The Right Mistake

by A. M. Guilliams

  In the back corner, we found one lone table. This just kept getting better and better.

  Gage made sure he followed closely behind me with his hand on the small of my back. I couldn’t contain the shivers that went through my body from the heat of his touch alone.

  What the hell was happening?

  My body and mind were betraying me at every turn in the short time I’d been in the presence of this man. These feelings were unchartered territory for me, and a sudden overwhelming urge to flee came over me. I had to push down the emotions because I couldn’t and wouldn’t ruin this night for Lizzie.

  We sat down at the table. Lizzie and Maddie were in the back two chairs, leaving me and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome to sit next to each other across from them. They were going to embarrass me. The smirks on each of their faces clued me in, especially when their smiles grew wider at the sight of Gage placing his arm on the back of my chair.

  “Ladies, you were about to tell me what the beautiful woman beside me did that was so shocking I believe.”

  That was the third time he’d called me beautiful in the past thirty minutes. I was trying to decide if it was overkill or if he was simply that charming.

  “You see, Miss Goody Two Shoes over there made a bet with dear Lizzie here that she’d kiss a stranger. She’s never even kissed someone in front of us, let alone a crowd full of people. Neither of us thought she’d do it,” Madeline confessed with laughter in her tone.

  “You were both in on it? I thought Lizzie made that up on the fly,” I gasped, shocked that they both were in on the bet.

  “Why do you think we didn’t stop you when you set off in the direction of the bar. We thought you’d make up an excuse to leave. Instead you shocked the both of us,” Lizzie decided to chime in on the conversation.

  I wanted to be mad at them.

  Should be pissed that my two best friends had such little faith in me.

  But I couldn’t be. I got to experience the best kiss of my life thanks to them. I’d keep the memory of his lips on mine for a lifetime.

  “So, I was just a bet? I feel like I should feel like a piece of meat,” Gage stated, and I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. I never meant to make him feel that way.

  “But,” I started to say, but he turned faster than the blink of an eye in my direction and placed his finger over my mouth.

  He leaned closer to me. So, close I could feel his breath on my cheek as he moved back the hair that was over my ear.

  “No buts. That was the most amazing kiss of my life. You’re not about to regret it because I’m not,” he whispered, and again I shivered. This time over the way his breath caressed my ear as he spoke so seductively. I could feel my panties growing wet at just the thought of what he could do with his mouth. My cheeks grew red as the thought crossed my mind. What was it about him that caused me to react this way?

  “Whatever he just said to you, I want some of that. The color of your cheeks is enough to make me blush,” Madeline said from across the table.

  “Yeah. Now I need another drink with just watching the way you two gravitate to each other,” Lizzie readily agreed as she and Madeline stood from the table.

  They couldn’t leave me alone with him. They just couldn’t.

  My brain screamed for me to run.

  My body screamed for me to stay.

  “Are you okay? You seem flustered,” he asked after Lizzie and Madeline set off for more alcohol.

  No, I wasn’t okay. I needed a drink. Stat.

  “I’m good. Just need another shot,” I admitted as I fidgeted with my hands under the table. The girls would have a field day with seeing me this way. Hand fidgeting was my telltale sign of anxiousness, so I tried to keep it hidden.

  “Liquid courage?” he questioned as he took another swig of his beer. Seeing his lips around the tip of that bottle brought images to my mind of his mouth on me, and I had to turn away.

  It had to be the alcohol.

  That was the only explanation.

  I didn’t act this way.

  So, wanton. So, sexual. Yet, here I was, getting turned on at the mere sight of a man. What the ever-loving hell?

  “Something like that.”

  “Does that mean I’ll get another kiss out of the deal?” he questioned, sliding the chair so close that our legs now touched under the table.

  Abort.

  Abort.

  My brain screamed.

  Yet, I stayed.

  “What makes you sound so sure of yourself? That was a one-time deal.” I tried to sound convincing, but his smile alone let me know he didn’t buy anything I just said.

  I wouldn’t have either.

  I meant none of it.

  Truth of the matter was, I liked feeling like this. I felt like a woman. I felt free. I felt alive. I felt wanted in a crazy way when he looked at me like he wanted another taste.

  But I felt conflicted.

  Should I allow him to stay and ruin our girls’ night out?

  Should I go along for the ride and see where the night led?

  There was no harm in a one-night stand. It didn’t make me a slut. Only I could judge my actions. No one else.

  “Shots all the way around,” Madeline screamed as they approached with a tray full of drinks. I’d need the comfort of alcohol to go along with this plan. There was no way I could allow myself to walk away from someone who made me feel so alive with just one look. If I only had one night, I’d take whatever I could get and go home with the memory of the craziest night of my life.

  What happened in Vegas supposedly stayed in Vegas after all. Right?

  Chapter 2

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re getting married and have never even seen a wedding?” I joked as I sat back in my chair in shock. How did I not know this about my best friend? She’s getting married in two weeks, and I’ve known her for what felt like forever and never knew.

