My index finger and thumb play with the hem of my new white dress he bought for me. We found it at a department store and while I wouldn’t call it a wedding dress, it’s still one of the prettiest dresses I’ve ever seen. It’s white and simple with elaborate piping and beading, it fits me like a glove, and itwas the only one left in my size at the store. When I tried it on, he asked me to come out so he could see. Stepping out of the dressing room I thought he might fall over when he took me in and again, I had to remind myself that this is all fake. The rings we bought at the same department store are simple yet pretty. He bought me a small, diamond studded band and got himself a plain silver one to match. They now sit in a box inside his jacket pocket, waiting to be worn for the short, foreseeable future.
“Winters,” a voice calls out. I look up from my chair and see a kind looking woman standing in the doorway. Nick stands before me and offers me his hand to help me up.
“Ready, future Mrs. Winters?” He beams, acting way too genuine for something that will be over before we know it.
“I told you, I’m keeping my last name,” I remind him, dropping his hand and walking towards the woman waiting on us.
“Fine, then I’ll change my name to Holly. It’ll be easier for the kids if we have the same last name.”
I whip my head around to glare at him. “That’s not funny. We aren’t having kids together.”
“That’s what you say now,” he teases with a smirk.
I roll my eyes at him and at the thought of having kids with him. I don’t know why he’s playing into this so much—it’s just the two of us. He can save the performance for when we’re back in Evergreen.
We’re called to the front of the room where an older man with a full white beard stands holding some sort of book. He asks us a few questions before moving into the standard motions you expect to see at any courthouse wedding. Nick takes my hands into his and holds my gaze as we stand there, listening to a complete stranger marry us. When it’s time for us to say our vows, he repeats after the judge with so muchcertainty and confidence that it almost seems real. Then it’s my turn to repeat the words back.
“I, Noelle Holly, take you, Nick Winters, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” As I speak the words, an old part of me, one I’ve packed away into a tiny box and stowed away for good, starts to peek out. The part of me that wished more than anything that one day, I would get to marry Nick. The young, naive piece of me that stood there crying as he climbed into his truck and drove away after breaking my heart into a million pieces. Tears prick my eyelids as I finish the vows and I do what I can to push them back.
“Now you may kiss the bride,” the magistrate says to Nick with a smile before stepping out of the way.
“Wait, what?” I deadpan, completely forgetting about the kissing part of this whole ordeal.
The old man looks confused and repeats himself. “You may kiss the bride.”
Nick looks at me hesitantly, like he’s waiting for me to give him the okay.The kiss! How could I forget about the freakin’ kiss? Kissing him is not going to make pretending any easier, how could I forget about the kiss? Okay, it’s a single kiss and then that’s it. I can survive one kiss. Right? Right.I glance at the old man staring at us, confused why we haven’t kissed already, before looking at Nick. Pulling my lips into a tight line, I give him a sharp nod that it’s okay to kiss me. Leaning in, he places a hand on my waist and pulls me closer. I close my eyes, ready for this to be a quick peck and move on. One and done, that’s it, rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with.
What I get instead is completely different.
It’s slow, soft, and feels almost like a dream. Keeping a hand on my waist, he pulls me closer and places his other hand on my neck, framing my face and holding me close. His breathsomehow smells like peppermint and when our faces are close enough, I can see each individual lash on his eyes. His features are more mature than they were twelve years ago but he’s still the same boy I’ve been in love with since I was sixteen. When he kisses me, it’s like no time has passed between us. His lips press into mine for a moment before he leans into it a little more. Dipping me back, the people waiting to be married hoot and holler at the bravado of the kiss until he lifts me back up and pulls away. We hover only a few inches apart as we work to catch our breath.
“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Winters,” the man says, clapping a few times with the other people in the room.
A smile spreads across his face, his hand still looped around the nap of my neck. “You ready to fool an entire town, Mrs. Winters?”
I manage a small nod and a laugh as my brain is still working to reconnect itself after our kiss.
“Sure am,” I say as confidently as I can muster.
The biggest person I know I’m fooling though is myself.
CHAPTER 12
Noelle
Who knew getting married would be the easy part?
After getting the court papers signed and packing our bags, we flew home early the next morning so I could be back to work today. Nick dropped me off at my place after we landed and told me he would text me later today to talk about how we were going to get the word out about our being married. It won’t take long once the news gets around town but still, we need a way to tell people that we’re suddenly married after not seeing one another for over ten years.
Looking at the calendar hanging from my wall, I take note that it’s the second Monday of November. The married part is taken care of, but can we sell it enough to make Grandma Marybelievewe are actually married? I mean, technically the family will states that I need to have a husband, which I do. But I know Grams and if she gets any whiff that this isn’t the real deal, she won’t sign the inn over to me. We’re going to have to sell it to make her and the entire town believe that we’ve reconciled so hard we just hadto get married.
My phone buzzes on my vanity. Picking it up, I see that it’s a text from Nick.
Good morning wife. When are you done at the inn today?
I roll my eyes at him calling me ‘wife,’ but still feel the butterflies in my stomach flap their wings a little faster than before.
Don’t call me that. You don’t need to pretend with me.
