It occurred to me he wasn’t asking. He was telling. I was a little offended he’d even assume I would do that. “I’m not backing out on you. We’re here already. I wouldn’t do that.”
“I didn’t think you would, but I wanted to—”
What? Remind me? Make sure? “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. We’re doing this,” I assured him.
It took him a moment to nod. “I know we’re rushing into it, but this is the only chance we’ll have. Next month is going to get busier for me.”
“Aiden, I know. I understand. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? It’s fine. I have things to do, too.” Without thinking about it, I reached over and touched his bare forearm lightly. “I’m not going to disappear on you in the middle of the night. I always go through with my promises, all right? The only place I’m going soon is to El Paso next month for a weekend, but I’ll be back after a few days. I’ll be around in two years, and I’ll still be here three years after that. I don’t take my word lightly.”
Something flashed across his eyes so briefly it was there in one blink and gone the next.
Feeling a little shy, I pulled my hand back and smiled up at him, feeling something loosen up inside of me. “Look, I guess I haven’t completely gotten over what happened, even though I know you’re sorry. I know what it’s like for someone to do something unforgivable, and it’s unfair for me to take it out on you, okay? I’m sure I’ll be back to flipping you off in no time. Don’t worry.”
He nodded slowly, his features never loosening up enough to be considered relaxed.
“Everything will work itself out. I know you’re sorry.” I made myself shrug and let out a long, exhale that made me feel like I lost a few pounds. “I’m grateful for everything, but I need to go pee right now. Come get me when you’re ready to leave.”
I smiled at him before I hightailed it to the bathroom in the bedroom on the right, needing a minute to myself. Inside, I leaned against the door and let out a choppy exhale. What was I doing?
Everything would be fine, I figured as I used the bathroom and then headed into the bedroom.
It was only five-ish in the afternoon thanks to the time change, but knowing Aiden, he’d want to get the paperwork signed and over with as quickly as possible. So I wasn’t surprised when he knocked on the open door connecting my room to the living area and raised his eyebrows when he found me sitting in the middle of the bed, trying to rein in the eighty different emotions battling their way through my nerves.
I was doing this. I was really fucking doing this. I was getting married.
And if that wasn’t enough, apparently Aiden missed me giving him shit. Who would have thought?
But most importantly, I was about to marry Aiden Graves.
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Or both.
“You want to go get this over with?” he asked from his spot at the doorway.
Get this over with.
That decided it. It broke me.
I couldn’t help it, I face-planted on the bed. It was either crying or laughing, and I was going to go with the latter so I wouldn’t lose it over Mr. Romance. “Sure. I don’t have anything else to do,” I snorted, muffled by the comforter. I was about to go commit a felony. Little Vanessa had no idea what she would be capable of as an adult.
“Why are you laughing?” His question reached me as I lost it even more.
It took a second for me to get it together, but eventually, I managed to sit up and rub my hand over the side of my face as I let out a shaky, nervous smile. He, on the other hand, was standing there looking at me like I’d lost my mind. “You make it sound like we’re having to go to the DPS to get your license renewed, and you don’t want to go.” I scooted off the edge of the bed and stood up, stretching my jaw from how hard I’d cracked up. “Do you know where you want to do this?”
He tipped that bearded chin down. “There’s a chapel two blocks away from here.”
I nodded, that familiar sense of anxiety fluttering through my chest once more. “Okay.” I took in the clothes he was still wearing from the flight. “Let me change my shirt at least.” He wasn’t dressed up. Why should I be?
He cast a glance at the T-shirt I had on and backed out.
I changed my into the slightly dressier work blouse I’d worn in front of him plenty of times in the past and met him in the living room. He was still in his hoodie and V-neck, looking handsome and casual at the same time. Show-off. That small medallion peeking at the apex of the cut of his shirt was what caught my eye the most though.
I followed after the big guy. We walked through the lobby and out into the hot Vegas sun. He’d said the chapel was only two blocks away, but they felt like the longest blocks of my life. I’d been to Vegas two other times in the past, but it had always been with him for work, so I hadn’t gotten a chance to walk around and check it out. Most of my sightseeing had been done through the window of whatever car we were travelling in.
During the day, it didn’t look anything like it did at night. I could see Aiden just a foot or two ahead, but I was too busy looking around at the different shops and restaurants to put in much effort to keep an eye on him. Sure enough, exactly two blocks away from our hotel, he stopped in front of a little white chapel that I was pretty sure I’d seen in movies before.
“Are you ready?” The Wall of Winnipeg asked like we were heading for battle.
No.
I wasn’t, but as I looked at Aiden’s hard face and thought about how badly he wanted to live in the U.S. without worrying about his visa, how could I have told him no? Okay, I could have, but that huge part of me that was 100 percent pushover understood. I knew what it was like to not want to live somewhere.
Good-bye to the next five years of my life.
“Yes,” I finally answered. “We need pictures. The Immigration official is going to ask for them at your interview.”
The corners of his mouth moved in a way that was as much of a smile as I’d ever witnessed on him, and might ever see. My nerves were like live wires and my stomach hurt, but it seemed like I was doing the right thing.
“What? I looked it up. I want to be prepared.” To not go to jail and get what had been promised to me. And wasn’t that what Aiden should have realized? I was going off his word, relying on him to go through with what he’d promised me at the end of this upcoming journey. Hell, when we divorced, I could ask him for half of everything he owned. Obviously, he had to trust me enough to know I would never do something like that.
“Everything will be all right,” he seemed to promise me after a moment, that partial smile still tipping the fullest part of his cheeks.
“Okay.” My hands were sweaty. “Let’s do it.”
He nodded and in we went.
The two people working at the main desk had obviously done this a thousand times in the past. They didn’t blink a single eyelash at us in our street clothes; they didn’t gush or ask any questions that would have made me feel strange. I thought about the ring I was carrying around in my pocket and… I chickened out. I left it there, promising myself I’d take it out later.