I scribble my signature and hand the pen to Kitty. For half a second I think she might not, but I watch as she grits her teeth and scratches what looks like a K and an S beside mine.
“Now you may kiss the bride.” Earl smiles broadly as he looks between us, and I turn to face Kitty.
“Try it and I’ll bite your face off,” she hisses.
“Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” I tell her, and her cheeks flush. She tucks her chin and turns to stomp out of the room, but I’ve still got a hold of her. “Not so fast.”
She squeals loudly as I scoop her up in my arms and carry her across the courthouse. I didn’t realize we’d had all of City Hall come in and watch us, but all of the guys that work here hoot and holler as I carry my bride over the threshold. I get a pat on the back from the mayor as I walk outside with our marriage license tucked in my back pocket.
“You put me down right now, Judge, or I swear to god—”
“What are you gonna do, Kitty?” I call her bluff, and she presses her lips tight together. “It was marry me or jail, and I think you made the right decision.”
“You call that a choice?” She tries to push on my chest as I hold her close. “I should have chosen jail.”
“I wouldn’t have let you do that.”
“Then there was never a choice to begin with,” she hisses, and I nod.
“I never said I’d play fair when it came to you. Now where’s my ring? I want it on your finger.”
“I lost it.” She turns away and crosses her arms over her chest.”
“Liar.”
She juts her chin out and refuses to answer.
“I’ll get it back on you,” I threaten, and she peeks up at me before quickly looking away. “One way or another.”
“You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.”
I kiss the top of her head, and I feel her body tense for half a second. When we walk into the sunshine, I see a small crowd of people have gathered at the courthouse steps.
“Oh no,” Kitty whispers, and I can’t hide my smile. “I think it’s time for the old City Hall tradition, don’t you?”
“You can’t,” she says, so quietly I can barely hear her.
“Oh I can, and I will.” I start to walk toward the fountain, and she kicks her feet trying to get loose. “Calm down or it’s going to be worse.”
“Judge, this is the dumbest tradition this town has ever had, and I won’t be a part of it.”
Since the town was founded, every bride that’s wed in the courthouse gets thrown in the fountain for good luck. I don’t know whose idea it was to start this tradition, but I can almost bet it wasn’t the blushing bride.
“Quick kicking or I’ll just toss you in there.”
“No!” she squeals, and the crowd cheers.
“Throw her in! Throw her in!” the crowd begins to chant as I get closer.
“Judge.” She looks up at me with big pleading eyes as her small hands grip the front of my shirt. “Don’t.”
“Do you trust me?” There’s a long pause where her eyes search mine, and after she sighs she nods. “Okay then.”
I step up to the fountain, and the crowd goes quiet as I lift her up and slide her shoes off. When I’m at the point where I could let her go, I tip her feet down and place her toes in the water. She clings to me with tense arms, but after a second when she sees I’m not going to drop her, she relaxes.
“Just enough to keep the bad luck away,” I say to her as I let her kick her feet in the fountain and then straighten up.
“You’re gonna need more than that,” she snaps and scowls at me. She pokes her little finger in my chest and grits her teeth. “The first thing I’m doing when I get to your house is setting something on fire.”
There’s a glint in her eyes that says she means it, and I smile bigger than I have in longer than I can remember. “Then we should probably make sure you’re safe.”
With one quick move I toss her into the fountain, and the crowd goes wild. Before she can go all the way under, I pluck her out and toss her soaking body over my shoulder and carry her out of the town square like a fireman.
“Judge!” She beats on my back as I walk to the truck, but one good smack on her ass and she stops.
“You wanna go back in?” I ask her, and suddenly she’s limp against me. “Keep it up, Kitty. You’re worth fighting for.”Chapter ThreeKitty“What do you think?” Judge asks as he stares down at me.
I’m sitting at the giant kitchen island after Judge showed me his beautiful new home. Everyone has been talking about it for months, but no one has seen it. I thought he was building it for my sister. How wrong I’d been, but apparently I've been wrong about a lot of things when it comes to my new husband.