KEELY STOOD outside the judge's chambers, clutching the small bouquet of white roses and trying to calm herself. She hadn't expected to be so nervous. The decision to marry Rafe had been easy to make. She just hadn't realized the impact of that decision until this very moment. In less than an hour, she was going to be Mrs. Rafe Kendrick. Her stomach lurched and a wave of nausea washed over her. 'Oh, God,' she murmured.
'What's wrong?' Rafe asked. He sat calmly on a wooden bench, watching her pace back and forth in front of him.
'Nothing,' Keely said.
'You look a little pale.'
'I'm fine,' she insisted.
He reached for her hand. 'Sweetheart, why don't you sit down and relax? It's going to be a little while.'
'Relax?' Keely asked, trying to keep the hysterical edge from her voice. 'It's my wedding day. How can I relax?' She stared at him shrewdly. 'And why aren't you nervous? You're the groom. Aren't you supposed to be having second thoughts right about now?
Rafe pulled her down to sit next to him on the bench. 'No, I'm not nervous. I'm marrying the woman I love today. Why would I have second thoughts?'
'Because that's what grooms do!' Keely said. Another surge of nausea overwhelmed her and she pressed her fingertips to her lips. 'Oh, God.'
Rafe cursed softly, then slipped his hand over her nape and gently pushed her head down. 'Breathe,' he said. He chuckled softly.
'What's so funny?' Keely asked.
'Isn't this where we started? It has a perfect kind of symmetry, doesn't it?' Keely groaned and Rafe gently rubbed her back. 'If you don't want to go through with this today, we can always come back another time. The license is good for three months.'
Maybe they had rushed into this a little too impulsively. Keely had always struggled with her impetuous nature, that dominant gene that she now knew came from the Quinn side of the family. How many tales had she heard in the past few weeks about all the dangerous and reckless things her brothers had done? And here she was, following suit.
But this was marriage, the biggest decision of her life. Maybe she should have taken a little more time in planning a real wedding, given herself a chance to get used to the idea of happily ever after. 'Do
Rafe tipped her chin up until her gaze met his. 'I want whatever you want, Keely. I get the feeling I may have pushed you a little too hard for this. Maybe we should wait until you've told your parents. They really should be here.'
'Well, now is a fine time to start backtracking,' she muttered, plucking at the pearl-encrusted jacket that covered her sheath dress. 'I bought this new dress, you've got a surprise honeymoon planned, I-'
'You'll save the dress and we'll freeze the cake and take a vacation instead of a honeymoon. But that's not going to change my feelings for you. I love you and I'm willing to wait if that's what you decide.'
'No,' she said, sitting up. She drew a deep breath. 'I'm ready. There's no reason to wait.'
'You don't want your mother to attend the ceremony and your father to walk you down the aisle?'
She had always dreamed of the fairy-tale wedding-the beautiful white gown and the flower-bedecked church, her friends and family all gathered around and the bridal march swelling from the organ as she walked down the aisle. 'They've made that impossible,' she said. 'And I've accepted that.'
The door to the judge's chambers opened and his clerk stepped out. 'Kendrick-Quinn marriage. You're next.'
Keely quickly stood up and smoothed her skirt, fighting back her nerves. Rafe rose, then took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. Then he looked up and down the hall. 'I guess this is it,' he said.
They stepped inside and found Judge Williams waiting for them. He shook Rafe's hand, then introduced himself to Keely. 'Well, here we are. Why don't we step into my office? Do you have witnesses?'
Rafe glanced at Keely. 'We did. She should be here any minute. I don't know what's keeping Sylvie.'
'Your clerk can be a witness, can't she?' Keely asked. 'Or we could just go out into the hall and find someone?'
'We can do that if you like,' the judge replied. 'Or we can wait for a few more minutes. I'm not due back in court for another fifteen minutes. The ceremony only takes three or four.'
Keely swallowed hard. The most important event in her life reduced to three or four minutes. Somehow she'd expected it to be so much more…grandiose, more dignified. She drew in a sharp breath. But this was what it was! And now that she'd decided to marry Rafe, she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way. Not even an absent witness. 'No, I'd rather proceed.'
Judge Williams nodded to his clerk and she returned a few moments later with an elderly couple. She introduced them as the Swansons, married fifty-two years. The couple took their place at the rear of the judge's office and waited. The judge opened a small book. 'Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of these witnesses to join this man and this woman in matrimony.'
Keely tried to listen to the words of the ceremony, but everything seemed to be happening so fast. She wanted to ask the judge to slow down, or even to stop, to give her time to absorb the whole experience. Was this what all brides went through, this odd surreal feeling, as if the wedding was happening to someone else?
'Is there anyone here who can show just cause why these two people should not be married?' The judge smiled, then looked over to the Swansons. They shook their heads. 'I didn't think so.'
Suddenly, the door to the judge's chambers burst open and Conor Quinn strode inside. 'I object to this wedding,' he said. 'Am I too late?' Dylan followed him through the door, dressed in his BFD uniform, followed by the twins, then Liam and finally Brendan.
The judge's assistant rushed in behind them all, flustered. 'I'm sorry, Judge Williams. I couldn't stop them.'
'We object to this wedding,' Brendan shouted. He turned to Conor. 'Or did you already object?'
Judge Williams frowned, then turned his attention back to Keely and Rafe. 'They're objecting.'
'Go on,' Keely whispered. 'Don't listen to them. They're just my brothers. We knew they'd object, that's why we didn't invite them to the wedding.'
'I'm afraid I'm compelled to listen to them,' the judge said. He cleared his throat. 'Under what grounds do you object?'
'Under the grounds that I don't think my sister should get married today,' Conor said.
'I agree.' Keely's brothers turned around, then slowly stepped aside as Fiona walked into the office. 'I don't think this is a good idea, Keely.'
Seamus followed her inside and added his two cents. 'I agree.'
Keely cursed softly. 'What are you all doing here? How did you know where to find us?'
'I called your mother last night,' Rafe admitted. 'And I had Sylvie call Seamus and your brothers about an hour ago and extend an invitation.'
Keely gasped, staring at him in shock. 'Why would you do something like that?' She hit him with her bouquet, sending flower petals showering to the floor. 'Why would you purposely try to ruin our wedding?'
'Because they're your family, Keely, and they should be here, objections or not.'
'But they don't want us to get married,' Keely cried. 'Not today. Not ever.'
Rafe shrugged. 'I think they deserve to know that we've decided to get married. I don't want to get married in secret, Keely. We've been living like that ever since I proposed. We're going to start living our lives out in the open now so we should do it right from the start.'
She stared up into his gaze for a long moment. He had a point. This was no way to start a marriage, sneaking off without letting anyone know. She was happy to be marrying Rafe and she wanted everyone to know. Keely drew a ragged breath, then turned to her family. 'Thank you all for coming. I can understand why you've tried to stop our wedding, but it's not going to do any good. I'm going to marry Rafe. I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Now, either you can accept that and accept him, or you'll be seeing a lot less of me. It's your decision.' Keely grabbed Rafe's hand and gave it a squeeze. 'If you support our decision, you're welcome to stay for the rest of the ceremony. If you don't, you're welcome to leave.'
