A Familiar Stranger

I always imagined my wedding would be beautiful. I

would be marrying the love of my life, at the beach

or the garden, surrounded by family and friends.

Instead, I was standing in the City Hall wearing an

ivory dress Stella had picked out for me the

day before. Life was funny that way.

“You’re frowning.”

I looked up and saw Micah before me looking

annoyingly handsome in a tailored black suit.

Damn! Why does he have to be so hot?

I rolled my eyes. “I’m getting married. What am I

supposed to be doing?”

“I mean, most brides smile.”

I scoffed, “Most brides are not marrying strangers.”

“Fair point.” He said raising his hand while smirking.

The infuriating thing about Micah was how easy he

made everything seem. The last two weeks had

been a nightmare. My Dad still hasn’t woken up, the

doctors said his vitals are strong and he should

wake up any moment. I’ve been occupied with

meetings, board approvals, legal contracts,

wedding arrangement and through all these,

Micah had somehow remained calm and…nice. Not

rich-guy-pretending-to-be-humble nice.

He had been genuinely nice and I found that quite

unsettling.

“Hello? You’re staring again.” He said.

“I was wondering if your parents dropped your

head as a child.”

His laugh echoed through the hallway causing a

few people to look at us.

“See?” He said, “That right there is why we’re going

to survive this marriage.”

“That wasn’t a compliment, Micah.”

“Are you sure though? I thought I just heard you

calling me your hot husband.” He grinned.

“You’re so insufferable.” I said shaking my head.

“We’re ready for you.” A clerk announced and my

stomach tightened immediately.

This is really happening. I think Micah could tell how

nervous I was because he held my hand and we

entered the room together. The ceremony lasted

less than ten minutes; that was all it took to tie

your life to another person, just ten minutes. The

clerk read a short speech and we signed

documents, the witnesses present also signed

theirs. Victor dabbed at his eyes dramatically which

earned an eye roll from me. He is enjoying this way

too much.

The clerk looked at Micah, “Do you take Aria Valen to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Micah looked at me, his expression unreadable.

“I do.”

The clerk turned to me, “Do you take Micah

Blackwood to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

I swallowed and looked at Micah, and then at Victor

who gave me an encouraging smile. I reminded

myself that this is for my father, for the company.

“Yes.” I finally answered and the clerk smiled.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He

announced with glee.

A strange silence washed over me, it was done;

Micah is officially my husband. Victor immediately

pulled us in an awkward group hug.

“I knew this would work out!!”

“It has been twenty seconds, Victor.” I deadpanned.

“It still counts.”

Micah lets out a low chuckle winking at Victor. The

witnesses gradually began leaving while the clerk

handed us copies of the marriage certificate.

“Mrs. Blackwood.” He said making shudder and

Micah chuckled.

“I had the same reaction when they called me

somebody’s husband.”

That earned an unexpected laugh from me and his

smile widened.

“There she is.”

“Who?” I asked, my eyes searching around, curious.

“The woman who wouldn’t stop sulking. Who knew

her smile would be this beautiful?”

A blush crept up my cheeks and I rolled my eyes at

him. Before I could respond, his phone rang; he

whispered “Dad” to me and left to take his call.

Micah had mentioned earlier that his father would

be flying back from a business meeting today, like

me; it’s just him and his Dad. He lost his mum when

he was only two. I would be meeting Lucien

Blackwood for the first time today, and I’m quite

nervous. From what I’ve heard, Mr. Blackwood is

nothing like Micah, he is ruthless and unyielding.

The elevator doors opened, Micah

stepped out with a tall figure and my blood

suddenly went cold. No! It couldn’t be! The man

looked up and our eyes met. The same face, the

same dark eyes, the same silver streak at his

temple, the same devastating smile. It’s the

man from the bar! The stranger I had spent the

night with, the one whose name I’d never learned,

the one I thought I’d never see again. The one I’d

lost my virginity to. Now I know why Micah seemed

so familiar, he is almost a spitting image of his Dad.

They stood in front of me, both father

and son. His gaze shifted from me to Micah, then to

the marriage certificate in my hand, then back

at me.

Amusement lit in his eyes, “Interesting.” He said, the

vibration of his voice reaching my core. I’ve

forgotten how well my body responds to him. I’m in

trouble.

“Aria, meet my Dad, the infamous Lucien

Blackwood. Dad, meet my wife, Aria.”

I could only stare, dumbfounded, wondering why

fate hated me this much.

“Hello, Aria.” Mr. Blackwood stared me down.

Fuck my life! My one-night stand is my father-in-law?