by T Gephart
Any doubt I had was gone, there was never going to be a guarantee but I knew this man loved me and I loved him. I had to take that leap; I had to take that chance. I wanted to do this. I wasn’t going to run any more.
Alex slid the ring on my left hand, his lips on mine before I was aware he was standing. “Lexi, I love you.”
“I love you too Alex.” He was unrelenting in his kiss, his hands fisting my hair as he pulled me closer to him. “Are you sure about this?” I gazed at the stunning ring that graced my finger. “When the hell did you have time to get a ring?”
My mind was now awash with questions. This isn’t the kind of ring you can just go and pick up. He had to have purchased it some time ago. I’ve been with him pretty much every day. Why propose now?
“Stop.” Alex said firmly while still keeping his voice low. “I see the cogs turning in your head Lexi, you are going to over think this. So stop it now.”
He took my chin in his hand and tilted my head back. “I knew I wanted to marry you the day after my father died but I thought it was something I was going to have to let go. I loved you and having you close, being there with me. I knew that you were the only one. So when you came back to me, it reaffirmed in my mind what I had already decided. Yes, we have had our ups and downs but I have no doubts that I want this. None. I don’t want to share my life with anyone else and I don’t want to have one foot out the door. This cannot be temporary. I’ve never really felt the need to settle down, thinking that if I ever did it, it would be later but I never expected to feel the way I do when I am with you. You, Lexi, I want you. I need you. So yes, I am more than sure.”
His clear blue eyes pierced mine as he didn’t break his gaze. His voice was even but authoritative. He had no indecision or hesitation when he spoke the words. His hand released my chin as he caressed my check. “I bought the ring before we left New York. I’ve been carrying it with me, knowing that when the time presented itself, I would know. I was going to propose to you in Rome but it just didn’t feel right. I didn’t want you to think it was some knee jerk reaction. I needed you to trust me, to open up to me and to believe in us.”
I couldn’t speak. Alex was saying words I never expect to hear, especially not now. He was so sure, he had so much faith in me, in us. There was no doubt.
“Is this because I agreed to a day off?” I cocked my head to the side sarcastically.
“Ha! Well, in a small way it did have some influence but no that isn’t the reason.” A sly smile flirted on his lips, “Last night, after you mauled me...”
“You didn’t seem to mind it!” I argued.
“Let me finish. Last night, things were heated and aggressive, it was raw and extremely hot. But what you said to me after, was by far the biggest turn on. You trusted me, you let your walls down. You allowed me to see you and weren’t afraid. Damn, I’m getting hard just thinking about it,” Alex chuckled.
“Fiend,” I whispered, my lips curling provocatively.
“Funny how your mouth is saying that but your eyes are telling me you are thinking about my hard cock being buried deep inside you.”
Alex’s low voice rippled through my body, right to my core. His eyes darkened as my lips parted, exhaling slowly. He knew me so well.
“I will take care of THAT in a minute.” His hand ran down my arm, my skin ablaze under his touch. “So in answer to your question, the fact you were willing to take the time off gave me the opportunity and I am ALL for maximizing opportunities.”
His lips kissed the corner of my mouth, as he gently pulled at my lower lip with his teeth.
My mind suddenly shuddered! Oh my God! Kids! We hadn’t spoken about it again! I was supposed to think about it. How could I agree to marry him without discussing this first? FUCK! What the fuck was I doing.
I involuntarily pulled back, as he tried to deepen his kiss. He grabbed my wrist as I took a step back.
“No, No running. What is it? What were you thinking right now?”
“Alex, we never finished our discussion about having a family. I haven’t decided yet. It’s not fair for me to agree to marry you when I am still unsure. You deserve an answer.”
I focused on his hypnotic eyes, for most people kids are a deal breaker. I don’t know many people who are indifferent to the idea. You either want them or you don’t and it’s not something you can really compromise on. He wanted a family and if I couldn’t give him one then eventually he would resent me. Despite what he thought, it would drive a wedge between us and he would hate me.
