24 June, 2014

So, the Muffin did a somersault...down the back steps. Thought he had broken his nose, but all is well. Shows two things: my child has a hard noggin and that my life is never boring. Yay for rwo year olds!
 
The lawyer was bewildered. It was carefully obscured by his dry professionalism, but Renee could tell. The quick looks to Colton as the estates were outlined, the barely noticeable hesitation before each ‘Mrs. Savage.’ Renee felt sorry for the man, more than anything, since Colton had noticed as well and was giving his best glower. That made the man, no doubt urbane and shrewd before a judge, visibly sweat.

“Are there any questions?”

Renee shook her head; she would never have understood it even if she had been paying attention.

“Then sign here, Ma’am.” The lawyer commanded, proffering a sheath of papers. “And here, here, here, here, and here.”

“Good thing I trust you,” Renee said with a weak attempt at humor. “Not that I have any money to sign away.”

Colton followed her example and inked his spiky signatures next to hers. He didn’t even half-smile. “I want notarized copies of this made and the original sent to my holding box. This as well.” The tattered, bloodstained paper declaring their marriage slipped into the lawyer’s briefcase. “There is to be no ambiguity as to the validity of this marriage, understand?”

The lawyer’s gaze flicked between them. “Yes, sir.”

“I’ll be ready in a minute.” Colton announced once the lawyer had left with the mound of papers.

Renee was dreading this afternoon. She felt stupid, since an afternoon of shopping at the choicest retailers in London with basically unlimited cash should be a dream come true. She wasn’t even into fashion and at first was thrilled at the idea. Now she felt sick.

Colton was back in a fresh shirt. Renee summoned up the courage everyone kept saying she had.

“Colton, I don’t want this.”

He looked up from his phone. “What do you mean?” He asked in sharp voice.

“Please, I really don’t need much. I can pay for some new clothes myself. And I don’t need estates and trust funds and things.”

He relaxed a little, it seemed like. “Oh. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” Renee insisted. “You father worked hard for you and I don’t want to take it just because I am your wife.”

Surprisingly, he smiled; a real smile, wide and showing his teeth. “I never thought to hear those words from a woman’s mouth.”

“What, you expected your wife to be gold digger?”

“I never expected to get married at all.”

Renee flinched and did her best to hide it by leaning to retie her shoelace.

“Come on,” he said. “I know some places you’ll like.”

Her uncomfortable emotions made her sarcastic. “I’m sure you do.”

He had moved to help her to her feet and held her from walking away by gripping her elbow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She tried to recover. “Have you seen the way Alice dresses? I don’t think she gets that stuff at Sears.”

He didn’t quite believe her, she could tell. But nothing was going to induce her to bring up Felicia’s name or mention any other previous girlfriend. He examined her for a moment, then let it go.

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