“Um, IDs,” Chad interrupted.
Kelly frowned at him over her shoulder. “What?” she snapped.
“You need an ID to get a marriage license. How to you propose getting one of those for Garren?”
Rachel flipped her phone shut. “The flights are booked. We leave tonight. Don’t worry about the ID. I’m on my way to the DMV right now. Someone there owes me a favor, and I’m going to have him make Garren a fake ID.” She strode past them, then stopped and turned back. “Wait, we need to give him a last name.”
Garren raised his eyebrows and looked from Kelly to Rachel and back again. Things were happening very quickly…And Rachel was proving to be quiet efficient.
“Smith?” Chad suggested.
Kelly snorted. “Smith?” she spat. “Give me a break, Chad. Does he look like a Garren Smith to you?”
Garren smiled.
Chad shrugged. “Jones?”
Kelly rolled her eyes.
“How about Luce?” Rachel said.
Kelly blinked, and Garren smiled. Luce. Part of his race. Part of him. “I like that,” he stated.
Rachel grinned. “Garren Luce it is. I’ll be back by one o’clock and no later. You’d all better be ready when I get here. You too, Chad.”
Garren looked down at Kelly and filled with joy at seeing her wide smile. She turned her eyes up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m going to be your wife, Garren,” she whispered.
He grinned and pulled her close. “Kelly Luce.”
She closed her eyes as if she cherished the sound of the words. “I love it.”
He cupped her face in his hands and let his fingers memorize the feel and texture of her skin. “I love you.” He lowered his lips to hers and fought off the overwhelming waves of grief and anguish that threatened to take over. It didn’t matter that their time together was limited. It didn’t matter that life was so completely unfair. It didn’t matter that, in the end, they would be brutally robbed of one another. All that mattered to him was being her husband, her soul mate, her other half. All the mattered to him was knowing that, at the end of all things, she would be the last thing he would see.
Chapter Seventeen
Kelly didn’t know if it was possible for someone’s heart to actually tremble, but that’s what hers felt like it was doing. It had felt like that ever since she’d set foot on the plane taking her from New York to Las Vegas. Her mind refused to completely comprehend that she was actually flying to Vegas to marry an invisible man. Her heart, however, knew it was all too real.
Her heart. It felt like a separate entity living within her body. She’d never had any idea that the human heart could feel so much at once. She was apprehensive because she had no clue how this entire wedding thing was even going to be pulled off. She was ecstatic because, for the first time in her life, she felt like she knew what real love was, what home was. She’d tried to find a home in Jersey, in David, but that had been all wrong. Her apartment in Manhattan had never felt like home. Garren was her home. No man she had ever been with had made her feel the way Garren did. She did not doubt for one second that she loved him.
But hard on the heels of the realization of her love was fear, dread, and impending doom. There was no way to know how long she had with Garren. Even he didn’t know. The only certainty was that he was going to leave her. And that killed her inside. He said that, once he was gone, she would regain the half of her heart she had put into creating him and that she would no longer feel the empty, gaping hole that had gnawed at her for so many years. She knew that would never really be true. Maybe if she had never fallen for him, but not now. She would be forever altered. Her life would never be what it had once been. She didn’t want it to be. She would rather have her whole existence changed because of Garren, because they had loved one another.
Still, the uncertainty of the unknown was terrifying.
Rachel and Chad had been trying to make her laugh with stupid small talk for the entire flight, but she felt like she was in a cloud. Everything seemed surreal, like some sort of insane dream. She kept replaying the last two weeks over and over as if to convince herself that they’d really happened. All recent events left any fantasy book she’d ever written in the dust.