“Lexi, I said I wasn’t going to pressure you and I refuse to do so. It isn’t fair for me to force children on you if that’s not what you want. Yes I want to be a father but I want my children to have you as their mother. If that is not a possibility then it does not change how I feel about you. I want to marry you and I am sure as hell am not going to let you go.”
Alex did not relinquish his grip. “Stop Lexi. I have thought this through. No scenario you build in your head is going to change the way I feel. I mean it, stop thinking of things that will make me stop loving you; they don’t exist. It’s not possible.”
“You can’t know that.” I shook my head.
“Yes, I can know that and I do know that. If I didn’t you wouldn’t be wearing that ring. You have followed our career, have I ever been engaged or even lived with a girl before you?”
I swallowed hard, “It’s not like I stalked you Alex before we met.” God, thinking about those times before I had met him, there were some questionable online investigations.
“You didn’t need to. Every aspect of my life is printed for the world to see. Every time I spoke to a girl, I was dating her. As our publicist, you know that. My past is only a Google away. You think if that had happened, no matter how long ago, it wouldn’t have made news?”
He was right, he had always been “connected” to women but he hadn’t gotten close to settling down.
“Lexi, if you are having second thoughts, we will wait. But don’t look for reasons not to, especially not from me.”
“I am not having second thoughts. I want this.” I grabbed his arm and shook it gently.
“Good. We can get married whenever you want. New York or Melbourne. Big or small. Whatever and whenever you want.”
“What about Miami?” I smiled.
“Sure if you want to come back here we can do it here, maybe on the beach. We’ll fly our friends and families in. Whatever you want.” Alex visibly relaxed at my suggestion.
“No, I mean now. Here. Today. If you want to really do this, marry me today.”
I don’t know if I was calling his bluff or what the hell was going through my head. My mouth seemed to have a mind of it’s own.
“Are you serious? You want to get married now? Here?” Alex stared at me incredulously.
“I just don’t want to share this with the world. I don’t want to announce our engagement and then have everyone on “wedding” watch. I don’t want my day to turn into a circus. For me, I have never had the Cinderella fantasy. I want it to be about the two of us, without the noise. We can get married today, skip the hype. It can just be about us.”
The more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me. We could do this. By the time anyone found out it would be too late. It could be our moment. Isn’t that what getting married was about anyway? Two people promising to love each other forever. Why did we have to share it?
“Lexi, don’t you want to have a dress, the shoes, the flowers... all of that? I’ve already told you I’m not going to change my mind.” Alex brushed a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Hello, have we met?” I smirked. “I can get a dress and shoes in an hour. Have you seen the way I shop? I don’t want the whole “wedding” thing; it’s just not me. I don’t want to be paraded around like some debutante. So what do you say Mr. Stone? You ready for me to take you off the market?”
Alex didn’t answer; he grabbed his phone and dialled. “Hey this is Alex, I n
eed a car. Preferably something fast.” I stared at him, a smile crept across his lips. “No I don’t need a driver. Thanks, I’ll be downstairs in 20.”
Alex ended the call and tossed me my handbag. “We need rings and a courthouse, let’s go.”
Chapter 13 – The Treasure Hunt
A bright, red Ferrari 458 Spider convertible was waiting for us downstairs. Alex’s eyes lit up at the “toy” he got to borrow. He tipped the concierge considerably and complimented him on his taste.
“Nice,” I smirked, running my hands along the curves of the car.
“Easy, my car might get jealous,” Alex flirted.
“There is plenty of love to go around.” I laughed as I slipped into the plush seats.
Alex hit the ignition, the rumble of the prancing horse’s V8 roaring to life. “Rings first. Grab your iPad and Google a jewellery store. I’ll drive, you navigate.” I snagged my iPad as Alex slid on his trade-mark mirrored Ray Bans and revered the engine.
