Trey’s thumb strokes over my knuckles, drawing me back. “Hey.” His voice is soft but firm, that same grounding tone he used when everything felt like too much. “Breathe, Seraphina.”
I drag in a shaky breath, the sound of my heartbeat thundering in my ears. He leans a little closer, green eyes locking on mine. “I’ve got you,” he murmurs.
The car door opens, and the world erupts.
Flashes explode like fireworks, a storm of white light swallowing the steps of the courthouse. The noise is a blur—voices shouting, cameras clicking, names being called from every direction.
“Trey! Over here!”
“Who’s the girl?”
“Are you really getting married?”
My pulse drums in my throat, my vision hazing as the crowd presses closer behind the barriers. But Trey’s hand finds my waist, firm and sure, guiding me out of the car like I’m something precious he refuses to let the world touch.
“Who’s the girl? A childhood sweetheart?”
“Is she a model?”
“Where did you meet?”
“Are there prenuptials.”
“Is it true that you paid illegally to rush the process of getting married?”
“Is this for a music video.”
Trey straightens to his full height beside me, that familiar lazy grin curving his mouth. The shift is instant—Trey Baker, rock star. The mask slips effortlessly into place, confidence rolling off him like smoke. And yet, when he looks down at me, everything else fades.
His arm circles my waist, drawing me close until my body fits against his. “Smile for me, Seraphina,” he murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear.
I lift my eyes to his, and suddenly, the cameras don’t matter. The noise doesn’t matter. All I can see are his green eyes—bright, teasing. He looks at me like I’m the only person in this whirlwind, like I’m the reason he’s smiling at all. The corners of his mouth lift higher, and the crowd roars as if they’ve caught something real, something electric. My breath catches, and for a heartbeat, I forget that any of this is pretend.
He turns us smoothly, his hand sliding down my arm until his fingers find mine, linking us together as if he’s sealing a promise. Together, we move through the chaos, up the courthouse steps.
Ahead, Logan and Mac disappear through the double doors, her laughter echoing faintly over the noise.
The flashes burst one last time, and Trey glances down at me, that soft, private look returning—the one that doesn’t belong to the cameras. “Ready?”
I nod, because my voice won’t work.
He pushes open the doors, leading me inside, away from the chaos and the noise, into the hush of cool marble and sunlight spilling through high windows. The air feels still in here, sacred almost—like the rest of the world has been left on the other side of those doors.
His hand squeezes mine, grounding me once more.
As we step forward together, the echoes of the crowd fade, replaced by the quiet rhythm of our footsteps and the steady beat of my heart whispering one undeniable truth—
This might have started as pretend, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore.
Chapter twenty-one
Trey
Midnight Sky – Jared Benjamin
The courthouse smells like ink and old paper.
I was never the kind of guy who dreamed about marriage, but standing here—under these humming fluorescent lights—it feels a hell of a lot like waiting at the DMV.
