Accidentally Wed: An Accidental Marriage Romance

by Sullivan, Piper

  The bell above the door sounded and my shoulders fell, which wasn’t a good thing for a shop owner and I gave myself a mental pep talk. “I’ll be with you in a moment!” Two deep breaths and big bright phony smile later, I stroke into the front and stopped. “Bastian, what can I help you with today?” As far as I knew the town lawyer was single so there was only one reason he would come see me.

  “I have some news and I thought it best if I delivered it in person, Maddie.” His permanently somber expression, as always, dimmed his dark good looks and made him seem dour when he was actually very pleasant.

  “I’m listening.” Arms crossed defensively, I braced myself for whatever he said next.

  “The building has been sold.”

  Damn, that wasn’t what I expected to hear and my sense of dread grew even stronger. My head fell forward and my legs wobbled, forcing me to grab on to the counter to steady myself. “Okay. Do you have any idea what they plan to do with the space?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t been told much, but I have a letter here.” He pulled it from the inside pocket of a sharp navy blue jacket and held it out to me.

  “Just give me the highlights,” I told him, refusing to grab hold of the envelop.

  “Maddie,” he insisted, pushing the letter closer to me. “Read the letter.”

  “Fine.” I snatched it from him and shoved it into my back pocket along with the other letter. What in the hell was with all the letters, did I got to sleep and wake up in the nineties? “Thank you for letting me know.”

  He stood there with the same blank expression I usually appreciated in a town where no one hesitated to tell you their opinion, whether you asked or not. I resisted the urge to lean across the counter and tighten that tie around his neck. “Read it now, please. I’m under strict orders from my client to make sure you’ve read the letter.”

  And now I was officially pissed off. “Whatever.” I snatched the envelop from my pocket and tore the side off, tipping it over until the paper drifted to the glass counter. The writing was vaguely familiar only miles neater, I realized as I unfolded it and began to read.

  Mads,

  This is yours no matter what else happens between us because I am in awe of you. Your strength and your courage astound me every damn day. Your brilliance makes me proud that Aunt Mae’s terrible sorcery gave me a chance to exist in your orbit.

  I’m sorry for too many things to list here but I need you to know that I am so damn sorry that I wasn’t the man you needed me to be in New York. I always knew you were too damn good for me and now you know it too. Consider this a very, very belated wedding gift.

  Your Loving Husband,

  Zeke

  When I looked up at Bastian, he beamed a grin I’d never seen on him, not since he moved to Belle Musique in the fourth grade. It transformed his entire face, a thought which allowed me to think of something other than Zeke’s beautiful words. “What does this mean?”

  Instead of speaking Bastian handed me another envelop that was much thicker than the last. “It means that you are now the proud owner of one of the most lucrative pieces of real estate in town.”

  “No.” I shook my head not because I didn’t want it but because I couldn’t believe it. It was completely unbelievable, wasn’t it? “He didn’t…he couldn’t have…,” I was too shocked to think, much less speak in complete sentences.

  “He did. And he had me set up a company, MadMax Holdings, so that you can accept rent payments without the entire town knowing your business. Zeke’s words, not mine.”

  For some reason, hearing Bastian say his name, to confirm my suspicions, made my breath catch in my chest. Zeke. “He bought me a building.” A whole damn block, in fact.

  “Yes, Maddie. We’ve covered that.” I glared at Bastian but he was unfazed and only smiled in response. Before he pulled out another envelop. A thick yellow envelop that killed the smile and the hope that had nearly bubbled over just moments before.

  It took a moment to unravel the cotton thread around the tabs but my shaky fingers got the job done and I pulled the papers out with a gasp. Divorce papers. My shoulders sank as reality set in and I didn’t know why. Divorce was inevitable and if he hadn’t done it, I would have. But seeing the words ‘dissolution of marriage’ hit me hard. It was another failure in my life.

  Another mistake.

  I let the papers fall to the counter and looked up at Bastian. “Thank you, Bastian. I’ll take a look at the papers and them to you soon.”