We were actually going to do this. It was spontaneous and crazy but it was perfect. It’s exactly what I had hoped my wedding, if I ever had one, would be. I couldn’t wipe the ridiculous grin off my face.
“Ok, there is a Tiffany’s in Coral Cables. San Lorenzo Avenue. Toss me your phone and I’ll call ahead.” Alex fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me, his eyes never leaving the road.
“Ok head south on SW 27th Avenue, then take a right on S Bayshore drive.” I dialled the number of the store, my fingers barely able to press the right digits.
“Hello, Tiffany’s Coral Cables. How can I help you today?” A polite voice answered.
“Hi, can I please speak to your store manager?” I responded. The heat from my excitement rose in my body, I felt giddy.
“Of course, just a moment.”
The words rushed out of my mouth as I explained to the manager that Alex Stone would like to shop privately in the store, we were on our way there now and could they accommodate us. The Manager was only too happy to have Alex as a guest of the store and assured me that our visit would be treated with the utmost discretion. After all this was Miami, they had celebrities in all the time so my request was nothing new.
I gestured wildly to Alex when to turn left or right. He found my animated directions hilarious. The whole situation was hilarious. I was marrying a musician from a famous rock band I’d lusted after for years, who less than twelve months previously I’d never even met. We were tearing around the streets of Miami, in a Ferrari, looking for rings and a place to get a marriage license. It was almost like a treasure hunt, except instead of gold, I end up with a husband.
I laughed out loud as the reality of the situation hit me, of all the crazy shit I had done in the past, this by far had to be the craziest.
“Something funny?” Alex brought the car to a submissive stop in front of the store.
“This whole thing is funny! Both of us are completely insane!” I giggled as I undid my seat belt.
“Well if this is an indication of our lives together then I would safely say neither of us will never be bored.” Alex reached over and placed his lips on mine before stepping out of the car.
We walked into the beautiful store, which was empty except for shop assistants vying for our attention. I am fairly sure it was more Alex’s attention, the fact he was glued to my side made the attention I received purely incidental, but my care factor was a big, fat zero.
The manager came out and introduced himself and inquired how he could be of assistance. I flashed my breathtakingly shinny solitaire and asked for a wedding band to match it. The move was extremely overt and overly flashy but hey, I couldn’t help myself- I was running with this.
There were so many rings to choose from and as beautiful as they all were, I wanted something simple and unpretentious. I didn’t want a band of diamonds to detract from my engagement ring (holy shit! I’m engaged?!) So instead we opted for simple matching bands for both of us.
“Are you sure this is what you want Lexi?” Alex tried on the 6mm double Milgrain platinum band I’d chosen for him to match my smaller one.
“Yes, it’s what I want.” I nodded enthusiastically, unable to peel my eyes from the ring on his finger, knowing what it would represent.
When did I turn into such a sap? I was never excited about the prospect of a wedding, in fact for years I believed the whole institution was repressive and unnecessary. Of course I now know that my distorted views had been shaped by my previous dysfunctional relationship but still, how could those feelings be switched on so quickly?
“I can see you over-thinking things,” Alex whispered in my ear, handing his credit card to the blonde attendant who was bagging up our purchase.
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” I smiled back. I had often wondered if Alex could read my mind.
“Because you get the most adorable little frown line, right here.” Alex placed his finger in the space between my eyebrows.
“You saying I’ve got wrinkles?” I teased as I tried my hardest to frown.
Alex laughed, “You will if you keep over-thinking things”
He turned to the attentive blonde. “Can you also include that pair of solitaire diamond stud earrings in that charge.”
“Alex, I don’t need earrings.” I protested.
“It’s only money Lexi, besides in a few hours, half of it is going to be yours. I can’t wait to tell Sol I got married without a pre-nup! You think he hates you now? Ha! The look on his face is going to be priceless!” Alex smirked as he lifted the beautifully presented iconic blue/green bag off the counter.
“Oh FUCK!” I breathed, a little too loudly for such a classy store.
Alex grabbed my hand and dragged me outside.
