Twenty-Three
Gavin
I spent double the amount of time at the gym than I normally did. I pushed myself harder than before, risking a torn muscle, and ran cardio for nearly an hour by the time I hopped off of the treadmill and into the shower. My phone continued to ring throughout it all, but I ignored it.
I already knew it was Ron freaking out over the big news. I hadn’t even given him a head’s up, not to mention he was well aware that Maddie and I had only been going out for a short amount of time. I didn’t want to answer his questions or tell him about the dinner, so I continued to ignore his calls and focused on cleaning myself in the shower.
There was something that was keeping my nerves on edge. I felt like throwing up, a sort of nausea that was in the pit of my stomach and would flare up into my throat if I dwelled on it too long. What was wrong with me? Why was I the one freaking out? Maddie seemed excited at the thought of a fake wedding so soon, but then again, I supposed I had learned not to be surprised by anything she did.
But even though everything about this was fake, I still wanted to shove my fist in my mouth, bite down, and scream. And what was more concerning was the fact that my feelings were leaning more toward excitement and giddiness than sorrow and worry.
Maddie would be coming over to the house before the dinner, and a part of me was looking forward to seeing her. There was something about sharing a secret with someone else that bring you closer to them. I told myself that that’s all it was: a mutual secret. Not the blooming of a romance.
I shook my head. There would never be romance between us; she made sure of that the minute she said she had an offer. And I set that fact in stone the minute I accepted her offer.
I glanced at my phone after getting out of the shower. Ron had messaged me several times, urging to call him back. He wanted details, but not too detailed, about our dinner. I was worried that I was going to have to convince him that the proposal was real and not too sudden, but it didn’t seem as if I’d have to worry about it.
Ron was the kind of sucker that believed in true love, and all I’d have to say was that Maddie and I were in love. I almost felt bad for him.
My office was cold as I took a seat at the desk and opened my laptop. The first three chapters were written, and I set an alarm on my phone for two hours. I wanted to finish at least another two chapters before dinner, which shouldn’t take very long. The words flowed onto the laptop at record time, and it helped ease my nerves and the minutes passed.
I looked at the time, almost 5:30. Maddie would be arriving within the next half hour, and I realized that I was still in my pajama pants with a naked torso. I stood to get changed just as the doorbell rang, followed by Maddie inviting herself inside and calling my name from the living room.
“I’ll be right there!” I yelled as I hurried to my room. Maddie was standing at the top of the stairs, her eyes locked on my chest. A blush crept up her neck and over her cheeks, but she didn’t tear her eyes away. “I’m running a little late.”
“I can see that,” she said with a smile and followed me to my room.
“That wasn’t an invitation,” I said. “We have to get to my mother’s house for dinner.”
I walked into my closet and began putting on a suit. She waited just outside the door, her voice floating through the wall as she teased me.
“I don’t know what’s on your mind,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure you were ready.”
“And are you?” I asked. “Are you wearing the ring?”
She hesitated a moment before answering.
“I’m wearing it.”
“Good,” I said and wrapped Mom’s favorite gray tie around my neck. Maddie met me outside the closet in a white dress covered with flowers.
“You look good,” I said. She did a small twirl that revealed her defined legs and tanned upper thighs, and I focused my attention elsewhere. We had to get through this dinner, I reminded myself. I had to have a dinner celebrating my engagement with this woman. The woman who had used my mom’s diagnosis for her own payday. I kept reminding myself of it, but I wasn’t sure why.
“Let’s keep this dinner only about the upcoming wedding, okay?” I said as she followed me down the stairs. “Nothing about the future.”
“Well, what about the three kids we’re going to have?” she asked innocently. I groaned. “And their names? Little Tiffany, Sweet Sierra, and,” she pressed the tip of her finger to her chin and tilted her head. “Spoiled Catelyn.”
“Three girls?” I asked and turned toward her. “Wait, it doesn’t matter. Don’t you dare bring anything up about children.”
“And if she asks?” She poured herself a half serving of wine. It seemed even Maddie was nervous about the dinner. “Shouldn’t we be on the same page about these things?”
“Fine,” I took a seat beside her and poured myself a shot of whiskey. I was going to need it. “One kid. We want a boy, and we want to name him Ralph.”
“Ralph?” She sipped on her wine. “Why Ralph? That’s an awful name.”
“He was my uncle,” I said. “I was close to him.”
“I would have suggested Charlie,” she said in a soft tone. I glanced at her. She had known my father, and we both knew that the name was for him.
“Maybe two boys then,” I said.
“Two boys,” she agreed as we both finished our drinks. “I think we’re ready for this dinner.”
I pushed myself off the chair and left my house, with Maddie’s clammy hand held in mine as we met my mother for our celebratory dinner.
expected, the moment we arrived at Mom’s and she saw the giant, diamond ring on Maddie’s finger, it was nonstop wedding talk. Mom pressed a kiss on both of Maddie’s cheeks before even acknowledging me, and grabbed her hand and ushered her to take a seat at the dining table.
The food set on the table was a feast for an entire family, plus more, with two plates of grilled salmon on top of roasted vegetables, a bowl full of baked potatoes, and a long loaf of bread that had been pulled out of the oven as we sat. It was flaky and crispy outside and moist inside, and I dipped a piece into a small dish of balsamic vinegar and oil. I hadn’t touched the glass of whiskey set beside my plate until Mom turned toward me and asked about the wedding.
“Have you thought about your cake?” she asked. I took a sip.
