Yeah, that kind of affirmed saying,I don’twas the right move. Thankfully, they didn’t get hitched right there, but their kiss at the altar suggested she wasn’t a stranger and they’d done it before.
Turns out, with frequency.
However, I still haven’t quite figured out the weirdness of the bedraggled man who looked like he just survived a shipwreck chasing after Sidepiece. He wore an open button-down Hawaiian-style shirt and flip-flops. It was November. But the hubbub that broke out among the guests provided a distraction for me to make my escape.
Thankfully, my father still hasn’t caught up with me about how I “borrowed” his car. In tears, I drove that thing like I wasmaking a getaway from a bank robbery and didn’t see the new fence the McNallys put on the corner of their property.
Oops.
Don’t worry. I sent them a money order to cover the damages—the start of my quick spiral into bankruptcy. The little fender bender also left me to walk the rest of the way home. If you saw a woman in a ruffly white wedding dress shuffling down Glen Carlin Road like she’d had a bad night, that was me. Only, it was a bad series of weeks, considering the health scare and finding out Todd was a toad.
However, this also means my father still hasn’t reached out to see why his daughter,moi, didn’t show up at the end of the aisle on her wedding day. You’d think something like that would pique the interest of the Ice King.
I’d say I stood Todd up at the altar, but when my suspicions were confirmed about the sidepiece, I couldn’t go through with the marriage that was little more than a way for my former fiancé to climb the corporate ladder and for my father to continue to fortify his empire.
Yeah, it was quite a scene.
Am I bitter? Resentful? Hurt?
I’m healing and praying.
Could I use a hug? Probably.
Then again, I am now married to a veritable Viking. So the story has a happy ending. Sort of.
Well, after we said I do, the kiss was the icing on the cake, even though we didn’t have one. It was the chocolate chips in the dough. The cherry on top of the sundae. The whipped cream on my waffles.
Okay, now I’m hungry.
And having a craving.
...and thinking about the kiss.
No, I’m not craving the kiss. Maybe a little bit. Slightly. Sometimes.
I know, I know, I promised myself not to recount it in my mind because I am happily single! Well, married, but it was a marriage of convenience, er, necessity. Otherwise, I might not be celebrating today. It’s complicated and not something I’m proud of, but I was desperate and I’m not being hyperbolic when I say it was a life-or-death situation.
However, it is accurate to say that my life has been one long string of questionable decisions. But I don’t regret that one and not because of the kiss that lives rent-free in my mind.
Hmm. I wonder if the Viking gives good hugs? All I know is he gives great kisses.
After the officiant at the courthouse said (and I’ll never forget the words because of what happened next),By the power vested in me by the State of Michigan, you are now pronounced husband and wife. You may kiss.
We did as instructed andsavory squeaky cheese curdswas it a kiss!
As you know, it wasn’t planned. The Viking and I met that day. The kiss was off-script.
So was the way his gaze jumped to mine in question.
Was he thinking,Let’s get this over withorWe need to make this look real, so we don’t end up back in this courthouse defending ourselves against a crime?
Does getting married for insurance break the law? (I still can’t bring myself to look it up and yes, that’s what I was thinking.)
However, my head slowly emptied when those crystalline grey eyes landed on me. Then, when his mouth met mine, I stopped thinking altogether. My mind went blank. His gaze made my heart swell. The Viking crushed his lips to mine.
There was nothing gentle or tame about the kiss...and I liked it. So, I gave back. Gave my all to that kiss. Probably caused the poor officiant a case of heartburn because that kiss was on fire!
But it couldn’t be helped. There was something primal between the Viking and me. It’s like those words,You are now pronounced husband and wife. You may kiss,which caused our cave people instincts to take over.
