Free Irreversible Damage (Irreparable) by KJ Bell

can’t. I want it to be official. I want you to be Mrs. Brady Hunter when Mona is born.”
    I push against his chest with my palm. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”
    He releases my face and chuckles. “I’m crazy about you.” It’s a cheesy line but thrills me nonetheless. “And I want you to be my wife.”
    How can I possibly deny him when he’s so exuberant in his request?
    “You do realize it’s late. If I agree, we’ll have to wait until the morning.”
    That’s when I notice his overly smug grin.
    “Not if we drive to Vegas!”
    Oh, my God! He is crazy !
    “You’re serious? You want to drive to Vegas, right now?
    “Dead serious,” he confirms without a hint of a smile.
    “Brady…I…don’t know.” My mind races as I watch his lips curl into a smile.
    “It’s only you. Forever.”
     
    ***
     
    Roughly five hours later, we’re sitting in Brady’s truck in a drive-through wedding chapel staring at an Elvis impersonator who asks us if “we do,” and as impulsive as the whole thing is…“we do.”
    After a few signatures, a long kiss, and a bad rendition of “Love Me Tender,” it’s official. I’m Mrs. Brady Hunter. I’m suddenly terrified. Brady is riding an emotional high right now. I’ve seen it before. I’ve also seen him crash and burn afterward. What if he decides this was a mistake? We didn’t think it through. We didn’t discuss a pre-nup. What if people think I’m after his money? I don’t want anyone to think that I got knocked up and took advantage of Brady. More than that, I don’t want Brady to think it.
    I twist the flimsy metal band around my ring finger. I laugh silently, remembering the fake Elvis’s face when Brady asked if he had anything we could use for rings. The man provided us with toys. They’re what you would see attached to a favor at a wedding reception.  Brady promised me a huge diamond when we get back, but I’m not sure I want one. My toy is perfect. I don’t need material things from him to know he loves me.
    Brady’s hand rests on my inner thigh as we drive the Strip. After a couple of blocks, he squeezes. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, Sunshine?”
    I turn my head to look at him. The colorful lights of the casinos are a blur behind him. “What if this was a mistake?”
    I watch his jaw tighten. His eyes stay on the road, and even though I can’t see it, I know his brow just creased. “It wasn’t.”
    “But…”
    “You don’t want to be my wife?” He looks over quickly. Just as I suspected, his worry line is firmly intact.
    “No. Of course I want to be your wife, but I’m concerned with what people will think.” When his hand pulls on my thigh, I slide closer to him.
    “I don’t give a shit what people think. I love you, Mrs. Hunter.”
    I sigh. This is it. Time to put it out there. “We didn’t sign a pre-nup. We didn’t even discuss it.”
    “There was nothing to discuss.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head. “Everything I have is already yours. Only you.”
    I put my head on his shoulder, feeling rather defeated. “That’s not the assumption people will make.”
    “I told you.” His hand leaves my thigh, reaching up to caress my cheek. “I don’t give a fuck what people think, and neither should you.”
    He’s right. I shouldn’t care, but a small part of me does. At twenty-one, I haven’t finished school. I’m still unsure of who I am, or what I want to do with my life. My entire world revolves around Brady.  More than that, I don’t have an income of my own. He pays for everything. It’s not right. I should contribute somehow. Have some independence.
    “After Mona is born, I should get a job.” I throw it out flippantly.
    “You’ll have a job.” He pulls back, looking at me scornfully. “Being a mom is a full-time job.”
    I huff a laugh. “I mean a job where I can contribute my share.”
    “You’re not getting a job. That’s the end of it, Tori.”
    He