CHAPTER SIX: MARRIED AT ONCE.

JESSIE.

Ten minutes after getting to the city hall, our marriage certificate is in hand, and Stephen is standing beside me. He spent a few minutes explaining the marriage contract to me.

He was willing to invest in the Moore group once we got married. We have to stay married for at least five years.

“I can’t believe this,” I murmured to myself.

“What? That we got married?”

“Yes.” I turned to him and bumped into his chest because of how close he was standing. I tried not to think about how firm his chest was.

I took a step back, but his hand was loosely at my back as if he was trying to shield me. “Thank you,” I murmured and stepped out of his frame.

“There isn’t anything unbelievable there.” He pointed to the marriage certificate I was clutching like a lifeline.

This was the only thing that was going to get my mom off my back from going on and on about how I was supposed to be the one to take over the company soon, and how I needed a good enough husband.

“Right,” I breathed hard.

“Let’s go,” he said suddenly, stretching his hand to me. In the past few days, he had shown me sides to him I didn't know existed.

“Where to?”

“You’ll see,” he said. I gave him my hand, and it wrapped around my wrist almost too perfectly.

He drove to a store, and when we sat in his car outside, I gasped. “You were bringing me ring shopping?”

“You’d be my wife; you have to look the part.”

I thought he didn't care about appearances. Was I wrong or too in my feelings? I forced a smile and turned to him gently.

“Of course.”

He took me into the store. The women at the other side of the counter were almost trembling, both at his looks and the black card he seemed to swipe in their faces.

“I'd like to get a ring for my wife, please.” His words seemed to annoy them; one pulled away because of them, and the other stayed professional, pushing her smile.

They both cast glances at me as if he was being ridiculous by calling me his. Of course, in the eyes of the public, my weight was a problem and should never have bagged me a man who looked as gorgeous as he.

“We have a variety of…”

“Give us the most unique and expensive one,” Stephen cut her presentation.

She looked taken aback and blinked several times before pulling one out of the vault at the back. “This might be a little too much to your liking.”

He took the ring up and stared at it. “What do you think of it?’ He pushed the ring to my face.

“Do I really have a say?” I asked, shuffling from foot to foot.

“You do,” he said with a nod. Eyes lifted from the ring to meet mine. “If you don’t like it, we will find another.”

His words made me shiver. Was he already playing the role of the best husband? The ink on the certificate hadn't even dried yet. I swallowed and shook my head.

“This will do.”

He took my hand and slid the ring on it; his finger left a warm trail on my hand. He inspected it for a few minutes before he turned to the lady at the counter. He paid, and we were out of there.

“You should move in,” he said when we sat in the car, just staring into space. The silence between us is a little too suffocating. Now that we were married, I was not sure what to do next.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my mother’s call made us both freeze. I put the phone to my ear, finally glad I had an answer to all of her worries.

“I heard that you ruined your blind date yesterday,” she said, not caring to ask how I was and why I did it.

“He was a creep, Mom; he was trying to…”

“I have told you that you need to get married,” she snapped, cutting me off.

“About that, Mom, I am married.” My voice carried joy.

She cleared her throat, and I could imagine the scowl that would follow after that. “To whom?” she said as if it was a normal thing to get married on a weekday.

“To Stephen Harrington.”

She made a humming noise before she clicked her tongue. “Good,” she said, and the line beeped dead.

She didn't sound as excited as I had pictured in my mind. Wasn't this what she wanted for me? Why did it sound like I had disappointed her by doing this?

I turned to Stephen, who was still staring at me. My mind rerouted to what he said last. ‘Move in with me.’

It made sense for married couples to live together, and I was not sure I would be able to survive a minute more in the Moore mansion.

“I will move in with you,” I declared.

He managed to hide his smile underneath a smirk, but I saw it. He drove me back to the mansion so I could pack my things.

“I can wait, or maybe come back to pick you…”

“I can manage.” I turned him down. We might be married, but we knew the terms of this. It was only a contract, so we both got our families off our backs.

“Here,” he handed me a key card. I stared at it for a long time. It felt like he handed me a part of his life, and for things to be fair, I had to do the same as well. I reached out, my hand coiling over the plastic as its edges pressed into my palm.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to…”

“I will take a taxi.” I cut him off and got down, ignoring the feel of his eyes moving with my body.

He rolled down the window, and I ducked. “See you later.”

I stood still and watched his car disappear into the distance. I braced myself for the coldness of the Moore mansion once again. Even though by blood I was a Moore, I had never felt that way before. This place had never been home to me.

I packed my things quietly, grateful that my mom and Tiffany were not at home. I was going to slip away as quietly as I had appeared before now.

I went to Stephen’s house and set my suitcase on the ground floor. I had to get a few essentials, so I made my way to the nearest convenience store.

I was still deciding if I wanted a Barbie or Bratz soap case when Tina’s call came in. I held my breath and answered. I wanted to call her first and tell her about the situation with her brother, but I had let it sit out for too long.

“Jess? I saw your things at my brother’s place.”

I held my breath and dreaded climbing on my back. I didn't know what her reaction was going to be, and I was terrified to find out. So instead of saying anything, I yanked the phone off my ear and hurried back to see her.