3. Dalton

THREE

I stand at the altar,wiping my sweaty hands on my tuxedo t-shirt as I wait for the doors to open. I know it hasn't been long, but I feel like I've been waiting for hours.

Fuck. What if she ran? What if she had time to think and realized that this shit is fucking crazy?

"This your first marriage?" Elvis asks from beside me. I almost forgot he was here, which is no easy feat since he's wearing a sequined jumpsuit and smells like a ham hoagie.

I give him a tight nod. "First and last," I tell him. "She's it for me." I mean every single word. I don't know how she did it, but Dia has made me want to be a one-woman man. I'm still not sure how I'm going to convince her to stay married to me, but that's a problem for future Dalton. Tonight, I just need to get these rings on our fingers.

I snap back to the moment as the doors swing open. I feel like I got hit by a three-hundred-pound linebacker straight in the chest as all the breath is forced from my body. Dia looks like a fucking angel in a short, fluffy white dress and heels that make every curve in her gorgeous legs stand out. In her hand, she carries a bouquet of pink roses and white daisies. It's all in perfect contrast to her tan skin and black hair. I've never seen a more beautiful creature, and I know with absolute certainty that I never will again.

She walks toward me by herself, and in this moment, I feel a pang of guilt that she doesn't have Mads or any family by her side. I vow to myself that no matter what happens tomorrow, this woman will never face a single thing alone. Even if I can't convince her to give us a shot, I'll always be there. She deserves way more than this life has given her so far.

I can't help but reach out for her when she's close enough, encasing her small, shaky hand in mine and bringing it to my lips. Is she nervous? Fuck, maybe I shouldn't have been so pushy. Maybe she doesn't really want to do this. Or maybe she's only doing it because she knows that by this time tomorrow, she can act like this wedding never happened. She schools her expression before looking at me with a cute little eye roll.

There she is.

I stand straight, giving her a cocky wink before turning back to The King as he begins.

"Thank you. Thank you very much," he says to a room full of absolutely nobody. "We are gathered here today to join these two hound dogs in holy matrimony." Dia chokes on a laugh next to me, covering her mouth with a fist. She recovers quickly, disguising it as a cough as he turns to her. "Dia Spencer. Do you promise never to step on Dalton's blue suede shoes? To always love him tender and never make him spend the night at the Heartbreak Hotel?"

She tucks her lips into her mouth, clearly trying to keep her laughter at bay. She almost falters, but manages to keep a straight face before giving her answer. "I do."

He turns to me. "Dalton Davis. Do you promise to be Dia's teddy bear? To never give her a suspicious mind and to always be her hunka hunk of burnin' love?"

That fucking does it. Dia bursts out laughing, taking me with her as I look for the breath to speak. Tears run down both of our faces as we try to reel it in, but every time we look at each other, it just makes it worse. This shit is so fucking ridiculous, I can't help but continue laughing. Finally, she takes a deep breath, exhaling from her plump, pursed lips as she taps at the tears pooling above her cheeks. I pull myself together, looking from her to Elvis before giving him my answer.

"I do."

We're still trying to keep ourselves under control as he hands me the dainty platinum band to slip on her tiny finger. When she slides my ring on, I immediately notice how heavy it feels. I kind of love it. It's a reminder that I'm hers, if only for tonight.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada," Elvis says, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Dalton, you may kiss your bride."

Holy fuck, I forgot about the kiss.

I look down at my wife, weaving my hand into her hair before slowly leaning in. My heart pounds in my chest with anticipation as I wait for some sign that she wants me to stop. But when she licks her lips, I can't fucking hold back anymore. I close the final few inches between us as I press my mouth to hers. Sparks go off behind my eyes as she opens wider, letting me massage her tongue with mine. The entire world fades away as she moans into my mouth before reaching up, fisting my shirt in her hands so she can pull me closer. The kiss begins to turn frantic as I try to figure out how I'm going to get out of this chapel without fucking her right here with the King of Rock and Roll as a witness. Holy shit. What is she doing to me?

Thankfully, Dia has better self-control than I do as she breaks the kiss, her beautiful brown eyes staring into mine as she slowly backs away. But I don't let her go far, leaning in for another quick peck before grabbing her hand. I never want to let her go.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Elvis says to the empty chairs in the room. "For the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Dalton and Dia Davis!" I hesitate to look over at her, assuming that she probably isn't too happy with him calling her by my last name, but when I catch her eye, she's looking up at me with something really close to adoration on her face. Either she's a really good actress, or she's actually having a good time with me tonight.

I tighten my hold on her hand, and we walk through the door and into the main part of the chapel together. "You good?" I ask. She hasn't said much other than ‘I do' and that little laughing outburst we had back there. I want to make sure that she's okay.

She blows out a forced exhale and furrows her brows. "I probably shouldn't be," she laughs. "But yeah. Actually, I am good." She almost looks surprised by this revelation. And I have to admit that I kind of am, too. Dia is normally so cold and sarcastic toward me. Tonight, she has been anything but. It could be that she's just playing the part of the blushing bride, but you won't hear any complaints from me about that. I'll take whatever she gives me. And the night is young.

The lady from the front desk walks up to us. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Davis!" she says. "Here is the envelope containing the keys to your honeymoon suite."

"Honeymoon suite?" Dia asks as she takes the package.

"Oh, yes!" she replies. "It's all part of the package you purchased. You get a two-night stay at one of the nicest hotels in Vegas. Your suite has everything you'll need for a weekend of debauchery." She waggles her brows. "You won't even have to come up for air until Tuesday."

Dia's eyes go wide. I hope she's thinking about said debauchery right now. I know I am.

"You hear that, Sugar Tits?" I say, grinning down at her. "Two whole days!" I turn back to the lady. "My wife can't keep her hands off me. She's obsessed. Sometimes, she does this thing with her finger, where— oof!"

Giving me an elbow to the breadbasket that makes me immediately double over, Dia smiles sweetly at the lady. "You'll have to excuse my husband. He's a bit of an oversharer. We're working on that. Right, babe?"

I groan, still holding my stomach. "Mmhmm."

She smiles at us like we're the cutest couple she's ever seen. Can't say I completely disagree. "Well, all the information is in the envelope. I won't keep you any longer. Just sign your marriage license and you're on your way!"

We move to the desk, and I grab a pen, scribbling my name by the flag that says ‘Groom'. I hand it to Dia, and she hesitates, blowing out a shaky breath before signing on her line. Even though I'm going to try to get her to rethink our initial agreement, I'm not sure why she seems so nervous. We've seen this in a million different movies. A couple gets married in Vegas, then annulled the next day when they sober up. Although, neither of us are drunk, thankfully.

As we walk back out the door toward the hotel, reality settles in. I'm fucking married. To Dia Spencer, the girl of my goddamn wettest dreams. I have to show her what it's like to be my wife. Maybe if I do a good enough job, she'll second guess the annulment. I know it's unlikely, but I have to at least try. This is going to take more than just a few deep backshots. I need to blow her mind and find a way to get that connection I'm guessing she doesn't want to give me.

I'm not going to lie. I've never done this before, so I have no clue what I'm doing. Normally, this would be the perfect situation. Do the bare minimum to get a woman to want to sleep with me, blow her back out for a night, and send her on her way the next morning with a smile. But I don't want to send Dia on her way. I want her to stay and agree to be my wife. I want to show her how good I can be to her…how I can treat her the way she deserves. But I have my work cut out for me. I have to figure out a way to undo twenty-two years of being broken down by others so she can see how special she is. And I only have about eight hours to do it.