SERENA

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MAC TURNED THE CAR into the City Hall parking lot. He weaved around the packed parking lot. Alicia had offered to watch Weston, but I’d had to sell Mac on the idea. I was relieved he’d relented. Waiting in a long line was one thing, waiting in a long line with a crying baby was something else entirely. 

“Thought we were just going to renew our vows,” I said. “It looks really crowded. If the license is superfluous, there’s no real point in bothering, is there?”

Mac threw me an irritated sideways glance. He was still sporting a beard. He hadn’t wanted to put the baby down long enough to shave. When I wasn’t breast-feeding Weston, Mac was holding him. He’d even changed a couple of diapers. And Weston was fascinated with his dad, curling his hand in his beard and babbling happily.

“We could have a Wiccan handfasting ceremony.”

“Whatever you want, babe. Handfasting, in front of a preacher, on the top of a mountain...your choice. But first we are doing this strictly by the book.” He reversed out of the line we were idling in and turned toward the exit arrows. He drove around the block and then whipped the car into a tight parallel parking spot.

“In other words, you need the paper.”

“Yeah, babygirl, I need the paper. Signed, stamped, and recorded.”

Mac showed considerable patience while applying for the license, but he was cursing under his breath as we left the building. There was a three day waiting period before the ceremony could be performed. In addition, the civil ceremony slots were all penciled in for the upcoming week.

“It gives me time to pick out a dress. And we need two witnesses, so I want Tom there.”

***

I’D TRIED FINDING A dress on my own but had no luck. This time I’d enlisted Alicia’s and Ivy’s help. Anticipating I’d be gone a couple of hours, I bought a breast pump. It took a couple of sessions to get enough milk to fill a single bottle. 

After speeding through half the shops that sold women’s clothing I’d found three possible dresses and one definite negligee, which I bought. I never had a problem finding an extravagant piece of lingerie.

We all decided we needed a break and strolled into a Mexican restaurant.

“So weird that City Hall offers renewing vows ceremonies,” Alicia said as she loaded a tortilla chip with salsa.

“Isn’t it?” I said with a coy smile. The waiter stepped up to the table relieving me of explaining further. I pushed my still full margarita aside to make room for the piña colada he was setting down. I took a sip and decided that though a piña colada made a better virgin drink than a margarita, both of them sucked. I should have stuck with a soda.

Alicia took delivery of her second real margarita. She didn’t have the dietary restrictions to deal with. She’d had problems breast-feeding and had weaned her baby onto a bottle. I wouldn’t have minded getting a little tipsy, it would make shopping so much more fun and maybe I wouldn’t be so picky.

Alicia swirled her straw through the crushed ice. “Why do I think there’s so much you aren’t telling me?”

“’Cause you have a suspicious mind,” I said with a laugh.

“The FBI thing—that was just to get Celia to shut up, right?”

Ivy pretended interest in the painting hanging next to the booth.

“Nope.” I scooped a chip in salsa. “Believe me, underneath that beard is a super square dude. I used to have pink hair. That was way too crazy for him.” I stuffed the chip into my mouth.

Alicia shook her curls. She had the kind of red that no human had ever been born with.

I pointed to the top of my ear. “I want to get a helix piercing, but I’m not sure he’d like it.”

“You should do it. I’ll get a nose ring. Bet you, Scott won’t even notice.” Her husband was definitely oblivious to stuff like that. Once we’d taken the kids to a small arts and crafts festival in the park. Alicia had had an elaborate henna tattoo painted on her wrist at one of the booths. When her husband came to meet her at the park, she made the tattoo obvious with awkward hand movements. In the end, though, she’d had to point it out to him.

Alicia was a little like a mischievous imp sitting on my shoulder, egging me on. After lunch, she steered me into a shop that specialized in piercings. I fought the impulse to get a few hoops, and decided on a single tiny gold ring with diamond chips. And for all her brave talk, Alicia didn’t get a ring through her septum. She walked out of the shop with a minuscule diamond stud in her nostril.

My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my jeans pocket. Mac. I wondered if he’d finally found something about babysitting that he needed my advice on. He’d been almost frustratingly competent at taking care of his son.

“Did he take the bottle?” I asked.

“Like a champ. That’s not why I’m calling,” he said. “They had a cancellation at City Hall for the last appointment today.”

I hadn’t been aware that he’d asked the clerk to inform him of cancellations.

“I haven’t picked out a dress yet.”

“It’s not a question. I already took the slot. You have two hours to find something and get back here.”

“But we’ve invited Tom for next week.”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d be jealous. Are you going to disappoint him or me?”

“I’ll be there in two hours.”

“Listen,” his tone gentled, “let’s ask Tom to be West’s godparent, or the Wiccan equivalent.”

I wasn’t sure there was a Wiccan equivalent, but I’d work out the details later. “That would be perfect.”

I hung up the phone and turned to the girls. “New plan. I’m getting married today.”

