“Yes…no…” He paused letting out a small sigh. “Did finding out she’s only seventeen cool my lust? A bit, but I still feel the same way about her as I did before learning that she wasn’t really twenty-one, I can’t look at her and not see the person she already is, what she’s matured into, and I don’t mean her body. You could put her next to some of these women that are twenty-five, twenty-six, and she would still make them look immature because she’s not a regular seventeen year old. Yes, getting married might seem absurd but she was never going to take a handout, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her because I let it slip, and having her just work for me now really doesn’t feel right. She’s been through more in her life than any of us could begin to handle. Being on her own, making a living for herself—she’s not pretending when she’s at the office. She is brilliant at everything I’ve seen her attempt, and I want her to have the chance to do it all.”
“So. you’re marrying her and what, after she graduates high school, you’re going to annul it?”
“No, this marriage is going to last at least for the next five to seven years.”
“Five to seven? Until she’s done with college? You think that you’re going to be able to resist her for up to seven years, be her friend, boss, and roommate, while beinghopelesslyin love with her and then just let her go at the end of it?”
“If I have to, yes. What I really want is for her to finish school then go to college around here so I can convince her to fall in love with me.”
“What if she doesn’t? What if she decides she wants to be with you before she’s finished with high school and then once she starts college, she discovers she wants something else,someoneelse?”
“Then I’ll fight for her. Yes, I’m in love with her. I already was and despite everything I learned, I can’t stop the way I feel. You can’t fight what the heart wants.”
“I guess not and I supposed it’s not that crazy for our family. I mean look at Mom and Dad, they got married when she was seventeen because Dad was too impatient to wait another year to have her as his,” Nicole teased. “You could be looking at an extra-large family if you’re not careful Jordan.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” he admitted as they left his apartment and headed to the park. He shook hands with the judge and fidgeted a bit as they waited for Mel and Tate to show.
“Relax Jordan,” Norman stated. “She’ll be here.”
“I’d say she already is,” Nicole added glancing over his shoulder at the two people coming towards them. She slipped past her brother and gave Mel a hug. “You look gorgeous.”
“You know?” she asked looking between her, Jordan, and Tate.
“I do, then again that’s supposed to be your line. Welcome to the big crazy family Mel,” she said as Tate helped her up the stairs of the gazebo and kissed her cheek before they took a step back and let Jordan and Mel have center stage.
The ceremony was short and before Mel knew it Jordan was kissing her lightly on the lips. It was their first kiss, and it stole her breath away by its gentleness and power all at the same time.
Jordan pulled back letting his hand cup her face.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
She nodded and the judge gave them both a congratulatory hug before heading back to his office while Nicole pulled out a camera and insisted on having pictures.
“Come on, in fifty years you’ll want to remember your first wedding,” she teased.
They relented and allowed several pictures including some taken by a stranger walking through the park. A week later they deemed one of them the best of the bunch and Mel had to agree. She and Jordan were looking at each other and the pull between them was too much to deny, and though she was staring up at him with one hand on his waist her other was firmly within Tate’s, and she knew she now had two men who would never let her down.
She just wished she knew how long she could keep Jordan with her.
Chapter 6
“Morning,” Jordan said walking past Mel to grab the coffee. He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he reached over to take a piece of bacon from the plate.
“No, you don’t.” She laughed smacking at his hand.
“Not even one tiny little nibble?”
“No, go finish getting dressed or you’ll be late for the meeting. Don’t worry you’ll get your breakfast; have I let you starve since we moved in here?” she asked smiling at him.
“No, you’ve fed me too well and I’m going to need to start working out more to avoid having to buy new clothes,” he said from the open door of his room which was next to hers.
“Well your shirts are starting to show a bit of a pudge there Jordan,” she called out to him as a knock sounded on the door. “It’s open Tate.”
He came in sniffing appreciatively at the air. “Hey Jordan, you better hurry or I’m going to eat all of your breakfast.”
“Quit arguing and eat, both of you. I’m going to grab my bag. I’ll do the dishes tonight,” she said sliding two plates onto the counter heading to her room to grab her things.
“They can wait. We’re having dinner with my parents remember to celebrate our three-month anniversary,” Jordan reminded her when she came back out to join them.
