion with the dress and the flowers and the cake and the decorations. It’s not really me.”
“You’d have had a nerd wedding and make people dress up as your favourite characters from games.”
She laughed.
“Hell no. Can you imagine? No, I think a small intimate ceremony is perfect. You don’t have to feel too awkward being the centre of attention and it’s just you and the person you love.”
Her eyes shone with her words. It made my heart lurch. I loved Kira. I had done for years. And not in a platonic way. It was crazy to be marrying the girl I’d fallen for when it wasn’t going to be a real marriage.
“Lucky for you that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
She gave me a smile.
“Yeah… but it’s not real. It’s just for my dad.”
I took one of her feet between my hands and rubbed it.
“It’ll still feel real, don’t you think? It’s legally binding and all. Besides, you’re going to have to kiss me at the end of our vows.”
She scrunched up her nose.
“I forgot about that.”
I put my hand to my chest.
“Am I that bad at kissing?”
She rolled her eyes.
“No, just embarrassing to do it in front of my dad. I mean, he won’t be there in person. I suppose it’s not so bad.”
“Oh well, thanks. Kissing me won’t be so bad.”
Kira sat up and shoved my arm.
“Shut up. I have no issues kissing you.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“What? Right now?”
“Why not? Don’t want it to be awkward on the day or anything.”
I had no idea what the fuck I was thinking right then, only the thought of kissing her had me alert and willing to do anything to make it happen. We’d never kissed sober. I’d never got a chance to experience her lips without the fog of alcohol descending over us. It’s not like we could drink here. We’d have to be twenty-one. Back home, the legal drinking age was eighteen.
“Are you challenging me? Don’t you think you’ve dared me enoug
h recently? I swear your dares have got us into way too much trouble.”
I winked at her.
“No dares here, Kira. I know it’s your turn to come up with something.”
She pursed her lips for a long moment. I wouldn’t force her to kiss me. She would have to when we got married, but otherwise, she was under no obligation to do anything with me. It wouldn’t be a good idea for us to blur the lines. We’d both agreed this was for Stan, and not because we were together.
Kira pulled her feet from my lap and crawled over to me. I sucked in a breath when she stopped with her face inches from mine.
“If I do this, it doesn’t mean anything, right?”
I nodded. Her breath fluttered across my lips. My hands fisted to stop myself from reaching for her. From tangling my hands in her hair. Her eyes searched mine as if still questioning whether it was a good idea. I knew for a fact it wasn’t. It would only make me want to do more. To have her against me. To touch her the way I had the night of Alex’s party. The thought of it had me aroused. Kira hadn’t noticed yet, but if she did, I don’t know what the fuck would happen.
She closed the distance between us, pressing her mouth against mine. It was fucking awkward as she was stiff and not moving at all. This would never be convincing. I un-fisted my hand and cupped her face, adjusting the angle before I moved my mouth against hers. After a minute, she relaxed into it, kissing me back with more vigour than I expected. We had kissed before, but this was different. This felt like more. Especially when she crawled into my lap and her tongue pressed against my lips. If I allowed this, I wasn’t sure if I could exercise any further self-control.
My hand slid into her hair, tugging her closer as our kiss deepened. I forgot about everything else when her hands landed on my shoulders and one slid up my neck. My free hand curled around her hip, anchoring her to me. My touch made her kiss me harder like she was trying to crawl inside me. I couldn’t help groaning. The sound made Kira pull away abruptly, her copper eyes wide and her pupils dilated.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered, but I could see in her eyes she wanted to continue. She didn’t want this to end.