by Amy Starling
“You thinking what I'm thinking?”
“What?”
He kissed the ring on my finger. “It's time. I want you for my wife – right now, and not a moment later. We've put this off long enough.”
Was this really happening? He wanted to marry me now? I wore a blue cocktail dress, not a wedding gown. He lacked a tux. And we didn't even have the –
He pulled a piece of thick paper from his pocket and unfolded it.
“The marriage license! You brought it with you?”
“Truthfully, I've just been waiting for the perfect moment.” He held my hand tightly. “These people came here for a wedding. Let's give them one.”
It seemed a little bit wrong to do this, to have such a happy moment when our parents just had an all-out battle in front of their family and friends.
But I couldn't deny the way I felt about him. I was tired of waiting. Finally, we had the chance to make this official.
Heather gaped at us as Jayce led me up the aisle. “Where are you going, Elle?”
“I'm going to get married, I guess.” I couldn't keep the big grin off my face.
Conrad stopped his rant when we approached him. He put on a gentle smile and shook Jayce's hand.
“I'm truly sorry for what happened with your father. That was quite an unwelcome surprise.”
“Oh, we saw it coming from a mile away.” He nudged me forward. “But we have a funny request for you.”
“Name it, child.”
“Marry us instead.”
The puzzled old man said nothing for a moment, then laughed. “You're serious, aren't you.”
“Dead serious. We've been engaged for a while now, and we just decided it was time.” He looked at me. “I can't wait another minute to have Elle as my wife.”
“Well, then.” He beamed. “I suppose it can't hurt. Your parents hired me to do a job, and I haven't yet completed it. So let's just say this one is on the house.”
He spread the word to the captain, who excitedly ran off to his office. Minutes later, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have wonderful – and very surprising – news. Jayce Reinhard and Elizabeth Gardener will be marrying on the top deck in five minutes.”
“Five minutes.” Jayce whispered in my ear. “That's all we have left. I'm gonna make you my bride – and then do you know what I'm gonna do?”
“Something perverted?”
“Make sweet love to you for hours and hours, that's what.”
Father Conrad returned to us. “Pardon me, but this is all rather new to me. I've never officiated an impromptu wedding before. Do you happen to have a best man and maid of honor? Perhaps there's someone here you'd like to invite.”
Jayce waved to Heather and Zach. She ran to me with a delighted squeal.
“You're getting married right now! I can't believe it.”
“And I want you to be my maid of honor.”
She gasped. “Me?”
“How about it, Zach?” Jayce nudged him. “Feel like being a best man for me? Maybe I'll return the favor at your wedding.”
“Of course, brother. We're all gonna be family soon. I'd be honored.”
The seats began to fill quickly as news of another wedding spread around the boat. People snapped pictures of us and offered their congratulations as we passed by.
Conrad showed everyone in the party where to stand. Jayce waited for me at the altar, along with Zach at his side. Heather stood across from them, holding a makeshift bouquet of flowers from the one mom had dropped.
“Miss! Who will be walking you down the aisle?” Conrad asked.
“If my daughter agrees, I'd like to have the honor.”
Dad approached slowly, as if he thought I'd beat him up too. He'd cleaned up his bloody nose, but there was no hiding the black-and-blue rings under his eyes.
He couldn't hide the remorse in them, either.
“I know I did something awful, Elle. I was being selfish. Greedy.” He stared at his shoes. “I got into some serious trouble with gambling debts and loan sharks back in California. When I started talking to your mom again, she said she might be able to help me. I just... I realized it was wrong, but I was desperate for a way out – no matter who it hurt.”
The priest cleared his throat. Everyone was waiting.
“I can't respect the things you did or the choices you made.” I wiped my teary eyes. “But still, you're my father. I guess my wedding wouldn't be complete without you in it.”
He smiled and smoothed down my messed-up hair. “Thanks, sweetie. I promise, I'll make things better somehow.” He glanced at Jayce. “I've got to say, I'm somewhat... surprised at your choice of husband.”
“Jayce isn't the same guy you used to know. He's good to me. I love him.”
“That's all I needed to hear.”
Dad took his place next to me. Just as the music began to play – for the second time – heavy footsteps thundered on the deck behind us.
“Wait for meeee!”
Here came mom, waddling up the aisle barefoot, the bottom of her dress dirty and torn. At least she had managed to get most of the cake off her face, although the glob of frosting in her hair wasn't coming out so easily.
She skidded to a stop, huffing and puffing. “I couldn't miss your wedding, honey. Even if mine got screwed up, well... I hope you and Jayce can do better than I have. I believe he'll treat you right.”
“Thanks, mom. Go on and take a seat. I think everyone's anxious to start.”
She nodded and stuffed herself into one of the folding chairs. There was only one final person missing now – Jayce's father.
I looked up at him as the violins began to play. If he was upset by his dad's not being here, he didn't show it. He wore a huge smile and had real, honest warmth in his eyes. He definitely wasn't doing this to save Shady Acres.
He was doing it because he loved me.
“Go on,” someone whispered. “Walk. He's waiting.”
