Page 19 of The Bratva's Christmas Bump
But she doesn’t. By the time I slide a ring onto her finger provided by the officiant, she sounds cold and defeated.
We’re married within fifteen minutes and then whisked off to the picture booth in the next room. Placing one arm around her waist after she shrugs off my jacket, I jerk her against my torso and her hand flies to my chest to push herself away.
“Remember,” I say despite the guilt burrowing deeper in my chest. “These pictures have to sell it. If I’m not happy then?—”
“Yeah, yeah,” she cuts in, her voice trembling despite the hatred licking at her words. “You’ll pay my family a visit.”
“Exactly.”
For three minutes, Hollie melts into a completely different person. Her smile grows warm and full of life, her eyes sparkle with happiness rather than tears, and she presses so close against me, it’s reminiscent of our night together all those months ago. She caresses my face, molds her body to mine, and even drapes back on my arm for one sexy picture with her leg raised.
It’s equally the longest and the shortest three minutes of my life. As Xena gives a thumbs-up from the camera, Hollie shoves me away with as much force as she can muster but due to my size, I don’t move. She wobbles away from me in those heels and crosses her arms over her body.
“Can I get dressed now?” she snips at me.
“Yes. Xena, can you help her?”
“I don’t need help getting dressed!”
“Girl, I know that skirt is so far up your ass you’re gonna need a hook to extract it yourself, so yeah, I’m helping you,” Xena remarks, amused. With a wink at me, she trails after Hollie with Stu in tow.
“How do they look?” I approach Rex, who flicks through the pictures. Over his shoulder, I glimpse what could be a happy, excited couple who were so in love that they just couldn’t wait for a proper wedding.
“Pretty decent,” Rex says, turning to face me. “I’ll put the word out and make sure these justhappento reach your father.”
“Thanks.”
“You good?” Rex’s face twists as he eyes me, and I nod.
“Tired.”
“It’s been the longest fucking night,” Rex agrees. “You wanna go home?”
“Not yet. We should at least celebrate.”
After Hollie redresses, we head back to Plumme. It’s quieter and emptier than before and as soon as we enter, Hollie is swamped by all the other girls.
“Oh my God!” one squeals, taking Hollie’s hand between both of hers. “I heard about it but I didn’t think it was real!”
“Let me see!” Gasps another. “Oh, it’s so pretty, although Maxim, where the hell is the rock?”
“I was in a hurry,” I say as I reach the bar. “I’ll get a proper rock.”
“You better!”
“Girl, how did you do it?” comes a third voice. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve been trying to taste that for years and you just swoop in and take him just like that?”
“He’d never look at you,” snaps a fourth voice. “I honestly never thought he’d settle down. Not because of work but I mean, a guy with a heart that big? How do you close yourself off to just one person? You must be quite the catch!”
They all surround her, laughing and giggling while complimenting her and the ring, asking for details of the ceremony and how we met. Xena pops around the bar anduncaps a beer for me but as she places it in my hand, I glimpse Hollie’s reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
She looks tired. Worn down. But there’s a hint of enjoyment on her face as the girls bustle around her like chicks eager for a feed. Maybe this kind of attention is a good thing.
“Your first night as a married man,” Xena says quietly. “How does it feel?”
I drink my beer slowly and wince. “Tell me I’m doing the right thing.”
She frowns and leans toward me. “Honey… I know you have your reasons. When I married my wife, we also did it quick and dirty. In the end, your reasons matter more than the ceremony, more than the guests, more than anything else. So yeah, I think you’re doing the right thing if your reasons are just.”
