Page 68 of Until Waverly

“Thank you, Miss Redman. You can step down.” The prosecutor held out his hand, allowing me to balance, then step away from the stand. I didn’t want to stay in there any longer than I had to. I needed my family and my daughter. “You can leave now if you wish. Thank you for being here. If there is anything else we might need, we know how to get in contact with you.”

“Thank you.” I held my head high as I passed the defense table, eager to get out of there. As I swung the door open to leave, I caught the prosecutor calling Joyce to the stand.

Exiting the courthouse, I took a deep breath and exhaled.

I was finally free.

As much as the whole situation would stay with me for years to come, I could look back and know I did everything I was supposed to. That made moving forward easier on me.

“Hey,” Jackson said, coming up to me, Alandria in his arms. The smile on his face, along with the cheerful babble from Alandria, pushed away the last whispers of sorrow from my mind. “I have a question for you.”

“Oh?” I tickled Alandria’s belly as she gnawed on fingers, teething once more. “What’s that?”

Chapter23

Waverly

Jackson wrapped his arm around me, guiding me away from the courtroom and down the hall. As much as I’d drooled over him at home, seeing him dressed up did naughty things to me. If we’d been alone, I probably would have jumped him in one of the many bathrooms within the courthouse.

“Let’s get married,” he said. “Today.”

I stopped mid-stride. “Today?”

“Yep,” he replied. “I was thinking about everything. We’re here. We could do this the official way and our special style later with your family.”

“Jackson…”

He stared down at me. “I’ve wanted to call you my wife for almost two years now. Put me out of my misery, sunshine. Say yes.”

“But we don’t have a license or an officiant or anything,” I said.

Jackson motioned to the building we were standing in. “We’re in a courthouse. We can get married here. I also got our license while you were testifying.” He paused, his hand midway to his jacket pocket. “How did that go?”

“He took a plea agreement,” I said with a little shrug. “I was asked to give an impact statement with a few questions sprinkled in. Surprised me.”

I didn’t think he’d do it,” Jackson said. “He seemed determined to go to trial.”

I agreed. There was no way he’d win. What he’d done had been played out for the masses. The hospital was his victim, even if he had been out of his mind with grief. “Five years in jail. Therapy for five years. Five years of supervised parole with continued therapy, and he had to sign his rights over to his son’s grandmother.”

Jackson whistled. “Damn. I can feel horrible for him, but I almost lost you. I think he’s getting off lightly.”

No, I didn’t agree. The rest of his life would be torture. There was nothing easy about his sentence. I shook the wayward thoughts off, deciding once and for all I wouldn’t give Mr. Stapleton a second of my time anymore. I had a lifetime to live, and I planned on doing so, starting now. “So, you have this whole courthouse wedding thing sorted out, huh?”

Jackson chuckled. “I do. Alandria helped plan some of it too.”

“Did you?” I tickled her belly and Alandria’s squeals of happiness echoed along the hall. “I see how it is. Daddy and his little girl are conspiring against Mommy already.”

Jackson groaned. “Do you know how hot you are right now?” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. The heat and promise in his eyes sent a bolt of arousal through me.

“Well, that makes two of us, because you’re driving me insane too,” I said, clearing my throat. “Where do we have to go for this marriage to be legal?” I had to concentrate on everything else but the intention blazing in his green eyes. If I didn’t, I’d be a shaky mess of lust and anticipation. Bad enough, my panties were dampening with my excitement, and my nipples were hard aching points.

“Third floor.” Jackson continued to stare at me. “We should go there now.”

Yes, I agreed. The sooner we got married, the sooner we could go home. I stepped around him and went to the elevator. “Don’t want to be late.”

The elevator ride had been rife with tension and hunger. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him, and if the looks he kept sending my way were any sign, he felt the same way. When we stepped out onto the floor, we followed the signs to the justice of the peace’s office, then waited in line. Thankfully, for a Wednesday, there weren’t many people.

By the time we got to the front, Alandria was napping on Jackson’s shoulder. Since the moment she was introduced to Jackson, she’d been a daddy’s girl. I noticed it right off. As much as Alandria wanted me, she sought Jackson too. There was also hell to pay when she couldn’t have him while he’d been at work. More than a few times over the last several months, I’d been forced to call Flame so Alandria could hear his voice.

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