Page 103 of Pucking Daddy

But it’s not just nerves twisting in my stomach right now. It’s… something else, too. Excitement. Anticipation. A flicker of something dangerously close to joy.

“Okay,” I say carefully, not wanting to show too much.

Because for him, this is about the custody case. I know that. And I agreed to it. I knew what I was signing up for.

Jaxon is watching me—not like before, not like at the gala or in the car. This time, it’s different. Like he’s bracing himself. Like he expects me to bolt.

I won’t.

“We need to move fast,” he says. “Faster than I planned.”

My stomach flips, but I nod.

“That makes sense,” I say. “After… today. So what does that look like?”

His gaze flicks over my face, like he’s measuring something.

“How do you feel about a simple courthouse wedding?” he asks. “We could get an appointment quickly. Just the two of us and witnesses. Then the paperwork is done.”

Wow.

It’s efficient. Practical. Probably the smartest way to handle this.

And completely unromantic.

For Lily, I remind myself.

“Just us?” I ask.

“Just us,” he confirms.

A small breath leaves me.

There’s something oddly… relieving about that.

I swallow. “Okay.”

Then I ask the question that’s been sitting heavy in my chest since he said the word fast.

“When?”

His answer comes without hesitation. “Tomorrow.”

The world tilts and I blink at him. “Tomorrow?”

He nods once. “We already have the engagement public. The longer we wait, the more scrutiny we invite.”

“Tomorrow,” I repeat, my voice quieter now.

That’s not soon. That’s immediate.

I let out a small, disbelieving breath. “Wow.”

His expression shifts, just slightly. “Too fast?” he asks.

There’s something careful in his tone now. Something that wasn’t there before.

I think about it.