Page 21

21

Taylor

I take in the pure panic on Elias’s face, and strangely something inside me settles. Maybe because this whole thing, the fake dating, the marriage license, the ring, and the misunderstanding is already so ridiculous that leaning into it feels easier than trying to fix it. And also, maybe it’s the only way we don’t crush Grandma’s heart. This holiday, anyway.

“Grandma,” Elias begins, his voice tense, ready to shut this down.

Grandma waves him off, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, come on. This is just for fun. Humor an old lady.”

He shakes his head, a no forming on his lips, so I put my hand on his arm to stop him. His gaze jerks to mine, no doubt searching my face for the same panic and resistance he’s feeling, but he doesn’t find it. Instead, what he’s finding is gentle understanding.

“Taylor?” His voice is softer now, uncertain.

I glance at Rip and Grandma, who are anxiously waiting. “Excuse us.” I drag Elias a few steps away, out of earshot.

The second I stop his gaze narrows, looking at me like I might have lost my mind. “T, you’re not seriously considering this.”

Okay, I get it. I’m the last person this man wants to marry. But this isn’t real.

I lift a shoulder. “We’ve humored her this far, what can it hurt? It’s not like Rip can really marry us.”

“We can’t do this, Taylor. It’s crazy.”

I snort out a laugh. “Crazier than fake dating and me being here for your friend’s wedding?”

“Yes, it’s crazier than that.” His gaze races over my face again. “I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable doing, or something you’ll regret, just to avoid hurting Grandma.”

I hesitate for a second. Maybe this is too big, too heavy…too crazy. Especially since there’s a part of me that’s fallen for this man, that wants it to be real. Which is crazy. I never wanted this, not when I have so much living left to do before settling down. God, what is happening to me? I

I laugh, trying for light, and say, “It’s not real, so how can I regret it?”

Oh, girl, you can…you really can regret this.

He runs his hand through his hair and takes a long breath. As he exhales, I sense something change in him. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” he says.

“It’s not going to hurt anything.” I step a little closer and he puts his hand on my hip. “I don’t know how to say this, but Grandma isn’t getting any younger, and this might be the only wedding of yours she ever gets to see.” My voice dips lower. “I mean…yeah, it’s fake. But…we could give her this. Just for tonight.”

He stares at me long and hard, emotions—shock, confusion, understanding—flickering across his face so fast I barely catch them. Then, just as fast, something inside him seems to soften. Catching me by surprise, he bends and presses his lips to mine. Warm. Firm. Mind-numbing.

He breaks the kiss and as his lips hover near mine, I blink up at him, breathless. “What was that for?”

“For being so…thoughtful.” His lips graze mine again. “And kind.”

A slow teasing smile teases the corners of my lips. “You know,” I murmur. “I might not just be doing this for Grandma.”

Speaking of Grandma, she darts from the room, and I really hope she’s not getting herself, or us, in any more trouble than we’re already in.

His eyes darken, a new kind of need there. “Oh?”

I glance around, take in the exquisite ballroom. This is the kind of place people dream about for their wedding day. “We’re in this gorgeous hotel in Vegas, and let’s be real. I’ll probably never have a room this nice if I ever decide to get married.” I give him a playful wink. “Plus, you know what marriage means.”

His brow lifts. “Consummation?”

I poke his chest. “Now you’re thinking.”

A wicked smirk spreads across his handsome face, and in one swift move, he yanks me against him, his grip firm, possessive, and I love it. His lips graze my ear, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “We don’t need a fake wedding for that, T. I was always going to…” His fingers tighten around my waist. “…put my cock in you.”

A hard, needy shudder runs through me. “Oh God.” His teeth graze my jaw and it takes effort to speak. “But from what I hear, wedding nights are magical.” His chuckle curls through me. “What do you say, get this show on the road, because the sooner we’re done…”

He shifts uncomfortably. “I might need a minute.”