  “Read it,” he insisted sharply.

  “You’re not my lawyer, Bastian.”

  “I know,” he sighed and raked a hand through his hair, a move completely uncharacteristic of him. “Just read it. Please.”

  There was a folded piece of blue notebook paper clipped to the legal document and I didn’t need to guess the handwriting.

  I don’t want this, Maddie. Not at all. I love you. I know this is the most terrible way in the world to tell you for the first time but it’s true. I am madly in love you Maddie and I know I don’t deserve you—or Max—but I want to deserve you. Both of you.

  But if you don’t love me back, if you can live without me then I will learn to live with the ache of living without you.

  P.S. I had Aunt Mae draw up the divorce papers just in case. I did tell you I didn’t deserve you, right?

  The last part made me laugh as tears fell down my cheeks.

  “So, we’re all good here?”

  I nodded at Bastian with a smile. “We’re good. Thank you, Bastian.”

  With a short nod, he turned on his fancy Italian leather shoes and left the shop, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  And my tears.

  And hope.

  I picked up the phone and dialed. “Yeah?”

  “Vivi, I need you to come watch the shop for an hour.”

  She paused for several long seconds. “Ty and I will be right there.”

  Zeke

  “Thanks for stoppin’ in to Zeke’s Joint, see you again soon.” I waved at a mixed group of office workers who’d enjoyed an early lunch in the beer garden. Everyone was taking advantage of the last few days of warm weather before autumn officially began.

  I let out a deep breath and leaned against the counter, letting the swirl of the wood grain distract me enough to soothe my frazzled nerves. Bastian Livingstone would have already delivered the papers to her which meant she was either plotting my death or…I didn’t want to think about the alternative. I’d spent the past twenty-four hours thinking about whether this was the right approach or not.

  Who in the hell told a woman he loved her for the first time in a letter? Me, that’s who. I just-,

  “Hey Boss, heads up!”

  Nate’s voice pulled me out of my doubts and thoughts and I looked up. “What?”

  He nodded towards the entrance and I looked that way to find the most spectacular sight around. Maddie, looking girl next door sexy in a pair of jeans that hugged those delicious curves and a soft emerald green blouse that hung off one shoulder with matching sneakers. But her brown eyes were blazing, with anger or love, I couldn’t be sure.

  Until she started walking, not stomping, towards me. “Zeke Riley, we have to talk.”

  Maybe it was just my perception but it seemed like the entire restaurant fell silent and turned to watch the show. “We do?”

  “You know damn well we do,” she said and shook the papers in her hand. “You wanna do it out here or let the busybodies guess what’s about to happen?” Her lips twitched but I knew there was no way to tell if that was mischief or affection.

  I nodded for her to follow me to the back, hoping she would follow but I knew she did because her sexy floral scent wrapped around me down the hall and into my office. “Maddie, let me-,”

  “No! You be quiet because I’m talking right now.”

  Okay, so she was angry. I snapped my mouth shut and zipped it for good measure.

  “What the hell is this? You bought m
e a building and handed me divorce papers, Zeke. Talk about the king of mixed messages.” She began to pace and I wish I could say I was a better man, but the sight of her curved ass in those jeans was mighty distracting.

  “I left notes,” I added quietly and she turned to glare at me.

  “Explain yourself. Now.”

  This was it. The final part of the grand gesture Nash advised and it would determine if this conversation ended with those sweet lips on mine or her signature on those divorce papers. “Are you ready to listen.”

  Hands fisted on her hips, skin slightly flushed, she nodded.

  “I didn’t know how else to tell you that I’m in love with you Maddie. I know it’s hard to believe because I was such a gigantic ass in New York, but it’s true.” I stood and walked to her, resting my hands on her shoulders so she could see the sincerity in my eyes. “I’m sorry. So sorry, Maddie. I wish I could tell you why I did that but I can’t except that being around my family makes me crazy. Turns me into someone I hate.”

