Page 16 of Unbound

He squeezes my sweaty hand. “You okay?”

I nod. My mind feels disconnected from my body.

Jody returns a minute later.

“Judge Moore just started his lunch break, but he said he’ll take you now if you’re okay with the lightning version and you brought two hundred dollars in cash.”

Sterling nods. “Okay.”

She pushes the door with her back, allowing us to enter. The judge is sitting at his desk with a half-eaten sub sandwich in front of him. He’s still chewing and sipping on a fountain drink. Jody follows us in and takes a seat in one of the chairs by the wall.

“Hello. Welcome in. Did you happen to bring cash with you?”

Sterling extracts his wallet and sets two hundred-dollar bills on the desk. I wonder if he always carries cash like this with him.

The judge takes it and shoves it in the front pocket of his button-up gingham shirt.

He stands, smiling. “Let’s get started then.”

He moves to the other side of his desk. I’m not sure what I expected, but he positions us on either side of him, joins our hands together, and looks at Sterling.

“Full name?”

“Sterling Redford.”

He turns to me.

“Eden Wesson.”

“All right, we have our witness. Thank you, Jody. Do you have rings?”

I start to shake my head, but Sterling lets go of my hand and reaches inside his pocket, pulling out one tiny gold band and a black rubber one. He hands them to the judge, who returns the tiny gold one to him.

“Place it on her left ring finger. Do you, Sterling Redford, take this woman, Eden Wesson, to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part?”

Sterling nods, his eyes steady on mine as he slides the ring onto my left hand. “I do.”

It’s a perfect fit.

This isn’t real, I try to remind myself, even as my heart pounds in my chest.

Judge Moore hands me the black rubber ring. “Do you, Eden Wesson, take this man, Sterling Redford, to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part?”

“I do,” I say, wondering if I’m being too loud or if anyone can hear me over the rushing sound in my ears.

I slide the wedding band onto his finger. It’s tight, but it fits.

“By the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I pronounce you man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Redford. You may now kiss your bride.”

My lips part, and I wonder if we should’ve told him we wanted to skip that part. I don’t even have time to protest before Sterling pulls me closer. One of his hands cups my waistline, and the other wraps around the back of my neck.

“Just go with it, Sunshine,” he whispers into my ear before crushing his lips to mine.

I float into the sky. His lips are soft and gentle. He presses them into me, his mouth slanting over mine. I’ve never been kissed like this, so tenderly. His tongue brushes over my lips, just to taste me. I reach out to brace myself against his hard chest. He tastes like mint. I fist his T-shirt, pulling him closer. I see stars circling my head. I want to feel more of him.

“I forget some of these young ones need a room for this part,” Judge Moore jokes.

Sterling rips away from me abruptly, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand. Judge Moore and Jody are chuckling, shaking their heads.