Page 92 of Bearing Secrets
“Agree to disagree.”
She squeezed his leg. “You know I’m right.”
“The problem with that, is that when you admit it once, you never get to un-admit it,” Kirell said.
“You don’t have to admit it, for it to be true.”
“I’m not winning this, am I?” he asked, dejected.
“You won me, isn’t that enough?”
Kissing the top of her head, Kirell wrapped his arm around her as well. “With you, it’s more than I could ever ask for.”
“Ursa, party of two.”
They both jerked slightly at the name being called over the speaker. There was an extra jolt in her movements though, because the call had just delivered home to her something Natalia hadn’t thought of until recently.
That name applied to her now as well. Natalia Ursa. She’d not legally changed it yet, but she would soon enough. It was something that had been bouncing around in her mind for the past week, ever since he’d proposed to her the day after the fight; she’d gone back and forth about it at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.
She was starting a new chapter in her life, and a new name seemed like just the thing to help with making it a clean break from her past. Natalia would always remember where she’d come from, and the path she’d taken to get to where she was, but that was in her past. Being an Ursa was part of her future, and she knew it would be unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.
Kirell snagged her hand and together they walked up to the booth, documents in hand. The entire thing passed like a blur. Sign here. Say this. Fill in the blank. Do a wordsearch.
Okay, so the last part didn’t happen, but it could have, and she wouldn’t have remembered a thing. Her thoughts were completely preoccupied with the man next to her. The man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
“Congratulations,” the clerk said. “You’re now married. Have a wonderful life.”
And just like that, it was done.
“Is it just me, or did she really not seem like she cared?” Kirell muttered under his breath as they walked away.
Natalia didn’t want to admit it, but she was rather crestfallen. All the buildup and anticipation, and…now they were married. Just like that.
You’ll get your time. You just have to wait.
They were going to have a formal wedding, the plans for which were already underway, though it would take some time to pull it all together. For her to start at her new job, however, they’d needed to sign the civil documents as soon as possible, to ensure she could stay in the country and legally work.
“Total bummer. I expected to have at least a bit more enthusiasm.”
She just nodded, grabbing his arm and wrapping her hand around his massive bicep, holding tight. “I’m just thankful I have you. Though some confetti or even a real smile would have been nice.”
Subdued, she spent the drive back to her house in peace. They were in an SUV this time, not his fancy car. Winter had arrived a month ahead of schedule, a random dusting of snow covering the ground, though it had already melted from the road. She doubted it would last the rest of the day. Still, it wasn’t the type of weather the Chiron left the garage in. Plus, she was moving, and the SUV could actually fit some of her stuff.
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Kirell said as they pulled up in front of her house. Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, let’s go!”
She frowned at his sudden exuberance. “I’ll be okay, I promise. It’s just different from what I expected.”
Kirell jogged around the front of the vehicle and opened the door for her, like he always did. “Whatever, let’s get inside, okay?”
He was struggling to conceal a smile. She knew her man well enough to recognize that look. It was funny, because when she’d first met him, he was as cold as ice, never letting any emotion show through to her.
Now, when they were alone, he had a hard time not revealing how he was feeling. Which was fine except for when he got hangry. Who knew someone his size could become such a big baby.
Kirell guided her up to the front door and waited, bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other impatiently as she got her keys out.
“What is going on with you? If you’re trying to seduce me, this is far from your best effort.”
Herhusband—he was really her husband now, time to think of him as such—just laughed. “You’re safe from my touch for now.”
