Stroke of Luck

A couple ahead of them turned and entered a neon-lit wedding chapel. Before they reached the door, another couple burst into the night, laughing, the woman clinging to a small bouquet of flowers wrapped with lace and ribbon.

April slowed to a stop as she watched the couple hurry away, holding hands and laughing. Quinn gazed at her wistful eyes.

“What’s wrong, April?” Austin asked.

But then understanding flared in Austin’s eyes as he saw where she was looking. At the same time Quinn figured it out.

She chewed her lip. “Nothing. It’s just … today was supposed to be my wedding day.”

Fuck, he knew she’d lost a lot, but all he’d thought about were material things. And the loss of a guy she was better off without.

But there was so much more. She’d lost the promise of a future with a man who loved her. Someone who would be there for her and support her when she needed it.

“That’s true.” Quinn squeezed her hand. “And you know what? You deserve to have that special day.” He led her toward the chapel.

13

“What are you talking about?”

Confusion swirled through April as Quinn clung tightly to her hand and hurried her toward the neon sign.

“You and I,” Quinn said. “We’re getting married.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, pulling Quinn to a stop.

“You can’t be serious. You’ve been very clear that’s not what you want.”

“I am serious. And don’t worry. We can have it annulled later. I just want you to be a bride today. I don’t want you to lose that, too.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea,” Austin said. “I want to marry her, too. Then her wedding day will be twice as good.”

Quinn chuckled. He leaned in and whispered, “I haven’t seen Austin drunk very often, but when he is, he makes terrible decisions, and he’s very exuberant about them. Clearly, tonight is no different.”

“And your decision isn’t bad?” she asked.

He grasped her shoulders and stared at her intently. “No, baby. Marrying you could never be a bad idea.”

She gazed into his decisive blue eyes. The warmth and caring there left her speechless.

Oh, God, she knew she should protest as he tugged her into the building, but her head was so foggy, and deep down, she didn’t want to stop this.

What happened next became hazy, but she remembered saying, “I do,” and Quinn slipping a ring on her finger. Then she was walking outside again, and it was Austin holding her hand. They went a block or so, and there was another building and another “I do.”

Austin kissed her, and they walked into the night again, April clinging to a bouquet of lovely pink roses. When did she get those? The first wedding, she was pretty sure. She remembered clinging to them as they walked to the second place. She held them to her nose and breathed in the delicate scent as they walked.

Finally, they reached the hotel. When they stepped inside, the lights and noise from the slot machines, paired with the thrum of voices and frenetic energy around them, revived her.

Quinn hurried her into the nearest elevator, and the doors whooshed closed behind them.

* * *

Quinn held on tightly to April’s hand as if afraid that somehow she would slip away. Austin pressed the button for their floor, and the elevator started to move.

Quinn couldn’t believe she was his wife now. Legally married. His ring on her finger.

And now they were headed to their suite. On their honeymoon.

His body ached at the thought of finally being able to make love to her. To hold her close. To touch her. Feel her soft, naked skin. To caress her breasts and stroke her intimate places.