Taylor answered, “Yes, Sir. We do.”

He smiled, then looked at Jude. She returned a sweet smile, and squeezed his hand. “Yes. I very much want to marry him.”

“Very good. I reviewed your papers. Are you ready, Taylor and Judith?”

“We are,” they answered together.

“Repeat after me.” He went through the civil ceremony vows they had chosen.

Facing each other with their hands held tightly together, Jude looked into the eyes she fell in love with, the ones that held hope and possibility, an impossible sexiness. “I, Judith Ann Boehler, take you, Taylor Hazel Barrett, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward through sorrow and joy, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.”

The justice reassured her with a nod, then turned his attention to Taylor and repeated the vows that Taylor had memorized already. He faced Jude. “I, Taylor Davis Barrett, take you, Judith Jude Boehler, to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward though sorrow and joy, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.”

“By the power granted me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now’s a good time to kiss her, again.”

Jude stared into her own forever, her heart racing, and her chest swelling with love. Taylor cupped Jude’s face and leaned down to her. When their lips were almost touching, her eyes closed, and he whispered, “I will always love you, Jude, and I will always protect you,” and he kissed her.

“YOU’RE A BARRETT now.”

“Shh. I’m not sure what to make of that yet.”

Taylor’s pursed lips slid to the side, and then he said, “So it’s not a good thing?”

“It’s a wonderful thing, but now there are two of us we have to save from a certain fate.”

“Ohh, like attending charity events to be seen, instead of for the cause?”

“Precisely. And as a Barrett, I will never abandon the love for my husband to make an impression on strangers to gain social standing.”

Taylor added, “As a Barrett, you will not only make the world a better place, but my world a better place.”

She smiled, her happiness brighter than the sun. She touched him, not able to not touch him. “I will always be here for you. I promise, as a Barrett.”

He took her hand and kissed each finger. “You already did that as a Boehler.”

“Maybe Barrett is just Boehler 2.0, a better version.”

“I think you were pretty spectacular already.”

“Charmer.”

“You know it.”

An hour later, Taylor was sitting at the bar, watching Jude as she made omelets. “Why do you have to go today?”

“I don’t. But I want to get it over with.” With the spatula pressing down on the eggs in the pan, she turned to look at him. “I’m nervous and my stomach’s upset over this. I just want to get it over with.” Focusing on the food, she turned off the stove, plated their lunch, and joined him.

His hand rubbed her back and brought her closer for a kiss. “You know you don’t have to cook for me all the time.”

“I like to cook for you.”

“I appreciate it. I just want you to know—”

“Eat before it gets cold.”

He took a bite and chewed, savoring the taste. After he swallowed, he asked, “You’re not going to eat?”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

Taylor set his fork down and rubbed his hands through his hair, then turned his body toward her. “Look, I’ll go with you. It will be easier with both of us there.”

Picking up her fork and knife, she cut a small bite, but right before she ate it, she paused to think through her plans. She needed him safe and if that meant staying here, she would make sure he stayed. “It’s our wedding day. Let’s not ruin it with talk about this. I’ll go tomorrow or the next. There’s no hurry. We’re married now. There’s nothing they can do to hurt me anymore.”

They spent the afternoon between the sheets, marrying their bodies. As they lay on their backs, trying to catch their breath, Jude rolled over and smiled. “I feel like I’ve been let in on a great secret and now I want to tell everyone.”

Taylor smiled despite how exhausted he was. Peeking over at her, he asked, “Are you going to share your secret with me?”

“You’re the one who shared it with me, my love.”

Reaching over, he rubbed her thigh, his fingertips dipping between her legs. “And what’s that?”

She closed her eyes, her body relaxing under his touch. “Sex.” She wriggled so his fingers were closer to where she wanted them. “It’s the greatest secret of all. I can’t believe I waited so long to feel this good.”

His hand stopped moving and his brow furrowed. “Hey, hey now. Let’s not go that far.”

Touching his cheek, she laughed. “I don’t mean it like that. I just mean it feels so amazing. You feel amazing and you will be the only one I will ever feel this way with. That’s even more powerful than the orgasms you give me. And those are pretty damn amazing.”

He made her feel so good that she wanted more of every sensation, every kiss they shared, and every touch that bonded them in ways a piece of paper never could. Soon she was astride him seeking more of everything this secret revealed. And with each round of love they made, they felt even more sure of their decision to wed..

By evening, they were dressed in their wedding clothes again. After stopping to kiss and grope twice in the apartment, once in the hall, in the elevator, and twice in the small lobby, they almost threw their plans out the window completely, wanting to go back upstairs. If not for Taylor’s insistence, they would have. “I’ve definitely created a sex monster.”

“Are you complaining?” she teased, poking him in the side.

“Nope. Not one bit.”

“What about regrets? Got any?”

“Nope,” he said again. “Not one.”

She slipped under his arm and said, “Good, because we’ve consummated our marriage, so there’s no backing out now.”

“When I make a promise. I keep it.”

“I never had a doubt.”

With his arm over her shoulders, he walked proudly through the lobby, introducing Jude as his wife to the doorman. Many congrats were had as he hailed them a cab.

In the cab, she practically sat on his lap. She just couldn’t bear any distance. “This is what cloud nine feels like,” she said cheerfully.

“I’ve always wondered what clouds one through eight were like. They get the shaft.”

“I reckon a lot like the nine circles of Hell. But now we’re rewarded for surviving our pasts.”

Taylor kissed her on the head, and nodded. “Rewarded for surviving.”

Over dinner, as they sat at a table for two in the corner of a chic restaurant, they admired the beauty of Central Park. When turning back to Hazel, she noted that the park held nothing in comparison to his eyes. It’s what first drew her to him. That and how handsome he was.

“Sometimes the way you look at me,” he started, “you look at me like I’m special.”

“You are. You’re special. You’re kind. You’re loving.” She lowered her voice so the neighboring patrons couldn’t hear her. “You’re sexy and so giving in bed. I may not have been with others, but I know that you wanting to please me is special.”

“Pleasing you, dear Jude, is a completely selfish act.”

She blushed and sighed dreamily to herself. Lucky. She was very lucky. The waiter came to the table and said, “Congratulations on your wedding. Compliments of the chef.” He set down a mini chocolate cake and refilled their champagne glasses.

Taylor said, “Thank you.”

Then the waiter set a box down in front of Jude, and smiled. “This is compliments of your husband.”

Now she really blushed. Looking at her husband in awe with love and all of cloud nine in her eyes, she felt amazed this was real. He smiled. The waiter left and she took the box and opened it, not shy at all anymore. “You’re very sneaky, Mr. Barrett.”