Chapter 61

Marshall POV

Since stepping off the plane after the tour, something inside me had shifted.

Every moment I wasn't with Leila, the need to keep her by my side gnawed at me.

It had only gotten worse since the tour ended.

We'd been splitting our time between her place and mine, like we were testing the waters, keeping our own spaces, but that wasn't enough for me anymore, the second I left her place, the second I wasn't in her world, I felt that familiar panic.

The need to lock her down had become a fucking roar inside my head, she didn't realize it yet, but this was my way of keeping her.

I'd never wanted to get married again, after everything that happened with Kim, I was done with that part of my life, but Leila changed everything, it wasn't just about love, it was about possession.

The thought of her walking away or someone else getting into her head made me sick, I needed her with me, fully and completely.

Permanently.

Now we were in Vegas for a charity event, I had a few appearances scheduled, meetings, some fund raising gala, nothing too intense, it was supposed to be a break for us, a chance to get away from everything and just be together.

But this trip? It had become something else for me, an opportunity to finally lock her down.

We were cruising down the Strip, heading back to our hotel after a long day of events, Leila was sitting next to me, her hand resting lightly on mine.

To anyone else, she looked calm, but I knew her better than that, beneath that calm exterior, I knew there was always something brewing, the same intensity that drew me to her.

We had been together for months, but the thought of her not being by my side forever? It burned me alive.

"You ever think about the future?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even, but inside, I was anything but calm, I needed to hear her say it, I needed to know she saw us going the distance.

Leila glanced at me, her lips curving into a soft smile  "What do you mean?"

"Us" I said, keeping my tone casual even though the question was loaded with meaning "Where we're going, what we're building together"

Her smile softened, but I saw it, that flicker of doubt in her eyes.

I fucking hated that.

Hated that she wasn't fully locked in yet.

"I think about it" she said, but there was hesitation in her voice "But... sometimes I wonder how we're going to make it work, everything between us is so intense, it's like we're always burning too hot"

Her words made my chest tighten.

She didn't see it yet, didn't understand that we needed that fire, that intensity was the glue holding us together, the more time we spent in separate places, the more I felt like I was losing her.

That's why this had to happen tonight.

"If you can't see a future without me" I said, my voice low, laced with that possessiveness I couldn't hide anymore "Then let's do somethin' about it"

Leila turned to me, her eyes narrowing as if she could feel the tension in my words "Marshall, I'm not saying I want to leave, I'm saying... we're volatile, we're either on fire, or we're about to explode"

"Yeah, and that's the point ain't it?" I said, not bothering to hide my frustration "You think I don't know that? But I can't fucking imagine waking up without you, this" I gestured between us "this is who we are, we burn, that's what makes us work"

She stared at me, the tension between us crackling like it always did, but there was something else there too.

She was hesitating and that made me uneasy.

She wasn't all in yet, and I couldn't fucking handle it, and that scared the shit out of me.

"I love you" I said, the words coming out harder than I intended, but I didn't care "I love you more than anything, you know that, right?"

Her eyes softened for a moment, but I could still feel that feeling of dred lingering just beneath the surface.

"I love you too" She whispered, but there was a note of doubt in her voice "But Marshall..."

I couldn't let her keep thinking like this, couldn't let her believe there was any other option but us, I needed her completely in my world.

"What if..." She started, her voice quieter now, and I could feel the shift, she was close, and I knew I could push her just a little more, just enough to tip her over the edge.

Just enough manipulation so she would agree, as if it was her idea.

"What if we made this official?"

Her words hit me, the feeling of relief, but I kept my face neutral.

She was falling right into my hands, she thought she was leading the conversation, but I'd been waiting for this moment, pushing her toward it, she just didn't know it.

"Official?" I asked, keeping my voice calm, almost casual "Like... marriage?"

Leila bit her lip, nodding slowly "Yeah, I mean, we're already basically living together, right? We might as well make it official, make it forever"

Her words sent a surge of satisfaction through me, but I couldn't let her see that, I couldn't let her know how much I needed this, she thought it was her idea, and that was perfect.

"I wasn't even thinking about marriage again" I said, keeping my voice low, like I was still processing it "Not until I met you"

She smiled at that, and I could see her starting to relax, the tension fading "So... what do you think?"

