Chapter 4 Blind

Wren

"I'm sorry. You're too late. You'll have to reschedule." The clerk inside the courthouse tilted her head and showed no emotion as she crushed all my hopes with those words. She was a pretty woman, a little older than me with bleach-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"No, please. We're only a few minutes late. Please let us in."

Her red lips stiffened, and she tapped the little clock on her desk. "Your time slot was only fifteen minutes and you're ten minutes late. There are people waiting behind you." She peered over my shoulder to dismiss me.

"Okay. Thank you." Her nose scrunched as she motioned for me to move aside. I wasn't angry at her. I understood she was just trying to follow the rules. Being a coordinator for hundreds of short weddings was probably a very difficult job.

She didn't know my life was at risk and I had to get married today or the gang leader who was after me would force me to marry him. Magnum didn't know. The only one who knew was Gavin, and he wasn't here.

I turned around and prepared to face Magnum with the bad news, but he was already pushing into my spot to get up close to her desk.

He didn't say anything, just towered over her with a smug grin. He slipped a hand into the pocket of his slate gray slacks and pinned her with those piercing whiskey eyes .

His voice deepened and added a smooth Southern drawl as he called her darling . I couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like he was explaining how much the wedding meant to me and how he knew she'd understand that he wanted to give that to his future wife.

The woman visually melted before my eyes. She blinked quickly and her mouth dropped into a pout, eyebrows up. The cold stiff lip she'd given me was gone, and she looked like she'd spent a day at the spa after talking to Magnum for thirty seconds.

"Just sign right here." She handed Magnum a pen and paper.

He signed it Gavin Beaumont and didn't blink or flinch. He was totally lying, pretending to be his brother, and getting away with it.

"Go on in now and congratulations." She shooed us away with a sentimental smile.

"Oh my gosh. Thank you," I said to her.

"Girl, enjoy the honeymoon. That boy is hot as fire and sweet as sugar." She licked her teeth and checked out his backside as she watched Magnum turn around.

Really? Magnum? The big jerk who hated birds?

Magnum smirked as he swept up my hand and guided us into the makeshift wedding chapel in the back of the courthouse.

I didn't have time to tell her that he despised me until about five minutes ago. She didn't know how he'd accused me of being pregnant and that he insulted his brother all night. She didn't know that he'd sneered at my grandmother' s pearl necklace like it was a sign of the Devil when I first met him.

It was too late now because she was behind me and in front of me stood a petite Black woman with gray hair. She was wearing a neatly pressed robe and holding a three-ring binder in her hands as she smiled at us.

"Wen Li Song? Is that how you say it?" She pronounced my legal name incorrectly like most people did.

I took a deep breath and focused on her instead of my racing heart. "Wren Song, please."

She nodded. "Gavin Beaumont?"

He dipped his head slightly to indicate she had it correct which she didn't because he wasn't Gavin. Gah!

"Rings?"

Magnum pulled a ring off his middle finger and handed it to the officiant. I removed the engagement ring and gave it to her in a daze.

Was this really happening? Was I marrying Gavin's brother in his place?

"Join both your hands."

It appeared that, yes, I was marrying Gavin's brother as a proxy for Gavin who didn't show up to our emergency wedding ceremony that was going to save my life. My heart thumped so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it in the tiny room.

I didn't move, but Magnum reached out and took my small hands in his. He had calluses and rough skin, but he was strong and confident, which I needed right now. I clung to him like a lifeline in the midst of my panic .

"We're here today to join Gavin Beaumont and Wren Song in a union based on true love and blessed laughter. Today is the first day of their journey together as a couple."

I gulped down the huge lump in my throat.

"A marriage is not just a ceremony but a promise to put the other's well being before your own, to think of them in all your choices, and to willingly receive their deepest thoughts and intimate experiences."

My hands shook and he squeezed them gently. I looked up at him and his eyes had softened. He was smiling a little bit and whoa boy, was he handsome. He was like Gavin in a lot of ways, same dark skin and light eyes.

Magnum had longer, curly hair tinged with lighter streaks that hung down over his eyes and thick lashes. His frame was much larger than Gavin and his features were bigger, more dramatic. He had a large flat mole on his cheek and a rough edge to everything, like he'd cleaned up for today, but a suit was not his normal attire. The cargo pants and dirty Henley I'd seen him in the first night seemed more his everyday attire.

Magnum had a wild aura around him like he might run off at any second. He was always moving, tapping his foot, his eyes always scanning the room. But at this moment, he was still and totally focused on me.

"Do you, Gavin, take Wren to be your eternal partner, a witness to your life, your anchor in the storm, and the home of your heart for this lifetime and beyond?" The justice of the peace had said the words tons of times, but to me, they struck right through my heart. A wedding was supposed to be loving and hopeful, not full of fear and panic .

"I do." He swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed.

My face felt so hot I knew my cheeks were flaming cherry red. "Do you, Wren, take Gavin to be your eternal partner, a witness to your life, your anchor in the storm, and the home of your heart for this lifetime and beyond?"

"I do." I managed to squeak the words out but it didn't feel real. It felt like I was watching from the foyer, and this was happening to someone else.

"Exchange the rings and repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time."

My hands trembled too much to get his ring on or get any words out. Tears were threatening to overflow.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You're doing great. You got this."

With a deep breath, I managed to get it on his ring finger and say the words.

"You belong to me," the justice of the peace said.

I looked up at Magnum and said, "You belong to me."

Then it was his turn. Magnum was in total control at that moment. His voice was like liquid honey. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time." He slipped the ring on my finger. "You belong to me."

"Did you want to share any vows?" the justice of the peace asked.

"No."

"Yes," Magnum said at the same time.

"Go ahead." She smiled patiently even though I knew we were taking up her precious time .

He caressed the top of my hands with his thumbs, and it was very distracting. "I want you to know, Wren, that you are very special, and you deserve the best in the world, not just today but every day. I want to thank you for this chance because just standing here with you, I'm seeing things I never thought I'd see before. I promise to always tell you the truth and to protect you from anyone or anything that would harm you."

"Wren?" The officiant's voice echoed at me like I was in a tunnel.

Uh. Wow. Breathe in. Breathe out. Talk. Words. My turn to talk. "Um. I just wanted to say thank you for being here. It means a lot to me and I'm grateful. I will always remember this day, and I promise to be truthful to you too." There. That was good enough.

"Good. Then by virtue of the law granted to me by the State of California, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I stared up at him and my breath caught in my throat.

Kiss Gavin's brother? The one who was so mean to me when I met him but now he was doing something thoughtful and saying nice things.

He lowered his head and aimed just to the side of my mouth. As he came close, I took in his scent. He smelled good and it felt like a magnet was pulling my face to his. I turned my head and made our lips meet.

He froze at first, surprised by my sudden move. With a small grunt, his arm reached behind me and yanked my hips against his. He was hard and bumpy all over as he bent me back and extended the kiss. No open lips, no tongue, but it was soft and passionate and a lot better than kissing Gavin.

He opened his lips slightly and I opened mine, and in that space, there was magic. Fireflies and sparkling dust floated between us. I wanted to dive into it and live there. Without even thinking, I reached out with my tongue, but he was already pulling away.

His mouth quirked up on the sides and spread into a handsome grin.

Oh boy. Oh my. What had I done?

The justice of the peace and the few witnesses in the room began to clap softly.

And with that, I was married to Gavin, who was really Magnum, and hopefully, I was safe.