Chapter 10 – More Complications
I pulled away from the kiss, heart racing. My face was on fire, and I could barely meet Silas’s eyes.
He stared at me too, his gaze unreadable, before mouthing softly, “I’m sorry.”
We turned back toward Rose, who was beaming. Her eyes sparkled with joy!!
“This is it,” she whispered. “This is all I ever wanted. You two are perfect for each other. Let’s get you married. Today
“Mom, Silas started, rubbing the back of his neck, “maybe we can take a little time to-”
“No.” She cut him off gently but firmly. “No more waiting, you both have been dating for six months. I want to witness it. I want to be there when my son gets married.”
Silas glanced at me, then said, “Give us a few minutes, please.
He took my hand and led me out into the hospital hallway. The door clicked shut behind us.)
I tumed to him and snapped, “What the hell was that kiss for, Silas? I told you. Physical touch is off limits.”
He raised both hands, looking calm. “I know, Jasmine. But she was watching. She’s not stupid. If we don’t sell this night, she’ll see through
I scoffed. “Sull! A kiss? You could’ve wamed me. We weren’t even supposed to live together, let alone touch.”%
He sighed. “Yeah, I know None of this was part of the plan, I didn’t expect her to want to move in with us. I didn’t expect her to make us get married today either.”
I crossed my arms. “So, what now?”
“You can walk away, Jasmine. I won’t stop you. This deal it’s gotten messier than we agreed.”
I bit my lip and thought about Rose, her weak smile, the hope in her eyes.
I didn’t know why, but something in me softened
“It’s fine. Let’s just do this. It’s only three months, right? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Silas gave me a small nod. “Alright. Let’s go back in“!
We stepped back into the hospital room. Rose’s eyes lit up when we told her we were ready.
“Oh! You’ve made me the happiest mother on earth,” she cried, clapping her hands like a child. “I want to get dressed up!”
A nurse came in and helped her get ready. I excused myself and called Douglas
“Hey, Jas?” he answered. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”
I took a breath. “Can you meet me at the courthouse? I’m getting married“!
There was silence. “You’re what?‘
“I’ll explain later.” I said quickly. “Please just come.”
In under an hour, we were at the courthouse. The ceremony was simple and fast.
Before I could process it all, I was Mrs. Jasmine Silas Larkin X
Rose hugged me tight, tears running down her cheeks. “You’re going to give me beautiful grandkids,”
I laughed nervously, blushing so hard I felt dizzy. Silas just stood there, hands in his pockets, watching me.!
Douglas pulled me aside. “Are you alright, Jasmine? This is sudden ”
“I’m fine,” I answered “His mother hurried us with the marriage. But I’m okay”
We took Rose back to the Larkin mansion. It was huge, almost too big.
Rose insisted on staying in the east wing. Even worse, she chose the room right next to ours.
“Ours?” I whispered to Silas.X
He leaned close and murmured, “We don’t have a choice now. Not with her here.“!
That night, I stood in the bedroom I was supposed to share with Silos.
The bed was big but i felt it would be too small for us, for some reason there was no couch in this room. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears.
Silas noticed I was tense. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Once things settle, Mom will ease up.“)
“Yeah, I muttered. “Let’s hope so.”
He walked out to take a call. That was my chance.
I grabbed my towel and went into the bathroom. A hot shower helped calm me down.!!
I wrapped myself in the towel, ready to dress… but then I realized I had forgotten my shorts on the bed
“Ugh I muttered.
I decided to blow dry my hair first. I played a song on my phone, something upbeat.
As the music filled the room, I danced around in my towel, trying to shake off the tension of the day.
For once, I felt light. I even laughed
d froze
I spun around with the dryer in hand and
Tapuna
Silas stood in the doorway, his eyes wide.
I screamed “What the hell, Silas?!”
“I knocked,” he said, stunned. “You didn’t hear
My heart was pounding. I tried to move backward but tripped on the edge of the rug. “Oh no-
I flailed, arms grabbing at the air, trying to catch something. But I was falling fast.
Silas lunged forward and caught me easily, his arms around my waist, holding me steady
My chest heaved, “1-1 almost hit my head.”
“You’re okay,” he said, steadying me.!!
Then I noticed something horrifying. In my panic, I had let go of my towel.
I was completely, utterly naked.
Pressed against Silus.§
His eyes widened. My face turned crimson,