I walked, my arm hooked around dad's. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd as I slowly approached the altar.
“Wish I had an actual wedding dress,” I whispered.
“You look beautiful, honey. And I can see Jayce thinks so too.”
I couldn't believe it, that he'd come this far in his life. A few months ago, he was an immature and selfish jerk. Now, he said he never wanted another woman again. Promised to take care of the baby we created together.
And I believed every word of it.
At last, dad and I arrived. He kissed my cheek and stepped off to the side. The music quieted as Jayce took my hand.
“To begin, this is not quite the wedding we had expected when we got on this boat,” Conrad said. “But all the same, we are here to celebrate these two people who are clearly very much in love.”
We had no vows prepared, so we repeated after him. Would we promise to be there for each other in sickness and in health, to weather whatever life threw at us together, no matter how difficult?
“I do.” Jayce squeezed my hand, tears in his eyes. “I definitely do.”
“I do, too. I love you, Jayce. I'm so glad I gave you a chance.”
He threw me into a tight hug, as if never to let go.
“Thank you for believing in me like nobody else ever has. I'm gonna love you and our baby forever. I promise.”
“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
So he did, and it was the sweetest, most meaningful kiss we'd ever shared.
The audience erupted into applause and cheers. Mom bawled like a baby, blowing her nose into the sleeve of her dress. Dad gave me a thumbs-up, just the way he used to when I was little.
Another familiar face caught my attention. I whispered in Jayce's ear.
“Look over there.”
His father stood in the back, watching us with a faint smile.
“He came.”
“Yeah, he did. I told you he loves you. He
might be a jerk, but he's your dad.”
We walked down the aisle, my hand in his, beneath a shower of flower petals as the violins heralded our exit. I, in my cocktail dress. Jayce, wearing his faded old khakis with a hole torn in the knee.
It wasn't my fairy-tale wedding, exactly – but I'd won my Prince Charming, and that was good enough for me.
Chapter 25 - Elle
“Welcome, everyone. We are here to determine final and permanent ownership of Shady Acres and the surrounding property. Please take your seats.”
Jayce and I sat next to each other in the front row. Jacob, the attorney doing the reading, shuffled the papers and covered a yawn. Even he knew this was just a formality.
Across the room sat David. He had a stoic look about him, barely glancing at Jayce or me. If he was angry, he refused to let us know it.
To the sides were the witnesses, a handful of people who knew us enough to comment on our marriage. They were here to prove that our union was the real deal.
Was I worried? No way.
“We're gonna rock this, Pink. Don't be scared.”
“Of what? The two of us can do anything.”
“You're damn right.”
Jacob cleared his throat. That was the signal for us to shut up.
“The first manner of business: current occupancy of the Shady Acres apartment building.” He put on his glasses and scanned the paper. “During no month did the property lose more than five percent of tenants. Due to the recent and unfortunate fire which destroyed certain parts of the building, occupancy is currently at 75 percent.”
Jayce's shoulders fell. I swallowed hard, barely breathing.
“However, this was an unforeseen event deemed no-fault for the owners. Thus, we will accept the occupancy rate before the accident.” He paused. “That number stood at 83 percent.”
The witnesses cheered with us. Jayce grinned and squeezed me. We'd done it!
“On to the next matter. Obviously, Jayce Reinhard has fulfilled Deborah's will in that he is, indeed, legally married. But the marriage must be deemed legitimate.” He looked around the room. “Who can testify that the marriage between Jayce and Elizabeth is real and true?”
Everyone in the room raised their hand – except for David. Then, slowly, his went up too.
Jayce gaped at him. “Dad?”
“I'd be a liar to deny it. When I first heard you planned to marry Elle, I was livid. I thought for sure you were only doing it because you had to. Just a plot to save the property.” He shook his head. “It made me angry because... Well, it wasn't just that I'd lose Shady Acres. I wanted the best for you. I never wanted you to marry unless you truly loved someone.”
“I love Elle with all my heart.”
“I can see that, son. Debbie wanted the same. That was why, when putting her will together, we both agreed you needed help finding a wife.”
“Help?”
“We were tired of watching you throw your life away, living like there was no tomorrow. So, we gave you the push you needed to make a change. As you see, it worked.”
Jayce laughed. “Yeah, right. You thought I'd never grow up, and you knew I'd never get married of my own volition. That's why you agreed to Debbie's terms – because you figured I'd screw up and the property would be yours.”
“Of course I wanted the property. But I also wanted the best for my son. I'd win either way, wouldn't I?”
“But it could have backfired. What if I didn't marry for love?”
He gestured to the people around us. “That's what we're doing here now. We're going to find out.”
Everyone waved their hands again. Beth and Marcus stood, holding his baby Rose.
“They're one-hundred percent legit, I promise,” he said. “They work as partners. A team. That's the way marriage should be.”
Mrs. Jackson stood next. “They certainly are married. I haven't heard another woman in his bedroom for the past several months now.”
“Told you to keep it down,” I whispered.
“Never gonna happen.”
Next came Heather.
