Chapter Twelve
Jack heard his name and literally flinched. He’d been hoping they could escape the courthouse without meeting someone he knew. He should have known better. How often did he go anywhere in town and not see someone he knew?Neverwas the answer to the question.
Axel looked up at the sign on the wall behind Jack that said, “Justice of the Peace” and pierced him with a look that said the youngest Grey brother would need to explain himself. Pronto.
Jack glanced at Madelaine, still in her disguise as a bespeckled, red-headed babe, toting an accordion file under one arm, and an expression that told him they didn’t want to linger here. Rock or hard place. Why did he keep finding himself with only those two choices lately?
“Axel,” Jack said in greeting. He figured it was the safest thing he could utter. But then something else occurred to him. Maybe it was okay running into Axel here unexpectedly.
Before Jack could say anything else, his brother grabbed his arm, nodded once at Madelaine and Seraphina, then pulled him several feet down the hall, out of earshot of the women.
“What did you just do?”
Jack inhaled and exhaled. “I would rather not say, but I do need to ask a favor.”
“A favor? Really? Do you need time off for a honeymoon, by chance?” Axel asked sarcastically.
“Yes. Something like that.”
Axel’s expression morphed into several variations of disbelief before he shook his head once, as if to clear out the chaos, and a serene smile shaped his lips. “You know what? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I will pretend I didn’t see you coming out of the Justice of the Peace’s office, sporting a gold wedding band on your left ring finger with a redhead who looks suspiciously like the woman who broke your heart five years ago.”
Jack’s eyes went round. “How did you know it was Madelaine?”
“I knew Madelaine, Jack. She was part of our family for years. We all knew her. You think a hot babe wig in the shade of cinnamon, fake glasses and a new attitude make her invisible? Well, they don’t. Honestly, I don’t understand this at all. I don’t understand what you’re doing, little brother.”
“Well, unfortunately, big brother, I can’t explain, not yet. Maybe not ever.”
“Jack,” Axel said, his tone a cross between concerned older brother and best friend asking if he was off-the-rails crazy.
“Swear to me you won’t tell anyone about seeing me here, Axel. It’s really important that you don’t.”
Axel paused before he reluctantly nodded. “Okay. I swear.”
“Also, may I have the next two weeks off?”
“Twoweeks?” His tone was less brotherly concern, more “what in the space potato farm are you thinking?!” He smiled, visibly forcing himself to relax and go with it. “Sure, Jack. Take two weeks off. I’ll square it with Cam when hegets back. And I promise that I won’t tell him about seeing you in the courthouse with Madelaine Archer, coming out of the Justice of the Peace’s office.”
That was rather specific, like a game of Clue and an end reveal with Cam shouting, “The culprit is Miss Archer, in the courthouse, with the marriage license!”
“Thank you.” Jack said. “I’ll try to explain when I return, but please, I beg of you, don’t rat me out to anyone, especially not anyone in our family. Not any of our brothers, our sister or any of the cousins or either of our parents or Aunt Dixie or—”
“Yeah, I get it,” Axel said, holding up one hand to stop him. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” He glanced at Madelaine with an uncertain expression. “I just hope you’re okay and that you know what you’re doing.”
Jack followed his gaze. “So do I. We’ll have to see.”
And with that, he moved away from Axel and toward his new bride, Madelaine Archer Grey. An unfathomable occurrence. One he planned to never regret, no matter what happened.
“Everything okay?” Madelaine asked.
“Yes. I made him swear a blood oath that he never saw us here today.”
“That’s good.”
“And I got the next two weeks off, too.”
“Excellent.” Madelaine glanced around the hallway at the streams of people seemingly going about their business and, hopefully, not paying them any mind. “Let’s get going.”
They left the courthouse without seeing anyone else they knew and walked to their vehicle in the parking lot.
