Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Wait, she needs her arm bandaged.” One of the nurses chased after me.
“Then grab the shit you need and meet us in the chapel. You can wrap her up there.”
I didn’t say anything else. I just held Charlotte to my chest, feeling her heartbeat against my skin as her fingers tangled in my hair, massaging the back of my neck, a small way for her to show her affection and approval.
God, I was going to love to find all the ways that she showed affection, all the small little ticks she had, annoyances, what made her happy, what made her sad, and what pissed her off beyond all belief. I was going to spend the rest of my life exploring every facet of this beautiful creature in my arms and protecting her with my life.
She was my mission now.
The chapel was completely empty when we got there. A small button on the side of the altar had a little wooden placard that said press for assistance.
I slammed my hand down on that button several times until a small door opened in the back of the room.
“Can I help you?” a man wearing a black button-down shirt asked, stepping out of the room.
“Yeah, you ordained?” I asked, cutting off the pleasantries.
My girl was cold and uncomfortable. I needed to get this handled before I could fix that. Safety might come before comfort, but as far as I was concerned, they were both important when it came to my girl.
“I am. Can I help you with something?” He looked me up and down as he took a step back, no doubt getting ready to call security.
“We need to be married. Now.”
“That’s not usually how—”
“I’m not looking for usual. There is nothing about this situation, or this woman, that is usual. The fact of the matter is—we need to be married for her safety. This is a matter of urgency. We need to be married immediately.”
The priest looked at us both for a moment, then focused on Charlotte. She looked so small in my arms, her eyes a little bloodshot and tired, her hair dripping on the carpet and streaks of blood on her arm and staining part of her patterned hospital gown.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” the priest asked. The way he disregarded me would usually get under my skin, and it did a little, but I knew he was trying to check on her well-being. I couldn’t fault him for that.
“She’s fine.”
“I’d like to hear it from her.” The priest wasn’t giving an inch.
“I will be fantastic as soon as I’m this man’s wife,” she said, giving him a bright smile.
One of the nurses started wiping the blood from her arm.
He still looked unsure. So, I tried something new for me: the diplomatic approach.
“We need to be married tonight. To show our gratitude for making this happen, we would be willing to make a $250,000 donation to fund the new pediatric oncology center.” I plastered an unnatural smile on my lips that just felt wrong.
“I doubt that you have—”
The priest was cut off when one of the nurses ran to him and whispered in his ear, probably telling him who the bloody, damp, and still-stunning creature in my arms was.
“Well, okay then.” The priest motioned us over to the altar. The second I sat her down, two of the nurses surrounded her, wrapped her arm, and quickly put a dry gown over her soaking wet one.
As soon as we were done here, I planned on taking her up to her room and making sure she was dry and comfortable, but this had to be done now.
The priest uttered a few words about love, marriage, honor, and commitment, and I didn’t hear a word of it. Instead, I was staring at those gorgeous brown eyes looking up at me like I was her everything. And it just seemed so fitting because that was exactly what she was. She was my everything.
When she said, “I do,” my heart stopped for a moment, and a soothing warmth came over my body.
I realized with a start that I was happy. Not content, not entertained, amused, or even satisfied. I was actually happy. I didn’t think I’d ever felt that before.
It made sense that Charlotte was the one who had given me that feeling. That she was the one who made me feel complete. I didn’t have to travel the world anymore to find something to do. I was going to build a home and start a real life with this woman.
Once the priest said, “You may kiss the bride,” I leaned down, sealing my lips over hers, and she was holding me as tightly as I was holding her.
After the ceremony, I picked her back up again and brought her back to her hospital bed. The nurses asked that I step out for just a moment so that they could clean her up and get her into dry clothes. I wanted to do that by myself, but they needed to insert a new IV and check her over for any other injuries.