“Isn’t that usually for the bride to decide?” I asked. Mom smiled and raised an eyebrow toward Maddie. Every other word out of Maddie’s mouth brought an even wider smile to my mom’s, and I tried remembering the last time I’d seen her smile as much. It had been a while, I realized.
“I’m partial to anything peanut butter,” Maddie said. “Nancie didn’t allow it at the apartment, too high in calories, but I could eat only peanut butter for the rest of my life and be in bliss.”
“Gavin gave me a peanut butter protein powder once,” Mom said. “I didn’t like it.”
“I’m sure a peanut butter cake would taste much better than a powder,” I said and turned to Maddie. “But really? A peanut butter wedding cake?”
She shrugged. “You knew this wasn’t going to be the most conventional wedding,” she said.
I nodded. “I’ll call local bakeries then, and see if any of them can make a peanut butter cake for this weekend.” It still hadn’t dawned on me that our wedding was just a few days away. I supposed with enough money it was useless to worry about anything.
“That would make me the happiest blushing bride,” Maddie said. She leaned her head toward Mom and whispered a few words that resulted in a soft laugh from them both. I tried imagining Maddie in a wedding dress, a blush over her cheeks, a glass of champagne in her hand. I imagined her with the smile of a woman who was marrying the love of her life, a man who would promise to love her the rest of his, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t imagine her looking at me with such a smile. Was what we were about to do wrong? Was I ruining something for her? Would she still get to experience to joy of marrying the man of her dreams even after a fake wedding?
Maddie was beautiful beyond words, even as she made conversation with a woman much older than her. They didn’t have much in common, but Maddie still held her own. There was a glow to her skin that I hadn’t noticed before, like the natural shine of someone after a day out in the sun. She drank her wine and twirled a strand of hair in her finger and gestured in my direction after making a joke, most likely at my own expense, and they both broke out in laughter.
I was being silly. Of course, Maddie would still get the day of her life, and it’ll be even richer and grander than ours because it’d be real. There was no reason to worry about her happiness. She’d be fine.
But I wasn’t sure if I could say the same thing about me. This wedding, as fake as it would be, would most likely be the only wedding I’d have. And it wasn’t for lack of trying or motivation; the right woman, one who wasn’t interested in publicity or money or fame, was difficult to find.
“How many guests?” Mom asked. I realized I had finished my drink and stood to get another.
“Not a lot,” Maddie said, and I was thankful for her answer. “We were thinking under thirty. Close family, obviously, but neither of us have that many friends.”
“Twenty would be ideal,” I said. “We want to keep it small.”
“More peanut butter cake for everyone,” Maddie said, and we exchanged a smile as I poured whiskey into my glass. “And Gavin will be reading the first chapter of his story,” she added.
“I’m what?” I asked and took a seat.
“Oh, you are?” Mom’s face brightened, and she leaned toward me. “That’s wonderful! I’ve been looking forward to it so much. This night is going to be so wonderful, isn’t it?”
I chewed on my lip and looked at Maddie. Her smile was tilted to the side; she was clearly happy with herself.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just wonderful.”
“I forgot to ask, are you having it at the church at the end of the street? We haven’t gone in so long, I’d be surprised if they let you in,” Mom said.
“I don’t think they’d turn us away,” I said. “But no, it’s going to be right here, behind the house so that you can go.”
After realizing that the only venues that were available for the weekend were all at least 30 minutes away, I had decided to have the wedding in my backyard. I mentioned it to Maddie over text not wanting to make it a big deal, but she had been far more excited about it than I had expected.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Maddie gushed. “We’re having wildflowers brought in and hanging over a canopy that’ll be on top of us and classic wooden chairs for the guests. A marble dance floor, floating lanterns, and a golden fountain of the god of love with rose vines climbing his body. I have it all planned.”
I leaned back in my seat and raised an eyebrow. It seemed Maddie had stayed up late with her own planning as well.
“Everything sounds amazing,” Mom said. “A beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple to start their life together.”
“It’ll be something,” I murmured and finished my second glass. The night was coming to a close, and Maddie and I both took turns saying goodnight to Mom.
“Call me if you need any help planning,” she said as we stood in the doorway. “Your father and I only had a court wedding, but I’ve always wanted to plan a real one.”
“I’ll call you with any questions I have, which will be a lot,” Maddie said. “I promise.”
Karen closed the door behind Maddie and us, and I walked back to my house in silence. She walked several feet in front of me, and I was finding it difficult to divert my attention away from her backside. She swayed slightly, but her hips still moved in a seductive way that made my mouth dry and hands twitch.
“The first chapter isn’t ready to read aloud,” I said as I closed the door. She opened the storage container on the side of the couch and pulled out a blanket and pillow.
“It’ll never be ready with that attitude,” she said and made her makeshift bed. “You and I both know that reading your story’s the only thing that could make the night even more special for her.”
“Yeah,” I agreed and walked across the living room. She stopped abruptly as I stood in between her and the couch, and a moan escaped her lips as my hands trailed down her back and cupped her ass. My other hand pressed on her neck, ever so small, but it was enough to rouse my cock, and I slid a hand down her collarbone, across her chest, and dipped beneath her dress.
“I need to wash those sheets,” I murmured as I pulled her close. “We might as well sleep in the same bed until I do.”
One of her hands gripped my shirt with a weak fist as I pushed her sleeve off of her shoulder. Her skin was warm beneath my touch, and her hands trembled, but she didn’t move. She wanted it as much as I did.
“Okay,” she said.
I tore the rest of the dress off her, leaving only her bra and panties, picked her up from below her knees, and carried her upstairs to my bed.