Page 18 of For Butter or for Worse
Maybe that’s because I sort of blackmailed Coop into flying me back to Willow Cove the night King proposed. And by sort of I mean absolutely. I needed a way off that island, and I couldn’t have King sitting next to me during the flight back.
King brought his pilot friend here as a witness, and I have no idea if Coop thinks this marriage is legit or not. Regardless, he doesn’t like it, and I still feel his glare even when I face forward again.
“Here we are.” Judge Delgado finds whatever he was looking for and slides a paper and pen toward me. “If you’ll sign here, Miss Carpenter.”
That’s it? I just write my name and then I’ll be married? I know it’s not real, but that marriage license looks very real, and no one but King—and Coop—knows I’m doing this. Not even my parents know, which will hopefully remain the case until after the divorce is final. Or indefinitely. I should have at least told Cecily so I would have someone on my side, though my best friend likely would have taken the first flight out of JFK and tried to stop me. All I’ve given her are a few vague texts so she knows I’m still alive, and she is not going to be happy with me when I fill her in later today.
“You can still change your mind,” King mutters beside me. He smells far better than he did yesterday. Looks better too. Where I tossed and turned all night, King looks like he had the best sleep of his life.
I probably look like a mess, but it’s not like King has noticed. He’s barely looked at me once since showing up at the bakery around ten this morning and telling Meg that she’ll need to handle everything herself for a couple of hours.
I swallow, surprised by the emotion that sits heavy in my throat. I’mgetting married, and my husband-to-be can’t stand me. This might be the stupidest decision I’ve ever made, but I don’t have a lot of options. King doesn’t either. We can make this work.Ican make this work.
I scribble my name and hand the pen to King, who signs without hesitation.
“Are there any objections?” the judge asks, looking at Coop.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s not going to stop them.”
“Very well.” Given the nature of this marriage, we probably should have brought in some lawyers, but it’s too late now. The judge declares us husband and wife and invites us to kiss if we choose.
It seems weird not to, but my new husband would have to look at me for us to take that step. And it’s probably weird if wedokiss. This isn’t a real marriage, and we’re going into it with the knowledge that it is going to end as soon as it can.
Still, I look at King and wonder what’s going through his head. I doubt he would have even considered this arrangement if he wasn’t desperate, but I’m not sure how I feel about him being completely unaffected by our sudden change in marital status. He claimed to love me at one point—he said it many times, in fact—and I still have occasional moments when I wonder what might have been if I had stayed.
“Mr. Kingston?” The old judge leans forward, glancing between us because neither of us have moved. “Are you alright, son?”
King blinks, his eyes slide over to me, and then suddenly his mouth is on mine. A hundred memories come rushing back with the feel of his lips, but he’s gone before I can react or respond, pulling away and taking my hand.
“We need to get back to work,” he says and tugs me to the door. “Thanks, Judge Delgado.”
“Anytime,” the judge replies. “Well, not anytime, obviously. You only get married once.”
Suddenly I feel slightly sick. Maybe I caught the bug King had yesterday. I think I may have crossed too far into the “anything to get the job done” side of my personality, but it’s too late to go back now.
Coop silently follows us out, hands in his pockets and enough judgment in his expression to say everything he’s holding back.
None of us say anything until we reach King’s truck. I’m still feeling a little off balance from that kiss, so I just stand here and try to process the notion that I’m a married woman now. Awife. That’s my husband standing next to me with his jaw clenched and a whole lot of something brewing behind his eyes.
“Coop,” he says eventually, “you’ll help make sure everyone thinks it’s real?”
I frown, glancing between the two men. “You told him it’s fake?”
King shrugs. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because he could tell other people.”
“He wouldn’t do that. Would you, Coop?”
Coop lifts an eyebrow but says nothing, which is not at all reassuring.
Folding my arms, I do my best to look fierce, though it’s hard to feel like I have any leverage when I’m boxed in by two large men. I am not starting off this marriage, no matter how short it will be, by being pushed around. “You do realize that we’re married now, which means we’re in this together, right? You can’t make decisions about this arrangement without my input.”
King matches my stance, and of course he looks way more impressive with his large arms and broad shoulders. “You’re telling me you haven’t given Cece all the details of thisarrangement?”
“How do you know about Cece?”
He lifts one shoulder. “Well?”
