“Come in,” I say, and the door squeaks open. Mrs. Ethel, an old woman dressed in black, peeks her head in.
“You ready, girl?” she asks.
“Yes,” I reply, taking a deep breath. This is it. I belong to this man now, and while I do have rights, I’m his to do with what he pleases. Why does that turn me on so fecking much?
I’m married now. That was… quicker than I thought it would be. No rings, though. I don’t know why that upsets me, though. He has a southern accent and beard to die for, but everything about this is crazy.
“You can go now,” the circus announcer guy says, and I startle back to the present. “We had your bags put in Mister Keegan’s vehicle.”
“Thank you,” I say. Suddenly, Eamon’s hand is in mine, and we are walking down a long hallway, then out a door. It’s dark out, but I am unsure what time it is. The alley behind the building is still full of cars, but there was something like sixty girls who were being auctioned.
“Which one is yours?” I ask.
“This one,” he says, gesturing to a very average-looking car. Honestly, not what I was expecting, but maybe he spent all of his money on me.
“This one?”
“Yes. It’s a rental.”
“Oh,” I say, giggling. “Do you live around here?”
“Oh, no. I live in Tennessee.”
“Is that far from here?” I ask, not knowing much about America’s geography.
“It's about thirty-five hours by car.”
“Are we driving?”
“Yeah. I thought we could get to know each other better that way.”
“That sounds like fun. I’ve never really been on a road trip,” I say, remembering how his lips felt on mine. Why is that all I can think about?
“I don’t have to be back at work for a few weeks, so I thought we could stop along the way and take in the sights. Have you been in America long?”
“No. Only three days and I spent the entirety of it in a teeny tiny hotel room and at the auction hall.”
“I see. So you’ve seen nothing yet?”
“Nope, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“Are we leaving tonight?” I ask, eager to start my new life.
“Yes. Is that alright?”
“Of course. Nothing is keeping me here.”
“Allow me,” he says, opening the car door like a gentleman.
“Thank you,” I say, settling into the car, pulling on my seatbelt while he walks around the front of the car before folding himself into the driver’s seat.
We are silent for a while until we drive out of the city. The bright lights turn into darkness as the road stretches out before us, much like our lives.
Chapter Three
Eamon
When the silence gets to be too much, we both start to speak simultaneously, then laugh. Then it happens a second time.
“Go ahead,” I tell her.
“I was just wondering if you were planning on stopping soon. I’m not very comfortable in this dress, and you can’t be that comfortable in that tuxedo, though you look very handsome in it.”
“You look beautiful, but you’re right. We’ll stop ahead. I’m afraid it won’t be too luxurious.” I tell her, wishing I had thought to take the Vegas route so we could stay in one of the hotels on the strip. It would be better than anything we'd find out in the middle of nowhere.
“Did you spend all your money on me?” she blurts out before slapping her hand over her mouth, making me laugh aloud. “I’m sorry. Don’t answer that.”
“Rest assured, peaches. I’ve still got plenty of money. I just meant that I don’t have a reservation anywhere, so it’ll just be a hotel near an exit.”
“That’s totally fine. Will we be sharing a room?”
“Of course. You are my wife. Are you not anxious to consummate our marriage?” I ask, knowing that I am.
“Um. Yes, of course,” she says, playing with the hem of her dress. I reach over and still her hands.
“Fiadh, I assure you that I want you very much,” I tell her.
“I mean, I figured. You paid an astronomical amount of money for me.”
“That means nothing to me. I would have paid so much more. I saw you, and I had to have you. That was enough for me.”
“You know, I saw you out there. My eyes were immediately drawn to you. I prayed it would be you.”
“I was never going to let anyone else have you, Fee.”
“No one’s ever called me that before,” she says, squeezing my fingers.
“That surprises me,” I tell her.
“It’s just my aunt and me. She’s back home, though.”
“Is that Rita?” I ask, remembering the name of the account holder I sent a part of the money to.
“Yes.” She doesn’t say anything else about her, so I leave it alone for now.
After another sixty miles, I pull off the interstate and into the parking lot of chain hotel. I pull into a space and hop out of the car. I grab our bags out of the trunk and then help her out of the passenger seat.