The ceremony was short and sweet. Because of how large our families were, we ended up moving into one of the empty courtrooms. The judge stood in front of the bench rather than behind it and our parents, sibling, their spouses, and the kids sat in the wooden rows on the other side of the low wooden partition. Cam and Sierra were there with Brody and Ben. Even Mrs. Phelps was there. She was smiling so wide that I was a little worried her false teeth would fall out.
It wasn't exactly what I imagined my wedding would be, but it was pretty darn close.
I struggled to stay focused on the vows as J.J. faced me and held both of my hands in his. He didn't look stressed or anxious. Only calm and maybe even happy.
With his eyes on mine, he smiled when he recited his vows and it was impossible not to smile back at him.
The gleam in his eyes seemed to say that we were in this together, no matter what happened, and it was exactly what I needed at the moment.
The judge's words seemed very far away but the world snapped back into focus when he said, "You may kiss the bride."
Much like he'd done in my bedroom earlier, J.J. cupped my face, with both hands this time, and leaned down to kiss me.
Without stopping to overthink it, I rose up on my toes to lift my mouth to his.
I'd promised him earlier that I would try to be more open with my thoughts and emotions and this was a first step, no matter how small it seemed.
This kiss wasn't as light or brief, but the sweetness was still there. His thumbs swept my cheekbones when it ended, and I dropped back down onto my heels.
"Thank you," he said, and I knew he'd understood why I'd met him halfway.
I only smiled, still feeling the aftereffects of that kiss.
The moment was broken by the cheers and applause from our families. J.J. released me and stepped back when the judge reached out to shake our hands and extend his well-wishes. He politely declined our invitation to the reception, stating his wife had arranged a "date night" and it was best not to mess with her plans.
After we thanked him and received hugs and kisses from everyone in the family, we were ushered out of the courthouse by a harried clerk who wanted to lock up for the day. I'd ridden to the courthouse with my mother and Colette, but I rode with J.J. to Crave.
When we parked in front of the building, I reached out and placed a hand on his forearm.
"I forgot to give you your wedding presents earlier," I said.
J.J. leaned back in his seat. "I didn't expect—"
I lifted a hand. "I didn't expect you to, either, so we're even."
He grinned and stopped arguing.
Compared to the jewelry he'd purchased for me, I was almost ashamed to give him his gift, but I refused to give in to the emotion. J.J. and I were in different places in our careers right now and I'd gotten him the best I could afford.
During our shopping trip in Dallas to get my wedding dress, I'd walked past a store that specialized in monogrammed and etched gifts and gone inside on a whim. While I was there, I found a sterling silver set intended for a man. It included a key ring and money and tie clips.
I intended to get his initials etched into the silver, but when the clerk asked if they were for a special occasion, my mother had piped in that I was getting married and they were a wedding gift for my fiancé. So, instead of his initials, they were engraved with an intertwined L and J, the first initials of our names.
At the time, it seemed a little hypocritical to me, but after my conversation with him earlier, I was glad my mother had made her offhand comment.
I handed the small box, neatly wrapped in silver paper, to him. J.J. stared at me for a moment before he finally opened it.
When he picked up the key ring first and saw the keys dangling from it, he gave me a questioning look.
"Keys to the house," I said. "Since you're officially living with me as of today, I thought you might need them."
He flashed me a grin then his eyes focused on the engraving and his smile softened into something more tender.
"Thank you," he said. "They're beautiful."
I laughed since that was the exact phrase he'd wanted me to use when he'd given me my gifts earlier. "I think you forgot something."
Again, he shot me a confused look.
