We snuck a glance at each other, both of us stifling the same laugh.
“I’ll take my hunk with me to the altar.” Julie slid her arm into the crook of my elbow, peering up at me with a soft smile. “Ready, doll?”
I narrowed my eyes at her suggestion for a pet name. She didn’t seem as freaked out as when I first suggested it, and I was hoping she’d fly home with a little relief, knowing that, at least, her medical expenses were covered.
“Absolutely, darlin’. You can lead the way.”
“Darlin’?” she whispered to me when Mandy turned around. “My God, you even said that with a Southern drawl.”
“I’m from the South now, remember? It was that or sugar plum, but darlin’ seemed to fit better for reasons I can’t explain.” She burst out laughing when I shrugged.
“Okay. I’ll meet y’all down there,” Mandy sang as she jogged down the aisle, maintaining a good speed in her spiked heels and grabbing a microphone while she fiddled with a control panel.
Despite my efforts to convince Julie this wasn’t a big deal, as we made our way down the aisle to “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” my heart sped up with every step. I was marrying Julie, and regardless of why and where we’d be this time tomorrow, it meant something more to me than just a way to help her through her financial struggles.
But as I’d just gotten her to relax and go along with it, I kept the surge of odd emotions to myself.
“Dean would be so jealous,” I joked as we inched down the aisle. My voice was a strained whisper as this game of pretend seemed a little too real for a minute.
Mandy wasn’t a bad singer as she crooned about what wise men say. I’d marry Julie a million times if it meant that I could help take care of her, even when we were miles apart. Maybe this was a hasty decision, but I stood the fuck by it all the same.
Nothing was a guarantee, but at least having medical insurance would help prevent Julie from getting sick again—or sicker.The notion of Julie sick at all was still sinking in, and she furrowed her brow at me when the thought made me hold on to her tighter.
“Who has the rings?” our Elvis officiant, Hal, asked us as he smirked at Mandy.
“Here you go.” Mandy handed us the plain silver bands we’d picked out when we arrived. This little chapel had thought of everything.
“Landon, do you take Julianne to be your wife?”
“I do,” I replied, my words clear and strong as I held her gaze and slipped the ring on her finger.
“Julianne, do you take Landon to be your husband?”
A slow grin curved her lips as she slid the ring on my finger. “I do,” she said, with more determination than I expected, and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes wet when she pulled away.
“Now, hold on. I’m about to close,” Hal bellowed. “By the power vested in me by the fabulous state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. And we don’t hand over the paperwork without a good kiss, so you may now kiss the bride.”
I felt Julie stiffen next to me.
“Could they do that?” she mouthed to me.
As much as I’d laughed at Julie’s suggestion of insurance fraud, at this stage of the game, we didn’t need any obstacles in getting that signed license. Maybe Hal was one of those true love advocates who would give us a problem if he thought we were faking.
I’d speak to HR first thing on Monday morning to get her on my insurance plan as quickly as possible, but we needed that damn marriage license.
I slid my palm over the nape of her neck, giving her what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze to get her to look up. She nodded when she lifted her head, and before we lost the moment—and I lost my nerve—I pulled her flush to my body and slanted my mouth over hers. Julie dropped the bouquet in shock before she melted into me, opening her mouth on a sweet sigh when I flicked the seam of her lips with my tongue.
I cradled her cheek, holding her in place for as long as I could have her. The kiss was full of hunger and an odd rush of relief as I went through with what I’d been so tempted to do last night. Her hand sifted through my hair as I wove my fingers around a fistful of hers, enjoying every second before I let go and we had to go back to this not being real.
“Well, I know who is in for a good wedding night tonight,” Hal quipped.
When Julie and I broke apart, he regarded us with a shake of his head, his belly still jiggling with a hearty laugh as it pushed against the seams of his jumpsuit.
“Congratulations! You both are going to be so happy,” Mandy gushed as she looked between us. “I have a good feeling, and my feelings are never wrong. Time for another picture!” She pointed her tablet at us. “Get nice and close.”
“Anotherpicture?” Julie’s nose crinkled at Mandy.
