: Wedding Rings

Back to the present.

“Hungry?” Andrew asked Kenzie as he walked alongside her by the corridors. His black hair was without a style, softly moving freely as they made their way to the restaurant.

She smiled with pursed lips, nodding while studying how his shirt loosely hugged his well-shaped body. She pretended to look down at her feet but peered sideways under her lashes, appreciating Andrew's long and masculine legs. They were well hidden beneath his faded jeans.

'Damn.'

Andrew was in simple clothes, yet he still managed to be guilty of being an adonis. How cruel was the world to the other men and how lucky was she to be walking with a possible demi-god? He looked too perfect to be human, or so she thought.

“ I wasn’t sure if you like fancy restaurants. So I decided we could go to a more comfortable – casual one,” Andrew revealed. It was his way of adjusting to her supposed simple life.

“Ummm. Yeah, sure. That would be great.” She immediately understood. “I mean, I – I totally am not for using too many silverwares when eating!"

She sneered towards the end as she gave a fake laugh, "Haha!"

‘Did that make sense? I hope he isn’t taking me to eat burgers and fries though,’ she thought silently because she wasn't really fond of fast food. Her mother made sure of that.

Walking closer to what it looked like an open-air seafood restaurant, Kenzie sighed in relief, but an angry-looking brunette quickly put her easiness to a stop who, out of nowhere, stood in their way.

“Andrew! My father called your grandmother, and he was told you don’t have a girlfriend. Thus!” Madelyn glared at Kenzie, her nose flaring as she declared, “You are not married to anybody. And especially not this one!”

Andrew was quick to push Madelyn aside and protect Kenzie with his arms. He held her tightly and forced her closer to his chest. He reminded, “We were in a secret relationship. I told you this already. We got married in secret and in fact! We are on our honeymoon. I only agreed to meet with you, thinking it was a business meeting while on this cruise!”

“Yes! We are, in fact… in our honeymoon,” Kenzie supplemented. She was already in this with Andrew since last night, she might as well play along.

Madelyn winced, taunting in resentment at the two and carefully studying their body language. Seconds later, she found something strange. Pointing at Andrew’s finger, she said, “Hah! You don’t even have wedding rings! And how about your marriage contract? Where is it?”

While Kenzie felt a lump in her throat, Andrew remained calm, merely shaking his head.

“We don’t need to explain anything to you, Madelyn. As for our marriage certificate, we don’t necessarily carry it with us as we go for dinner.” Andrew retorted. "Now, will you please, leave us in peace."

“Even she has no wedding ring or engagement ring!” Her eyes were fuming with passion, scowling at Kenzie. “It is too much of a coincidence that both of you are not wearing rings!”

‘Okay, Kenzie. Think!’ Kenzie shifted her gaze to Andrew and could tell that he was also formulating a plan. She took the liberty to start by explaining, “We had to take it off.”

“It was getting in the way,” Andrew added.

“Yes,” Kenzie backed him up, despite not knowing where it was headed. “It was… easier without the rings.”

“Getting in the way of what?!” Madelyn had to ask.

“Bloody hell, Madelyn! Can’t you understand? We are on our honeymoon! We were having wild sex, and the rings were getting in the way - getting tangled in the hair, scratching our skins - We just had to remove them!” Andrew gave his defense, squinting at Madelyn.

Yes!” Just as she agreed unwittingly, Kenzie stood frozen in her stance, turning tomato red. ‘What? What did he just say? Of course, he would say something sexual! Pervert and shameless!’

Kenzie could feel several eyes on them, probably having heard what Andrew suggested. She had never felt so ashamed in her life. ‘Wild sex? Seriously? How could wedding rings do so much damage? And he just had to say that out loud!’

“Sweetheart, let’s just go back and get our rings so we can satisfy Madelyn’s curiosity,” without waiting for any reaction from the brunette, Andrew grabbed Kenzie’s hand and sped away. It was clear to Andrew that Madelyn was hell-bent to make her point.

