Marriage by Law by N.K. Pockett Read Free Book Online Page B

married me to?
     
    I finally gave a cheer of happiness when I saw the place but it soon died out when I saw how many people were going in. A lot.
     
    Most of them were more lavishly dressed than me with jewelry and some of the weirdest dresses I had ever seen. I, on the other hand, was in a simple deep blue ink dress that make my skin look bright and glowing, and it wasn’t from the anger inside.
     
    Margaret had pinned my hair up into an elegant bun with braids and decorated pearl clips that held up my thick wavy black hair that even I couldn’t tame.
     
    Seeing all the makeup the ladies had on, I was suddenly feeling under- made with only lipstick on.
     
    The door opened and I struggled to get up elegantly and winced as I got out, pretty sure something stabbed my foot. Darius followed. Whoever invented dresses definitely didn’t try getting out of a limo in one. I looked around taking in the view as I followed him to the entry. As soon as we were in the crowd, I felt his arm on my back and I bit my lip to keep from telling him to take it off. So now he wanted to act like the perfect husband?
     
    He placed a hand on my lower back and I reached behind to move it higher, trying not to giggle. He looked down at me, confused, his eyebrows knotting.
     
    "I'm ticklish!" I said. He ignored me and moved his hand in that exact spot and I shook my head, right like he would care. I walked a tiny bit faster, trying to maintain distance so he wouldn’t have any excuse, but a camera flashed in my face, making me halt.
     
    There were cameras?
     
    "How does it feel being married at-"
     
    There were more flashes and I felt myself being pushed through a crowd to get in and I really hoped I didn’t look like a goldfish. All I saw were black suits and flashes before finally I saw decorated lights and a ballroom.
     
    I squinted, trying to get my eyes used to the natural bright light in here. This didn’t look like a normal ballroom. Instead, it looked like a kid’s birthday party, a ten-year–old’s, in fact. Maybe this was what people meant when they said Miss Alvin was an odd one in the bunch, but for me it reminded me of being a kid, and that made me smile.
     
    Darius led me to our table and pulled my chair out. I sat down looking over my shoulder at the stairs where a lady was dressed in a massive gold dress with what I think were card symbols sewed all over her bottom half.
     
    Quite a dress.
     
    "That's Miss Alvin," whispered a voice in my ear and I nodded, staring at the woman. She was a plump lady but seemed very friendly and childish with her ways, especially her dress. Her movements seemed over exaggerated as she waved her hand around talking very animatedly.
     
    I decided then and there that I liked her. She didn’t seem like she fit in, just like me, but at least she made it look fun.  I looked back at the table and saw the pastries Margaret mentioned about and smiled. You can tell they were made by her by the uneven crust and the uneven coloring of the pastry but they looked absolutely adorable. Kudos to her effort.
     
    It was hard to believe these things were poisonous.
     
    "Darius my man!" I looked up as a younger man came around the table and hugged Darius. I was surprised. People hug him? People talk to him? People actually like him? Calm down, Ivory, that was a bit harsh.
     
    "Whatcha up to, couz," he said as he looked around Darius and flashed me a toothy grin. "And this must be the beautiful wife. Sorry, I would have come to the wedding but I wasn’t invited," he said as he grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on it, a very long kiss, and I pulled it out of his grasp as it felt uncomfortable.
     
    "That's Al- Go-" he looked at me and I sighed.
     
    "Ivory," I said, trying not to roll my eyes.
     
    "Beautiful name for a beautiful lady. I am Adrian," he replied with a wink. He sat on the other side of Darius and I watched them both talk, listening in every now and then.
     
    "No girl this time?" asked