"I think it makes sense" I said, nodding slowly "It feels right"

Her smile widened, but I could see the practicality starting to settle in her eyes.

She was smart, always thinking things through, I knew what was coming next, and I'd already planned for it.

"We should be smart about it, though" She said, her voice turning more serious "We should protect what we have, you know... like a prenup"

I couldn't let my satisfaction show, she thought she was the one being practical, the one taking control of the situation, but I'd been leading her here the whole time.

"A prenup?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral, like the idea had just occurred to me "That actually makes sense"

"Yeah" she nodded, gaining confidence as she spoke "It's just the smart thing to do, we're both protecting ourselves, it doesn't mean anything else, right? Just making sure we're safe"

"Exactly" I agreed, my voice calm.

She leaned back, fully settled into the idea now, she didn't even realize how deep she was in.

"How fast can you get that sorted?" she asked, already moving forward with the plan like it was the next logical step.

I nodded, pulling out my phone" I'll make a call."

———

I pulled the car into the lot of a glowing wedding chapel, the neon lights reflecting off Leila's face as she looked around, she was calm now, fully on board.

This was it.

This was the moment I'd been working toward since I got back from the tour.

No more bouncing between our houses.

She was going to be mine and there would be no going back.

"Let me call Paul" I said, pulling out my phone.

I dialed Paul's number, keeping my voice steady, he picked up on the second ring.

"Paul, it's Marshall, I need a prenup drawn up, like, fast"

There was a brief pause before Paul responded, even though I had mentioned it multiple times, he just didn't believe me "A prenup?"

"Yeah" I said, glancing at Leila "We're doing this thing, but we're being smart about it, we get what we go into the relationship with, we'll amend the rest later, you can get it to me tonight, right?

Paul paused again, clearly caught off guard "Yeah... I can get it done, I'll send it over"

I hung up and turned to Leila, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Paul's sending over the prenup now, just a formality, I'll make sure everything's exactly how you want it"

———

When Paul's email came through, I pulled up the document on my phone and handed it to Leila.

"Take a look" I said, keeping my voice even "It's exactly what we talked about, you're protected, I'm protected"

Leila scrolled through the document, her eyes narrowing as she read, I could see her processing it, but she was already convinced, she just needed to see it written out.

"This looks good" she said, her voice steady now "This is the smart move"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is"

She hesitated for a second, then pressed her finger to the screen, signing her name with a slow swipe.

That was it.

She was mine, emotionally, legally, completely.

"I guess this really is a shotgun wedding" she laughed softly, handing me back the phone.

I chuckled, tucking the phone away "Guess so, but that's us, right? We don't wait"

She smiled, leaning into me "Yeah, us agains the world"

———

We stepped out of the car, the warm Vegas air hitting us as we approached the chapel.

It was small, intimate, glowing with neon lights.

She was focused now, her earlier hesitation gone.

This was happening.

We walked inside, hand in hand, but as the moment crept closer, I saw something flicker in Leila's eyes, it wasn't fear, but there was tension in her steps, the weight of what we were about to do seemed to hit her all at once.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice steady but quiet, I could hear the vulnerability under the words.

I turned to her, holding her gaze "We're already living together, splitting time between places, we can't live without each other, this just makes it official, it's us, Leila, you know this is what we want"

She swallowed, nodding, but I could see the conflict in her, for a moment, I thought she might back out, but she stayed rooted next to me, that fire in her eyes returning, I leaned down, pressing my lips softly to her forehead.

"Okay" she whispered, her voice steady now "Okay, lets do this"

The officiant barely had time to register what was going on before we were standing in front of him, hands clasped together, Leila's eyes were on mine the whole time, her intense gaze locking me in place.

It was fast, almost too fast, but that's what made it feel right, this was us, we didn't do anything slowly or half assed, always full throttle and throwing on the gasoline, and this? This was just another fire we were going to burn through together.

The officiant's voice blurred in the background as I watched her, feeling that familiar need tighten inside me.

"Do you, Marshall, take Leila to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do" I said, my voice steady, confident.

The officiant turned to her "Do you, Leila, take Marshall to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She smiled, her eyes bright with something dark and fiery, the way they always were "I do"

And just like that, it was done.

We were tied together, forever.