Page 130 of Wedlocked

No, I’ll never stop with the politician jokes. But that’s the only one for now. Me getting married was no joking matter.

“Besides the fact that I love him and want to marry him?” I replied. “Because everything is changing, and Matthew feels untethered. His sense of family is shifting, and this is somethingsolid I can give him. Because telling him I love him isn’t as good as showing him.”

“Maybe you should take some time and think about it,” Dad cautioned.

“I don’t need time,” I said, succinct. “I’ve known I’m going to marry him since we met. There’s no one else. I love him, and he makes me happy. I want to spend my life making him happy.”

“And you need to marry him to do that?” Mom questioned.

It was a fair question, so I answered. “No. We don’t have to be married to be happy. We’re already happy. But I want to give him security. A place where he belongs without any doubt at all. I want to give him my name.Ourname,” I emphasized.

“I’ll get the papers,” Dad said.

“Really?” I asked, expecting more of an argument.

“Unless you would like to wait until your mother and I can plan something a little more… organized?”

“I don’t want a wedding. I want Matthew to be my husband.”

Dad nodded once. “Precisely why I brought more than one marriage license.”

Pretty sure the look everyone kept giving me was the one I was now giving my father.

He chuckled. “You’re my son, Arsen. Do you think we don’t know you? Even my assistant thought it was you before I said anything.”

I scowled. “So why’d you just make me go through all that?”

“We’re your parents. We had to make sure,” Mom said as if it were obvious.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my entire life,” I confirmed.

Mom sighed. “It’s like a romance novel.”

“We’ll be there in a minute,” Dad promised.

“I need to change,” Mom said, rushing to the closet.

“No. Wear pajamas.”

“I can’t wear pajamas to my son’s wedding,” Mom protested.

“It’s not a wedding.” I reminded her. “It’s a marriage.”

I didn’t need pretty outfits, flowers, cake, or anything else that weddings were made of. Hell, that was just stuff for other people. None of that was about the couple getting married. All I wanted was to make a promise to Matthew that it was him and only him, forever.

Besides, pajamas went with the fairy lights. Right, bro?

Don’t think I didn’t notice the bewildered look on his face when I put those lights in my suitcase. I saw. But he liked those lights, even if he didn’t want to admit it. They made him happy and comfortable. Probably be hauling around those lights for the rest of my life.

I couldn’t wait.

Stomach fluttering, I rushed back out into the hall, anxious to get to forever, and nearly collided with Kruger.

“Heard you were trying to out-wife me,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring.

“The only one with a wife is you,” I countered.

He scowled. “Out-marry, then.”

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