His eyes narrow to observe me as his fingertips cup my elbows. “Everything okay? We don’t have to do this.”
One beat. Two. Three is only for him.
My smile grows. “I’m fine. A secret marriage is something that I always wanted to cross off my bucket list,” I joke and nudge his arm.
“Funny. Shall we head in?” He offers me his arm like the gentleman he is, and I hook my own into his. “Just maybe, you know, don’t mention the fake-marriage part, just to cover our bases,” he mutters.
I shake my head because he doesn’t need to highlight that.
We walk together into the room to find an older judge behind a desk wearing a saccharine smile. In Illinois, witnesses are not required, which means one less thing to worry about.
“Hi, Oliver, seems you are already walking her down the aisle,” he jokes. It doesn’t faze me that Oliver works in law and his brother is police royalty. But I guess a judge can’t say what happens inside this room… right?
“Now, Judge Daniels, I know better than to let go of the one for me, no matter what.” I notice in my peripheral view that Oliver winked at him.
I laugh inside because Oliver is so over-the-top ridiculous, except he just glanced sidelong at me with his eyes anything but. It strikes behind my heart.
“We’ll do the quick version,” the judge informs us.
“Kind of like the engagement,” I mutter to myself, and Oliver throws me a smirk.
“Wait.” Oliver holds a finger up and his other hand probes into his pocket. I’m confused about what he’s doing until he pulls out two rings.
My eyes bug out as this didn’t cross my mind, or rather I forgot about this detail. In my dream book, a man would have a ring when he actually asks, preferably on his knee in a field with wildflowers.
But then I smile to myself because that would all be predictable. Oliver is anything but lately, especially as I have noidea what he picked out. I tip my nose up and transfer my weight to one foot to evaluate.
Ah, damn it, they’re silver, and one has a little sparkle embedded in the band, and by sparkle, I mean a little stone of the diamond variety.
“Those are a little obvious, and we are supposed to be sec—” My voice goes uneven as my word trail off, and I was just about to admit in front a government official the tiny detail of my marriage. I throw on a smile. “I mean, we’re just not a ring couple. It’s all the new rage not to wear one.”
“That’s not us,” Oliver chides as he holds up my ring. “You can wear it on a necklace underneath your clothes, and I’ll keep mine in my pocket.” His smile is contrite because he only wants to win.
I smile tightly. “Clever.” And that’s kind of a hopelessly romantic idea, which isn’t safe for us right now. He slides the ring on my finger, and we both get a look at my finger no longer bare. That will have to go around my neck later for sure. I’ll also have to question more why he is so adamant that I have a ring, but perhaps he is right, and we have to keep up the pretenses with the owner of the building.
The judge seems unfazed by our unusual behavior. “Let’s get you two married then.”
There is a problem when I stand face to face with Oliver and his eyes are glazed with a fondness that feels is only for me. I know my face must be a wistful display of how much I’ve thought of this.
Even if my brother or our families aren’t here, or I’m lacking a dress or a delicious tower of cookies as a cake for the reception. All of that is a speck in this moment because happiness swirls inside of me, even if this type of marriage is not what I intended when I always thought of Oliver.
Being lost in his eyes while he holds my hands is just as good, or it’s at least something that isn’t bad. Except for the fact that being lost in this moment means that I haven’t heard a word of what the judge just said. I think it was something to do with not entering marriage lightly.
Doesn’t matter, as we’re already at the part where we say I do.
“Vows?” the judge asks.
Oliver and I look at one another awkwardly.
“Legal version will work. We’re not a bells-and-whistles kind of couple, unless there is a wind chime around,” Oliver responds.
I beam a smile at his reference because it’s sweet. It’s a little detail that shows that I’m not a stranger from the street.
“So be it.” The judge continues.
My head tilts slightly as I lock my eyes with Oliver and feel content. He makes me feel content.
This is going to be one wild story someday.
