Sweet Little Lies

Ch. 29 Oh, I do.

The car ride to the courthouse seems to take forever. I don't know why, but being in the car with Ajax I'm full of anticipation and excitement for the future. He parks in front of the courthouse, an old brick building with white porticos. I glance at him, knowing without a doubt this is how I want to be married. No, fuss. No, frills, just us. I smile at him reassuringly before I climb out of the truck. We meet on the sidewalk and walk together into the building, I notice he didn't forget the folder with our birth certificate, social security cards and drivers licenses. We are followed by Kira and Dan as we walk up the steps. Ajax's holds the door and we stand in line for our marriage license. We both sign and have Dan and Kira sign as our witnesses. We pay our $53.00 and leave with the certificate, hoping to get Judge Newbury to add his John Hancock to it as well. The Judge has been a friend of the family for years, I remember he owned a few horses that he boarded at The West End.
    Ajax knocks on his open office door. "Hello, Mr. Newbury. Do you have a second?"
"Of course, Ajax. What do you need?" He asks, surprised by our presence.
Ajax walks to his desk and slides the marriage certificate in front of him. "I just need you to sign this." He replies.
He picks up the paper and looks at us confused at first, then he smiles. "Didn't I just receive a save the date in the mail?" He asks, amused.
"Harp and I don't want to have a wedding. Just want to get it done and over with." He explains, smiling back.
Judge Newbury looks my way, his eyes, questioning. I nod in agreement. "Our mothers are going to drive me crazy. I cant do a wedding, its just not what I wanted." I tell him, honestly.
"Your mothers are going to box my ears." He grumbles, picking up a ink pen.
"It was either come here or fly to Las Vegas." Ajax, comments looking my way.
"It just didn't seem right for it to be anywhere but Montana." I state, glancing back at the Judge.
He grins up at us and hands back the certificate. "You're now married."
Ajax nods and turns to Dan. Dan produces a ring box and I watch as he takes out a gold and diamond wedding band. He slides it on my finger and I turn red. "I didn't get you a wedding ring." I state, embarrassed.
He reaches in his pocket for a simple gold ring and hands it to me. I slide it on his finger, relieved he thought about this before hand. "You're prepared." I remark, happily.
He nods his head. "It was my grandpa Preston's." I smile, thinking of one of the greatest men I've ever known.
"He'd be happy you're wearing it." I say, quietly.
"Well, kiss her then." Judge Newbury orders, smirking.

We say goodbye to Kira and Dan outside the courthouse and we head back to the house. Driving through town I notice how much of it was built by the West's. There's not much of this town and the people for that matter, that haven't been touched or affiliated with the West family. Ajax stops at the local grocery store and turns to me. "Our first trip as a married couple. We have no food in the house. We need to stock up and I want to go to Donovan's to pick up a grill."
We walk into the cool air of the store and grab a shopping cart. We dump what we like in the cart and as we're leaving I spot Ma down the aisle. She notices us and waves, coming closer and I panic. "We have to tell her." I say, to Ajax. He nods in agreement.
"What are you two doing in town on a work day?" She asks, pleasantly.
"Ah, well. You see-" I stop talking. I don't know how to say it.
"We got married at the courthouse today." Ajax, states. Ma's face is one of total shock and surprise.
"You did what?" She asks, in disbelief.
"Yeah, we got married. I'm so sorry, Ma. I just didn't want a wedding and either did Ajax. But don't worry I think Dan and Kira are going to be getting hitched soon and she's more into this wedding business than I am." I tell her nervously.
"Does Adelaide know?" She questions.
"No, just Dan and Kira." I answer, wanting the look of surprise to leave her face. I groan. "How mad are you?" I ask, anxiously.
She shakes her head and finally there's a smile. "I'm not mad, just a little upset. I didn't get to see you walk down the aisle. However, I shouldn't be surprised. You've always hated parties, I guess that includes weddings." She opens her arms and I walk into her embrace. "I love you, baby. No matter what you do, no matter what you choose to do with your life. If this was how you wanted to get married, I can accept that. You need to have a talk with your father, soon." She states, firmly as she releases me to wrap her arms around Ajax.
"Now, whats this about Kira and Dan?" She asks, seriously.
"Their dating. Apparently, Dan is pretty crazy about her." I mention, quietly.
"Wouldn't it be great if they were next in town to get married." Ma replies, her smile positively glowing.
"We better get going. We still have a few more stops to make before we go home." Ajax states, urging us along. We say goodbye and walk to the checkout, remembering to get ice for the cooler. The only bad thing about living so far out of town is have to put the cold or frozen groceries in a cooler for the drive home. Ajax pays for our things and loads them in his truck. Next we walk right next store to Donovan's a local hardware shop that just started carrying gas grills. Ajax of course picks the biggest and most expensive one, not surprising me one bit. He is his fathers son and tends to want the biggest and best of everything.
    "One more stop." He says, as he slips behind the wheel.
I groan. "What else could we possibly need to do?" I question, tiredly.
"You need a car. I'm sure Dan's going to want his back soon."
"You're going to buy me a car? Because, I tell you right now I cant afford one. Student loans are killing me right now."
"Of course, I'd buy it." He replies, sounding a little offended.
"How can you afford it? You just bought the most expensive grill known to man."
"I get paid for working. You do know that right?"
"I'm the accountant of course I know that." I reply.
"I've lived at home and worked, I saved a lot of money. Not to mention my inheritance from Grandpa." He states, pulling into the only dealership in town. "You can have whatever one you want. As long as its a Ford." He smirks.
"I want the Expedition in black, please." I say, already knowing which one I'd choose.
"As long as the test ratings are high. Its yours." He agrees.
An hour into the stop and I'm standing around, listening to every question Ajax asks regarding safety, car seats, tires, air bags, and fuel economy, I want to scream. I've never met anyone so thorough in my entire life. Finally, I get the keys and follow Ajax back home, breathing in the smell of the new car. Its so sleek and shiny, I've never owned anything this nice. I'm going to have to give him one heck of a thank you tonight. Oh, the possibilities...