We ran down that hill and back into town. We found a small jewelry store where we bought some simple white gold bands. We didn’t feel the need to spend a lot, and these were truly beautiful in their simplicity, and suited us perfectly. After that, I found a boutique to run into, while Jack stayed outside on the phone to make arrangements. I found a sleeveless, white lace dress with a slim brown belt around the waist. I didn’t need a wedding full of extravagance and flowers and two hundred guests, but I did want to look pretty for Jack. And while this dress is simple, it’s lovely and will do the trick. Also, I’m able to get away with pairing it with the brown ankle boots I’m already wearing. And now here we are, in this old little chapel, where I’m just trying to smooth down my hair in the bathroom mirror.
“Mayzie?” I hear Jack’s voice, along with his gentle tap on the door. “He’s ready for us.”
That’s all it takes for a jolt of excitement and nerves to send shock waves through my chest. “Okay, I’m coming out,” I say, opening the door to find him standing there wearing black slacks, a grey button down and black tie. The clothes, paired with his punky hair make him drop dead handsome and my eyes and my smile both widen at the sight of him.
“There’s that smile I love,” he says, taking my hand. “And you,” he says looking me up and down, “look so beautiful. You’re so gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” I whisper. “And just where did you get this sexy get up?”
“I happened to have my work pants in the truck, and when you were finding your dress, I ducked into a store a couple of doors down and grabbed the first-shirt and tie I could find. I wasn’t going to marry you in jeans and a bomber jacket, baby,” he says grinning.
“I love it,” I say, as he starts leading us down a short hallway that leads to a set of double dark wood doors.
“Let’s go make you mine,” he says as he pushes through one of the doors, and we start walking up a small aisle.
“I’m already yours, Jack,” I say, looking around the chapel and back to him.
“Well, I want to make you mine in every way. And I want to be yours. Only yours.”
The room has dark wood floors and about ten dark wood pews on each side. All of the wood would make it dark and dreary except for the late afternoon light coming in through the stained glass windows on one side. At the head of the aisle, a neatly dressed older man who looks to be in his seventies is waiting for us. He’s shorter than Jack, has kind eyes behind wire rimmed glasses, and has neatly combed silver hair. Off to the side is Bonnie, the woman who works the front desk and takes care of the marriage licenses, and who kindly offered herself as a witness when we told her we didn’t have one. She is in her fifties I’m guessing, with shoulder length brown hair. She’s wearing a pretty navy floral dress with a matching cardigan draped over her shoulders, as well as an ear-to-ear smile as she looks on. She was so excited when we came in. She said she had a sweet spot for couples that “ran away and got married,” not feeling the need to put on a huge affair.
“Mr. Krasinski, Ms. Walker, I’m Paul, the minister here,” says the man about to marry us. We shake hands with him and briefly go over our preferences before getting started. The room is otherwise empty, except for the dogs that Paul and Bonnie were sweet enough to let be part of this. Finally tuckered out, they watch us quietly as they lay on the floor nearby.
We finally turn to each other, listening to Paul, as he has us repeat traditional vows to each other. We lock eyes, being fully in this moment together. Jack smiles sweetly as he speaks, while I smile back at him, trying not to let any tears escape. We each place a ring on the other’s finger, and after a few more spoken words, Paul tells Jack he may kiss me. Wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the floor, Jack gives me the kiss of a lifetime, moving his lips against mine, and slowly turning us, before letting out a loud “Whoo!” as I laugh with joy.
After our impromptu but perfect ceremony, Jack and I drive back home to the city. Jack holds my hand most of the way as we talk about things like where to live. While my place isn’t really much bigger than his, it’s more private, plus, he could finally give his sister her pool house back. We’ve both been saving for a while and eventually we might get a whole new place. Or not. We haven’t decided yet. We stop at his house where he grabs some clothes and two of his guitars for now. We’ll come back in a few days to get the rest of his stuff so he’s completely moved in. For now, we take the dogs back to my house, which is now ours. We spend the rest of the evening, night, and next morning with our warm bodies pressed together, rolling under the sheets. This has to be what heaven feels like. Jack does nothing but make me feel safe, wanted and loved all over the entire time. We have no idea what time it is when we wake up the next day. It’s been a seemingly endless cycle of loving each other, falling asleep, and waking up to start again. My eyes drift open to see his opening at the same time, and we smile at each other.
