Free Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11) by Crystal Perkins

and they go wide
when she sees me. “Behave, Cherub. That’s your daddy.”
    “He’s definitely a mama’s boy,” I say,
trying to lighten the mood.
    “What are you doing here?” she asks, trying
to hide the tears she wipes away.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “For what?”
    She needs to hear it, and yeah, I need to
say the words. “I didn’t want people staring at me.”
    A look of horror crosses her face, and I
know she understands now. “Oh God, Nate. Why didn’t you tell me?
You should’ve told me. I knew you were hiding things, and I
thought…”
    “What did you think, Angel?”
    “Honestly, at first, I thought you wanted
someone else, but I knew I was wrong. Then I just didn’t know what
to think. All I could think about was that there were secrets
again, and the last secrets nearly destroyed both of us.”
    “There’s no one else. Never anyone else. I’m
glad you realized it, but I’m sorry you even thought that for a
minute. Or even seconds. I love you so much, J.”
    “I love you, too. I’m so sorry about the
wedding. I should’ve realized it wouldn’t be okay.”
    “It is okay. You’re not asking me to
strip down, or parade around in front of some horny
women.”
    “Well, all of my friends are pretty horny.
Just not for you.”
    “True. I mean it, though. I
can do this. I want to do this.”
    She gives me one of the smiles that are mine
alone. “Meet me at my car in five minutes, okay?”
    “You want to go out?” I ask. It’s Sunday,
and we’re both in t-shirts. I have on ratty jeans, and she’s
wearing yoga pants.
    “Trust me, Soldier.”
    “Always, Angel. Always.”
     
    * * *
     
    Jade
     
    I know what I need to do. I grab the
envelope from our apartment, and rush back downstairs. Nate is
waiting by my car. After opening my door for me, he slides into the
passenger seat, and I drive.
    “No, Jade,” he says when he sees where I’m
going.
    “Yes.”
    “You deserve more than this.”
    “I only care about marrying you. I don’t
need the big wedding. I just need you.”
    I pull into the driveway of the drive-thru
wedding chapel, and he grabs my arm. “We don’t have the marriage
license.”
    “What do you think I needed the five minutes
for? I obviously didn’t change.”
    “You’re sure about this? I meant it when I
said I was okay with the wedding.”
    “I’m sure. My dad may want to kill us, but
he’ll understand. So will the girls.”
    “Thank you. I’ll make this up to you
somehow.”
    “There’s nothing to make up. We’re getting
married. That’s all that matters to me. I shouldn’t have let things
get so out of control. I just...I got caught up in all of it.”
    “We could’ve changed, you know. I would’ve
put on my tux, and you could’ve worn your pretty dress.”
    “How do you know it’s pretty?”
    “You’d be in it. How could it not be
pretty?”
    “I think I’m swooning in this car.”
    “Seriously, though. Do you want to go back
and change first?”
    “No,” I tell him honestly. “We’re not fancy
dresses and tuxes. This is us, jeans and yoga pants. I won’t deny
that I was looking forward to being a girl for a day, but I like
that we can just be us.”
    Nate looks me up and down. “Angel, you are
always a girl. And I fucking love every inch of you.”
    “I love your inches, too. Now let’s get
married so I can take you home and play with him.”
    “He’s very happy that you’re thinking about
him right now.”
    “He always is.”
    “True.”
    He grabs my hand and kisses it as I put the
car into gear and drive up to the window. I hand over our license,
and Nate’s credit card, because he insisted on paying. Less than
five minutes later we’ve said “I do,” placed the rings I grabbed on
each other’s fingers, and kissed as man and wife. I can honestly
say I’ve never been happier in my life. I don’t need a dress, or a
cake, especially now that I know Nate would’ve been uncomfortable.
I have him, and that’s everything I