  My head was all fuzzy, and my body felt freer than it ever had.

  That was what was so great about alcohol. I lost all my inhibitions and this need to be Miss Prim and Proper. My parents always made sure I was that girl. The good grades, the perfect attire, the excellent manners. If my mother only knew how many times I said the word fuck in my head, she’d be ashamed of me.

  “It’s not funny. I’ve never been to a wedding. What’s the big deal?” Lizzie questioned as she sipped on the shot in front of her.

  We’d all consumed our fair share of drinks. The table was now filled with empty glasses and bottles of beer. I’d lost count after the fifth order of drinks on how much we’d consumed.

  What was even more shocking, though. Was that Gage still sat beside me with his arm on the back of my chair. Looking sexier and sexier by the minute. He’d made me blush more times than I could remember. And each time Madeline and Lizzie looked at each other then back at me like they knew something I didn’t. If only they’d clue me in on a detail I’d yet to figure out.

  “We need to remedy this situation. Right away. Hell, we’re in Vegas after all. We can go to one of those wedding chapels. You can see a wedding. Easy peasy,” I insisted as I tried to stand. My legs were wobbly at first, but I quickly gained my footing without any help at all.

  The girls giggled as they finished the shots in front of them.

  Gage graciously paid both of our tabs even though I insisted he’d let me pay. Damn that man and his pushy ways.

  Lizzie and Madeline were frantically searching for something on their phones. I tried to sneak a peek, but couldn’t. I had to focus far too much on not falling over as we walked through the crowd of people to the exit.

  A cool breeze hit my face as we made our way through the door to leave.

  I hadn’t realized I’d gotten so hot while we were inside until the coolness hit me. It felt refreshing. Like I couldn’t get enough.

  Gage brought his hand down to mine and linked our fingers together. I looked over at him as I tried to hide the stumble of my feet.


  “Woah there, beautiful. Don’t go falling all over me now,” he laughed as he moved his body closer to mine to ensure I wouldn’t fall.

  “That’s what I get for sitting down and drinking. It all went to my head when I stood,” I confessed to this sexy stranger.

  “What are those two doing up there?” I questioned, seeing Lizzie with her phone now up to her ear and talking in a hushed manner.

  “Who knows. They’re your friends. What do you think they’re up to?”

  “Trouble.”

  Somehow my gut told me that I’d be the brunt of another one of their jokes.

  Hopefully, I could handle whatever those two threw my way. I wanted to make sure Lizzie had the time of her life. Even if that meant I had to take a walk on the wild side. Lord, help me.

  “There’s a chapel a couple blocks away. Only downside is they don’t have any weddings scheduled,” Lizzie informed the group after she waited for Gage and me to catch up.

  “Okay, let’s just YouTube it. Easy peasy,” I suggested.

  “She needs to see it live. Not from some damn video.”

  “I don’t want to walk or ride miles around Vegas,” I admitted. This was an insane idea from the start. And my feet were already killing me.

  “They did inform me the ins and outs of getting married in Vegas, though. Get a license and walk in. Married in less than a half hour.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked, reluctant to hear the answer.

  “You two wanna get fake married today?” Madeline asked.

  “No way in hell that’s happening. We don’t know each other for one. For two, there’s no fake to getting married,” I all but screamed in response to her insane idea.

  “All you have to do is get the license, say ‘I do’, then tell them you don’t want them to send in the license, that you’ll do it yourself. That simple. You don’t have to send it in for filing. You’ll never be married for real.”

  A lot could go wrong with that plan. Lizzie stuck her lip out in a pout and put her hands in front of her face in a praying stance. She really wanted us to go through with this. The idea alone was one of the craziest they’d come up with to date.

  “I’m in. What harm could it do? Fake married. I’m down,” Gage said in response to their antics.

  “What do you say, Av? You down for getting fake married too?” Madeline asked.

  All eyes were on me for this decision.

  My eyes frantically searched each of theirs for help. None came. They were all down. It was up to me now.

  Fuck it. Walk on the wild side. This was the wildest, stupidest thing I’d ever do. You only live once.

  Shit. Did I just YOLO it?

  “Fuck it. Let’s do it. Let’s get fake married, Gage,” I announced.

  This couldn’t backfire.

  I had the life I wanted back home. The way I wanted it. Nothing could interrupt that.

  “Anything to get my lips back on yours,” Gage whispered after he threw his arm over my shoulder, and we walked the two blocks to get our marriage license. I’d sobered up tremendously in the past few minutes. I was about to get fake married to a man who could’ve easily been the man of my dreams. What could possibly go wrong in this situation?

  Chapter 3

  The license was easy enough to obtain. Show our driver’s license. Fill out a form. Get it signed. Bam. Who would’ve thought.

  My hands started to feel clammy as we waited for the crosswalk sign to turn so we could cross the street. The wedding chapel was directly across the street. How convenient. They probably made thousands on the daily there.

  A lovely young woman greeted us once the four of us walked through the door. She was awfully chipper for it to almost be eleven at night.

