Page 24 of Billionaire's Accidental Marriage
I tried to catch my breath. “Is that—?”
The magistrate, Mr. Benetti, cupped his hand over his mouth. “That’s exactly what you think it is.”
I slowly looked up at him. “That man’s wearing heels and a veil with a can of Bud Light in his hand.”
He laughed so hard his face turned red. “And you’ll never guess what his husband was wearing.”
The second he flipped to a picture of the “groom,” I almost fell to the ground, laughing so hard. The young man was standing there in a mismatched suit with crimson red pants, a camo-colored suit jacket, a wrinkled and grease-stained white button-front shirt, and a camo-colored hat that read “Pull My Finger” with the outlined image of a dick beneath it.
But then, as I turned toward the sea of people walking along the cobblestone pathways that had been painstakingly laid by hand, I noticed Michael coming toward me, up the aisle, with his features lit up by the glittering lights as he approached.
My laughter settled down, and I felt my face return to a normal-colored state. But, that didn’t stop my heart from speeding up in my chest. All day, I’d been watching him, enjoying the way he interacted with the kids running around and the families asking questions and the interviewers and bloggers and newspaper analysts chasing him down for questions and quotes. He had this swagger about him that seemed to straighten his back with confidence, even though his face stayed humble and kind.
And as he made his way for me, Mr. Benetti’s voice sounded in my ear.
“Want to try out a ceremony for yourselves? It might be fun.”
I peered over at him. “That’s a great idea. It might even drum up more business for tomorrow.”
He leaned away from me and nodded. “That was actually my thought. And I might as well do something while I’m here, you know?”
Michael leaped up to where we were in one stride. “So! What are we whispering and laughing about over here? I could use a good one.”
I grinned. “Wanna see two frat boys dressed in camouflage getting married in one of Mr. Benetti’s chapels?”
Michael snickered. “Uh, duh. That sounds fantastic.”
I smiled. “Good. Then, all you have to do is participate in a little ceremony with me.”
His eyebrows rose. “Come again?”
I thumbed over my shoulder. “Mr. Benetti hasn’t had one person come by or even speak with him. He suggested us doing a little mock ceremony to show people what it would consist of, and I thought it would be a nice way for some of those interviewers to snap pictures and advertise things for tomorrow.”
Mr. Benetti interjected. “Plus, if people see you two doing it, then they might be inclined to do it themselves before the evening is over. And snapping pictures of the laughing couples is always the best part of what I do.”
A smile spread across Michael’s face before he shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s for a good cause, and I could use a bit of a break.”
Mr. Benetti reached for a leather-bound journal-looking book. “Perfect! I only have one question, then.”
“Shoot,” I said.
He raised his book for us to see. “I put this together when I took the chapels over from my father. Here are over two hundred templates for ceremonies ranging from serious to downright hysterical. Is there a particular theme you two want to stick with? Or do you simply want me to choose one?”
Michael turned to face me and shrugged. “Pick one. Do your worst.”
I smirked. “You’re going to regret saying that.”
Mr. Benetti flipped through his book. “All right, then. I actually haven’t done a serious wedding ceremony in a while. Mind if we keep it simple?”
Michael shook his head. “Don’t mind at all.”
I tucked my clipboard beneath my arm. “Ready when you are.”
As the magistrate rattled off whatever spiel he had written down in his leather-bound book, I found myself staring into Michael’s sparkling brown eyes. The pale-pink fairy lights twinkled above us, echoing in the dark forest of his eyes, and I felt my heart still in my chest.
Then, Mr. Benetti’s voice pierced my thoughts. “This would be the part where I’d ask if the two of you want traditional vows or if you’ve crafted your own.”
Michael cleared his throat. “Actually, there is something I’d like to say before we wrap this up and give the gathering crowd a chance.”
