Chapter 4: The Courthouse Wedding

Victoria's Pov

"We need to get married."

Simon said it like he was suggesting we grab coffee.

We were sitting in his borrowed truck outside the county courthouse. I'd been staring at the building for ten minutes, my brain refusing to process what we were about to do.

"This is insane," I said for the hundredth time.

"You already said that."

"Because it keeps being true." I turned to look at him. "We barely know each other. This is fraud. Lying to my family. To everyone."

"Is it fraud if we actually get married?"

"Yes! Because we're not really getting married. We're just signing papers to maintain a lie I told in a panic."

"So we don't do it." Simon's voice was calm. Reasonable. "We go back to your parents' house. You tell everyone the truth. That you made up a fiancé because you were desperate and embarrassed. Face the questions. The judgment. Carl's smirk when he realizes you're still broken."

My stomach twisted.

"That's not fair."

"No. But it's reality." He looked at me directly. "Or we walk in there, sign some papers, and buy you time to figure out what you actually want. Your choice."

"Why would you do this? What do you get out of it?"

Something flickered in his eyes. "Does it matter?"

"Yes. Nobody does something like this without a reason."

Simon was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was softer.

"Let's just say I understand what it's like to need an escape. And I'm in a position to help. So I am."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I can give right now." He reached over and took my hand. His grip was warm, steady. "Victoria, I'm not asking for anything from you. No expectations. No strings. We get married on paper. I play the supportive husband for however long you need. Then when you're ready, when the gossip dies down and you've figured out your next move, we quietly divorce. That's it."

"What if people find out?"

"They won't. Not if we're careful."

"What if someone investigates you?"

"Let them." A slight smile. "They won't find anything concerning."

There was something in the way he said it. A confidence that didn't match his appearance. Like he knew exactly what people would or wouldn't find if they looked.

"Who are you really?" I asked quietly.

"Right now? I'm Simon Reed, the man who's about to marry you so you don't have to face your family's shame alone." He squeezed my hand gently. "The rest can wait."

I looked at the courthouse again. The building was old, brick, with columns that tried to look important. Inside were strangers who would witness us swearing vows neither of us meant.

This was wrong. Reckless. Stupid.

But going back to face my mother's embarrassment, Mrs. Henderson's judgment, Carl's satisfaction at my misery felt worse.

"Okay," I heard myself say. "Let's do it."

Simon's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes softened. "You're sure?"

"No. But I'm doing it anyway."

"That's the spirit."

We got out of the truck. The Texas heat hit me immediately, making my sundress stick to my skin. I'd changed out of last night's wrinkled disaster into something simple. Blue. Nothing special. Nothing that said "wedding day."

Because this wasn't a wedding. It was a performance. A lie we were making legal.

Simon walked beside me, his hand finding the small of my back as we climbed the courthouse steps. The gesture was protective. Possessive. Like he'd been doing it for years.

Inside, the courthouse was cool and smelled like old paper and floor wax. A woman at the information desk looked up, bored.

"How can I Help you?"

"We need a marriage license," Simon said.

"ID and fifty dollars."

We provided both. The woman barely glanced at us as she processed the paperwork.

"Judge Monroe can perform the ceremony in about twenty minutes. Courtroom Three down the hall. You need witnesses?"

"Yes," I said.

"There's usually people hanging around willing to witness for ten bucks each." She handed Simon the papers. "Good luck."

That was it. No questions. No concerns. Just paperwork and procedures.

We sat on a bench in the hallway, waiting. Two other couples sat nearby. One looked young and nervous, clutching each other's hands. The other looked tired, like this was just another item on their to-do list.

"You okay?" Simon asked quietly.

"I don't know." My hands were shaking. "This feels surreal."

"It is surreal."

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Should I be?"

"We're about to commit fraud."

"We're about to commit to helping each other. There's a difference." He looked at me, his dark eyes steady. "I meant what I said last night. I won't hurt you. This is temporary. A tool to help you survive right now. That's all."

"You keep saying that. But why? What are you getting out of this?"

Simon was quiet for a moment. "Peace of mind. Knowing I helped someone who needed it. That's enough."

Before I could push further, a bailiff appeared. "Reed? You're up."

The courtroom was small. Plain. Nothing like the wedding I'd imagined as a little girl. No flowers. No music. No family crying happy tears.