Once the plane had landed and the three of them had retrieved their luggage in the baggage claim, Kelly stared around in a befuddled kind of stupor. “Guys,” she called out to Chad and Rachel, who were busy trying to figure out how to get to their hotel. “Do we even know where we’re meeting Garren? How do we even know when he’s going to get here? Somehow I doubt that a man with wings can fly faster than a Boeing seven-forty-seven.” Fear prickled up her spine. Why hadn’t she thought of that before she’d watched him fly away from her rooftop? “What if he doesn’t get here in time? What if he—”
“Kelly, calm down,” her sister jumped in. “We told him to meet us at the Criss Angel gift shop thingie inside the Luxor.”
Kelly blinked at Rachel for a minute and couldn’t help but crack a wry smile. She folded her arms and arched an eyebrow. “You told an imaginary creature to meet us by the famous magician guy?”
Rachel giggled. “I thought it was kind of fitting. Made sense to me. Anyway, I told him that it was a giant pyramid casino. He’s smart. I doubt he’ll be able to miss it. Let’s just go check into our hotel and get settled. I’m sure by the time everything is done he’ll have gotten here.”
“Where are we staying anyway?”
“I booked us two rooms at Mandalay Bay. I know it’s late by New York standards, but it’s three hours behind here so we have plenty of time to get settled, find Garren, and find a chapel. Everything went good with the ID. Do you have a dress, Kelly?”
Kelly smiled as she followed her sister and friend out of the airport. Rachel had surprised her numerous times over the past few weeks. It was nice to feel like she had a sister who could also be considered a friend. She hadn’t felt that way about Rachel since childhood. Garren had brought so much good and beauty back to her life. Her heart twisted painfully.
“Kel?”
Kelly looked back at Rachel. “Uh, yeah. I have a dress. I brought a nice one I had in my closet.”
Rachel nodded. “All right. Everything is in order then.” She clapped her hands together and looked around for a moment as if to get her bearings.
Soon, and in a whirl of activity that left Kelly’s head spinning, they had managed to get a cab, find their hotel, and check in. Rachel had all but shoved Kelly into the shower immediately and, since everything in Rachel’s world operated on a strict schedule, told her to be ready in exactly one hour. No pressure or anything…She was only getting married…To an invisible guy with wings…From another world. No big deal.
An hour later on the dot, Kelly found herself staring at a reflection she barely recognized. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had really dressed up. It had been before the accident, she knew. Some office party she had gone to with David. It seemed like that had been another lifetime, a different version of herself. She knew that it was considered bad luck and probably in bad taste to get married in a black dress, but it had been the nicest and classiest garment she owned. Besides, Garren had appeared to her looking like he’d stepped out of a metal magazine. She doubted he would care what color she was wearing.
She’d swept her hair up into a simple French twist and adorned her neck with a beautiful black necklace with garnet stones. It drew attention to the low, V-cut neckline of her dress. She had makeup on for the first time in who knew how long, and she thought she looked like a complete stranger. After contemplating it for a while, she realized that it was because she had come to see herself as the mousy, loner of a writer who everyone viewed as eccentric, if not a little looney. She had believed that of herself so much that she had even dressed the part, not really caring who she saw or what she looked like.
Now, she stared at the person she’d always wanted to be inside, but had never had the courage to be. The
confident, classy woman who was successful and proud of who she was. Was she eccentric? Absolutely. Was she a little looney? She was marrying her imaginary friend, so probably. Did she care? Not anymore. She was tired of hiding who she was out of fear of being criticized. She was proud of who she was and what she had accomplished. Garren had given her that confidence. Garren had given her everything…
“Kelly, are you ready?”
Rachel, right on time. Kelly smiled and turned away from the mirror. “Yeah, Rach. I’m ready.”
Rachel walked into the bathroom wearing a teal dress, and she put her hand to her chest and gasped as she caught sight of Kelly. Kelly smirked. She had expected that.
“Oh my gosh! Kelly! You cannot wear—”
“A black dress to my wedding?” Kelly walked past her sister and grabbed her arm, tugging her along after her. “It’s my wedding. Yes, I can.”