  “Zeke.” My name came out so soft it was barely above a whisper and when she cupped my cheek, rubbing her thumb along my jawline.

  “Maddie, its true. I know I don’t deserve you but I love you and I want you. I want a real life, a real marriage with you. I want you and me and Max to be a family.”

  “You mean that, Zeke?”

  “With my whole damn heart. With everything deep inside of me.” Hope shone in her deep brown eyes, shards of gold lining her eyes like lightning. “I love you Maddie Trenton.”

  She grinned. “I love you too, Zeke Riley.”

  Her words were just the band-aid I needed to make my heart whole again and I felt the tension leave my body. “Say it again.”

  She laughed. No, she giggled and it was the sweetest damn sound I’d ever heard. “I love you too, Zeke Riley.”

  I pulled away from her and went to the safe, pulling it open to retrieve the box that had been delivered by armed courier yesterday morning. “Maddie, my love, I know we did everything ass backwards. Sex before dating. Marriage before love. But now that we have all the pieces of the puzzle, what do you say we smash’em together to make our own picture of happiness?” I pulled the ring from the black box and showed off the rows of sparkling diamonds in three interlocking white gold ribbons. “It’s not technically a wedding ring but I thought it was perfect for you.”

  She gasped. “Zeke, its gorgeous.”

  “No, you’re gorgeous Maddie. This ring is just the closest thing I could find to match your perfection.”

  “I’m not perfect,” she insisted.

  “Maybe not. But your sweet curves and perfect for me. The way you hum a sexy little song when you eat is perfect for me. The way you encourage me to be better without making me feel like I’m wrong, is perfect for me. Watching you raise a little man has shown me what a real man is and I plan to spend every day until I die being that man for you.”

  “Oh, Zeke. What a beautiful thing to say!” Tears pooled in her eyes and I couldn’t help stealing a quick kiss from those plump lips.

  “It’s true, Maddie. Now put me out of my misery and say you want a life with me.”

  “I don’t want a life with you, Zeke. I want forever. Let’s smash those pieces together until we get our own version of perfect.”

  Damn I loved this woman and when she jumped into my arms and smashed her lips against mine, I knew we would find that elusive perfection everyday in a million different ways. And this kiss, both sweet and hot, was the most perfect part of my day so far. “Sweet Maddie.”

  She grinned with mischief shining in her eyes. “Sweet Maddie isn’t feeling all that sweet right now, Zeke.”

  I stepped back and locked the door. “Then let naughty Maddie show up to help us celebrate the first day of our brand new forever.”

  With a sassy smile, she tugged her shirt over her head and threw it at me. “She’s here, now what are you gonna do about it?”

  I stalked to her and picked her up in my arms, and spent the next hour showing her exactly what I planned to do about it.

  Forever.

  * * *

  THE END

  Have you read Vivi & Nash’s story yet Dear Reader?

  Check them out in the following excerpt of Accidentally Hitched!

  Preview:Accidentally Hitched

  Viviana

  The door opened and I stared, stunned, at a face I hadn’t seen in almost ten years. Same royal blue eyes, same jet black hair a little longer than it used to be, and same broad shoulders. Only now, with more muscles. “Holy sh-” I looked down at Norah. “Holy crap, Nash Boudreaux! Norah, you didn’t tell me Nash was your old man.”

  “You never asked,” she sang and wrapped an arm around her father.

  He wore a scowl that said I wasn’t welcome here, and I took a step back because I was no longer the girl who didn’t notice things she should.

  “Right. Well, it was nice to meet you, Norah.” I tossed a wave over my shoulder as I jogged down the steps, eager to get away from Nash and the feelings he evoked. Not the crush I had on him for like five seconds back in high school, but the feeling that I got just now, of being someplace you’re not wanted.

  I’d missed it with Claire, Jase, and Thad and it cost me almost a decade of my life. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. No matter what it cost.

  “Sorry, she bothered you.”

  “No bother,” I said and waved again without looking back, pumping my legs in long strides to hurry back to the safety of my own space. And there was plenty of it with two storeys plus an attic and basement, so I could get lost for days without needing to surface.

