BOUND BY OATH

Jessica POV

I take slow steps down the aisle, each one heavier than the last. I dread every step, but I know it's necessary. As a little girl, I always imagined a fairy-tale wedding-an enchanting day filled with festivities and vibrant decorations, where I'd be treated like a queen by my handsome Prince Charming, and we'd ride off in a horse-drawn carriage to a luxurious hotel suite.

But today is nothing like that dream. Instead, I'm in a rundown venue, about to marry a cocky, self-absorbed, and mysterious billionaire whom I'm meeting for the first time. And instead of a grand carriage, my 2004 Ford Taurus will take me back home afterward, because there's no way I'm spending the night with him.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" my mom whispers beside me.

Ever since my dad passed away when I was six, it's been just my mom and me. She took care of me all these years without any help. Even now, at twenty-three, she still sees me as her little girl with pigtails and a colorful bow in her hair. Now, it's my turn to take care of her.

Snapping out of my daze, I realize my face probably looks upset, maybe even angry. And why wouldn't it? I am upset and angry. But I promised myself I wouldn't let my mom see that.

"I'm fine," I say simply, swallowing hard. "Just the usual wedding jitters."

"You know, you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. We can find another way to get the money."

"I said I'm fine," I reply, a bit more harshly than intended. My mother winces. "I'm sorry. It's just been a lot for me lately. But I really don't mind marrying him. He seems... like a nice guy."

My mother falls silent. We continue down the aisle until we reach the front. She turns to me and plants a big kiss on my cheek. "Oh, you look so beautiful! Your father would have been so proud."

"Thanks, Mom. And thanks for walking me down the aisle. I don't know if I could've done it alone." She gives me a quick hug and shuffles back to her seat, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

I draw in a long, deep breath. His back is turned, and he hasn't looked at me once since I started walking down the aisle. But now he slowly turns. He is even more imposing than in his Tinder profile picture. But damn, he is gorgeous.

He has cropped, dark brown hair spiked ever so slightly in the front, matching eyes, and a firm jaw that stays clenched as he looks me over. His tan skin and height-at least six feet-make him stand out even more. His muscles bulge through his very expensive Italian leather tuxedo. Then he smiles at me with that crooked half-smile, and that's when I know I'm in trouble.

Nate's POV

I stood there and watched her stop a yard short of me. She had long, blond hair that cascaded down her back. Her wedding dress was gorgeous, with lace sleeves and a lace back that wrapped tightly around her petite figure. Her seaside blue eyes complimented her body and dress perfectly. I wondered what she thought of me- a 6'2" man, muscled and towering over her.

It was our first time meeting in person. I wasn't thrilled, but I had agreed to marry her because I needed a wife. At 29, I wasn't getting any younger, and my parents wanted a wife and, soon, a child to pass down our billion-dollar enterprise to one day. It was either on my terms or my father's, and nobody liked my father's terms. So here I was, about to marry a girl I'd never even so much as touched before.

"You must be the bride," I said gruffly. I refused to let myself get too attached. I had to keep an icy distance between us. This was an arrangement and nothing more.

"You must be the groom," she retorted back. My smile widened.

There was no gorgeous decor here, no grand building, no magic. Nothing at all like I had imagined where my wedding would take place. It was just an old, rundown Victorian-style building in the middle of Port Townsend, Washington.

The building itself was small and could only accommodate up to thirty or forty guests. It smelled of mildew, and there was dust on nearly every wooden chair in the venue. The chairs must have sat untouched for years before the ceremony. In fact, I'm pretty sure the entire building had sat untouched and unnoticed for years, only coming back to life when we finally came. We decided to pick a neutral place, one that neither of us would ever visit. So here we are.

The pastor cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?"

I turned and nodded at him, then directed my attention back toward Jessica. I extended my hand, and she reached out with hers. As her fingers clasped around mine, an electric shiver ran up my spine. I hoped she didn't notice. I pulled her up the single step to the main platform.

"Let's begin," I agreed.

Jessica POV

I closed the distance between us until I was only a foot away from him. My future husband. The thought made a lump form in my throat. I wasn't ready to be a wife, let alone the wife of a cocky, self-absorbed, mysterious billionaire. But here I was. In minutes, we would be bound to each other by oath... forever.

The pastor began with his opening remarks, which seemed to last an eternity. I ignored most of them, too preoccupied with taking in the room around me. The first thing I noticed was how empty it really was. There were no bridesmaids or maid of honor. No friends. No family except my mother. I hadn't wanted anyone to know about this. All of my friends thought we were just dating, which is the story I had told them since meeting him online a month ago, never actually meeting him in person until today.

On his side, both his parents were present. His father, unlike his son, had warm blue eyes and jet-black hair that was beginning to gray at the ends. He smiled warmly at me and nodded in encouragement. Nate resembled his mother more. She had straight, dark chocolate brown hair and matching eyes, but her skin was more olive-toned than his. Also present was his older sister, whom I vaguely remembered him mentioning in our Tinder conversations. She looked more like his father, with the same hair and eyes. Lastly, I noticed his younger brother, only two years younger but a spitting image of Nate, wearing the same devilish, crooked half-smile that spelled trouble.

I snapped back to reality when it came time for the vows. Nate's eyes locked with mine, and we gazed at each other for what felt like a century before he finally spoke, "I, Nate Evans, take you, Jessica Davis, to be my wife..."

He paused, then continued, "to have and to hold from this day forward..."

He gripped my hand harder, the warmth of his melting the ice in mine. "...for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

One last pause, longer than the first, then, "I promise to love and cherish you as long as we both shall live."

I repeated the exact vows back to him, with early mutters of agreement from the audience following.

Next came the ring exchange. He never got me a real wedding ring, as this wasn't that real of a wedding. I refused to wear one. For ceremonial purposes, we agreed to wedding bands alone. His hand delicately outstretched my finger and slipped the band onto it. Once I did the same in return for him, the pastor excitedly announced, "You may kiss the bride!"

He cupped my face with his hands, his long fingers holding me firmly. His pinky fingers gently brushed the edges of my lips, sending a shiver up my spine. He slowly leaned in, his eyes closing inches away from my mouth. Then his lips pressed firmly yet gently against mine. My eyes closed, my lips parted, and I gave in to his kiss. I let his mouth work its way around mine before kissing him back with the same fiery passion he displayed. His lips felt like they were made for mine. The kiss never seemed to end. His wide mouth encompassed mine, and it felt so warm and whole that a part of me didn't want it to end.