I pucker my lips. “I heard doing math problems can help with that. What is the square root of four thousand, three hundred and ninety?”

His brow arches. “Really?”

“That didn’t help?”

“No, because I came up with sixty-nine.”

I burst out laughing at that, and whack his chest. “Of course you did.” Rip clears his throat when Grandma comes rushing back in, beaming with a new kind of excitement. “Pull it together, Anchor. If there was ever a time I really needed you to ground me, it’s now.”

A change comes over him and he straightens. “I’ve got you, T.” He takes my hand and as we walk back to Rip and Grandma, I note she’s standing there with a bouquet of flowers in her hand and a veil draped over her arm like she’s been preparing for this moment all night.

“You don’t have to,” Grandma tells me, gazing longingly at the veil. “I just thought it would be a nice touch.”

“I think so too. Would you do the honors?’

She gives me a wide smile, her hands gentle as she places the veil on my head. I bend a little, helping her settle it into place and as she fluffs it, Rip’s voice breaks the silence.

“Do you have the marriage license?”

“Oh,” Elias says. “Okay, we’re really doing this, huh?” He glances at me, eyes wide with disbelief at how far Rip is taking this. “Taylor.” I pull it from my purse and hand it over. Rip takes the paper from the envelope and reads it with a level of seriousness that surprises me. When he’s done, he gives a satisfied nod and places it on a nearby table before turning back to us.

“Did you write your own vows?” he asks, that measure of seriousness still about him as he raises a brow.

“Spontaneity, remember?” Elias reminds him, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “There was no time for that.”

I smooth my hair from my face, my gaze flickering to Elias as he shifts to see me. My hand stills, as his eyes move over me, a distant, thoughtful, almost adoring look moving across his face. What is going through his head right now? I don’t know, but if this were real, I’d definitely want my future husband to look at me like that in this moment.

I tear my gaze away and turn my attention to Rip. “Do we need to have our own vows?” Maybe there is a way out of this that doesn’t hurt Grandma’s feelings.

“No, I can work around that. Taylor, can you please remove the ring and hand it to Elias.”

I tug at it again, twisting back and forth, but it refuses to budge. “I can’t get it off.”

Elias watches me struggle, his brow pulling together, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him look so hopeless…vulnerable. Is this about the toy ring?

Rip nods. “We can just pretend Elias is putting it on you.”

Pretend. Of course. That’s what this is. A ridiculous tangled mess we’ve created. A sham wedding for a sham love story. I plaster on a smile. “Perfect.”

Grandma, however, has other plans. She quickly tugs her own ring off and holds it out. “You can use mine.”

My chest tightens, knowing the story behind it, and the fact that Grandma would give it to me, even for a pretend wedding.

“Grandma, no,” I protest, and hold my palms up. “I don’t want to be responsible for your ring. I can’t even get this one off.”

“Phooey,” she huffs at my objection. “Just use this, Elias.”

For a moment he hesitates and glances at me. His eyes search mine. But for what? Is he seeking permission? Or…something else?

Is it possible that what we’re doing here isn’t meaningless to him, either?

That can’t be right.

“Just…take it,” I finally say, my stomach in knots. He takes the ring and closes his fingers around it. “What about Elias, does he need one?” Ah, maybe that’s our ticket out of this.

“No, only the bride.”

Lord, I just can’t catch a break.

Rip starts speaking, his voice steady, unexpectedly sure. At first, I brace for something awkward, loud, or obnoxiously over-the-top, but as his words flow, talking about love, respect, and compromise, they’re very real and powerful—like he actually believes in what he’s saying, and I might too. His poignant words settle around me, pressing into hollowed out places that long to be fulfilled. How did I not know I was so empty?

My throat tightens. I don’t look at Elias. I can’t. If I do, he might see something in me, some deeper need I didn’t know existed until him. But I feel him there, his presence solid, steady, an anchor on this crazy night, and for a quick second I think…what if?