Just fluorescent lights and the smell of old wood.

Judge Monroe was a gray-haired woman with kind eyes and a no-nonsense expression. Two strangers stood off to the side, clearly the witnesses we'd paid for.

"Names?" the judge asked.

"Simon Reed and Victoria Hale."

She glanced at the paperwork. "This is a legal and binding contract. Are you both entering into this marriage freely and without coercion?"

The lie stuck in my throat.

"Yes," Simon said firmly.

The judge looked at me. Waiting.

This was it. Last chance to back out. To run. To face the truth instead of burying it under more lies.

But when I opened my mouth, only one word came out.

"Yes."

The ceremony was brief. Mechanical. Simon repeated his vows in a steady voice. I repeated mine in one that shook.

"Do you have rings?" Judge Monroe asked.

"No," I said.

Simon reached into his pocket and pulled out two simple silver bands. Plain. Unadorned. Where had he gotten those?

He slipped one onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

I put the other on his hand, my fingers trembling.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Judge Monroe smiled slightly. "You may kiss the bride."

Simon looked at me. A question in his eyes.

We hadn't discussed this part.

I nodded slightly.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. Soft. Brief. Nothing like a real first kiss.

But something passed between us in that moment. A connection I couldn't name. A promise that felt heavier than the vows we'd just spoken.

When he pulled back, his hand lingered on my cheek for just a second.

"Congratulations," Judge Monroe said, handing Simon the signed certificate. "Best of luck to you both."

We walked out of the courthouse as husband and wife.

The sunlight felt too bright. The world too normal. Like it should have changed somehow to reflect what we'd just done.

"That's it?" I said when we reached the truck. "We're married?"

"We're married." Simon opened my door for me. "How do you feel?"

"Terrified. Confused. Like I just jumped off a cliff."

"But you jumped." He helped me into the truck. "That takes courage."

"Or stupidity."

"Sometimes they're the same thing."

We drove back toward the ranch in silence. My mind raced with everything that had just happened. The vows. The kiss. The rings on my finger that felt foreign and heavy.

"We need a story," I said finally. "For my family. They're going to ask questions."

"We got married in New York three months ago," Simon said calmly. "Small ceremony. Just us. We were keeping it quiet because of Carl. But now that he's out of the picture, we can be honest."

"They'll want to know how we met."

"The shelter. You were volunteering. I was going through a rough patch. We connected. Started talking. It grew from there."

The lies came so easily to him. Like he'd been preparing for this.

"What about your life? Your job? Your family?"

"I work in investments. Mostly remote. No close family. I'm free to relocate." He glanced at me. "The less specific we are, the better. People fill in their own details."

"You've done this before."

It wasn't a question.

Simon's jaw tightened slightly. "Not this exactly. But I've played roles before. When necessary."

More mysteries. More questions.

But before I could ask them, we pulled up to the ranch.

My parents' car was in the driveway. Along with three others I recognized. Family. Friends. People who'd heard about the "new fiancé" and wanted to see for themselves.

"Ready?" Simon asked.

"No."

"Good. Me neither." He got out and came around to open my door. When I stepped down, he took my hand. "But we're doing it anyway."

We walked toward the house together.

My mother opened the door before we reached it, her face a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Victoria. Where have you been? Everyone's asking about..." She trailed off, her eyes landing on our joined hands. On the rings. "What did you do?"

Simon's arm slipped around my waist, solid and sure.

"Mrs. Hale," he said with a calm smile. "I'm sorry for the confusion. But Victoria and I have something to tell you."

I took a deep breath.

"Mama, this is Simon. My husband."

The word felt strange on my tongue. Foreign. Terrifying.

But when I looked at Simon, saw the quiet strength in his eyes, the promise that he wouldn't let me face this alone, something in my chest loosened.

Maybe this was insane.

Maybe we'd regret it.

But right now, in this moment, we were in it together.

And that was more than Carl had ever given me.

My mother's face went pale. "Your what?"

Behind her, voices rose. Questions. Shock. Confusion.

Simon's hand squeezed mine gently.

"Let's go inside," he said quietly. "And explain everything."

We walked into the house together, into the chaos, into the consequences of our desperate lie.

And there was no going back now.