was just as susceptible to it now as I had been back then.
"It's beautiful. Thank you," I said quietly. I stared down at the ring, dazzled by the vintage setting. The white gold ring was studded with tiny diamonds and filigree in the shape of a flower. In the center was a sparkling diamond much bigger than I expected, not that I'd been expecting it at all. It was gorgeous. Perfect. The kind of ring I dreamed of when I thought about getting married.
Yet it felt like a lie and it made me want to cry.
Still beaming, he helped me up off the bed and took another larger jewelry box from his pocket, one that was big enough for a necklace and earring set.
He pulled me over to the full-length mirror and I was almost afraid to look. But I did.
A pendant hung from my neck, a pretty constellation of tiny pink freshwater pearls and diamonds. I reached up and touched the delicate piece with one finger. "I love it," I said finally.
"Your mom said it would go perfectly with your dress and she was right."
"Mom saw this?" I asked.
He nodded and opened the box in his hand, turning it so I could see the matching earrings on grey velvet. "She helped me pick them both out."
They were the same style as the pendant, but on a smaller scale, and exactly something I would've picked out for myself. Just like the necklace and the ring.
Mom definitely would have noticed that and made a mental note. The fact that he picked something I would have chosen would seem like a good sign to her.
I hoped she was right.
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
"We have to be at the courthouse in thirty minutes," my mother called.
J.J. handed me the box. "Please put these on."
I took the box and said, "I'll do that while you sign the prenup."
He glanced at the envelope on the bed. "I guess a deal's a deal."
A few minutes later, both of our tasks were done and we looked at each other from across my bedroom.
"Ready to get married?" he asked.
This time, I didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes."
11
The ceremony was short and sweet. Because of how large our families were, we ended up moving into one of the empty courtrooms. The judge stood in front of the bench rather than behind it and our parents, sibling, their spouses, and the kids sat in the wooden rows on the other side of the low wooden partition. Cam and Sierra were there with Brody and Ben. Even Mrs. Phelps was there. She was smiling so wide that I was a little worried her false teeth would fall out.
It wasn't exactly what I imagined my wedding would be, but it was pretty darn close.
I struggled to stay focused on the vows as J.J. faced me and held both of my hands in his. He didn't look stressed or anxious. Only calm and maybe even happy.
With his eyes on mine, he smiled when he recited his vows and it was impossible not to smile back at him.
The gleam in his eyes seemed to say that we were in this together, no matter what happened, and it was exactly what I needed at the moment.
The judge's words seemed very far away but the world snapped back into focus when he said, "You may kiss the bride."
Much like he'd done in my bedroom earlier, J.J. cupped my face, with both hands this time, and leaned down to kiss me.
Without stopping to overthink it, I rose up on my toes to lift my mouth to his.
I'd promised him earlier that I would try to be more open with my thoughts and emotions and this was a first step, no matter how small it seemed.
This kiss wasn't as light or brief, but the sweetness was still there. His thumbs swept my cheekbones when it ended, and I dropped back down onto my heels.
"Thank you," he said, and I knew he'd understood why I'd met him halfway.
I only smiled, still feeling the aftereffects of that kiss.
The moment was broken by the cheers and applause from our families. J.J. released me and stepped back when the judge reached out to shake our hands and extend his well-wishes. He politely declined our invitation to the reception, stating his wife had arranged a "date night" and it was best not to mess with her plans.
After we thanked him and received hugs and kisses from everyone in the family, we