Page 33 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“I’m not going to pressure you.”
“You aren’t.” I take a deep breath. “I just needed a second to gather myself. Okay? Trust me, everything is fine. Let’s get married.”
I march out of the bathroom, where the reverend is talking to Stacey and the lawyer is sitting at Hudson’s desk.
I clasp my hands together. “Sorry about the wait. Are we ready?”
“We are,” the reverend says as he moves away from Stacey and holds his book in front of him.
I glance back at Hudson, who is standing in the doorway of his bathroom, studying me, and I fear that he might pull the plug—see rightthrough my facade and call this off. But then he adjusts his suit jacket and joins me in his office, determination set in his features.
Together, Hudson and I get into position in front of the reverend and awkwardly stand there as he starts talking about long, lasting love.
Yup, that’s us, the couple bound for long and lasting love.
Eternal love.
The once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that so few find.
A knot of nerves forms in the pit of my stomach.
Hudson starts with his repeated vows, telling me to my face that he’s committed to me through better or worse. He keeps his eyes on me but his hands to himself.
When it’s my turn, I repeat the same words, my hands becoming slick as I watch his Adam’s apple bob, the first sign of nerves that I’ve seen from him this entire time.
At least I’m in good company.
“May I have the rings,” the reverend says, and the lawyer brings over a box. Hudson opens it, revealing a giant square-cut diamond ring.
“Holy shit,” I say without a filter and steal it from his hand. “Is this for me?” When I catch the reverend from the corner of my eye, I say, “I mean, wow, darling, you, uh…you went all out. Mommy like.”
Stacey snorts behind me while Hudson raises his brow. “‘Mommy like’?”
“Err, I meant…Sloane approves.”
Not any better, jackass.
“I’m glad,” Hudson says and hands me a simple black band for himself.
We spend the next few minutes listening to the reverend talk about rings being the symbol of everlasting love and repeating after him while we place the rings on each other. Once all is said and done, the reverend says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Great.
I look up at Hudson, who pauses, seeming just asconfused as I am. So I move in with my hand, he moves in with his head, and I poke him right in the stomach.
“Oop, hello, Mr. Ab,” I say. “Sorry about that.”
He grumbles something and sticks his hand out just as I stand on my toes to offer him my cheek, but the sudden movement causes him to poke my breast.
“Nearly missed the nipple there, mate,” I say in a horrible British accent.
“Dear God,” I hear Stacey whisper from behind me.
Before I can say anything else, Hudson grabs my cheeks, bends down, and presses a kiss right to my…nose.
An old boop-boop to the nostrils.
I couldn’t think of anything less sexy.