An hour later I was calling Mac back to tell him it would save time if I met him at City Hall.

He ended the conversation with a warning, his Texas accent pronounced. “Understand this, darlin’, you will not stand me up.”

I must have looked a little worried when I hung up. “Get the satin sheath dress,” Ivy said. “It fit you perfectly.”

Alicia put a hand on my shoulder. “If you’re getting cold feet—”

I cut her short. “No. Definitely not.” I understood Alicia’s motive, she was trying to protect me. She was still doubtful that Mac was who I said he was. But her words had the opposite effect, spurring me into action.

I headed back to the store and bought the white sheath dress then ducked into the dressing room, pulled off the tags, and put it on. I twisted around to get a good look in the mirror. Knee-length and sleeveless, it was simple and sophisticated. I did some quick repairs to my makeup with what I had in my purse.

At the last second, I stopped at the shoe store. The ones that went perfectly with the dress didn’t come in my size, so I bought them a half size too small.

Alicia had a curling iron in her glove compartment that plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Alicia drove and Ivy and I sat in the back seat so she could curl my hair. The cord on the curling iron was a little short so I had to lean forward toward the front seat. By the time we pulled into the City Hall parking lot I had a head full of soft ringlets. I’d waited until the last minute to put the too-tight shoes on. I crammed my feet into them and stepped out of the car.

Alicia and Ivy were fast on my heels as I entered the check-in room.

Weston was asleep in his stroller. Mac was pacing. “Damn, baby, did you have to cut it this close.” He was exaggerating, we’d actually made it with ten minutes to spare.

He was wearing a black suit, a crisp white shirt, and a gray tie that matched his eyes. He looked dreamy, but it was the precision haircut and his square, clean-shaven jaw that made me all fluttery inside. He was movie star gorgeous. Momentarily stunned, I stopped short and Ivy walked smack into the back of me.

“Holy shit,” Alicia muttered under her breath upon seeing him.

Ivy greeted him with a whispery “hello.” I glanced over at her. She was staring at him, her mouth slightly agape.

I smiled inwardly as I returned my gaze to Mac.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

He tilted his head, he’d spotted the earring already. “Come here a second.”

I walked up to him. I just wanted to rub up against him and purr. He tucked my hair behind my ear.

“Had the urge to do something a little wild,” I said.

“Kinda sexy,” he drawled.

I gave him a dimpled smile.

“Oh, Christ, there’s that smile. Are there more surprises?”

“Just a new nightgown.”

“I can deal with that,” he said, his lips tipping up.

He checked his wristwatch.

The baby stirred and Mac grabbed the stroller handle and started to roll it back and forth.

I felt my milk coming in and folded my arms across my chest, putting pressure on my nipples, trying to stop the flow. Dammit, I’d forgotten nursing pads. Mac noticed my distress and pulled his silk handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to me.

“One handkerchief short, I’m afraid,” I said with a little laugh.

Alicia dug in her purse and came up with a package of tissues.

Mac checked his wristwatch again. “You’ll have to hurry.”

I slipped off my high heels and rushed out of the room and ran down the hall in my stocking feet. Thankfully, there was a public bathroom nearby. I locked myself into a stall and folded little packets of tissues and stuffed them into my bra.

I washed my hands and then took a quick check in the mirror. My face was flushed with excitement, my pupils dilated. Panic seized me. My passion for Mac was never going to mellow.

Mac found me pacing in the hallway, trying to get myself together.

“I’m not sure I’m brave enough to be a federal agent’s wife. I’ll always be worried about you.”

“I’m done with that undercover shit.”

“It’s still a dangerous profession. You carry a gun to work!”

“I’ll quit.”

“I would never expect you to give up your career.”

“I need you. I love you,” he said fiercely. “Dammit, you’re mine.”

I resisted the urge to throw myself into his arms.

He dragged his fingers through his hair, I could see that his hand was trembling. “What’s really going on here, Serena?”

“I guess it all boils down to this love thing.”

His expression instantly hardened and my throat tightened. He thought I was taking back my declaration of love.

I tripped over my words. “Um, you’ve got it wrong. All wrong. It’s the opposite of what you are thinking. What I mean to say is...” I pulled in a shuddering breath. “I think I might love you too much.”

His chest heaved. “That’s fucking impossible.”

He pulled me against him. “You are not your mother.”

“I know. I just love you so much.” I tilted my head back to look up into his face. “I’m going to try my best not to cry through the ceremony.”

“Cry all you want, baby. Just marry me,” he said.

We'd forgotten to take our rings off so when the ring exchange part of the ceremony came up I quickly slipped off my band and handed it to him. When he put it back on my finger it was accompanied by a second ring. A glittering solitaire. I let out a squeak of surprise. Maybe he did appreciate the power of magic after all.

Unfortunately, my best didn’t turn out to be good enough. Thank goodness I’d worn waterproof mascara this time.

***