Chapter 6
Brynn gawkes at Dominic behind the wheel, her jaw practically on the floor
“You Here?” she blunted, frozen in place.
He didn’t say anything. He Just stretched a long arm over, popped the passenger door open, and gave her a nod
“Hop in,” he said, cool and calm;
Brynn glanced around–yeah, standing on the curls wasn’t the vibe for this char. She slid in, shut the door, and waited till the engine purred before pushing again.
“Didn’t you say you had stuff going on?” She shot him a look, eyebrow up
Dominic flicked his gaze her way, then back to the road, “Yeah, I did. But then I figured there’s something bigger I haven’t dealt with.”
“Like what?” Brynn scrunched her face, totally lost.
“Making it official.” He swung the car around a corner, tossing it out like it was no big deal–like he was asking for the remote Brynn went stiff, brain spinning.
Official? Her mind kicked into overdrive–he was moving fast, like he thought she’d bail if he didn’t seal the deal quick.
She snuck a glance at him. Sharp jaw, way hotter than Chase’s lame self.
She gave a tiny mental shrug. Guy like him? Probably had chicks lined up around the block.
‘So why the hurry with me? A weird little thought slipped in, and she couldn’t shake it
“Mr. Johnson…” She paused, then went for it, voice careful. “You don’t, uh… have some kind of issue, do you?”
“SCREECH. The tires screamed against the road.
Dominic slammed the brakes, the car jolting hard enough to rattle her teeth.
Brynn pitched forward, the seatbelt yanking her back before she face–planted the dash.
She gripped the seat, staring at him, eyes huge. ‘Oh crap, did I guess right? That reaction was wild.
“I’m good,” he said, half–laughing, half–annoyed, turning to her. “Didn’t see that coming from you.”
He shook his head, still chuckling–lucky he hadn’t punched the gas instead
The car was stopped dead in the street, so he eased it over to the curb, then leaned her way.
Brynn flinched, shrinking back into the corner as he got closer, boxing her in against the seat with no escape.
“What–what’re you doing?” she stuttered, eyeballing the guy now way too close. Her heart was pounding, voice wobbly.
She was worried he was mad because her words had poked his sore spot
“Questioning me?” Dominic raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Guess you’ll see tonight, young lady–find out if I can handle it…
Or if YOU can handle it.”
His breath hit her ear as he talked, and a blush shot up from her neck to her cheeks.
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Chapter 6
She tugged at her collar, flustered, fingers gripping it like he might try something right there in the front seat,
Seeing her freak out, Dominic’s grin got bigger. Happy with that, he pulled back, settling into his spot.
“Chill. I’m not that hard up to prove myself,” he teased, starting the car again. “Real talk, it’s not just me pushing this. My family’s been on my case to settle down.”
The car rolled back into traffic, and he kept going. “But there’s more–my daughter needs a mom, like, yesterday.”
Brynn’s head snapped around so fast she almost stapped her neck.
Her jaw dropped, eyes bugging out,
“You’ve got a daughter?” she asked, voice shooting up in shock.
Dominic gave a chill nod. “Yeah. So if you’re rethinking this, now’s your shot to back out.”
Brynn went quiet, staring at her hands, her mind spinning.
She hadn’t bargained on stepping into mom duties right after jumping into this crazy marriage.
Her forehead wrinkled. But then she flashed back to the past hour–Chase, her mom, the whole Everett disaster–and bit her lip. Her gaze turned sharp.
“Nah, I’m good,” she said, voice hard and sure. “Let’s do this–County Clerk’s Office, right now.”
She’d already made up her mind to torch every tie to the Everetts and Chase.
No second–guessing now. Her fists balled up tight.
Dominic’s mouth quirked into a small smirk.
“Cool,” he said, hitting the gas toward the Clerk’s Office.
Fifteen minutes later, Brynn stood at the entrance, blinking at the dead–empty lobby.
“I knew nobody’s getting married these days, but damn–this is depressing,” she mumbled, scoping the place out.
It was a total ghost town–just her and Dominic, not a single other person around.
She frowned, grumbling under her breath, “Big fancy office, and it’s quieter than a graveyard.”
What Brynn didn’t catch? The whole building had been emptied out on purpose.
She stood there, oblivious, while the Clerk’s Office director sat behind the counter, stealing looks at them.
His hands clamped the chair arms, practically buzzing with nerves and excitement.
He couldn’t believe his luck–he was the first guy in Oceanfront to see the President up close. Not even the mayor could flex that.
He puffed out his chest a little, feeling smug as hell.
As Dominic and Brynn walked up, the director took a couple deep breaths, smoothing his face into something official.
He needed to look sharp for the President, he told himself. He snuck a glance at Brynn. Oh, and the First Lady.
First guy in Oceanfront to get a good look at her? Yup.
15:13 Tue, 8 Apr
Chapter 6
And now he was about to handle the marriage license for President Johnson and the First Lady himself.
His ego ballooned. Nail this, and he’d be golden–career skyrocketing.
A grin crept onto his face, and by the time they got to him, he was full–on beaming, showing off a cheesy row of teeth. Brynn clocked him–a middle–aged guy, dressed like he slept in a suit–and shook her head.
Yikes. Marriage is so dead even the paper–pushers are stuck doing the dirty work, she thought, swallowing a laugh.
“He’s smiling like he just won a prize. Guess we’re the only idiots signing up today.” She slid Dominic a look, muttering.
romantic.”
The paperwork was quick. The director flew through it, handing over the forms like he was putting on a show. All that was left was the license photo.
Dying to stretch out his big moment with President Johnson, he grabbed a camera and jumped up.
Brynn let out a sigh, shaking her head. This just proved how empty the Clerk’s Office was–hardly any staff, just one dude handling everything.
She and Dominic just stood there, sitting stiff as statues. There was enough space between them to fit a whole extra person, and neither of them looked eager to budge. The awkwardness was off the charts.
The director, messing with the camera, clocked the tension and smirked to himself. First Lady’s shy, huh?” He laughed inside. “Time to play hero!
“Ma’am,” he said, all smooth and sugary, “slide a little closer to your husband.”
Brynn gave a quick nod and moved toward Dominic, shifting around like she couldn’t get comfy.
“A bit more,” the director nudged, still beaming like he was everybody’s favorite uncle.
She moved over again, barely settled, when Dominic’s arm swooped in. With one quick tug, he pulled her straight onto his arms, their bodies mashed together.
“Wait-“Brynn squeaked, eyes going huge as she gaped at him.
“He said closer,” Dominic said, flat as ever.
Brynn
bit back a comeback, swinging her head toward the camera. Her cheeks lit up red.
“You guys could cozy up a bit more,” the director piped up, still grinning like a dope. “Maybe look at each other, toss an arm around–something cute.”
Brynn winced–ugh, cheesy–but went for the lesser evil, turning to face Dominic
Bad move. He spun toward her at the exact same time, and their eyes locked.
She
