Accidently Married

Andrea Nickerson

  5280616

  Accidently Married

  “Will you marry me?” It’s not every day that a man gets proposed to, especially by his secretary.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  “So I’ve already pre-ordered the flowers, table cloths, and the tables. When you get here we can discuss what cake you want and get you fitted for your dress. I’ll send you a few samples for the place cards; let me know which ones you like best.” My mother said enthusiastically over the phone as she droned on and on about the wedding.

  “Mom, it doesn’t matter. Just go ahead and pick one, you know I’m not picky.” I sigh into the phone. “Look mom, I’m at work and can’t talk about this right now. Can I call you later?”

  “Sure honey, oh I took the liberty of buying you your plane ticket back here for this Tuesday so we can have a few days together for preparations for your wedding next Saturday.”

  “Wait! What?!” I shriek in panic, “When did I decide on Saturday for the wedding date?”

  “Well sorry honey but you were taking forever to decide so I just picked a date. Besides, I’m not going to be here much longer so I want to see you married as soon as possible. I have a doctor’s appointment now, so I have to go. Oh, and bring that fiancée of yours! I can’t believe you haven’t introduced us yet. Well, gotta go, love you. Bye.”

  “Wait!” I cry into the phone but it was too late, I can already hear the dial tone. I set the phone back into its cradle and lean back in my chair exhausted.

  “What am I going to do?” I mumble into my hands.

  “Is everything ok?”

  I peek through my fingers to see Mr. Livingston.

  Matthieu Livingston, founder and CEO of Mahidol Technology or MT, is thirty years old, 6’2” fit, with chocolate brown hair, green eyes and has a smile that can bring any woman to her knees. Even me. To tell you the truth I have been in love with him for past two years ever since I saw him entertain the client’s son when the client had to leave him there after an emergency.

  My name is Gweneviere McAllister, age 25, working as an “Executive Assistant” to Mr. Livingston here in New York. I am 5’8” with black hair which is always tied into a messy bun, brown eyes hidden behind big glasses, and what most people would say a very “librarian style” sense of fashion. If you couldn’t tell, I have a problem, my wedding is on Saturday and I don’t have a groom!

  “Hello? Ms. McAllister? Are you ok?” I come back to reality as Mr. Livingston looks at me worriedly. And then it came to me. If I can’t find a real groom, I’ll just have to create one. As I stand up, my skirt gets caught on the wheel of the desk chair making me fall to one knee. Matthieu reaches forward to help me up. I clasp his hands and look him in the eye.

  “Will you marry me?”

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  I kneel there in an awkward position as I wait for his reply. I looked up to see him standing there stunned. He clears his throat and says, “Well Ms. McAllister, I didn’t know you liked me so much but don’t you think we’re taking this a little fast? Not to mention I do have a fiancée.”

  I feel myself turn three shades of red as I stammer, “No…I mean…Its just…my mom...” I stop, stand up and take a deep breath to steady myself and say, “I’m sorry, let me start at the beginning. You see, my mother has cancer and she wants to see me married before she passes away. I told her I had a fiancée so she would stop sending me on these ridiculous blind dates and now she has set a date for the wedding for next Saturday. I don’t have the heart to tell her the truth and all you have to do is pretend to marry me, all of it will be fake, and we don’t even have to tell your fiancée about it if you don’t want to.”

  “Why don’t you just ask that guy your dating from marketing? The one you go to lunch with every Tuesday?” he askes, as if he were trying to give me more options.

  “John?! I’m not dating him! He’s my cousin”

  “Cousin? Really? I’m glad.” He said as if he were relieved. He then clears his throat and continues.

  “Well how bout one of the boys from the development department? Oh I know, why don’t you ask that one guy, what’s his name? The one with the curly hair and glasses?” he asked waving his hand in the air as if he could conjure up his image.

  “Leslie Goldstein?”

  “Yeah! Him.”

  “You sent him to China. The branch in China needed a new developing manager.” I said.