  “How can I help you today?” she asked when we made it to the counter. Gage and I stood in front of her with Lizzie and Maddie standing directly behind us.

  A frog was in my throat. I couldn’t make out the words as the nervousness hit me full force. So many things could go wrong.

  “We’re here to get married,” Gage spoke for us as he hugged me from the side, giving the woman the illusion we were a happy couple. A forced smile appeared on my face as I stood there, still speechless.

  “How would you like the ceremony to go?”

  This was where my silence broke. I didn’t need lavish. This wasn’t real after all.

  “Simple,” Gage and I spoke at the same time.

  “We have both witnesses here as well. Short, sweet, and to the point will do,” I spoke. No need to drag something on when the words that were spoken would mean nothing.

  “Would you like a picture and video package to commemorate your nuptials?”

  “No. That won’t be necessary. Our friends can grab some snap shots,” I said in a short tone. What part of short, sweet, and to the point did this lady not get? She probably already thought we were crazy.

  “Just fill this out and hand me your license. I’ll get the officiant and we can get you two married.”

  She gave Gage a price, and he handed over a platinum credit card to pay for the services. I’d make sure to reimburse him for this madness later.

  She handed the clipboard to Gage and left the counter. I was thankful for the reprieve. I was sure this was all necessary in her line of work, but being here made me feel jittery and like a fake. Hell, we were being as fake as fake could get.

  We all sat in the chairs in the lobby, and I sat close to Gage so they wouldn’t get suspicious when he didn’t know the answers.

  In no time at all, the paperwork was filled and signed by both of us, and we sat back to wait for the receptionist to call us back.

  “If you’re ready, you can head back with me to the chapel,” the receptionist spoke while I was in a daze and caused me to jump.

  This wasn’t how I pictured my first wedding would go.

  Not in a million years did I ever picture technically marrying someone I didn’t even know. The things I did for my friends. They would owe me after this.

  We walked into a gorgeous chapel that had low lighting to set the romantic mood. The floor was lined with a red carpet, and beautiful white and red roses filled the ends of each pew as we walked toward where the officiant waited for us.

  “Good evening, Gage and Avery. I hear you two are ready to tie the knot. How about we get this show on the road so we can get you two out of here to celebrate?” the middle-aged man spoke. He was short in stature and had a gray tinted beard covering the bottom half of his face. He was probably in his late fifties if I had to guess.

  “That sounds good to us,” Gage spoke for both of us.

  He stood on the right and I on the left of the officiant as we waited for the ceremony to begin.

  Maddie and Lizzie stood back near where the first pew was stationed as they watched me make the craziest decision of my life.

  “Do you, Gage Rivers, take this woman to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health for the rest of your life?”

  He stared deeply into my eyes as he took my hands within his own.

  From the outside looking in, anyone would’ve believed that this man only had eyes for me. Hell, I’d almost believed it myself with the emotions he’d evoked within me with just this look alone.

  “I do,” he spoke with a beautiful smile, making my legs feel weak at the knees.

  “Do you, Avery Hamilton, take this man to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health for the rest of your life?”

  Could I say those two magical words when they meant nothing?

  This wasn’t right.

  No one should do this and not mean it.

  But I’d come this far. There was no backing out now.

  God, please forgive me.

  “I do,” I whispered as I looked into the panty-melting eyes of Gage Rivers.

  If only we’d met under different circumstances.

  I could see myself falling
for a man just like him.

  For real. Not fake.

  “Do you have rings?”

  “Not at this time. We did this on the spur of the moment. But trust me, she’ll have a ring totally suitable for her in no time at all.”

  Man, he was good at this acting stuff.

  “Well then. By the power vested in me and the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your beautiful bride.”

  He stepped closer, until our chests touched. Letting go of my hands, he framed my face with his. The combination from the warmth of his touch, the electrical current that his touch alone caused, and the heat from his eyes, I was lost in sensation and emotion.

  Ever so slowly, he brought his lips down to mine.

  The kiss of all kisses. So, gentle yet so rough at the same time. Our mouths interlocked in a frenzied passion that only he could provide. The scruff of his beard rough on my face as he took my lips within his own.

  Without warning, he pulled away.

  My body instantly followed his before I could even open my eyes.

  Damn him.

  We were in public, and I’d lost all sense when he kissed me and made me forget where we even were.

  Maddie and Lizzie both cheered from behind us as I took a silent moment to regain my composure.

  Wow. He could kiss. I’d dream about his lips for some time to come.

  No other lips would ever compare. Have ever compared to those of Gage Rivers.

  The only thing I knew about him. His name.

  How could that be when I just professed to love him forever before God.

  Life had a funny way of throwing in curve balls when you least expected them.

  She could throw me as many as she wanted if they came in the form of his sexy ass.

  Chapter 4

  I was still in the haze from our kiss when I vaguely heard Gage thank them for their services.

  Hand in hand, we left the chapel. It felt like I was almost running behind Gage to keep up. He was on a mission. One I so desperately wanted to seek with him as well.