Page 18 of Make Your Play

I fight the urge to cry because goddammit, I’m tired of crying at everything all the time. “Fine. What do you have that I can wear?”

Nash turns in his seat, rummaging around in the back before he pulls out a blank paper bag. He reaches inside, pulling out a jersey before he hands it to me. “Here, you can wear this.”

I lift it up, looking at the front and the back as I see it has Nash’s last name on the back. “This is brand new. I can’t wear this if you got it for someone else.”

“Riley, just wear it. I bought it for Nonna and forgot to give it to her for Christmas.”

“Okay.”

He’s silent for a moment as I pull the jersey on, adjusting it around my stomach. “Are you ready?” Nash questions me, his voice tentative and quiet as his eyes scan my face. “I know this isn’t an ideal situation, but you have to think about yourself and the baby.”

“I know.” I glance out at the front of the old brick building, my hand sliding over my stomach beneath Nash’s jersey.This is all for you, little man.“Let’s go.”

Nash gets out of the car and makes it over to my side before I get the chance to get out myself. His hand is there, waiting for mine, and electricity slides up the length of my arm as I slide my palm against his. I don’t need his help, but I let him anyway as I climb out of the car. Nash’s hand lingers in mine and he shuts the door as he gives me a gentle squeeze.

I glance up at him and he gives me a soft smile that makes my heart flutter. My lips slowly lift and I swallow back my anxious feelings as I square my shoulders and nod. Nash’s hand slips from mine as we start to walk toward the building.

The next half an hour feels like a whirlwind, like I’m lost as everything is moving around us. Nash and I walked up to the front desk and were promptly taken back. We didn’t have to wait, which was probably best so I could stop overthinking everything. After filling out the paperwork and going over the entire process, we were ready for the ceremony.

“Did either of you bring anyone to be a witness? We need at least one other witness for the wedding,” Mr. Charles, the officiant, says as he glances at the door behind us.

Nash and I both look at each other. I didn’t know we needed to bring someone with us. “No,” Nash tells him, shaking his head. “I didn’t realize we were supposed to have a witness.”

The older man smiles at the two of us. “It’s okay. People don’t always know what the requirements are. Let me grab Cindy from the court clerk’s office. She usually stands in as a witness for us.”

“Thank you.” I smile at the kind man as he disappears through the door behind the podium he was standing at. I turn to look at Nash who’s standing beside me, except he’s facing me. “This feels a lot easier than it should be.”

He lets out a soft chuckle, his eyes shimmering beneath the harsh fluorescent lights above us. “Right? Anyone can just walk in here and get a marriage license. I knew it was a simple process and you didn’t have to make an appointment, but this is kind of crazy.”

“I will say, I do feel like I should have worn something a little nicer.”

Nash takes a step closer, lifting his hand to fix the collar of my dress. “You’re perfect exactly how you are, Riley.”

“Oh my goodness, aren’t you two just so sweet!”

I pull my gaze away from Nash, looking at the older woman who steps back in with Mr. Charles. She’s a little shorter than him with curled gray hair that falls just along the tops of her shoulders. A smile lifts my lips and I try to ignore the blush that creeps across my cheeks as Nash drops his hand away from me.

“Nash and Riley, this is Cindy,” Mr. Charles introduces us to her. “She’s just going to stand here quietly as our witness, right?” he questions her as he gives her a sideways glance.

She lifts her hand to cover her mouth as she smiles and nods. “Right. I’m just here to witness.”

Mr. Charles steps closer to us. “If the two of you want to face one another and hold hands, we’ll begin.” He pauses, glancing between us. “Do you have rings?”

Nash shakes his head, forcing a smirk that I know isn’t fake. “This was an in-the-moment decision so we came a little unprepared.”

“With a baby on the way, I don’t blame either of you for not waiting,” Cindy chimes in, winking at me before Mr. Charles scolds her with his eyes. If only she knew this wedding isn’t real and the baby isn’t his.

“Yes, we figured we might as well do it before the baby comes.”

Why the hell did I say that?

Nash raises an eyebrow at me, but he doesn’t say anything as he reaches for my hands and holds them within his.

“We’ll start with you, Mr. Simmons. I’ll read you the vows and you repeat them to Miss Harris.”

I watch the Adam's apple in his throat bob as he nods. Mr. Charles begins to speak, but I don’t hear the words he’s saying. Fear flows through me, swirling in my stomach with the nervousness that has been building all day. Nash’s thumbs rub the backs of my hands, his eyes soft yet probing as he silently tells me it’s okay.

And then his lips move and his voice penetrates my eardrums.

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