  “Michael from accounting?”

  “Vacationing in Rome.”

  “Peter from the mail room?”

  “He’s 17!” I exclaim.

  “Well I give up, I can’t think of anyone else.” He said, throwing his hands up in defeat.

  “Exactly my point” I said exasperated.

  With hands clasp together I beg for a miracle as I say, “That’s why I’m begging you to do me this favor. It will only take a few days out of your time. I’m leaving this Tuesday to Colorado to help my mom but you don’t have to be there until Thursday or Friday and we can leave directly after the wedding.”

  As I stood in front of him waiting for his reply, he asks me something very unexpected.

  “Are you good with children?” He asks.

  “Uh…umm…yeah I guess. Why?” I ask confused.

  “Well if you want me to do this favor for you, I need something in return.”

  Being hopeful I said, “Of course, I would do anything!”

  “Good. My brother and his wife are in town today and they are going to see something on Broadway and they need someone to watch my niece and nephew.” He explains as he reaches for a pen and paper. “Here is their address, be there in an hour and watch the kids and I’ll do what you ask.”

  “Really?! That’s it? I just have to watch some kids and you’ll marry me?” I ask surprised. “Thank you so much Mr. Livingston!” I yell joyfully as I jump to give him a big hug.

  “Excuse me? It seems that someone is getting a little too familiar with her boss.” I hear in a very familiar southern drawl. I look up to see Roxy, Mr. Livingston’s fiancée. Roxy is a very beautiful blond with blue eyes but not exactly Mr. Livingston’s type. He usually goes for the more elegant brunette and he shocked us all when he announced his engagement to Roxy. She was born and raised in Texas and come to find out, her real name is actually Regina Holiday. She is also younger than me by two years.

  I first met “Roxy” at the company barbeque. She had come with Jonathan Tomas, Mr. Livingston’s best friend, a 33 year old clichéd image of a god. He stands at 6 ft and has sandy blond hair with blue eyes and a body any 20 year old male would be jealous of. She seemed really nice then, I guess I did over step the boundary when I hugged Mr. Livingston though. When I saw Roxy at the party she looked as if she was really infatuated with Jonathan but the next thing I knew, she was engaged to Mr. Livingston. I guess hearts can be fickle.

  “How long do you plan on holding my fiancée like that?”

  I come back from my inner thoughts only to realize that I am still hugging Mr. Livingston.

  “S-sorry, we just…I was um…ex-excuse me I have a babysitting job I have to go to.” I stammer as I blush another two shades.

  The last thing I hear is Mr. Livingston chuckling and asking Roxy where she would like to go for dinner as I walk toward the front door.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  I unlock the door to my apartment almost falling through the doorway, exhausted from the two most hyperactive kids I have ever met in my life. They were so rambunctious it took most of my energy to keep them entertained but I loved it. Kelly and Tyler were just so cute it made me a little envious. I, of course, would love to have kids someday.

  I head toward my shower hoping to revitali
ze myself. I still need to get all my work things in order for the next few days so I can take Tuesday to Saturday off without there being any problems while I’m away.

  For the next couple of days I spent all my time working so that there won’t be any problems. As Tuesday morning rolls around I grab my luggage that I packed the night before and head toward the door. I am wearing my usual comfortable close, big grey t-shirt, blue jeans and my black slip-on shoes.

  I open the door only to find Mr. Livingston with his right had raised, ready to knock. This is the first time I have ever seen him dressed so casually in a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. They fit him so well I was practically gawking. He looks as if he belongs in these clothes.

  “Mr. Livingston what are you doing here?” I ask confused.

  “I figured it would be more convincing if we arrive together rather than separately. Also you should probably stop calling me Mr. Livingston if you really want this plan to work.”

  “Oh, right. So M-matthieu, shall we get going?” I ask shyly.

  The ride to the airport was met in complete silence and it didn’t get any better when we finally arrived. As we board our plane I start to head toward the back of the plane where the economy seats are when Matthieu says, “Where are you going? Our seats are right here.”