He knew he had to get those... wedding rings.

***

“What are we doing here, Andrew?” Kenzie asked, her tone reflected a hint of irritation.

Opening the door to the ship’s jewelry store, Andrew gently held Kenzie’s hand and answered, “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you don’t have to be upset. They don’t know us and we don’t know them. When they return to their homes, they will forget about the couple who had wild sex on their honeymoon that they had to take off their wedding rings.”

Kenzie’s mouth fell agape while being dragged inside. Andrew, on the other hand, just gave her a wink, followed by his usual sexy smirk.

“You are shameless!” She had to call it out.

“And you probably would not want it any other way,” he answered, chuckling and showing off his dimples.

‘Do I?’ She wondered, still upset, yet finding herself following Andrew’s lead. Her heart sank, realizing... he probably was right. He was fun that way; being shameless!

Heartbeats later, a gentleman attending to the store offered the couple various options for their instant wedding rings.

Several conditions need to be met. One, since they were only pretending, Kenzie insisted that it should be practically priced. Two, unfortunately, the rings, including her engagement ring, had to fit the description in the way Andrew had exaggerated earlier.

The wedding rings needed to be… believable.

“The rings have to have intricate details,” Andrew suggested, caressing his chin while studying the options.

With a hint of sarcasm, Kenzie added, rolling her eyes in Andrew’s direction, “One word. WILD.”

Andrew chuckled, ignoring Kenzie’s remark. He said, “More like a dangerous kind… Something that could potentially hurt.”

“Maybe a little sharp on the edges?” Kenzie added, raising a brow, and only then did Kenzie and Andrew look at each other. They both nodded in agreement before turning to the store attendant.

“Details so convoluted, it would get tangled in the hair,” Andrew described.

“And it must be something you can easily dispose of after its full use,” Kenzie explained, nodding her head. “So tell us, what do you recommend?”

The poor gentleman in front of them was left confused, shifting his eyes from Andrew to Kenzie. His forehead formed droplets of sweat, imagining what the two were up to. His lips trembled as he asked, “Are you… looking to buy a wedding ring?” His voice broke off as he added, “Or… a murder weapon? Ha. Ha.”

Dead air filled the space.

They could clearly hear the store attendant gulping in each second that passed.

Soon enough, however, Andrew cleared his throat and leaned over the glass display. He said to the gentleman in his most serious tone, "Listen, lad. It isn't what you think at all."

"Yeah, it really isn't. Pfft... I mean... How could rings be murder weapons?" Kenzie added.

"Yes, me and my wife... we... we simply have a fetish for going rough and wild in bed - Ahhh!"

A smack went across Andrew's arm and Kenzie yelled, "Andrew!"

Before the two could argue, the storekeeper sighed and assumed, "Oh, so you're also into BDSM. What do you know! Though, I haven't thought of using rings before. Haha! You know golden chains can make a good bondage. Would you like me to show you?"

The couple's mouths fell on the floor. Somehow, Andrew could not make a comeback and Kenzie thought, 'Why did the murder weapon sound better?'

: Husband Material

"Oh, my god! Three o'clock. Stalker alert!" Kenzie warned as she pretended to look down at the menu, ready to order for her meal.

Earlier, before entering the restaurant, they still found Madelyn waiting for them. They flashed their wedding rings and had to deal with a few nasty exchanges before they went inside to have their dinner.

To Kenzie's shock, the brunette took a table not too far from them, clearly observing how they acted together.

Andrew just shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm too gorgeous for my own good. Just ignore her."

"Whatever." Kenzie rolled her eyes, but at the same time, she could not agree more. Someone like Andrew probably has more than one stalker in his life.

She also had a few, but her father and her brother took care of them.

"You are just lucky that with the way she judges me with her stares, I want to stay married to you just so she would bleed with envy," she added as she continued to scan the menu.

Andrew chuckled and said, "Excuses. Excuses. You know you are falling for me already."