“Shit Alex, a pre-nup! I didn’t even ask! FUCK!! We can wait, we don’t have to do this today, we can get one drawn up. I’m not interested in your money.”
How could I not have even thought about it? Alex was worth millions, I was worth considerably less than that, most of which would have to be liquidated from shoes, handbags and clothes.
“Too late Baby, we got rings now!” Alex opened the door to the Ferrari. “I trust you Lexi, I know you aren’t after my money. I don’t need a pre-nup. Do I look like the kind of person who is easily taken advantage of?”
“I know, but I’m just saying if you want to. I will sign it.” I slid into the car as Alex closed the door behind me.
“No, we are doing this now, just like you wanted. No noise, just us.” Alex effortlessly glided into the driver seat beside me.
“Is your family going to be ok with it?” Suddenly I felt guilt over my selfish suggestion. After all, Alex was close with his family. I imagined his mother and brother would be a little hurt that they weren’t given the opportunity to share this day with us. I didn’t want to hurt such wonderful people, who in the past had only treated me with kindness and respect.
“My mother and brother will be happy for us. They both adore you. We can have a small gathering in New York later to celebrate.” Alex started the car as he handed me back my iPad. “Courthouse!” He pointed to the screen.
“I’d really like that Alex, a party in New York. I think it would be perfect.” I leaned over and kissed him gently on the neck.
“Mmmmm” he murmured. “Quit that before I decide to have the wedding night before the wedding.”
“Ok, Ok!” I turned my attention back to our treasure hunt.
“We need to get to the Clerk of the Courts, Miami-Dade County Courthouse. 73 Flagler Street. Give me a second to read the requirements.” I skimmed over the website. “Luckily we don’t have a waiting period because we aren’t residents of the state. We don’t need blood tests either. It’s fourteen minutes away from here according to the map. I’ve set it up to direct us.” I placed my iPad on the console between us.
“I’ll get us there in seven” Alex grinned as he revved the engine.
“No speeding. I don’t want to deal with the
publicity of you have to go to traffic court!” I warned, the thrill once again rising in my belly.
“Who invited my bitchy publicist to this wedding?” Alex raised his eyebrow as he pulled into traffic.
“Just drive!” I laughed as I pointed to the road and the barrage of cars in our path.
We arrived at the courthouse in ten minutes, less than the time predicted by our helpful directions but considerably slower than Alex’s prediction given my repetitive warnings about Florida State Troopers.
Alex exited the car and was around to my door in record time. He held out his hand as I stepped out of the car, our precious little bag in my hand.
“Wanna race?” Alex asked, playfully reminding me of when we first got back together after our painful separation.
“Your legs are HUGE compared to mine, I would need to take 3 strides to every one of yours!” My eyes were wide in bewilderment.
“Chicken?” He goaded
“Go!” I screamed as I scrambled across the road, my heels slowing me down considerably.
Alex caught up in no time, his long legs bounding in front of me, looking back at me as he reached the door first.
“Sneaky,” Alex mused, “And yet I still won!”
“Whatever” I waved him off, pretending to be annoyed.
Alex chuckled as he opened the door, as I smoothed out my hair. We stepped into the lofty, deserted offices, and approached the counter. The pale (how can anyone be pale in Florida? She must have slathered on the SPF 30+ each and every day), seemingly bored, red head behind the counter didn’t look up as we stood in front of her.
“What can I help you with?” she muttered in a monosyllabic tone.
“Marriage License would be a good start and possibly a Judge to marry us.” Alex leaned over the counter, his large frame casting a shadow over the pale, bored attendant.
She looked up, her eyes flaring in recognition. “Fu.....I mean....Oh...My....God...You’re ...Alex....Stone” Each word a jumble as they fell from her mouth as she straightened in her chair.
“Yes I’m Alex Stone and this is my Fiancée Lexi Reed. Are you able to help us?” Alex’s charming, cool tone engaged her further as she stared helplessly into his astonishingly clear blue eyes.