  I look around confused, “but this is first class, I booked an economy flight.”

  “I know and I changed it, your seat is right here next to mine.”

  “But I can’t afford this!” I said stunned.

  “No worries, remember? I’m your fiancée and we are getting married in a few days so what’s mine is yours.” He said straight faced.

  “Haha very funny.” I said sarcastically, but I sat down next to him. No use arguing I already know how stubborn he can be. We settle in as the flight attendant starts the in flight movie. I must have fallen asleep because I slowly realize that there is a blanket covering me and I am next to something warm. I snuggle closer only to find out that I am snuggling closer to Matthieu. I jerk awake quickly, my hands flying to my hair trying to make it neat and hoping I didn’t snore.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. Literally.”

  “It’s ok. You look cute when you’re sleeping; you even have a cute snore.” He said chuckling.

  I blush and cover my face in shame as I mumble, “On no. please tell me I didn’t snore.”

  Smiling Matthieu said, “Only a little.”

  As I was about to retort the flight attendant came on the speaker and said, “Thank you for flying United Airlines. We would like to welcome you to Colorado. The time is now 11 a.m. we hope to fly with you again, thank you and have a good day.”

  After we grab our luggage we head out toward the gate. As we approach the gate I see my sister holding a sign that reads, “Welcome home soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Livingston!”

  Oh god. This is going to be one long weekend.

  We greet my sister and head toward my childhood home in Black Forest, Colorado. As we pull up, I see my mother walking out of the house smiling. We get out of the car and she gives me a hug, she then turns to Matthieu gives him a big hug and says, “It’s good to finally meet you. My name is Adeline McAllister and to tell you the truth, I didn’t think you actually exist. Now come into the house, we have a lot to discuss.”

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  For the next few days my mother dragged me to dress fittings, food and cake tastings, and flower shops. By Friday night I was exhausted. My mother put Matthieu and I in separate rooms as is tradition in our family. So I haven’t seen him since we arrived. I wonder what he is doing.

  I head toward my room to change when on my right the bathroom door opens to reveal Matthieu, naked and dripping wet from his shower with only a small towel wrapped around his waist. I must have been staring a little too hard because he smirked and said, “Like what you see?”

  “Umm…no…I mean…yes…umm…” Bright red, I try to get words to form in my dry mouth but before I could say anything I hear, “What the hell is going on here?”

  “First you tell me nothing is going on and then we come up here to find you guys are getting married? You better explain yourselves.” Roxy said with fire in her eyes. Next to her is Jonathan smiling as he found this so hilarious.

  Thank god my mother went to finalize the cake order with my sister so they weren’t there to hear the truth.

  “It’s not what you think.” I try to explain.

  “Oh yeah? Then why don’t you tell me why you are trying to marry my fiancée?”

  “Roxy, she needed help. Her mother wants to see her married before she dies. Please understand.” Matthieu interjects. “You of all people should.”

  I puzzled over that last comment he made. Why is it that of all people, Roxy should understand? Before I could ask Jonathan says, “Well my friend I come up here at your soon to be mother in laws request to be your best man. This is one crazy situation.”

  “What is a crazy situation?” my mother asks as she turns into the hall where we all are gathered.

  “Oh, Jonathan, glad to see you could make it!” my mother exclaims.

  She looks at Roxy and asks, “Is this your girlfriend? Well nice to meet you, let’s go set you guys up in the other guest room. Fortunately for you two, we have one guest room left so you both will be in the same room.” She says as she winks at them and leads them toward the back end of the hall.

  “And Matthieu go put some clothes on before you catch cold.”

  “Yes Ma’am.” He said smiling.

  “Wait. What did you mean when you asked Roxy to understand because she of all people should?” I ask.

  “Do you plan on watching me dress?” he asks as I realize that I have followed him into his room.

  “N-no but I won’t leave until you answer me.” I said as I blush yet again.