"Dream on," she countered, but smirked at the end.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you it's not good to lie? How about the saying follow your heart? You should try it some time," he teased and winked.

When the waiter arrived to take their order, Andrew offered, "Let me guess. You'd like a Ceasar salad?"

"Ah, how do you know?" Kenzie asked with a frown before looking at the food attendant and confirming the request.

"Most girls eat only that," Andrew thought.

"And I'll also have one five hundred grams of this lemon butter snapper, please," Kenzie added with a smile.

"Oh, no, sweetheart. I like my shrimps. You don't need to order for me," Andrew cut her off, assuming the fish was for him.

"No, Andrew. The fish is for me. And yes, I eat green salad, but I also need my protein," she explained. "I don't starve myself to death eating just grass. What's the fun in that?"

For a second, Andrew paused. It took him that long to recover before clarifying, "You can eat an entire five hundred grams of fish? How do you get to look like that?"

"I work out and I eat fewer carbs," she said as she handed the menu to the server. "I know how to take care of myself. It's one of those life lessons from my parents."

While waiting for their food, Andrew took the chance to get to know more about her now that she was sober. "So... about your ex - "

"I don't want to talk about him. He and my friends broke my heart - more like used me to get what they want, and that's the reason I left my hometown. I don't want to see them ever again," she briefly explained. "I want to start anew. Meet new friends - "

"And now you have a husband... a fine one at that," he inserted himself, smirking at the end.

When she just snorted, Andrew continued with his probing, "So... tell me about your family."

'Oh, no.' These were the type of questions Kenzie was avoiding. Telling the truth would go against her goal of starting fresh... at least... she feared that it would.

She took her time, but when she saw how Andrew was lowering his gaze at her, waiting, she spoke, "Ummm... Well, my mom is a cook. And my dad, he... Um."

Kenzie was trying to find the right way to explain to Andrew who her father was, but it was because she needed more time that she tried to change the topic. She blurted out, "I like your shirt, by the way. Really nice material."

"This plain white shirt?" He glowed as soon as she nodded. "You know what it's made of?"

"No." She shook her head and asked, "What?"

"Husband material," he was swift to reply.

Kenzie wound up shaking her head, beaming at his words. She heard the man say, "avoiding the question, I see."

"Fine!" She cleared her throat and started to say, "Well, um... My dad, he... he does a lot of things."

For a second, she pouted her lips, and she explained, "Sometimes, he would venture into... real estate... Ummm.... hospitality. Really, just whatever he thinks is good for the moment. He is kinda good at that."

"I get it... And I have high respect for those who have to work multiple jobs for the family. Your dad must be really hardworking," Andrew supplied, nodding his head in genuine admiration.

"You... you can say that again," Kenzie softly returned.

"Any brothers and sisters?" Andrew resumed his probing.

"Two brothers and one sister." Kenzie smiled, somewhat being sentimental at the mention of her family and revealed, "Actually, part of the reason why I approached you was because you gave me the feel similar to that of my twin brother, Kyle."

"You were in a formal suit, you are tall and you have dark hair - but yours are darker - "

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but I'm not for brotherly love." He placed a hand on his chest and resumed, "For you, I'm the real thing. Husband material, remember?"

Kenzie tried to hold down a giggle. She warned, using the pointed ring on her finger, "Stop that or I'll kill you with my murder weapon."

"Hell, no! That guy was crazy, but if you are in it to commit a crime, how about we agree on a perfect crime," Andrew said, leaning forward, his eyes glistening in Kenzie's direction.

"What crime?" Kenzie asked, utterly curious.

For some strange reason, Kenzie felt something off. It was with the way he grinned that she was sure it was yet again another one of his provocative ideas.

"How about... I steal your heart and you steal mine?" He revealed.

Kenzie burst out laughing in her seat, snorting while she was at it. Her face turned crimson red as she said, "It wasn't what I expected, but... I kinda think that was cute."