“But it’s—”
“Bad luck? I don’t believe in luck. Besides”—she shrugged and made a desperate stab at humor—“who knows how long he’ll be here. I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and make this a funeral too.” Her stomach lurched even as she said it.
Rachel stared at her. “That’s not even funny, Kelly.”
Kelly looked down and swallowed hard. “Yeah, I know.” Her voice sounded choked, and she felt tears sting her eyes.
“Okay, Kel.” Rachel took her by the shoulders. “Don’t think about that now. Tonight you are marrying the man of your dreams.” She frowned. “Literally.” She shook her head, sending her gold earrings dangling. “Anyway, don’t think about sad things. Just concentrate on the time you have with Garren now.”
Kelly huffed in frustration. “Which lord only knows is how long considering Garren is either lost and flapping his wings off trying to get here on time, or is wandering around an enormous pyramid because you’re yakking and wasting time!”
Rachel grinned. “All right, enough dillydallying! Chad is waiting in the hall. Let’s go find your husband!”
A girlish giddiness swept over Kelly as Rachel pulled her out of the room. She decided to take Rachel’s advice and not think about anything sad right now. This was her wedding day. It may be unconventional, and a little insane, but she was going to enjoy every precious second of it.
* * * *
To say he was exhausted would be the worst kind of understatement. Garren had never been so tired in all his life. As a creature of the Creative Realm, he was used to not getting tired, but number one: he had never tried flying across a country before, and number two: it took a lot of his energy just to remain in existence in Kelly’s world. Strenuous physical exertion did not help matters.
He didn’t want to alarm Kelly, but he already felt the pull back to his world. It was difficult for him to remain, and it made him think that he had even less time than he’d originally thought. They didn’t have a second to waste.
“Garren, there you are!”
He turned at the sound of Rachel’s voice, and the air slammed out of his lungs as his eyes fell on Kelly. He’d always thought she was beautiful, even in her pajamas and pigtails, but seeing her now, in her slinky, black dress, she looked like a goddess. His heartbeat faltered and he felt tears sting his eyes. Such beauty. She was so beautiful in every way. Knowing he would have to give that up…He shook his head. It didn’t matter. Not now. This resplendence was his for now, and that was all that mattered.
She walked up to him with a smile that he could tell was forced. Doom and sorrow was an undercurrent, despite their efforts to forget about it. He put his hands on her shoulders and slid his fingers in a feathery caress down her arms. “You are so gorgeous,” he whispered. She grinned.
“Garren, we have a change of clothes for you back at the hotel,” Chad said. “That way you don’t have to get married in that.”
He glanced down at his black pants and black muscle shirt. He supposed Chad was right about—
“No,” Kelly protested.
Garren glanced up at her and frowned.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back to the hotel. That’s just wasting time. I don’t care that he’s wearing all black. So am I. Besides”—she ran a finger over his studded belt—“this was what he looked like when he first came to me. I want him this way.” She met his eyes as the words left her lips, and a shiver went up his spine. He gave her a soft smile, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her on top of the head. He delighted in the feel of her arms circling his waist.
“Uh, okay, guys, not to break up the moment,” Chad interrupted, “but all these tourists can’t see Garren, and Kelly hugging the air is starting to make people stare.”
Kelly’s giggle made heat course through Garren, and he grinned down at her. “Well, we don’t want to cause a scene,” he teased.
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? That’s exactly what we’re about to do. Come on, let’s go find a chapel with someone who has a little creative magic.”
Chapter Eighteen
Seven wedding chapels and not a soul who could see Garren. It was discouraging and annoying, and Kelly was beginning to think that, by the time they found a chapel, if they found a chapel, she would end up getting married at three in the morning. It was already close to eleven-thirty. Thank goodness Vegas never slept or they would be seriously out of luck. As it was, several of the more promising chapels had been closed. She didn’t want to have to think about getting married the next day. That would just be a waste of more precious time.