“Morning, pretty,” he says, and I scoff.
“I don’t even want to know what I look like right now,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“You look good and loved on,” he says, moving closer and rolling me on to my back, hovering his face over mine. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you on a proper honeymoon?” he asks.
“Nope,” I answer. I just want this. Alone in our bubble, curtains closed, no concept of time. He begins to kiss me, with long and lazy strokes of his mouth, slowly luring me back into the bliss, and just as I’m about to let it overtake me, we are interrupted by a very pissed off growl coming from my stomach. We both bust out a laugh, and agree that going into the kitchen for some sustenance would be an acceptable reason to take a break from bedroom activities. Recharge and all that. We both slip out of bed, and I throw one of his t-shirts over my head.
“Are you going to make a habit of wearing my shirts around? Because I am totally on board with that,” Jack says, giving me a flirty smile as he pulls on some running pants.
“Yes I am,” I flirt back, “And I love that I have access to a variety now.”
“What’s mine is yours, sweetheart.” He puts on a zip hoodie, leaving it open over his bare chest. What were we about to do again?
Come to find out it was close to 11:00 when we woke up, and now, thirty minutes later, we’re huddled in the breakfast nook with banana pancakes. I get up to stretch my muscles before grabbing our plates to take to the kitchen.
“Wonder how the song’s doin’,” Jack says, leaning his chin on his hand at the table.
“Want me to get the laptop out?”
“Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “Tomorrow is soon enough to get back to reality. I gotta go back to work at the bar in the evening. Let’s just enjoy today and tonight before we go back to thinking about the other stuff.”
“Good plan,” I say, tossing him a sweet smile.
Just then, a knock sounds at the door. Oh hell, no. It’s not even noon. I’d pretend we’re not home but both our vehicles are in the driveway.
Another knock.
“Mayzie?” shouts Ian through the door. “I know you’re home! Let me in, I gotta talk to you.”
“Ugghh,” I grimace, closing my eyes and letting my head fall back. My brother’s frequent visits were one thing when I was single, but we’re going to have to seriously establish some boundaries now. Jack’s holding his coffee mug part way to his mouth.
“Should we let him in? And should we tell him?”
“Ugghh,” I grunt again. “This is supposed to just be us right now. I don’t wanna let him in.” I’m feeling like I want to have a tantrum.
“Mayzie! I’m serious. I need to talk to you! Open up!” God almighty.
“We can let him keep knocking or we can let him in, find out what he wants, and get rid of him,” Jack says with a shrug, laying out our options.
I let out a sound of defeat that’s half sigh, half grumble. “Fine. You let him in, I’ll go put pants on. That way he won’t get smacked the second the door opens,” I say, shuf
fling towards the bedroom in search of a pair of yoga pants. I find a pair in a bottom drawer and quickly pull them on before coming back out to find Jack leaning with one hand on the kitchen island, facing Ian, who’s by the door with a sizeable duffle bag at his feet.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?” I address my brother, my eyes going between him and his bag.
“It’s my day off. I need to crash for a while.” Wow. No easing in, let’s just jump right in, shall we?
“What are you talking about, you need to crash? Did you and Tina break up?”
“Well, no. But I have to get out of there for a while. The woman is in my face and up my ass 24/7 and it’s driving me out of my mind. I need to get away for a bit and figure out what to do about this.”
“So you can be in our faces 24/7? No thanks. Go to Mom and Dad’s,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Come on, you know they’d never let me hear the end of it. I still love her, I just need a break. We don’t need to bring them into it.”
“Does she know about this?” Ian crinkles his forehead and shows me his teeth in an uncomfortable grimace. “Oh my God, you’re such an asshole. No.”
