"Are we done here?"

Steve Marek eyed the young woman sitting across the table from him. She was a spit-fire, much like her sister. Alex had shared some vital information with him about the investigation, yet his instincts told him she was withholding something.

"Almost. I'll be in touch again soon. If there are any other details you happen to….recollect, send for me. And just so you are aware, you'll be under close surveillance until we've wrapped this case up."

"Close surveillance," she muttered, then grunted. "Thanks but no thanks. I don't need protection."

"You don't have a say in the matter. Because of the choice you made to tail the suspects, you have outed yourself. They now know you're not who they thought you were, and when they discover your true identity, you'll have a target on your back."

Alex was quiet for a few seconds, her jaw clenched in stubbornness. "Look, just give me back my right to bear arms and I can take care of myself like a big girl."

"You have no idea what these people are capable of. You will have round-the-clock security whether you like it or not. End of discussion."

Steve stood up and without another word, turned to exit through the door near the one-way mirror. Alex watched as he departed the room, a scowl on her face. She wasn't sure who she was angrier with, though—the handsome but self-righteous agent, for scolding her the way he had, or her stubborn self, for disregarding protocol and undermining their chance to apprehend a few elite criminals. Either way, Agent Marek was right—she blew it.

Less than a minute later, the orderly guarding the door to the hallway stepped in.

"Let's go," he said. His tone was unemotional, demanding even.

Alex didn't respond as he steered her wheelchair out of the interrogation room and back into the hallway. Instead, she considered the possible consequences of her actions, remembering the agent's warning. "You have no idea what these people are capable of." It wasn't fear for her own life that worried her, though; it was the realization that others close to her could be in danger as well. Her mom. Her sister. Even Oliver, perhaps. For their own safety, Alex needed them to distance themselves from her. She just hoped that it wasn't too late.

Back in the room, the nurse on duty helped Alex get settled again.

"You know, I'm kinda beat and ready to call it a night," Alex declared, with a slight smile. "Could you do me a favor and send my mom back to the hotel? Tell her I'll touch base tomorrow."

"Sure thing. I'll give her a call right away."

"Thank you," Alex said. "I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I'm not up for the company right now."

"I'll blame it on restrictions." The nurse smiled and patted her arm. "You get some good rest tonight, dear, and push that button if you need me."

The wedded-without-rings couple sat on the couch of their suite, savoring their time together. However, both were a bit saddened knowing that their moments alone together would soon come to an end with the return of the elder Ms. McInerney.

Room service had delivered a variety of gourmet snacks and wine, and the couple ate to their hearts' content.

"Nuts?" Shane offered, an amused grin plastered on her face.

Oliver raised a brow. "That's highly possible," he replied, taking a spoonful from the dish Shane held out, and she giggled. He stared at her for a few moments, a slight smile on his face, and then let out a huge sigh. "This past week has certainly brought about a number of unexpected events. Never would I have thought that I would use a computer to conduct work meetings on the—online—or spontaneously, but wholeheartedly, marry the love of my life and enter a highly unorthodox wedded relationship,"—his head tilted as he squinted an eye—"then follow my bride across the country to share a hotel suite with her and her mother." Shane grimaced but remained silent as he continued. "Not to mention, request assistance from my wife's former boyfriend and catch her falling from a tree, only to injure my side and come in contact with some mysterious poisonous plant—"

"Wild parsnip," Shane interjected, her face twisting with regret.

"Wild parsnip," Oliver repeated, followed by a slight nod of acknowledgement. "And as if that weren't enough of an….adventure, now I have consented to purchasing my own personal mobile device."

His final words were choppy, hesitant, as though the very idea stung his tongue. He blew out a breath, the verbal recollection of the past several days' events overwhelming him.

Despite his serious account of their first few days as husband and wife, Shane suddenly became greatly amused. She bit her lip to stifle her laughter, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" Oliver asked, his eyebrows raised, the amusement twinkling in his own blue eyes betraying his grave demeanor.

Shane, having lost control, let out a flood of giggles. "I'm sorry, Oliver, but you have to admit, it's pretty funny."

"I suppose it is somewhat humorous," he agreed with a chuckle. "This is all quite uncharacteristic for me, you know."

"Oh, yes, I do know," Shane confirmed, giving him a wink and another round of giggles. "That's why it's so funny."

"The world itself has gone mad, my Shane," Oliver announced ceremoniously, "and so have I, for you. But I wouldn't have it any other way….with one exception, of course." He flashed Shane a sultry grin, which momentarily rendered her speechless as her amused state instantly transformed to one of awe. Her heart then skipped a beat at the simple gesture of him taking her hand in his. "The circumstances of the past five days haven't exactly been ideal, but I want you to know that these have been the best five days of my life." His thumb and forefinger pinched the stone of the engagement ring on Shane's finger as he eyed the antique gem. How he longed to add a wedding band alongside his grandmother's heirloom. "To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health….to love and to cherish. No matter what, those promises were real." He looked back up and gravely into Shane's misty eyes. "The days we have spent together as husband and wife have truly been a testament to the vows we shared….and that covenant is what is most important to me in our marriage."

Shane bit her lip once again, this time to keep tears at bay.

Wrinkles formed between Oliver's eyes as he struggled to read Shane's expression. "Not that there aren't….other….important aspects of marriage—just not in ours. I mean, not now. Not yet….but soon….perhaps…." Oliver's voice was a bit husky, yet in spite of his awkwardness his gaze remained steadfast as he looked deeply into Shane's bright blue eyes. The look they shared projected more than a simple glimmer of hope.