Rip glances at Elias. “You can now put the ring on her finger.”

I exhale and hand Grandma the flowers, catching the way her eyes are shining with something that looks like real happiness. My heart aches at the sight.

Turning back to Elias, I lift my hand. The small diamond glimmers in the overhead light as he slides the ring on. His fingers brush mine, lingering longer than they should. The ring sticks at my knuckle, and he wiggles it gently.

I almost laugh when he finally gets it on. “I think this one is smaller than the toy,” I whisper.

Elias smirks, just a little, but there’s something else in his eyes, something soft and quiet and my breath catches.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

And just like that, the air changes.

Elias stills.

I still

My heart pounds against my ribs, frantic, like this is actually real. But it’s not. It’s fake. A game. A performance. Which means, we don’t really have to do it. That might be a good thing, considering how emotional I am at the moment. But that thought is short-lived based on Elias’s steady gaze, and the way he’s leaning into me.

Even though we’ve kissed numerous times, my breath catches as he cups my cheek gently, his calloused hands a contrast to the tenderness in his touch. When he slides one hand behind my back to anchor me to him, it’s not the rough, take-charge kind of kiss that I’ve come to appreciate. No, this one is soft, unhurried, and incredibly sweet. His thumb brushes my cheek and the room around us fades, leaving just the two of us under the arbor.

Rip clears his throat and steps back from the arbor, and Grandma’s sigh clears my brain. “That was beautiful,” she whispers as she hands the flowers back to me, and I can’t help but think she’s right.

“We have to make it official,” Rip says with a smile, motioning us toward the small table where the marriage license lies open.

Official. Okay. Sure. I almost laugh, but none of this is funny.

He signs the paper—deeming the document completely useless. Weirdly enough, my stomach tightens in a way I hadn’t expected. Which is ridiculous. I was going to throw the paper away the minute I got home anyway.

Elias signs next and hands me the pen. I lean over to sign, and my hand shakes a bit as I press the pen to paper.

“Now it’s really invalid,” Elias whispers, low enough for only me to hear. “No getting drunk and accidently getting married.”

I force a smile. “Nope.” I turn to Grandma, needing something, anything, to pull me out of this weird lingering haze. “Can you step back, please?”

Her brow pulls together, concern flickering over her face. She places a hand over her heart. “Dear, are you upset with me?”

Oh no. No, no, no. My throat tightens. The last thing I want is for her to think that. I pull her into a hug. “Oh, shoot no. I’m not upset. I could never be upset with you.” I shake the flowers in my hand, forcing a playful grin. “It’s just that someone needs to catch these.”

A happy squeal catches in her throat, and from beside me, Elias gives my arm a small, thankful squeeze. Only problem is, it’s not just my arm I feel his hand wrapped around. Nope, it’s my heart, and this crazy fake wedding has left me feeling completely off-kilter.

Grandma hurries back, positioning herself near the door like she’s about to make a quick exit. I step closer, because let’s be honest, I am not known for my throwing skills. I was always picked last for basketball and softball.

Turning my back to her, I toss the bouquet and her little squeal fills the room. I spin, just in time to see her catch the flowers, and when she does, she holds them up like a prized trophy and darts out the door. What the heck?

“Elias,” I call out, and he comes running over. “Why did she run?”

“Do I ever know why Grandma does what Grandma does?”

I laugh. “I guess not. Do you think she ‘borrowed’ them and has to return them before anyone notices?”

He groans. “Oh, God, I hope not.”

“Maybe she’s on a hunt for a man, so Rip can marry her next.”

“Jesus.”

“Shoot, I forgot to give the ring back.” I tug on it, but it doesn’t budge. “We can’t cut this one off.”

We hurry to the lobby, scanning for signs of Grandma, and Elias shakes his head. “How is she so fast?”

I grin. “Ninja Nana,” I say.

“We better go find her before she gets into trouble.”

I agree, but I know the only one in trouble tonight is…me.