"So you think I'm cute?" He asked, giving a sly grin.

Kenzie: "I said what you said was cute, not you! You are obviously not cute - "

Andrew: "You think I'm hot - "

Kenzie: "Yeah, sure - wait! You are putting words into my mouth!"

Andrew: "You think I'm sexy?"

Kenzie: "Stop it."

Andrew: "I've been called many things but definitely not cute."

Kenzie: "Fine! You are sexy and hot!"

Andrew: "Husband material."

Kenzie sighed and surrendered. "Husband material. Happy now?"

Andrew's lips curved into a sexy smirk, letting Kenzie know that he won again.

***

Later that evening, Madelyn still followed the couple to Andrew's suite. The two frequently peaked through the door, checking if she was still around the corner.

After seeing that Madelyn was going nowhere at eleven in the evening, Andrew suggested, "Sweetheart, looks like you are sleeping in my bed again."

"Make me!" It was Kenzie's way of disagreeing.

"I probably will."

: Make It Real

"Are you ready?" Andrew asked, placing a hand behind Kenzie's waist.

Kenzie gulped, looking down at the water slide snaking down to the ship's deck. Andrew had convinced her to take the plunge after three days of putting it off.

Yes, they have been out in the sea for four full days, and going down the famous slide was one of Andrew's bucket lists for Kenzie.

"I can't do this." She shook her head and repeated, "I just can't!"

"Oh, come on, Kenzie. Live a little," Andrew urged.

She found herself looking at the deep blue ocean and added, "Andrew, I am definitely in for living a little, but this is just not what I expected. I can see the ocean from here, Andrew! I can't do this!"

From behind her, Andrew chuckled and said, "Sweetheart, you aren't jumping into the ocean. You'll just land in the landing pod below, right on the ship's deck. Trust me when I say you aren't escaping me that easily. Now, go on. I'll follow."

She thought about it again but decided against it either way. She swung around and said, "I am usually adventurous, Andrew, but I have not been to an amusement park for so long and this? This is just not what I expected! I am literally standing what? forty or fifty feet above the ship."

Holding on to Andrew's muscular arm, Kenzie told, "I really can't, Andrew. I really can't."

They were two godly frames, standing at top of the cruise ship's water slide, wearing nothing but their sexy swimwear.

Gasping in dismay, Andrew gave up, raising his hands. "Alright." He looked at Kenzie's blue eyes and said with a concerned face, "It's okay, sweetheart. I don't mind that I married a wuss."

He took her hand and added, "You are still beautiful, anyway - "

"What did you just call me?" Kenzie's nose flared, realizing how Andrew had called her a coward.

"Ah. I may have exaggerated a little, but I get that you are scared - "

"I am not a wuss, Andrew! Fine! I'll take the slide and prove you wrong!" She was clearly upset, turning red as she shifted back to the slide.

She gasped and gulped, giving one last look at the obstacle course beneath her feet. 'I can do this! This is totally the same as a roller coaster, right?'

Kenzie gave one last glance at Andrew and heard him say, "Go on, sweetheart. I'll follow you."

She crossed her arms against her chest and took a deep breath. Then, she took two steps forward and from there, there was no turning back. She screamed the second her body started to go down... fast. "Aaaahhhhh!"

To Kenzie's surprise, she enjoyed taking the drop!

When Andrew followed after her, they went at it again and again. They ended up spending the rest of the afternoon at the ship's water park.

Already covered in a second layer of summer wear, Andrew and Kenzie grabbed some snacks at the bar by the water park. They were laughing their hearts out, recalling the excitement at the slides.

With gleaming eyes, Kenzie revealed, "I have never had so much fun in years. Seriously! I mean... I was just so occupied with getting a career that I had probably forgotten to have fun."

Andrew smiled in satisfaction at her words. He said, "I am glad I am here to witness your smiles. I vowed to make you laugh till death do as part, remember?"

