Is this really happening?
“Repeat after me.”
“I, Benjamin Statham,” his eyes hold mine and he smiles softly, “Take you, Bridget Marx, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, from this day forward.”
I smile, and bounce a little on the spot as he carefully slides the ring onto my finger. He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. We both laugh and his eyes twinkle with a special something.
I feel overcome with emotion. “I, Bridget Marx, take you, Benjamin Statham, to be my lawfully wedded husband.” He watches me in wonder and I smile. “To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, from this day forward.”
I slowly slide the ring onto his finger, and giggle.
“You may kiss your bride.”
In slow motion, Ben takes me into his arms and gently kisses me.
The air leaves my lungs because it’s the most perfect kiss that he has ever gifted me with.
It’s a kiss of promise, and my eyes fill with tears. I laugh against his lips and he wraps his arms around me tightly.
“Let me take a photo.” Henry smiles, and I hand over my phone and he takes a few snaps. I have to laugh at what Adrian would say if he saw me getting my wedding photos taken on some dodgy phone.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Statham, and congratulations.” He hands over the wedding certificate.
“Thank you.” Ben nods before he kisses me again, and I laugh.
This is fucking insane!
Henry opens the door, and Ben and I walk through it as I laugh in disbelief.
“Congratulations,” the girl on reception calls out.
“Thank you,” I call back.
Ben takes the envelope from me. With my hand in his, and with my heart pounding hard in my chest, we walk out the front doors.
We did it.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Statham.
I stir the ice in my margarita as Ben smiles warmly across the table at me. He’s sitting back in his chair, beer in his hand, looking very pleased with himself indeed. “What are you smiling at?” He smirks.
“You.” I’m actually looking at how perfect he is. I’ve never seen a man so gorgeous. “This husband thing looks very hot on you.” I smirk into my glass.
Rugged, handsome, with a chiselled jaw and buzz cut hair. He is the epitome of masculinity, and day by day, as his walls come down, I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with him.
Which is lucky… because I married him today.
Ben and I have just had dinner and are at a cocktail bar in New York. His eyes drop to my lips. “I feel guilty,” he whispers.
“Why?” I frown.
“That your family isn’t with you on your wedding day.” His eyes drop to the table as he speaks.
“We’ll have another wedding for them. Ben, our relationship has never been about my family.”
His eyes rise to meet mine.
“It’s about us, between the two of us.” I frown as I think of the right wording. “In fact, we don’t do out there very well.”
“You do.” He smiles softly.
“But you don’t,” I whisper.
“I don’t mean to be the way I am.”
“Silent and strong?” I smile. “I wouldn’t want you any other way, Ben. You are absolutely perfect for me just as you are.”
His sexy eyes hold mine. “It’s you who’s perfect for me.”
“Lucky we got married then.” I throw him a cheeky wink, and he shakes his head in disbelief. “Did that actually happen?” He raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Did I dream that?”
“Ah.” I nod. “It just came over me and I had to just blurt it out.”
His eyes widen in horror. “So, you… you just thought of getting married randomly on the spot?” he stammers.
I sip my drink and shrug. “Pretty much. Last night, at dinner… I decided.”
He frowns. “And you went through with it.”
“I love you, Ben.” I smile. “I’ve always loved you, and I had to lock you in before you ran away again.”
He chuckles and takes my hand over the table. “Nothing could drag me from your side.”
Our eyes lock. “Promise?” I whisper.
He kisses my hand. “I promise.”
He looks over at the dance floor, and then back to me. “Would you like to dance?” he asks.
An unexpected thrill runs through me, and I giggle like a school girl. He takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor, and he wraps his huge arms around me. I smile goofily up at him as we sway. The song ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran comes on, and it’s so fitting to the mood we’re in.
“This is the first time we’ve ever danced as husband and wife.” I smile
He kisses me softly on the lips. “First of a lot of things. Our story starts today, Bridget.”
My eyes tear up, because that’s exactly how I feel. We had to cut through all the bullshit to actually start this story, and it feels like it’s taken us so long to get here.