Rebel(41)

I swallow. That’s an altar. Those are guests. The captain’s officiating. I start to hyperventilate. I glance back at Gavin and I see from his dropped jaw and wide eyes that he’s realized what I just did.

“Oh shit,” we whisper in chorus.





Chapter 20: Gavin


Holy fuck.

Seriously.

Holy.

Fuck.

Dad doesn’t fuck around, but I can’t fucking believe he was actually planning on fucking marrying Marie on the fucking cruise ship.

Fuck.

Now what?

Angie looks like she just had a heart attack. I don’t blame her. Pretty sure mine skipped a beat or two just now. It’s still racing like I’ve run a ten-mile. Giving her a nudge with my elbow, I turn on a smile. It’s fake as hell, but nobody cares so long as the mask is in place. I figured that out long ago.

She glances at me anxiously, her eyes flitting around like a wild animal ready to make its escape. I hold out my hand and she takes it hesitantly, swallowing the biggest lump in history. “Gavin!” she whispers with a hiss. “It’s a wedding. A wedding. For us!”

I step closer to her so we can hear each other more easily, whispering out of the corner of my mouth. “It’s for our parents. It won’t count.”

“We are our parents. At least as far as they’re concerned. We’re not actually going to do this, are we?” There’s panic in her whisper, and for a little thing, she has a painful grip when she’s freaked out.

“It won’t count.” I think. “We just have to fake our way through the ceremony, and then we’ll have a huge meal and it’s business as usual.” I squeeze her hand back, trying to comfort her and hoping she doesn’t feel how I’m shaking. Fuck, this is some crazy shit.

A steward rushes over to take her things, and we start to walk, still wearing just our swimsuits, and not knowing what else to do. The guests applaud as we walk by them, grinning like fucking idiots. It’s the longest walk of my life.

“Are you sure?” Another hiss from Angie. “I mean, what if it does count. What do we do?” She’s wearing a smile as fake as mine now, but in her eyes is pure panic.

“It won’t count. No fucking way. How could it?” Now if only I felt as confident as I’m trying to sound. How does this work? There need to be witnesses and shit, right? Signatures that have to match? Something? Not having any immediate plans of getting married, it’s not something I’ve looked into.

I put an arm around Angie, trying to calm her while I smile and nod to the guests. She’s stiff as a pole, shivering, and there’s not a thing I can do about it. Well, I did want us to spend more time together. Just like Dad to pull a crazy-ass stunt like this.

Fuck you, Dad.

We stop in front of the arch and Captain Chuck takes a step forward. He straightens, and after giving us what I’m sure is supposed to be a reassuring smile, he speaks in a loud voice. “Welcome, everyone. I’m so glad you’re all here to witness this joyful union   today.” He looks up at the sky. “And boy did we get some beautiful weather for it, didn’t we? It’s a good thing too, because from the look of them, Herb really went all out keeping it a surprise.”

There’s amused laughter from the crowd and some scattered applause. Angie looks ready to sink through the deck in embarrassment, but he continues like it’s nothing. “Today, I have the pleasure of joining the beautiful Miss Marie Wilson with the love of her life, the handsome Mr. Herbert Caldwell.”

Angie’s hand crushes my fingers. Her whisper is barely audible. “I’m going to faint.”

“You’re going to be fine. Just remember, good food and an open bar, right?” I squeeze her hand back. “We’re going to get through this, and then we’re going to get so shitfaced that we’re going to have crawl back to our room. Clear?” She nods nervously. For once we seem to be on the same side. It’s a small victory, won under duress, but I’ll take it.

“It’s not often I get to officiate weddings aboard, so this is as exciting for me as it is for the couple, I bet.” Our captain laughs, and the crowd chuckles along.

Laugh it up, Chuck. You have no fucking idea.

He continues, and I hope it won’t be for too long. I think the only reason Angie’s still standing is because her knees are locked. “Did you all know that captains don’t actually have the authority to officiate marriages? It’s a myth, but a so pervasive one that the Navy even has a statute dictating that Naval captains are not allowed to do it.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “I think we’re off the hook. Guess it’s just for show.” Angie nods in response, looking a little less panicked. Fuck, if it’s just for fun, we might as well enjoy it. I pull her closer and place an excited kiss on the top of her head. I half expect her to slap me again, but relief’s a powerful thing. Instead, she puts on a cute little smile. I could get used to that.