Page 59 of Glorious Ruin
A heavy wave of disappointment settled in my chest. These were myheroes. The men I had admired growing up. But right now, they were relics stuck in the past. They were so focused on the business part, they forgot about the people inside it.
“I’m going home,” Silas muttered in an icy tone that could send a penguin running before he turned on his heel and walked out. “I need to sleep. I can’t listen to this.”
I stood in the living room for a few seconds after he left, watching Maverick and Scott. Both were good men, good fighters, but they were wrong. They were so busy trying to protect their legacy that neither could see Silas was drowning.
I walked out of Mavericks’, but instead of heading back to our place, I headed down the road toward Scott’s house. I knew Jayme wasn’t home. She’d mentioned an early morning grocery run at dinner last night, and Scott was staying behind to talk to Mav.
“JOSIE! CADENCE! OPEN UP!” I yelled at the top floor windows instead of knocking.
Josie’s window slid open, her head popping out with a furrowed brow. “Cal? What are you doing? It’s ungodly early.”
Cadence’s window opened right next to it with a slam. “Did someone die? Why are you shouting?”
“How quick can you two get ready?” I asked, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
Josie leaned against the windowsill, her eyes narrowing. “Depends. What’s in it for us?”
“Coffee and a trip into Wilmington,” I said.
“Why?” Cadence asked.
“Because I need witnesses,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m taking Silas to the courthouse. We’re doing this. Right now.”
The silence that followed lasted exactly half a heartbeat before both windows slammed shut. The muffled sound of footsteps thundered across the floor upstairs, and a handful of minutes later the front door flew open. The twins were a tornado of denim and oversized T-shirts, their hair thrown up in messy buns, all while grinning from ear to ear with a chaotic teenage-like energy.
“You’re serious?” Josie panted as she grabbed her sneakers off the porch.
“Dead serious.” Tossing my car keys to Cadence, I continued. “Go start the truck. Don’t hit the gate. I’m going to get Silas.”
I ran back to our house, burst through the front door, and headed straight for the bedroom. Silas was face down on the bed, head buried in the pillow like it was his shield. Grabbing our birth certificates and social security cards from the nightstand and shoving them into my pocket, I spun on him.
“Get up,” I said, grabbing his arm.
“Cal, what are you doing?” His voice was muffled by the pillow as he pressed his face deeper against my hold.
“We’re leaving. Don’t ask questions. Just come with me.”
“Cal, I’m in my pajamas!”
“I don’t care if you’re in a tutu.” I dragged him toward the door. “We’re going.”
We piled into the truck, the twins already restless and vibrating in the back seat. Silas climbed in the passenger seat, his eyes rapidly flickering between me and the twins as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Where are we going? Why are Josie and Cadence in the truck?
“Shut up and drive,” Cadence ordered from the back.
The drive into Wilmington was silent save for the whispering from the back seat. When we pulled up in front of the New Hanover County Courthouse, the gravity of the situation began to finally hit him. His head swivelled, moving between the building and me so fast I thought it might fly off.
“Cal…are we…?”
“We’re done hiding, Si.” I reached across the console to cup his jaw. “Presley wants a professional image? Fine. Let’s give him one. A married one. I’m not spending another second of my life pretending you aren’t mine.”
Silas’s breath hitched. “But…I wanted to give you a real wedding. I wanted you to have the flowers and the suit and the family—”
“I have everything I want right here. This is all I’ve ever wanted. You, me, and a piece of paper that says the world can’t separate us,” I whispered before leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his temple.
Silas let out a choked sob and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