“Jayce used to be greedy, lazy, and selfish. He only cared about taking care of himself.” She sniffled and dabbed her eyes. “Loving Elle changed him. He's a better man than he could ever be alone. Now I'm proud to call him my brother.”
On and on it went, with Lisa, Jayce's friends, and almost everybody having something good to say for us. Finally, the testimonies continued for so long that the attorney demanded silence.
“Thank you, that will do. I have heard more than enough.” He cracked a smile at last. “Then it is decided. As Jayce and Elizabeth have fulfilled Deborah's final wishes, Shady Acres and the property remain in their hands.”
Jayce scooped me up in his arms and gave me a big kiss.
“I knew we could do it, Pink. You and me, we can do anything.”
David came over and patted his son on the back. “Congratulations, and well played. I hope you take good care of it – just the same as you take care of her.”
“I will, dad. Uh, sorry for giving you a black eye.”
“Don't be sorry. It means your old man taught you how to fight. I'm proud of you.”
The lawyer cleared his throat again. The room hushed.
“There is one more thing to add. Deborah wanted this kept secret, for obvious reasons, until the very end.” He pulled out a new paper, one none of us had seen before. “If Jayce and Elizabeth successfully retain ownership of the property, they are to be awarded a sum of $1 million for upkeep and other expenses, to be used as they see fit.”
Holy crap. Did he just say...
“A million bucks?” Jayce whooped. “We're rich, Pink!”
“Don't go blowing it on girls and booze,” I teased him. “We'll use it to fix up the building. It will be better than ever before.”
“Let's not forget about the baby. Oh, man, I can't wait to build the little guy a nursery.”
Nobody ever believed Jayce would grow up, least of all me. I thought that sleeping with him, giving him my virginity, was a huge mistake.
If that was a mistake, it just so happened to be the best one I'd ever made.
“C'mon. Let's go home and celebrate.” He kissed my neck on the way out of Jacob's office. “I am gonna make love to you so hard, you'll be moaning my name until dawn.”
I trembled as his lips brushed my skin. “No matter how much you change, you'll always be a total pervert.”
“And you wouldn't have me any other way.”
What could I say? He was right.
Epilogue - Jayce
The riding mower roared, but the thunderous noise didn't scare little Ethan. He gurgled and laughed as he sat on my lap, delighted with the bumpy ride and the engine's purr.
Man, I loved that laugh. I never told anyone this, but it put a tear in my eye every time he giggled.
“What do you think, huh, kiddo? Are we on a spaceship or a race car? You tell me.”
Ethan responded with a toothless grin. At six months old, he didn't talk much yet. Said “da” the other day, though.
I'd been terrified to become a father. Moments like that made it all worth it.
I drove the mower in a figure eight on the lawn. Ethan squealed, burped, then spit up his milk on my lap.
“Did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you're out there working hard?”
Elle waved to me from the porch of our new house, watching the spectacle with a smile on her lovely face.
“That's why I'm riding around without a shirt. It's all a ploy to get you into bed.”
“If that's what you wanted, you only had to ask.”
Damn, I loved that woman.
When I married her, I was so scared. Thought I'd make an awful husband and an even worse dad. Worried that after a few months of marriage and monogamy, I'd be so sick of it that I'd run away screaming.
But it never happened that way. Everyday, I fell more and more in love with Elle. And the night Ethan was born, wh
en I stood by her bedside holding her hand, I fell in love with the baby too.
One look at his tiny hands and those hazel eyes – just like his daddy's – I knew I could never go back to how things used to be. He was my life now. My family was my life.
How did I once see this as prison? Having so much love to come home to wasn't prison; it was paradise.
“We just signed another five tenants in the past three days,” Elle shouted over the mower. “I can't believe it. We're about to hit 100 percent occupancy. Already got a waiting list that's starting to fill up.”
“Sounds like cause for celebration.”
“It sure is. I invited Heather and Zach over for dinner tomorrow. We'll have to get something for her to drink, though. She can't have alcohol with the baby.”
I grinned. “Hear that, buddy? You're gonna have a cousin to play with real soon. It's a girl, but that's okay. You kids will get along great.”
A car pulled up in the driveway, and out came Max, Brett, and Carter. I killed the mower and let Elle take the baby so we could talk.
“So, this is the new house.” Brett whistled. “It's a beaut. When you gonna invite us over for a party?”
“Whenever you want. Don't think you'd like our parties, though.” I smiled at Elle and the kid. “No smoking allowed. No inviting strippers over. And you gotta keep the noise down past nine. Ethan's something of a light sleeper.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Sounds awful boring – but I can see you're happy, man. I'm glad for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Speak of no smoking, thank you for all the plants. I can't believe they survived that fire, but they're beautiful. Too bad I'm afraid I'm gonna kill them.”
“Just don't forget to water and you'll be fine.”
I'd given him my collection of marijuana plants a little while back. Figured since I wasn't using weed anymore, they'd go to better use with someone else. Lucky for me, Max was plenty eager to take the girls off my hands.
“Hey, uh, I was planning on going on a road trip with the RV this summer.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Thought maybe you guys would want to come along. Bet you could use a vacation.”
“That sounds awesome, dude. I'll let you know.”