Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gavin
"You sure you're ready for this?" Ron glanced my way, the look in his eyes telling me that I should be scared shitless.
It was comical. He was the one with commitment issues. The only feeling I had racing through me was regret.
I glanced down at my mother as she sat in the front row of a small group of family and friends. The smile on her tired face made it all worth it, and yet I couldn't stop thinking that I was going to burn in hell for lying to her.
At least she would die happy.
The idea that she wouldn't be around when I really got married pained me. A deep ache that caused the warmth to flood from my system.
"I'm okay. I'm looking forward to it. Maddie is a special woman." I glanced over at my friend and cleared my throat as the wedding march began, and everyone stood up.
It was hard to see her from where I was standing, and it was weird that her father wasn't walking her down the aisle. My mom would have questions about that later, but we've figured out another lie to spew. Hopefully, Maddie would jump in and answer that one, leaving me to spare myself from one more untruth.
Several soft gasps lifted up from the crowd, and I could see why.
Never in my life had I seen a more beautiful woman. Whoever had denied Maddie the right to model was a fucking idiot. She should have been on the front cover of every magazine. She was stunning. Beyond gorgeous.
The white lace of her dress dipped down in her pert breasts, and my cock hardened just thinking about how good she worked me every time I relented to her.
It wouldn't be long and we would be making love instead of fucking. That really turned me on. I was far too deep for my own good, but I wanted love above lust any day of the week. Our arrangement just led to a different answer, one I was fine swallowing for the time being.
The smile on her pretty face was subtle, but the look in her eyes told me she was terrified.
The older guy walking beside her as a friend of Ron's daddy. He'd seen all of us raised up and was a good friend to my momma back when she used to go to church. When she could...
"This is you." Ron touched my back, urging me to walk toward my bride.
I took a shallow breath and walked down to meet her, stopping beside her and letting my eyes take in her beautiful face. The makeup she normally wore was nowhere in sight. She had a little bit of pink here and there, and her lips were glossy and alluring. She could make a princess from a Disney tale run in shame of not holding a candle to her.
"Hey," I whispered and smiled, losing myself in the moment. How fucking amazing would it have been if our ruse wasn't a lie at all, but a hidden love story?
The writer in me itched for my laptop. I felt the swell of inspiration and found it so ironic that it would end up being Maddie. The woman who'd sold her soul for money.
"Hi," she whispered back and slid her arm into mine.
I nodded at the older man beside her and offered him my hand. "Mr. Mills."
"Gavin." He glanced down at Maddie. "I knew the two of you would end up together. Fate always has a funny way of doing stuff like this."
I forced a chuckle. "Thank you, Sir."
We turned, and the pastor from my mother's previous church walked out, stopping in front of us. I hadn't told the poor guy that we weren't really getting married but lied about not having the marriage license. He wasn't thrilled about getting up in front of a group of people and performing a ceremony that he didn't have the license for, but I gave him a sob story about my mother, and he relented.
We could deal with the technicalities later.
But later would never come.
It wasn't for him to bother with, and my worries had to be tucked away. I wanted to be present at the moment, why I wasn't sure. Good plot information for a wedding scene if I ever wrote one?
The pastor welcomed everyone and dove right into the ceremony, preaching about God and love and joking about babies. I laughed and glanced down toward Maddie to find her looking back at me.
Something protective inside of me swelled, and I wanted to ask if she were okay, but it would have been silly.
Of course, she was. She would get her money and run, and eventually find herself doing this wedding thing again, but the next time it would be real, or hopefully so.
I couldn't help but wonder if she would keep the dress and use it again. Would I keep the ring?
Fuck no.
Looking down at her, I couldn't help but feel how real the ceremony could have been. I was grateful seeing that it was all for my mother.
"Who has the rings?" the pastor asked, the smile on his face friendly.
"Ron?" I glanced down at my best friend and extended my hand, taking both of them before handing them over to the preacher.
We walked throughout vows and turned to face everyone before us as the preacher's voice boomed behind me.
"And I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."
I turned and pulled Maddie into my arms, leaning down and kissing her deeply, passionately. The sound of whooping and hollering filled the space around us, and our kiss broke with both of us smiling.
It was so real that it hurt me to know that I would never forget it. The moment was impressed upon my broken heart. Did she feel the same? Was she alive at all? Awake enough to feel the passion between us, the building warmth that I couldn't deny even if I wanted to?
"I'd like to introduce you gathered here today to Mister and Misses Gavin Hayward."
Everyone stood and clapped as I took Maddie's hand and we walked back down the aisle. Birdseed was being thrown above our heads, and the sound of music and laughter had me smiling.
I moved back and turned, shaking hands and giving hugs until Ron and my mother were the only ones left in line.
"Well, I have to say, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Ron pulled me into a quick hug before turning to his cousin. "Makes me want to consider acting right and getting myself a wife."
"I thought I would never hear the day." Maddie hugged him and laughed as I turned to my mother. Ron wasn't going to settle down. He was a playboy with the hopes of sleeping with as many women as possible before he was forced to put a ring on someone's finger.
"Mom." I reached out and cupped the side of her face as tears rolled down her eyes.
"My baby. All grown up and married to a princess." She smiled and moved back, lifting a camera. "Let me take a few shots to send off to the rest of the family that couldn't make it this fast." She glanced over at Maddie. "You can post it up on your social media too, sweetheart. Everyone is going to rave seeing you in that beautiful dress. You should be on the cover of a wedding magazine."
"I agree." I glanced down at my fake bride and pulled her to my side, leaning in and smiling like it was the best day of my life.
"Thank you, Ms. Hayward."
"Call me mom." My mother moved over to Maddie and pulled her into a long hug. "And make sure to take care of my boy. You're all he's got outside of Ron; God help us."
Maddie laughed, but I could hear how forced it was. "I sure will. Let's get you back to your house so you can rest."
Mom glanced back at me, reaching out and taking my hand. "That sounds like a great idea. I had so much fun." She turned and touched my face. "I love you. I'm so proud of you, and your daddy is looking down from heaven today, too. He's proud. I promise you."
"Thanks, mom." My heart broke in my chest as I wrapped an arm around her and helped her back to the house.
Maddie walked closely on the other side of her, asking questions about her and my father's wedding day. I let her go on until we had mom in bed. We closed the door to my mother's bedroom and walked out of the small house after talking with Karen for a minute.
"Well? We did it." Maddie reached for my hand, and I twisted my fingers around her.
"Yeah. You were stunning. Still are." I let my eyes run down the length of her body as we made the short walk back to my house.
We walked into the house, and I closed the door as she stopped and turned to face me.
"I know this isn't the way you wanted all of this to go, but thank you for taking me up on my offer." Her expression softened.
How easily I could have fallen in love with a beautiful woman like her. "No, thank you." I closed the distance between us and leaned down, brushing my nose against hers. "You made my mother's day."
"No, Gavin. You did." She slid her hands up my chest and pulled me down for a long slow kiss.