32. Caroline

"Istill can't believe we're doing this," I say. It feels like I'm hyperventilating. My breath is coming in gasps and hitches. "I've never been married before. What if I do something wrong?"

Jake finishes up changing Walker, who decided this was an ideal time to poop himself. He comes over to me in that way of his, radiating calm, control, and command. He cups my face gently, smiling. "We got this, Caroline. And I'm aware you've never been married before. Neither have I."

I nod, trying to calm my breathing. Some part of me never thought we'd actually end up doing this. I imagined we'd cancel the wedding, or I'd wind up hiring some kind of sleazy groom-for-hire service. I thought legal complications would crop up or Peter would find a way to throw a wrench in our plans.

None of that happened. Ultimately, we just had to survive each other for six months without imploding. Against all my expectations, we didn't just survive. We've become quite the little team. Jake constantly tells me how much he loves me and how beautiful I am. We can still hardly keep our hands off each other.

And now we're about to get married.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't still have some reservations. As much as I love him, I'm not actually ready to be married. Not for real. We haven't talked about what comes next in months–not since things changed between us. I honestly don't know what to expect, and it terrifies me.

But we agreed with our friends in Frosty Harbor that a big, fancy wedding ceremony wasn't necessary. Once the secret was out, the fun of staging a full-blown wedding lost some of its appeal. We told everybody we'd go do a Vegas wedding, hopped on a plane, and that was that.

Once we arrived, we went for the full Vegas wedding experience by renting last-minute tuxes for Jake and Walker. I got an ordinary white dress from Target, and here we are. "Tomorrow is my birthday," I say absently.

Jake pats my head reassuringly, giving my forehead a kiss. "I know it is. I already got your present."

"You got me a present?" I ask.

"Hey, it's our turn." He nods to something behind me.

An older woman with an unlit cigarette hanging from her wrinkled lips gestures for us to walk into the room. It's all painted white with roses and garlands on three rows of two-seater pews on either side of a narrow aisle. The ceiling is low enough that Jake practically has to duck. There's an altar at the front, and the priest stands and waits for us.

Jake has Walker in one arm as we approach. Cheesy speakers play the wedding music.

The whole ceremony is over in about ten minutes. It goes by in a blur, mostly because my thoughts are moving at a mile a minute as I try to imagine what will come next.

Jake slides the ring on my finger, and we share a kiss.

Like a dream, I can barely even pull up details by the time we walk out of the building and get in our cab to head to the airport.

"Wow," I say. "I can't believe we just did that."

Jake grins. "Yeah." He finishes sending a text, then sets his phone down and checks on Walker in his car seat. "I just let the legal guys know. They're going to reach out to Peter and make sure we get in writing that we're good on the BB."

"Has anything happened with your contract?" I ask.

"Nothing surprising," he says easily.

I let out a breath and lean my head against the car window, watching the Vegas strip roll by. "I thought it would feel like a relief," I say after a while.

"Yeah," Jake says. There's something I can't read in him–almost like a giddiness.

"What?" I ask.

"It's nothing. I've just got a little surprise planned for you in two days. Nothing big, though. I was imagining your face when you find out."

"A surprise? What kind?"

"The kind you don't get to know about. Deal with it."