"Yeah." Chuckling, she replied, "Yes, you did, husband."

"Oh, hi! You were that married couple who had an encounter with a stalker at the "SEA" restaurant a few days back, weren't you?" Out of nowhere, a woman in her late thirties with black hair approached them, together with her husband.

"Um." Kenzie frowned and studied the couple. It looked to her that they wanted to make acquaintances, so she wasn't sure if she should be honest with them or not. She ended up explaining either way, "Um. Well. We aren't really married."

From the corner of her eye, she sensed Andrew's disapproval, but since he did not object, she continued, "It's really a long story. You see, the stalker lady was following him too much and since we were hanging out together, we sort of just made her assume that we were married. You know, just to get her off his back."

She was almost out of breath as she described.

"Oh, such a shame," said the woman. "So you aren't really a couple?"

Kenzie shook her head.

"Wow, you look really good together," remarked her husband. "We could not tell. Did you come on the cruise together?"

It ended up being a lengthy explanation for Kenzie while skipping a few private details.

When the other couple left, Andrew finally gave his piece. He said, "Was that really necessary? They don't know us. We don't know them and we will probably not see them again. The same could be said with the other people out here who will most probably try to make friends with us."

Bemused, Kenzie lowered her gaze at him, asking, "What do you mean?"

"We could simply say we are, in fact, married. Simple. Easier to explain to new acquaintances and easier to get Madelyn to leave us alone," Andrew pointed out.

Somehow, Kenzie understood where Andrew was coming from. Before she could respond, another couple came to introduce themselves.

"Hi, I'm Janice and this is my husband, Rob. We have seen you around. Are you guys married?" Said the woman with red hair.

One second and then another second passed. It would seem to Kenzie that Andrew wanted her to make the decision. She smiled at the woman and said, "Yes, we are married. This is Andrew, my husband and I'm Kenzie."

"Great!" The red-headed woman answered. "We approached you because we wanted to invite a few couples to our private party over at the lounge next week. We were hoping you could come. You guys look like a really nice couple to get to know."

They sat on Kenzie and Andrew's table, exchanging pleasantries and talking about the first stop on the cruise. Soon, they finally left to find another couple to invite to their party.

When Kenzie and Andrew were alone, the man finally spoke. He said, "See what I mean? Wasn't that much easier?"

"Pffft! Yeah. Haha! That was a lot shorter." She sneered and clarified, "I mean, saying how I had to rescue you from a stalker brunette and how we ended up helping each other, pretending to be married and object to their opinions because we look like we are married."

"Haha! It's such a mouthful!"

"Mouthful, indeed," Andrew agreed before letting out a set of laughter himself.

***

The next day, the cruise made its very first stop, and while going around Lisbon, Spain, Andrew and Kenzie met another family. Same as the last, they were asked if they were married.

"Yes, we are married," Kenzie acknowledged to the family of four, a couple, and two teenage kids. "I'm Kenzie and this is my husband, Andrew."

After parting ways from making another friend, Andrew said to Kenzie as they stood in the middle of the streets of Lisbon, "That wasn't so bad, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I could get a hang of it." She shrugged and joked, "Getting married, I mean. Haha!"

Andrew took Kenzie's hand, and as they walked together back in the direction of the ship, he said in passing, "If you are up to it, we could make it real."

At his words, Kenzie swore, she felt her heart flutter.

*** AUTHOR'S NOTES ***

My lovely readers,

Thank you for following my stories; from Sam and Ethan to their kids. This novel is a sequel to "Mommy, Where Is Daddy? The Forsaken Daughter's Return."

"Flash Marriage: A Billionaire For A Rebound" is the story of their daughter, Kenzie Wright. Hence, you can read this story as a stand-alone. However, if you are up to it, you may start with the abovementioned novel, featuring Kenzie's parents.

You may also want to check the story of Kenzie's brother, Kyle. It is entitled "I Kissed A CEO And He Liked It."

The series is exclusively available on goodnovel.