“Seriously? That is some cold shit, Mayzie. I’m in a predicament here.”
“Sorry, but this is not a good time. You can’t be here, living on the couch.”
“Oh my God Mayzie, it’s not a big deal. Get the stick out of your ass and just let your bro lay low here for a while,” he says, as he saunters over to the couch and flops down. It’s like he thinks it’s a given that I’m going to just cave to him; that I should. This brings my irritation to a new level and I see Jack stiffen in my peripheral at the way Ian’s talking to me. It’s not as big a deal as he thinks. This is how my brother and I always interact, and the way my dad and I speak to each other is even worse. Still, Jack is looking like he’s gearing up to jump in if this escalates.
“No, Ian. You need to grow a set and go talk to your girlfriend instead of hiding out here because you’re too much of a pussy to have a conversation. Or, if you’re really this chicken-shit, go stay with Mom and Dad and let them wipe your ass,” Jack ducks his head trying to hide his smirk. Ian drops his head back on the couch and rolls his eyes, completely unfazed.
“You’re being a real pain in my ass right now.”
“Uh, no. Flip that statement around. And anyway, it’s not happening. You need to go,” I say, putting my foot down. Ian gives up on me and looks at Jack.
“The fuck’s her problem man?” Ian asks Jack with his hands up, giving him a look of solidarity. It’s like he’s hoping Jack will go all ‘bro code’ with him and bail him out.
“Listen, Ian,” Jack says, speaking for the first time since my wrecking-ball of brother barreled in. “It’s like she said, it’s not a good time.”
“What’s with all this ‘not a good time’? What the hell is going on that’s so important?” Ian says, squinting his eyes and looking between the two of us.
“Well, um…” I start, the irritation leaving my face as I look for the best words. “Jack and I are… married now,” I say, finishing with a bashful smile. Jack looks over to me with a smile of his own, only his looks proud.
“Whaaaat?!” Ian bursts out, with an incredulous laugh, dropping his head back again. After another chuckle, he looks back up. “You’re not serious,” he says, with a smug smile and making no move to get up. Jack is still leaning one hand on the counter with the other on his hip as he smiles from me to my brother.
“We got married last night,” he says, reaffirming the news. Now Ian leans forward, like he’s watching an intense part of a football game.
“You guys are fucking with me,” he says, matter-of-factly with his hands out, like he’s explaining what ‘fucking with him’ means.
“No,” I say, holding my left hand up, and Jack follows suit. He’s so calm and confident as always, and it gives me a thrill, followed by a sense of security. The look in Jack’s eyes is kind but serious, with no trace of hesitancy or uncertainty.
“Wait, wait, wait…” Ian says, shaking his head and waving his hands around. “You got married. Yesterday. You’re married now.” Each sentence is a statement rather than a question. I simply nod in response, and shift my focus to getting him the hell out of here.
“So now you understand why we can’t have someone here right now. You can’t be here, sleeping on the couch, eating our food, with your clothes strewn everywhere. Like I said, not a good time. So, if you wouldn’t mind…” but he’s not biting.
“I cannot believe you did this. What did Mom and Dad say? I can’t believe they’re not here right now, tearing you a new one-OH!!” he cuts himself off with a gasp. “They don’t know yet, do they?”
Oh, fuck me sideways.
“Ian…” I say, cautiously.
“Oh, this is too good,” he says, standing from the couch and taking a couple of steps towards us. I can see the rusty wheels squeaking and turning in his head, and it’s bad. “You know, I think you’re right, sis. I will go stay with Mom and Dad. After they hear about this shit, they’re going to be a little too preoccupied to worry about me hanging around. They won’t even notice me…”
“Ian, don’t be a dick!”
“Whoa, Ian, come on,” Jack says, stepping beside me and putting a hand on my back. Ian ignores us, slinging his duffle onto his shoulder.
“Thanks for doing me this solid, Maze. They’re not going to give a shit what I’m up to for a while now. Oh, and Jack, welcome to the family, brother-in-law. You’re in for a real treat.”
