Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

TAKESHI

After letting Tank know we were good to start the process for us getting married, I took down Archie’s number in my phone and let him leave the office with the guys. They told him to go home to get some rest while they worked to reconnect the hostages with their families.

While I knew I couldn’t do much to help, I still felt like sticking around the team after Archie left the offices.

He’d somehow managed to suck all the warmth in the air out of the room with him. I felt cold and lonely. It was frustrating.

“We’re going to have to talk to Orion about that kid,” Ronan grumbled to Tank. I was standing close to the pair, watching our teammate where he stood across the room with the little boy they’d taken from the warehouse.

Tank shook his head. “I have a feeling there’s a story there.”

I snorted silently beside them. Of course there was. Orion was extremely levelheaded. He didn’t run off claiming children.

That would be really fucking weird of him.

This kid, whoever he was, knew Orion. Or rather, Orion knew him.

Whatever the reasoning, we’d need to sort it out soon. The others were being placed in homes or given flights back to their families. It wouldn’t look good to keep the kid here longer than the rest. Not for Orion, and especially not for NightShade.

We might have worked outside the law, but even this would be crossing a line we couldn’t come back from.

I waved my hand to get their attention. When they looked my way, I pointed to my phone and then to them. Tank understood immediately, his eyes lighting up as he gave me a nod. Ronan took a second longer to pull out his own device.

Takeshi

Whoever that kid is to Orion, he’s special. Maybe ask him how he knows him first instead of suggesting we send the kid away too soon. It could trigger him.

Ronan grinned at the message, his fingers flying over the keys.

Ronan

Who knew you’d talk so much more this way? *Winky face*

Tank

Ronan, you’re an idiot. Takeshi talks a lot when he has important things to say. We can’t all be Cohen and run our mouths until we pass out.

We all laughed at the idea. Cohen had definitely talked himself to sleep more than once after a mission. The adrenaline tended to make him even more hyper than usual. We’d each been subjected to it enough times through the years to be familiar with his patterns.

Takeshi

Either way, be gentle with him. Has the kid spoken at all?

Ronan

Not a word. He looked like he was trying to hide from Orion originally. Maybe he won’t talk because he knows Orion and doesn’t want to upset him.

We all looked up at once, our gazes clashing. In their eyes, I saw the same thoughts that I had.

It was too late.

Orion might have been smiling on the outside, but inside, he was furious. There was no hiding the stiff set of his shoulders or the dip in his brow.

I put my phone away, the need for words gone now that I knew these two would help guide Orion’s next movements. I’d have to sit on the sidelines to watch what happened since I couldn’t speak up. I just had to hope whatever it was, that Orion could keep his cool long enough to help the kid.

He was what mattered most in all this.

Three days later, I was handed a suit and told to be ready by noon. There would be a justice of the peace coming in to officiate everything in the office.

“You’re also going to need to pick a place to live. Staying here is fine with me, but when they come to review your situation for his citizenship process, you’re going to face backlash for being in the office,” Tank told me.

I nodded, then motioned to the board behind him. He handed it over.

‘I’ve already planned on that. I was going to tell you today before you brought this in.’

He smiled at the board, then set it down. His hands went to my shoulders, his grip firmly locking me in place.

“I want you to know that we are here for you still, Takeshi. This isn’t me pawning you off on someone else or saying I don’t want you around. In fact, I still want you to come into the office. Bring Archie with you and work from here on your ASL, if that’s what you want. You’re still as important to this team as you were before.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears. This bastard was trying to make me weepy on my wedding day.

Not that I held much stock in all of it. I just didn’t want my eyes to be red before all this. Archie would likely think I was upset about it and tell me he didn’t need my help after all.

Couldn’t have that happen.

For some reason, I’d decided Archie would be mine. It was a decision I made about two seconds into him answering the questions I laid out for him.

He didn’t hesitate to answer them with genuine, honest answers. And through it all, he kept his gaze focused on me. My weird scarf didn’t bother him. Neither did my lack of speaking.

His ability to roll with whatever came his way would make him a good fit in my life. There seemed to be no shortage of curve balls coming our way lately.

I itched to ask Tank about any Gilded updates we might have. I’d been avoiding going into the main room since the day I’d had my meeting with Archie.

While at first I wanted to see the team and be involved, I quickly realized the minute things settled enough for them to gossip, they’d all give me hell about this wedding. I didn’t want their judgement to taint what was to come.

