I sat down and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch with Phoenix. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew he was up to something. He was far too interested in what I was eating and how much of it I had eaten. He kept pulling things out one at a time instead of laying everything out at once. “Phoenix, what is your deal? You’re acting so weird.”
He ignored my questions and carried on with his odd behavior. When we were finished, I stood up and dusted my pants off. I turned around and reached for the corner of the blanket to start folding it and the whole world stopped.
Phoenix was down on one knee, holding a little black box in his hand, gazing at me with so much love in his eyes. “Doll face, I’ve been waiting 20 years to ask you this question. Will you marry me?”
I couldn’t move. I had wanted nothing more when I was 18 years old and, if I was being completely honest, I still wanted nothing more. Were my dreams finally coming true? Was it okay to finally embrace what was right in front of me without worrying that it would be snatched away from me? “Say something, doll face.”
I burst into tears and threw myself at him, literally. He caught me with ease and held me tightly. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Phoenix jumped to his feet. “Good. Up you get. Let’s go.”
“Wait! What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I ain’t waiting around this time. You said yes, so we’re going to go down to the courthouse and get married. If you want to do the wedding thing later on, that’s fine, but you’re marrying me today,” he informed me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“I most certainly am. There’s no waiting period in this state. We go down there, get our marriage license, sign it in front of a notary, and turn it back in.”
“Wait! I need to talk to Nathan about this. And Wave! What about my job?” I asked. He had lost his damn mind. I couldn’t just marry him and hope everything else worked out.
“I talked to Nathan before he left. He said he just wants you to be happy and if that’s marrying me, then he’s okay with it.” I stood there gaping at him. “As for Wave, I took care of that, too. He said you could work remotely from here, just like you did when you first started working for him. Though, I have to say, doll face, you don’t have to work. If you want to, that’s fine, but you don’t have to. Any other protests?”
“I guess not,” I mumbled.
“Good. Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand and speed-walking to his bike.
He drove us into town and parked in front of the only courthouse in Croftridge. We walked inside, filled out the necessary paperwork, and that’s how I finally married the love of my life.
EPILOGUE
Annabelle
Three weeks later
I rested my forehead on my arm that was braced on the toilet seat after finishing another round of dry heaving. I wiped away the cold sweat lightly coating my face with my hand and tried to get to my feet.
“It’s okay, doll face, I got you.” Phoenix carefully lifted me like a child and carried me back to bed. He wiped my sweaty face with a cool washcloth and handed me a cup of water to rinse my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked and started to cry. I don’t know why, but I always got teary when I was sick.
“Nothing to be sorry for, doll face,” he murmured, smoothing my damp hair away from my face. “This has been going on for several days now and you’re not getting better. Virus or not, I’m calling Patch over to have a look at you.” I started to argue, but the look on his face had me clamping my mouth shut.
Patch appeared in our bedroom minutes later. Apparently, he was at the clubhouse and came right over to our house. “Hey, Annabelle. Phoenix tells me you’ve been sick for a few days. What’s going on?”
“It’s just a stomach bug. I don’t know why he even bothered you. I’m sure it will pass soon,” I said.
“I think it would make him feel better if you let me check you over. Won’t take but just a few minutes,” he replied.
I sighed in exasperation. “Fine.”
“Tell me what symptoms you’ve had.”
“I’ve been throwing up anything I put in my mouth and dry heaving when there’s nothing to throw up. I feel weak and I’m really tired. I’ve had a few dizzy spells, but no fainting. I’ve also had some abdominal pain and cramping,” I explained.
Patch looked at me thoughtfully. “I see. Any fever?” I shook my head.
He studied me for a moment and sat down on the edge of the bed. “When was your last period?”