“Ian, don’t you dare say anything to them! This is not your news to tell!”
“Catch ya lat-ah!” he sings, on his way out the door. Fuuuuuck!
“UGGGGGHHH!!!” I growl out, balling my hands into fists while Jack stands beside me, silently rubbing my back and letting me have myself a moment. I’ve never wanted to punch my brother in the face as badly as I do right now. After I growl out some phrases colorful enough to make a sailor blush, Jack finally speaks up.
“What do you want to do? We could hop in the truck and I could try to beat him there,” he offers.
“No, we’re only half dressed, and besides, he’ll see us and he’ll just speed up and race us there. He’ll either beat us or get there right after us and do whatever he can to be heard first. It’ll be chaos,” I shake my head. “I think… I have to call them,” I say walking over to the counter where my phone sits, waiting like a harbinger of doom. “What do you think? Are you ready?” I ask, scrunching my face into a worried expression.
“They need to know at some point, and I doubt they’d appreciate it being kept from them for too long,” he says with a wave of his hand towards my phone. “Besides, they should hear it from us. And we might as well call my dad after this, get it all out of the way.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding at him, agreeing. I take a deep breath, dial my parents’ number, and put it on speaker phone before I lay it down on the counter. I lean on my elbows and rake both hands into my hair as it rings.
“Hi, sweetie,” I hear my mother’s voice as she picks up.
“Hi Mom,” I pause, trying to figure out what to say next.
“Everything okay….?” She prods, after a few seconds of my nervous silence.
“Yeah, yeah. Listen, I’m with Jack and we have something to tell you. Is Dad there?”
“Yeah, hang on. Jeff?” I hear her call for him. “Come in here, Mayzie’s on the phone…. I don’t know, she has something to tell us.” I hear the phone click over to speaker phone.
“Hey kid,” my dad greets as he comes on the line. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Okay, well… I have some news. Jack and I have news actually, and we wanted to tell you in person, but Ian’s found out and he’s being a total douche-canoe and headed your way so he can tell you before I can, so I wanted to call so you at least heard it from us…”
“Uh, Mayzie, is this news good? Because you’re making me
a little nervous,” my mother chuckles. Jack and I look at each other, smiling nervously but reassuringly at each other.
“It’s good,” I say, nodding, even though they can’t see me. They might not end up agreeing with me, but I insist on being positive. Besides, it is good news for Jack and me.
“So, this is very sudden. It’s going to come as a shock, just try to bear in mind that I’m happy.”
“Spit it out for fuck’s sake.” Patience was never one of my dad’s virtues.
“Okay!” I say taking a breath. “Jack and I got married yesterday.”
“What?” Both parents say.
“We’re married… surprise!” I say, trying to get them to jump on the enthusiasm train.
“Are you shitting me?” My father asks.
“No… I’m not shitting you… I’m… serious,” My nerves are in hyper-drive and I’m having to seriously focus on stringing words together now.
“Are you joking?” asks my mother. “Mayzie, you’re joking right? Is this like that time you lost that bet with Ian? Is that what’s happening again here?” She’s back to laughing nervously. She’s referring to the time back in high school when I’d just started trying thongs and was complaining a lot when my brother told me to suck it up. I bet him he couldn’t go a day wearing women’s underwear. He decided he needed to prove me wrong and stole one of his girlfriend’s thongs and wore it to school. It was quite elaborate. I had a few of his buddies from the football team check in on him and report back to me that he was still wearing it throughout the day. Lo and behold, the bastard actually went the distance and I lost. The stakes were that I had to crank call our mother, pretending to be an online sex toy retailer, confirming her daughter’s - aka, my - order for the Shaft-tastic Vibe 2.0 with free deluxe set of anal beads. Anyway, back to the moment.
“Right?” my mother prods, trying to get me to confirm this is a joke.
“This is so not like that,” I answer. I’ll tell you later, I mouth to Jack when his face gets inquisitive over the word ‘bet.’
See Her (Turn it Up Book 1) Page 18