Page 18 of Deserving Maisy
Jack had taken one look at the “officiant” and the hairon the back of his neck had stood up. He didn’t know the man, but he definitely didn’t look like someone who performed marriages for a living. He was bald, had a scraggly goatee, and his gaze lingered on Maisy’s chest a little too long. Other than his inappropriate interest in Jack’s wife, the man seemed almost bored.
As far as vow renewals went, this one wasn’t exactly ideal. But Jack did his best to ignore the awkward aspects and concentrate on what was important.
Maisy.
Now, the ceremony was over almost as soon as it had begun.
“You may kiss your bride.”
He’d been holding Maisy’s hands while her brother’s friend performed the ceremony, but now he palmed her face. She braced herself on his chest as she looked up at him.
The entire “ceremony” had taken about five minutes, if that. Jack hadn’t had a chance to tell Maisy how proud he was to be her husband. How thankful he was that she was giving him a second chance. He hated that they’d grown apart, but he mentally vowed to do everything in his power not to let it happen again.
“You really do look beautiful,” he said softly.
He felt her lean into him a bit more. “Thanks. You look good too.” Jason had brought him a bunch of clothes earlier in the week, and Jack had put on a pair of slacks this morning instead of the jeans he felt more comfortable in…since this was a special day and all.
“For God’s sake, kiss her already!” Jason exclaimed.
Jack didn’t take his gaze from his wife as he slowly lowered his head.
Her chin tipped up as he got close.
Keeping his eyes open, Jack did his best to memorize this moment. He didn’t have a lot of memories with his wife, so now he cherished each and every one. Like the way she lay boneless against his chest in bed and curled into him like a contented cat. How she worried about him, was extremely concerned about his memory and whether any memories had returned yet, and how she had no problem sitting at his side for hours and simply talking. He enjoyed being taken care of by his wife and wanted to do the same right back. He was protective of her, she seemed…fragile. Jack wasn’t sure why, but the feeling persisted.
Their wedding kiss was short but extremely heartfelt. Jack poured all his feelings into the embrace. This felt right. He was still getting to know Maisy again, and because of his lost memories, it felt as if he’d just met her. But a part of him deep down had recognized her as his. If it hadn’t, he might doubt every single thing he’d been told after waking up.
“All right, you two, that’s enough. You can have sex after we do the paperwork,” Jason said crudely. It was an intrusion on a beautiful moment, and once again, Jack resented his presence.
He reluctantly lifted his lips from Maisy’s and stared down at her. She met his gaze and licked her lips sensually. Her fingers had curled into little claws, and she was leaning into him as if he was the only thing keeping her upright.
“Hi,” he said inanely.
“Hi,” she whispered back.
“Here,” Jason said, once more ruining the moment by waving something at them.
Frowning, Jack turned and saw his brother-in-law was holding out a pen.
“It’s time to sign the paperwork,” Jason told them.
“Paperwork? We’re already married,” Jack said, frowning.
“Right, you are. But I thought you’d like a memory of today, something to put in a scrapbook. It’s all good. It’s just a memento. It’s not as if you guys can be married twice.”
Jack narrowed his eyes at Jason. It seemed to him that the man was speaking a little fast, as if he was nervous…or excited. He couldn’t tell which.
“Here, you first, Maise,” Jason told his sister, practically shoving the pen at her.
She dropped a hand from Jack’s chest and turned to accept the pen her brother was holding out. Jack didn’t let her go. He turned her in his embrace but kept an arm around her waist, holding her against him.
She peered up at him shyly, and Jack knew he’d never get enough of seeing that small blush on her face. He walked her a few steps over to the dining room table, where he saw an official-looking document laid out.
Jason leaned in next to Maisy and pointed at a signature line at the bottom. “There. You sign there,” he ordered.
Jack felt Maisy stiffen, but she didn’t hesitate to lean over and sign where her brother indicated. Then she turned and looked up at Jack, offering him the pen.
For some reason, Jack hesitated. He looked down at the paper, then at Jason. The man seemed a little too eagerfor them to sign whatever these papers were. Excited. Almost smug. Like a kid who was about to get a giant ice cream cone or something. It sent warning bells clanging through Jack. It was frustrating as hell not to know why he felt this way about his brother-in-law.