  “Fine. I’ll answer but I’m still getting dressed.” He says as he starts to pull off the towel.

  I yelp in shock and whip around to face the door.

  “What I meant was Roxy is kinda in the same position you are. Except her mother isn’t dying.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, that Roxy’s engagement to me isn’t real.”

  “What?” I ask as I whirl around forgetting the situation. “What do you mean fake?”

  I yelp again and I face the door once more as I caught sight of him in his briefs. “Sorry!”

  “Roxy is actually in love with Jonathan but that idiot can’t see it and she needs my help to make him see that he actually loves Roxy too but won’t admit it. The plan is to make Jonathan jealous and so far the plan is working because he brought Roxy here and was grinning like a fool when he saw her about to attack us in the hall.”

  Before I can reply I hear my mother say, “Gwen get out of his room and get ready to go sign the license.”

  Slowly realization comes over me, “Oh God! I totally forgot about the marriage license. What do we do? She’s going to find out if we don’t sign the license. What are we going to do?!” I say shriek in panic towards the end.

  “Gwen! Calm down.” He said as he grabs my shoulders. “I’ve got it taken care of. I figured you would forget about this so I called my friend, Alex, who happens to be a judge here and told him about our situation and he has agreed to help us. All we have to do is sign it and he will shred it afterwards so it doesn’t get filed.”

  “Oh God. I thought I was going to have to break my mother’s heart. Thank you.” I turn to face him. My eyes widen as I realize how close he is. If I just lean forward. Three. More. Inches, “Gwen! Didn’t I tell you to get out and go get ready? You can finish what you’re doing at the honeymoon!” my mother yells through the door.

  I blush and clear my throat to say, “Umm…I’m going to go get ready now. See you soon.” As I leave I could have sworn I heard him say, “Soon is too long.”

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Matthieu’s POV

 
As I stand next to the priest and my best man I can’t help but smile. I have been in love with Gwen for two years now but haven’t told her so because I thought she was dating John from marketing. Who’d of known that he was actually her cousin, I was shocked and thrilled to find out that they haven’t been dating for the past two years.

  When I first met her I couldn’t see past her frumpy clothes. During our annual Christmas party I expected Gwen to show up in her usual frumpy clothes but that night she showed up in a red dress that went to the floor with a slit that went up her thigh. She still had her librarian glasses on but she out shone all the women at the party. What made me fall in love with her that night was when James from accounting got a bit tipsy and spilled his drink down one of the secretaries white dress. Gwen pulled her into the bathroom and gave the secretary her dress while Gwen changed into her usual grey shirt and black skirt that she kept stashed in her desk. It was that compassion that caught my attention.

  Jonathan my best man looks at me and smiles. “This whole situation has gotten so crazy, first Roxy fakes an engagement to you to make me jealous but I already knew about it and now you fake a wedding to the woman you actually love. What a crazy week.”

  I could do no more than smile because the wedding march began to play. My attention is fixed on the doors as they slowly open to reveal the most beautiful woman I have every laid my eyes on. Everyone in attendance gasp as they saw the woman who had eyes only for me as I did her. I vaguely heard Jonathan whistle but I was not paying attention because I could not take my eyes off of Gwen.

  Its as if she is glowing in her white gown hugged her slender body.

  I notice that she isn’t wearing her glasses and her eyes look so big. She looks into my eyes and gives me a smile that stops my heart. For a second I could not even breathe.

  She is breathtaking.

  I can’t remember the rest of the ceremony because all I can think about is her. I barely remember saying, “I do.” And her reply as well. Everything became a blur as we were sent away in a limo to the airport for our honeymoon.

  “Matthieu? Matthieu are you there? MATTHIEU!” I am jerked back to reality as Gwen yells my name.

  “Yes Mrs. Livingston?” I answer half joking and half wishing it were true.

  “Very funny.” She said sarcastically as she gets out of the limo, “We really don’t have to go on this honeymoon considering we arn't really married. Plus it’s just a waste of money and I have work to do at the office.”