Page 126 of 23 Hours

Reaching town, Gunz rides through streets I’ve never been down before until we pull up to a large, concrete building at the city center. He parks in the only space available, drops his stand, and cuts the engine.

“What’re we doing here?” I ask, taking in my new surroundings—there’s a water fountain on the lawn and bright, colorful flowers planted everywhere. Old, well-kept brick buildings line the street, each filled with cute mom-and-pop shops.

“Gettin’ our marriage license. To make this legal.” From his bag of wonders, Gunz procures a manilla envelope and hands it back to me. “All our documents are in there.”

Oh.

I unclasp the packet and peek inside. He wasn’t lying when he said all our stuff’s here. Down to my previous divorce decree. Even my driver’s license. Sneaky, sneaky man.

With his help, I dismount Gunz’s bike and remove my helmet on the sidewalk as he does the same seated on his Harley. We rest our safety gear on our seats before climbing the courthouse steps hand-in-hand to make things official. Less than fifteen minutes later, we’re walking back down those same steps an envelope richer.

Next to his bike, Gunz pulls me in by the waist and nuzzles the side of my throat. “How ya feel?” His facial hair brushes over my flesh, making me shiver.

“Like I’m about to be married.” I swallow hard at the truth as nerves bubble in my gut like a witch’s cauldron.

A pair of sexy lips drag up my neck to the shell of my ear, where he whispers, “To me.”

“To you,” I whisper in return.

My man pulls back to look me in the eye. “You ready for that?”

“Yes. Are you?” I am ready. Nervous, but ready. Scared, but ready.

“We wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” Somehow reading my unease like he always does, Gunz extracts two Dum Dums from the inside of his leather vest, removes both wrappers from the orbs, and offers them to me to pick from.

Knowing it isn’t the polite thing to do, but not caring either way, I steal both and stick them in my mouth anyhow. One in each cheek. Cherry and strawberry.

Amused crinkles at the corner of Gunz’s gorgeous blue eyes surface just before a chuckle emits, accompanied by a head tilt and a lopsided smirk. He boops me on the nose then leans in to kiss me there before extracting another Dum Dum for himself. He pops it into his mouth. “It’s gonna be okay, love. We’re gonna get through this.”

I know.

Oh. I know.

I suck harder on the sugar, hoping the mysterious powers work on me the same as they do him. I signed legal documents today to make things official. Less than a month ago, I was living a lonely existence in the house with him. Now look where we are.

In need of a hug, I wrap my arms around Gunz, underneath his vest, and rest my cheek on his pec. A sigh escapes me as his big, strong arms tighten around my shoulders. He kisses the top of my head. “Take all the time ya need, love. I’m not goin’ anywhere. But I do got another thing I wanna show ya.”

For however long we stand in front of the courthouse, wrapped in each other’s embrace, people pass by, but nobody says a thing. For a suspended moment, the world stops as his heart beats steadily against my ear. The spice of his cologne mixed with cinnamon, leather, and soap curl into my nose, making me feel the safest I’ve felt in ages. The defined muscles in his back are firm to the touch as I trace them with my fingertips. What’s better, is Gunz’s true to his word. He lets me take all the time I need. So, I do. I hug him and savor him until my worry is replaced with contentment. Until the Dum Dums enact their superpowers. Then and only then do I pry myself away from his touch. Far enough to look up and meet his eye. Gunz hooks two fingers into my belt loops to keep my front plastered to his—tits to abs.

“I love you, so fuckin’ much,” he growls, igniting those weird tumultuous butterflies in my middle again. They pair nicely with the ridiculous smile that lights my face.

He smiles, too, watching my over-the-top girly reaction.

“I love you, too,” I admit aloud for the first time. Even to my ears, it sounds foreign, but good. Damn good.

“I know.” Gunz pecks my forehead. “Now, love, let’s get on to the second part of my plan.”

I nod in agreement.

The second part. If this is the first, I can’t imagine what comes next.

Instead of asking, I follow his lead, excited to see what else he has in store. No man has done anything like this for me before.

Thoughtful, thoughtful man…

My future husband.

Pinch me.

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