Page 29 of Burn Bag

DAPHNE

The wedding…

“And doyou Bradford William Kavanaugh take…”

The minister looked at me expectantly. “Oh, Daphne Willa Gray.”

I smiled at him, then at my soon-to-be husband, who still looked confused and a little put out. No, this was not what he wanted, but he didn’t say no when I walked down the aisle. He wanted a wife, and I was willing and ready.

“Do you take Daphne Willa Gray to be your lawfully wedded wife…”

The minister droned on while I took another peek at my betrothed. He was so freaking handsome. I couldn’t believe that Emily had backed out of this. Nor could I believe that a man like this needed help finding a wife. And suddenly, all the air seemed to be sucked from my lungs as I realized that a man that was this good-looking had to have something wrong with him.

My mind whirled as I thought up every possibility.

Troll breath.

Abnormally large feet?I glanced down and shook my head. They seemed to be normal.

Oh God. What if he had a tiny dick?

I blew out a breath and steadied myself. I could deal with that. Yes, it would be unfortunate, but I was getting more out of this than he was. Besides, plenty of women had unsatisfying sex every day. I could learn to get along without the best of the best.

I was nudged and I glanced over at Bradford, wondering what I had missed while I’d been so worried about his flaws. Standing here in front of him, I couldn’t see a damn thing. “Huh?”

He rolled his eyes in irritation as the minister repeated himself. “Do you Daphne Willa Gray take Bradford William Kavanaugh to have and to hold, to?—”

“Oh, definitely,” I interrupted, realizing just a moment too late that my haste to get on with it might be a little offensive to my new husband. Oops.

“By the power vested in me…”

I was already turning to Bradford, a grin on my face as I waited for the kiss that would get this show on the road. I had no idea where we went from here or how he would react when we were out of earshot of others, but hopefully, he wouldn’t be too upset.

“You may kiss the bride.”

He stood there.

I shifted on my feet, leaning forward slightly, wondering if he was going to meet me halfway. Maybe he expected me to go ninety? That was very unlike most men, but then again, we did just meet.

Finally, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my cheek, giving me the fastest wedding kiss in the history of all wedding kisses. I was pretty sure people in the eighteenth century kissed for longer—and they didn’t even kiss at weddings!

Clearing my throat, I shrugged it off and turned to the silent church. Not a single person clapped or even smiled. Wow, tough crowd.

Finally, one man stood and started clapping, and the devastating smirk on his face said he was mocking us. Well, that wasn’t the bestway to start a marriage. Bradford took the first step and I followed, smiling to everyone as we passed. I was pretty sure it made them feel awkward, but we were well past that.

“We need to talk,” Bradford hissed out of the side of his mouth.

“I figured as much.”

As soon as we were outside the church, he gripped my hand and started tugging me along behind him toward a waiting car. It was beautiful, decked out like any other wedding. I just didn’t get it. Why would he marry me if he wasn’t interested? He seemed so set on marrying Emily.

He opened the back door of the car just as two men rushed out of the church, waving him down. “Get in.”

I did as he asked, hopping in and gathering up the beautiful fabric of Emily’s wedding dress. Thankfully, we were about the same size. I wore flats so the dress wasn’t too short, but other than that, it was nearly a perfect fit.

“Go!” Bradford snapped at the driver as he loosened his tie and turned to me. “Who the hell are you?”

“Daphne Gray,” I grinned, holding out my hand to shake his. “At your service.”

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