They wearily entered a very neon chapel called A Hunka Hunka Burning Love and were met with lots of plush red velvet and glittery decorations.
“What is this, a cheap brothel?” Rachel scoffed under her breath.
Kelly sighed and turned her tired eyes to look around the room.
“Hey there, pretty mama! You two lookin’ to get hitched?”
Kelly frowned and followed the direction of the voice until her eyes landed on the front desk and a very large man dressed to the T like Elvis. She let out an uncontrolled, startled shout.
Rachel arched an eyebrow and put one hand on her hip. “Excuse me?”
Elvis indicated her and Chad. “You two planning on getting hitched?”
Kelly had never seen her sister look more horrified. She gaped at Chad and scrunched up her face. “To him? Are you out of your mind?”
“Must be you two then.” Elvis grinned and nodded at Kelly.
At first, Kelly thought he meant her and Chad, but the realization slowly dawned on her that he had shot a distinct glance at Garren. Her heart faltered and felt like it was tripping over itself as it tried to beat. “Wait, you can see him?” She pointed to Garren.
Elvis looked confused for a second, then raised an eyebrow. “Sure, sugar. Can’t you?” He chuckled. “He ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog from what I’m seeing.”
Kelly heard Chad and Rachel gasp unanimously, and she chose to ignore the bad song reference Elvis had slipped in. She shook her head. “Are you the minister?”
Elvis shook his head and pointed over his shoulder to a bar carpeted in more red velvet and glitter. “That would be Howie’s job.”
Kelly glanced at the fat, balding man behind the bar. He looked like he could be in the Italian mafia. He threw back a double shot of what appeared to be vodka, then slammed down the glass, choked, wheezed, and raised his hand in greeting.
Kelly raised her hand tentatively. “Hi, Howie. Can you, uh…” She cleared her throat and pointed at Garren. “Can you see him too?”
Howie frowned. “Lady, I’m not that drunk.”
Her eyes widened and she turned to look at Garren.
Rachel groaned. “Kelly, this is disgraceful,” she whispered.
Chad shook his head. “No, it’s Dis-Graceland!” He laughed at his own joke.
Rachel gave him an icy scowl, and he instantly shut up.
Kelly giggled and shook her head, meeting Rachel’s eyes. “Look, this may be the only chance we’ve
got. We can’t afford to be choosey here. For some reason that is completely unknown to me, Elvis and the drunkard seem to have an abundance of creative magic.”
“You’d have to have creative magic to decorate like this,” Chad grumbled.
“This is our only shot,” Kelly continued. She shrugged. “So it’s…unorthodox. Who cares? All of this is insane anyway.”
Garren chuckled and wrapped his arms snugly around her shoulders. “This is fine with me, little one.”
She gave a decisive nod. “All right then.” She turned back to Elvis. “Okay, yeah, we’d like to get married.”
Howie let out a phlegm-laden cough and waddled out from behind the bar. “The King here is gonna get all your paperwork set up. I gotta make a trip to the bathroom.” He put his hand on his stomach and winced. “I ate some bad beans for dinner, you know what I’m sayin’?” He made an exploding gesture with his hands.
Rachel shuddered and made a whimpering noise.
“TMI all the way, dude,” Chad grumbled.
Howie gave a hearty laugh, then started to cough violently. After a few good hacks, he moved along toward the bathroom.
“What’s he got, tuberculosis?” Rachel squeaked in terror.
“Nah, he’s just a chain smoker,” Elvis replied. “Come on, now, let’s get you all set up legal-like. We’ll have you married and singing the ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in no time.”
Chad frowned. “Uh, forgive me for being dense here, but why?”
Elvis looked up at him and chuckled. “Marriage, you know? The ol’ ball and chain?”
Kelly started giggling, and it got worse as she caught sight of Chad’s and Rachel’s mortified expressions. Garren seemed relatively unabashed, but that just made the situation that much more humorous.
Beyond Wild Imaginings Page 16