  But first, I needed a stiff drink. Ice cold.

  And maybe a shrink.

  Nash

  Holy shit. Viviana Stark. I hadn’t seen her since the night of our high school graduation party when she made a move on me, and I let her down as gently as a horny eighteen-year-old could. She’d been cool about it at the time, but she’d left for Chicago at the beginning of the summer, instead of the end like the rest of us. We were friends who traveled in the same circle, but had never been all that close. I was interested in your basic teenage boy things—sports, girls, and video games—but Viviana didn’t have enough curves back then to hold my attention.

  Now though, she had curves in all the right places. And a husky laugh and sleepy eyes that made it look like she just woke up. Fuck me, and she was my neighbor.

  “You know Viviana, Dad? That’s a pretty name. Viviana.”

  “Yeah, Peanut, we were friends in school, but I haven’t seen her since I was a kid.” And now I wouldn’t be able to get away from her, or the sight of her in that damn blue and white striped bikini top. Those tits were perfect, just a bit more than a handful and shaped like a perfect teardrop. Fuck man, I can’t get hard with my kid around.

  “I like her. She’s cool.” That was high praise coming from a girl who had purposely chased off every nanny, babysitter, and caretaker she’d ever had.

  “You hardly know her.” Still, it made me wonder what kind of job she had. A single dad could never have too many willing babysitters.

  “I know that she doesn’t talk to me like I’m a dummy, and she’s a writer. I bet you didn’t know that.”

  “I didn’t. What does she write?” I couldn’t remember what she’d been into in school, only that she’d been at the top of the class every year.

  “Books. She said they weren’t right for a girl my age.” Her tone told me exactly what she thought of that idea, but it made me wonder what dirty fantasies she put on paper. “She also said I could hang out with her anytime.”

  “That was nice of her.” And it didn’t have a damn thing to do with me. I saw the shock on her face when she realized it was me and I also saw the heat she didn’t even try to hide.

  “Yeah, but you were rude, so she might take it back.” Having your eight-year-old kid school you on manners was enough to make any parent want to kick his own ass.


  “I wasn’t rude.” Maybe a little gruff, but not rude.

  “Whatever.” Norah stomped in the house and I shook my head wondering what in the world I did in a previous life to have been cursed with a girl. Little girls were moody creatures. Emotional land mines I couldn’t navigate to save my life. And to think, she was only eight. Still a few years away from teenage hormones and already, I was flunking out of parenthood.

  “I made us something.” I knew I shouldn’t hide in my workshop all day, but my woodworking business had picked up over the past few years thanks to a table commissioned by the First Lady of Louisiana, which meant I rarely got to make anything just for me. Or for Norah.

  “Not another bookshelf, Dad.”

  “Nope, not another bookshelf,” I told her in a mocking tone that made her laugh. “A coat rack. We still need hooks and knobs, but I figured we could go shopping for them together.”

  “Okay.” She sounded like I just asked her to pave the damn driveway.

  “What’s wrong, Peanut?”

  She sighed, and I knew I just had to wait her out. Norah couldn’t keep anything to herself. If she was angry, she said it. If she was happy, she laughed and did goofy things to make everyone else happy. When she was sad, which was rare, Norah got quiet.

  “Are you not dating ‘cause of me?”

  “What? No. I’m not dating because of me. I don’t really have the energy to do all that right now.” It had been a couple years since my last real attempt at dating, and it hadn’t gone all that well. She was expecting more than I’d been planning to give, and that was that.

  “Pinky swear?”

  With a suppressed smile, I hooked my pinky with hers. “Pinky swear. Let me worry about that, you worry about being a kid.”

  “Fine. But if you wanna date, you can. I don’t mind.”

  “Good to know.” It was the first time she’d mentioned my love life, ever. Which was weird all on its own considering she hadn’t been all that fond of Stephanie and hadn’t made a secret about it. “What brought this on, Norah?”