They weren’t going to change my mind.

It wasn’t possible at this point.

Archie was going to be my husband. Whether it was in name only, time would have to reveal.

When I didn’t move to write on my board or motion toward Tank, he clapped my shoulders and strolled out of the room. He whistled a wedding march as he went, the jerk.

I hung up the suit in my bedroom, then went about cleaning myself up for the wedding. I’d let myself get a little scruffy these last few days. I didn’t want Archie to see me like this.

Sure, he would eventually with us living together. But today was meant to be special, even if it wasn’t entirely the ‘in love’ kind of day most people would want.

When noon came, I was dressed and ready in my room. Ronan showed up to get me, a solemn look on his face.

I shook my head before he even opened his mouth to speak. The corners of his lips tipped up.

“You think you know what I’m going to say, huh?” He taunted.

I rolled my eyes dramatically, which sent him into a fit of laughter. Having never been the type to do the move, I knew it had to look ridiculous.

“You’ve already started changing, and you’re not even married yet. What the hell, dude?” He slugged my arm. “I can’t believe you’re doing this, but then again, Tank planned it all, so it makes sense. You ready?”

I gave him a swift nod, then marched through the door like I had nothing to lose. There was no hesitancy in my steps, no second guessing what came next.

Confidence was my middle name.

At least it was until I stepped into the room and saw Archie. I nearly tripped over my own feet at the sight of him in a crisp, white suit.

He was my opposite in many ways, not just in his appearance. Where I didn’t speak much at all even before my injury, Archie appeared to have enough words to fill a room and then some. He was bright and glowing, his smile showing true happiness despite this all being a sham.

It was that smile that gave me the confidence to enter the room. Ronan trailed in behind me, then closed the doors.

I looked around the space, noticing the whole team was there, along with a couple of unfamiliar faces. A small guy wearing a pair of glasses waved at me from the side. Stepping forward, he stuck out his hand.

“I’m Archie’s old roommate Josiah. Nice to meet you.”

Tilting my head forward, I acknowledged him as best I could without anything to write on. He had to have been warned about me, too, because his gaze remained firmly on my eyes as he moved back into place beside Archie.

The justice of the peace greeted me. “Welcome, Takeshi. Are you ready?”

Again, I dipped my head in confirmation. I covered the short distance to stand across from Archie, then faced him. His smile warmed me far more than it should have.

I forced myself to smile back, though it was much smaller than his. Lately, I hadn’t had many reasons to smile. The pain of recovery and the feelings of failure I harbored deterred any happiness that tried to sink in.

Today though, I felt a glimmer of it breaking through my walls. I could only hope it would continue to bloom the longer I was near this sunshine man who would soon be my husband.

The ceremony went on as any other does. I listened as it was confirmed we were there to promise ourselves to each other. Everyone besides the justice likely knew we were getting married for reasons outside of love. It didn’t seem to matter to them though.

I watched as the men I went on missions with, the men I’d shed blood for, bawled their eyes out while the justice asked Archie to agree to his vows to love, honor, and cherish me through it all. I would have laughed had it not been such a serious moment.

Archie said, “I do” confidently, as his hands made a quick motion. I watched in rapt fascination.

Somewhere in my mind, I recognized he was signing. I had no clue what he meant, though I still felt a rush of excitement seeing him move so gracefully. It felt like he was telling the world in more than one way that he was sure about me. About us.

When the justice asked me to confirm as well, I nodded, then held my hands up to Archie. Without hesitating, he repeated the motion for me slower.

The tip of his finger went to his lip, then he opened his palm and smacked it on top of the closed fist of his other hand. I repeated the motion, then turned to the man who was, hopefully, about to announce us as officially married.

“Congratulations! You may now kiss the groom.”

Archie blushed at the words. I would have too, however there was no time. My body was already moving forward, my hands coming up to cup his face as I pressed the gentlest kiss to his lips.

The men around us clapped and screamed, the noise far louder than it should be for an office like ours.

When I pulled back, Archie had his eyes closed, a peaceful smile on his face. The tiny grin I had earlier bloomed big enough to make my cheeks hurt.

Before he could say anything, we were swept away to sign paperwork, and then we were being shoved slices of cake that somehow magically appeared. Soft music was turned on, and the men danced around, nibbling on food and talking loudly over one another.

It was utter chaos.

It was family.

It was… perfect.