The Marriage License For Me, The Boat For His Regret Chapter 04
The photo showed a boat. Bigger. Prettier.
And the best part—the whole thing was wrapped in magnolias. Not a single rose.
When I got home, I started packing.
Just clothes. Documents. Slowly.
Then I found the box of photos from our years together. Every one had something written on the back.
I flipped through them.
The one from Lake Tahoe: Sticking with Tess forever.
The sunrise one: Tess is better than the sunrise.
I gathered them all. Then, after a second, I dropped them in the trash.
A while later, I heard a car pull up downstairs.
It had started raining, so Nolan was home early.
The door opened, and that perfume—Kenna’s perfume—blew in with him.
I didn’t stop. Folded the last shirt.
Nolan kicked off his shoes and leaned against the bedroom doorframe, his suit jacket slung over his arm. Annoyance all over his face. “You done yet?”
His tone wasn’t mean, exactly. Just condescending.
I glanced up, zipped the suitcase, and started on the zipper pull.
My complete lack of reaction burned through whatever patience he had left.
He stormed over and yanked the suitcase away from me. Hard. The zipper let out a sharp crack. “Are you ever going to stop?”
His forehead was a knot of frustration. “I’ve got a million things going on at work right now. I’m swamped.”
“The boat christening, Grandma’s party—you’ve been cold the whole time. You want everyone to laugh at me?”
You’re not that busy. You had time to comfort Kenna.
And trust me, they’re not laughing at you. They’re laughing at me.
“I haven’t been cold.”
He grabbed my wrist, like he was doing me a favor by throwing me a bone.
“I know you’re upset. But it’s just a boat. Some jewelry. Small stuff.”
Everything about me is small stuff. Everything about Kenna is a big deal.
I looked at him and remembered what he’d said in that group chat.
Tessa’s easy. She’s obsessed with me. She’d never actually leave.
“Listen,” he said, leaning in close to my ear, offering what he thought was the ultimate prize. “Kenna and I are going on a business trip tomorrow.”
“When I get back, I’ll find time for us to get the license.”
“You’ve waited seven years for that piece of paper. I’m giving it to you.”
He said it like he was doing me the biggest favor of my life.
In his head, he could give away the wedding skiff. Give away all his attention and exceptions to Kenna.
But that cold, legal document? That was my destiny.
I looked at him and laughed.
Seven years. And it all rotted on that rose-covered skiff that was never really mine.
Nolan saw me laugh and assumed I was over it. His whole body relaxed.
“See? Happy now? Stay home and be good.”
He started walking out, already pulling out his phone. “I need to video chat with Kenna, get ready for tomorrow…”
I cut him off. “Nolan, tomorrow I’m going back to Riverbend. I need to—”
His phone rang.
He held up a hand to silence me. “Kenna? What’s wrong?”
Her voice was shaky on the other end.
“Don’t be scared. I’m on my way.”
He hung up, pulling on his jacket as he talked to me. “It’s storming. Kenna’s terrified of thunder. I’m going over there.”
“We’ll talk later.”
Then he was gone.
The words getting married died in my throat.
…
Nolan rushed out. On the way, his phone buzzed a few times.
He snorted, thinking it was me. Figured I was already getting needy because he’d agreed to the license.
When he got to Kenna’s building, he checked his phone. It wasn’t me. [Nolan, don’t forget Reid Sullivan’s wedding next week.]
Then a photo of the invitation.
The second he saw the details, his hand froze on the car door.