Page 14 of Give It a Day
The officiant lets out more and more words, unnecessarily flowery and excessively spiritual, neither of which I appreciate or subscribe to.
Eventually, with my bride pinned against me and her teeth awkwardly grazing against my hand, the officiant reaches the vows.
“Do you, Damon Song-Smith, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The officiant turns to me expectantly.
I nod curtly, my hand still firmly covering my bride’s adorable mouth to keep her from interrupting. “I do.”
I’m acutely aware that she’s glaring up at me.
“And do you, Kayla Knight, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the officiant asks, barely concealing his amusement at Kayla’s attempts to speak through my hand. Her fathertsksat her continued defiance, which makes her yell out an emphatic “I…hmph!”
“I’m certain I heard an ‘I do’.” I smirk while she shakes her head, though how she manages that with my arms keeping her head and body in place, limiting her movements, is quite impressive.
My parents are the ones to put our wedding rings on me and Kayla. My father puts it on my left hand, but Kayla is doing everything, including flailing her fingers like a fish out of water, to evade my mother, who tries to put the ring on my wife’s left hand. After a moment, my mother relents, smiling sheepishly at the officiant, who is doing less to hide the mirth in his eyes. Well, it is a rather humorous situation, but I’d much prefer if my bride behaved briefly enough to put her goddamn wedding ring on.
I’ll remember that for later. I give my mother a look, and she drops Kayla’s ring in my back pocket.
“Very well,” the officiant says, his eyes wrinkling with silent laughter. At leasthe’shaving fun, while my hand has become wet from my bride’s drool, and she’s still weakly gnashing her teeth against my unmoving palm. I’d laugh if it weren’t so uncomfortable. “By the power vested inme, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride…”
Finally.
I spin my wife around and remove my hand from her mouth, replacing it promptly with my lips to silence any more possible protests.
But I do give her some mercy. It’s a quick kiss. I’m her husband now, after all. Pulling back a bit, I keep her pinned against me.
“You dick!” she whispers harshly, so I kiss her deeper this time, smirking and chuckling against her rebellious, soft lips. I really can’t help myself around her. She’s an angry little fowl, still not aware that I’ve caught her. She’s dinner for this starving fox. What about that doesn’t she get yet?
“And to think, I was going to give you a choice in all of this,” I mumble against her lips, my arms wrapping around her waist to pull her much, much closer, as close as I can get her. I want to breathe her scent in. I want her only looking at me. “But you just had to be difficult, didn’t you?”
“Whatchoice?” She scowls at me.
“The choice between making a scene in front of all these good people…” I spin her slowly to the small crowd watching us both—the officiant, our parents, and my men. “Or letting me kiss you properly in front of more people who’ll be joining us for our reception soon, so behave for me, little bird.”
My thumb traces her bottom lip as I watch her continue scowling despite her body shuddering in my arms.
“Look what you made me do. I married you, Kayla.”
“No shit, Damon.” She frowns harder but stays put. I want to tell hergood girl, but out of respect for her trapped situation—she’s doomed now, fate written—I settle for a small, satisfied smile and aim it at her glare.
All the while, our parents have also sealed their own deal. The Knights and the Song-Smiths, two family businesses merged. It’s sure to shakeup the criminal world.
Our parents approach the two of us. My father reaches out to shake her hand. She pouts but takes it, and he gives her dainty hand a firm grip. I eye my father, who’s the same height as me, if not only a bit shorter due to his older age. I’d bark at him to back off, but I know the handshake is a meaningful motion. “Welcome to the family, Kayla,” he says.
“Yeah, glad to be here,” she murmurs sarcastically. I can’t help but smirk.That’s my girl.
“Such charm,” I whisper playfully in her ear, making her jump slightly. That just makes me want her more. I squeeze her body in my corded arms.
My mother speaks as well. “We’re thrilled to have you as our daughter-in-law.” She glances at me. “Our son can be…”
“Awful?” my wife suggests. I smirk wider.
My mother laughs. “Headstrong. But he’s yours to deal with now,” she says, patting Kayla lightly on the shoulder.
My father chuckles along with her. “And Kayla, don’t think we didn’t notice yourresistance.” At my father’s words, Kayla pouts deeper. His eyes twinkle with what I imagine is in my eyes as well—amusement.
Then my mother presents a flat and wide black box. “This is a wedding gift from us. Open it, dear.” She smiles encouragingly at me, while Kayla has been remarkably well-behaved.
I look down at her as she unenthusiastically says, “Thanks?” She stares at the box, not moving since I’m still tightly keeping her in my arms, so I open the box for her.
