Chapter 233: Chapter 233 The Marriage Registration
Author
After getting their marriage license, Nancy and Yardley barely talked.
Not because anything was wrong. It was more like neither of them knew what to say. They were married now. Legally. On paper. But they hadn’t figured out what that meant yet.
Then the weekend came, and they had plans. A drive upstate to see her aunt and uncle. The ones who raised her.
Yardley wore a collared shirt. Nothing flashy. He stopped at a store on the way and grabbed a bottle of wine and a bouquet. Standard host gift.
"You didn’t have to do that," Nancy said from the passenger seat.
"I know." He shrugged. "Feels weird walking in empty-handed."
She hadn’t told him about her memory loss. She hadn’t explained that these two people thought she was their daughter, not their niece. That part was still too complicated to get into.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
The house was a modest two-story on a quiet street. A basketball hoop over the garage. A porch with a swing. Very American suburbia.
Carol opened the door before they reached the steps. Her face lit up.
"Honey. You’re here."
"Hey, Mom." Nancy smiled. It felt natural.
Carol pulled her into a hug, held her for a beat longer than usual. She looked past Nancy at Yardley. A nod. Polite. "Yardley. Good to see you again."
"Thanks for having us. Sorry we didn’t call ahead. Kind of a last-minute thing."
"It’s fine. Come in."
They stepped inside. The house smelled like coffee and cinnamon.
Robert was in his armchair, reading glasses pushed up on his head. He stood up when he saw them.
"Well, well. Look who finally came to visit."
"Hey, Uncle Robert." Nancy kissed his cheek.
Robert shook Yardley’s hand. Firm. One of those handshakes that says I’m watching you. "Good to see you again, son."
"You too, sir."
"Sir." Robert chuckled. "I like that. Sit down."
They settled onto the couch. Small talk happened. How was the drive. Work going okay. Traffic on the interstate. Normal stuff.
Then a door opened at the end of the hall.
Frank walked in.
He was tall. Broad-shouldered. A few years older than Nancy. He didn’t walk into the room so much as he occupied it. His eyes went straight to Yardley, then to Nancy, then back to Yardley.
He didn’t say hi.
Nancy stood up. "Frank. This is Yardley."
Frank looked at him. A long, slow look. Like he was reading a file. "I heard about you."
Yardley stood up too. He held out his hand. "Good to meet you."
Frank took it. The handshake lasted a beat too long. Like he was testing something.
"So you’re the guy."
"I’m the guy."
Frank let go. He didn’t sit down right away. He stood there, looking between them, like he was waiting for one of them to crack. Then he sat across from them. Leaned back. Arms crossed. His body said relaxed. His eyes said something else.
"So," Frank said. "You got married."
"We did."
Frank nodded slowly. He let the silence stretch. Then he looked at Nancy. His voice was soft when he spoke to her. Almost gentle. "You didn’t call me."
"It happened fast."
"Fast." He repeated the word like he was tasting it. "That’s one way to put it."
"I’m telling you now."
Frank exhaled. He ran a hand over his face. "Look. I don’t know you." He pointed at Yardley. "And you show up out of nowhere and marry my sister without a word to anyone."
Yardley nodded. "I get it. It looks fast. It was fast. But I’m not going to apologize for it."
Carol cleared her throat. "Frank, maybe we can — "
"No, I want to hear this." Frank leaned forward. "What’s your plan? You just married her and figured the rest out later?"
Yardley didn’t flinch. "My plan is exactly what you see. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. If you want to know me, I’ll be around. If you don’t, that’s your choice. But Nancy and I are married. That’s not changing."
Frank stared at him. The room was quiet.
Then Frank stood up. He didn’t slam anything. He just walked to the door, grabbed his jacket.
"I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I’m okay with this." He looked at Nancy. "I’ll call you."
And he left. The door clicked shut behind him.
Carol let out a breath. "He’ll come around. He just worries."
"I know," Nancy said quietly.
Robert turned to Yardley. "You meant what you said?"
"Yes, sir."
Robert nodded slowly. "Alright. That’s good enough for me." He glanced at Carol. "We’ll figure out the rest later."
Carol smiled. "We’ll need to sit down with your family at some point. Figure out a celebration. Nothing huge. Just something."
Yardley looked at Nancy. She was watching him. Her face was calm. She wasn’t nervous anymore.
He smiled, just a little. "Nancy. Should I be worried?"
She shook her head. "Not yet."
