Each step with my father holding my arm feels like a gift. I catalogue each step, every tightening of my hand on his arm, and commit it to memory. I glance up at my father who has tears streaming down his face and he smiles at me. That lift of his lips is all I needed to know I did the right thing.
I will never forget a single second of this walk with him.
All the dreams I had of being a little girl and getting married could never measure up to this.
We reach the end of the aisle way too soon. Oliver steps forward, his eyes a little glossy.
Daddy raises my veil and then kisses my cheek. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more.” My vision is blurry from all the unshed tears.
He turns to Oliver, placing my hand in his. “I give you the most valuable thing I have. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” Oliver says with a strength in his voice.
When my father steps back, Oliver and I release a sigh as we step up to where Mark stands.
“Dearly beloved,” he begins, “I am your faithful servant of all things weddings, and it is my great honor to be here today where I am able to send my blessings to everyone.”
“Oh, here we go,” Jackson mutters from his seat behind us.
“Love is something we can all celebrate. It is all around us each day, and these two, well, these two are something else. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know them. Maren is a wonderful woman, a little extreme at times, but you know . . . women.”
I glare at him, but he carries on, totally unfazed.
“Oliver is giving, loyal, and honorable. I know this because he’s willing to do just about anything for those who matter to him.”
I glance over at Ollie, who casts me a worried look. Mark is definitely not who I should’ve let lead this. My ex would have been less of a risk.
“The world is full of selfishness and greed, but when I look at this couple, I see the opposite. Here stand two people who are willing to give each other whatever they need, regardless of their own wants. Maren and Oliver, please face each other.”
We do, and I’m so nervous that I’m trembling. Oliver smiles reassuringly and rubs the top of my hand. “It’s okay,” he whispers.
“Maren, repeat after me,” Mark instructs.
I say each word, staring into Oliver’s blue eyes and wishing this could be a fraction of the truth. That we would love, honor, and cherish each other.
Oliver repeats the same vows without any outward nerves, and I envy him.
I wish I didn’t feel like I was about to fall apart.
We exchange rings, and then, before I know it, he’s pulling me into his arms.
My wrists are behind his neck, and this kiss is like every one that I’ve shared with him . . . incredible.
Applause erupts behind us, and we break the kiss before laughing slightly.
“Thank you.”
He leans closer. “If I only ever have one wedding, I’m glad it was this one.”
We hug a few people because that’s what you do when you pretend to marry someone and then we head out, both breathless and laughing as we wait for everyone to follow out behind us.
Fifteen
OLIVER
My brothers are the first to congratulate us. It’s surreal. This is supposed to be fake. All of it, and yet, it felt so damn real. The entire time, I just kept thinking about who else I could see myself with and there was no one.
Each time I tried to picture the girl at the altar with me, I saw Maren.
Even with Devney standing right behind her, which I thought would be insanely awkward, all I saw was Maren. All I felt was her.
I was grateful I was supposed to act that way and think I sold it.
Her father is the last person out, Linda holding onto his arm. He hugs me, thanking me again, and then he and Maren embrace.
This. This moment is why I did this. To see their relief and joy is worth it.
“Can we go to the back room to talk for a second?” he asks Maren and me.
Maren looks worried but says, “Sure, is everything okay?”
He nods and takes Linda’s hand. “Of course.” Mark appears before we walk off, and Patrick smiles. “Oh, good. You need to come too.”
“Go where?” Mark asks.
“We are going to the back room to discuss something. Do you have the license with you?”
Mark nods. “I have it right here, but I’m going to handle that later.”
“No need for that, son. Linda and I would be honored to be their witnesses. Every part of this is so special to me.”
Oh fucking hell. I blink a few times, and Maren speaks quickly.
“Oh, no, Daddy, that’s okay. We’ll sign it later. I’m sure Mark wants to see his wife.”
Daddy looks to Mark. “You can’t wait three minutes?”
Mark opens his mouth a few times. “I . . . can . . . but—”
“Good, we’ll take care of it.” He turns to me. “And then we can give you two your wedding gift.”
Linda and Patrick head toward the back room, but Mark, Maren, and I stand frozen, not sure what the hell to do or how to get out of this. I can’t sign that piece of paper. I can’t actually be married to Maren.
Mark turns to us. “Now what?”
Maren shakes her head, her eyes wide with panic. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. Someone tell me what we do.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “We go, sign the thing, and figure it out afterward. If Mark never files it, then it’s not official, right?”
Mark shrugs. “Yeah, technically. I think . . .”
“You think?” Maren hisses. “What kind of ordained minister are you?”
He chuckles. “The kind who got certified online. Listen, I’m sure Oliver is right. We’ll just sign it, and I’ll shred it later. No worries.”
Patrick stops and calls our names, and all three of us turn like prairie dogs. There’s nothing we can do at this point other than see it through. I take Maren’s hand in mine and squeeze. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t.”
I turn to Mark. “Go stall and give us a second?”
“I’m on it.”
He walks ahead, leading Patrick and Linda into one of the offices down the hall.
“Come, let’s go. It’ll be fine.”
Maren keeps her voice low. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“I know.”
“This is too much.”
I stop a few feet away, taking both her hands in mine. “What options do we have?”
“I don’t know.”
Maren looks like she’s about to have a full-on breakdown. “We just stood before our families and got married, so we’ve kind of gone too far to turn back now. In for a penny and all that.”
“And if you actually end up legally married to me?”
“Then we get a divorce and it’ll just be a funny story we tell down the line.”
I’m actually hoping that if Mark doesn’t file the thing it won’t be legal, but if that isn’t the case, then she and I will have the shortest marriage in history.
We enter the room, and Mark already has the marriage license on the table. “So, this is it. Oliver and Maren sign first and then the witnesses.”