Her eyes glistened, and she stared at him thoughtfully before speaking.

Finally Shane nodded as the corners of her lips turned up shyly. "I know things have been weird, Oliver. Really weird." A look akin to regret covered her face. "I realize now that the idea of a platonic marriage was crazy. Probably the craziest idea I've ever had."

"You didn't do this alone," Oliver remarked. "There is a reason….a season….for everything."

She nodded once more. "I'm so grateful to have had your support—as my husband—through all of this. It's a….different kind of comfort," Shane stated expressively, "and I like it. I love it, actually."

Oliver looked even more deeply into her eyes, a soft smile forming. "I've never been happier, my dear Shane."

Shane grinned satisfactorily, but the mood was stifled by Oliver's yawn, his eyelids growing heavy.

"I do apologize, but I'm not sure I can stay awake much longer," he informed her. "I believe that the medications might be taking effect and causing drowsiness."

"I understand, Oliver," Shane replied. "I think that we should ice your side for a bit tonight, though, even if you do go on to sleep. I'll get the ice pack."

He nodded and they stood up from the couch. Shane started to walk past him but abruptly halted.

"I'm not sure how much longer we have until Mom arrives, or until you fall asleep," she started to explain.

Oliver raised a brow. "When I said 'soon', I wasn't implying—"

"Oliver." Shane chuckled. "I'm just hoping for a good night kiss."

"Oh. Well, Shane, seeing as how you are my wife, I'd say you can kiss me anytime you want," Oliver assured her. His ear-to-ear boyish grin solidified his statement, and Shane smiled satisfactorily. At least there were some benefits to them being in this unique married relationship.

Shane inhaled and took a step toward Oliver. Her hands gently encompassed his neck and his lips met hers with an equal degree of gentleness that waned as the seconds ticked by. Their heads leaned into each other, yet the rest of their bodies maintained a safe distance, Shane's hands moving down to rest on Oliver's muscular biceps.

After a few moments, Oliver pulled back slightly, looking at her. He sighed, somewhat dejectedly, and Shane frowned. Before she could question him, he placed a finger to her lip. Two seconds later, he wrapped one arm around her and brought her close to him, favoring his uninjured side, as he claimed her lips again, this time without any hesitation.

Shane's heart and mind raced equally, beats and thoughts each vying with the other at an increasing rate. Oliver was kissing her like never before, defying the drowsiness that had begun to appear just a minute before. A rush of adrenaline in the moment must have temporarily kicked his sleepiness to the curb, not to mention his awareness that at any moment—

The doorknob turned, eliciting quiet but frustrated groans from both husband and wife. They reluctantly broke away and gave each other knowing, longing glances. Shane forced herself to step back from Oliver, immediately feeling an unwelcome chill from leaving his warm embrace, as her mother entered the suite.

"Hello!" Ms. McInerney called out.

"Hello, Mom," Shane replied, as normally as possible, her heart racing. She then hastily walked toward the kitchen to retrieve the ice pack from the freezer, mostly to distance herself—not only from her mother, but from Oliver as well. A moment of passion between the couple had Shane on edge in the best, worst way possible and she contemplated who would be in greater need of the ice pad's cooling effects.

While Shane had had years to master the art of feigning innocence around her mother, Oliver's face was ridden with a guilty expression. "Ms. McInerney," he awkwardly greeted his mother-in-law from where he stood frozen in the living area.

Shane's head turned sharply, naturally in response, as she had become accustomed to Oliver addressing her in the same manner, at least professionally. She shook her head, chuckling to herself at her reaction, as she opened the freezer door and obtained the ice pack.

"Oh Oliver! Shane told me about your fall….and the rash." Shane's mother grimaced and sympathetically eyed her son-in-law. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, actually, much better, thank you. Your daughter has been taking very good care of me." He smiled, his adoring gaze landing on Shane as she closed the freezer door and turned back to face him. As Shane's mother spoke again, Oliver forcefully but reluctantly pried his eyes away from his wife, who was beaming at him from the other side of the kitchen counter.

"Well, I am glad to hear that. Wild parsnip can be vicious! My girls had a horrible case of it when they were little. I sure do hope you're back to your normal self by Saturday." She gave him an obscure wink.

"Thank you. So do I," Oliver stated, clearing his throat.

Shane walked out of the kitchen area, ice pack in hand.

"Saturday?" Shane inquired, looking from one to the other with a puzzled expression.

"Oh! Well, I would hate for Oliver to be sore and itchy on the flight back to Denver," Shane's mother's eyes darted between the couple as she attempted to cover up. "You know how uncomfortable those seats can be and how….dry….the air is."

Shane eyed her mother curiously, with a side glance at Oliver, then challenged, "We have first-class seats, and I haven't noticed the air—"

"So the hospital would not allow you to stay the night?" Oliver's eyes bored into his mother-in-law's.

"No," Shane's mother responded dejectedly, yet grateful that her son-in-law had deflected the conversation. "But I understand. I'm just thankful I was allowed to see her at all. With everything that's happening, I imagine regulations will become stricter than ever. I actually saw Steve and considered asking him to pull a few more strings, but I figured he's done enough already."

"You saw Steve?" Shane asked, her attention diverted, her eyebrows raised curiously. "Where?"

"Yes. He was just down the hall from Alex's room, talking to a guard." She paused thoughtfully. "You know, I've never seen such security at a hospital! But at least I know Alex is safe where she is, right?"

Oliver stiffened but spoke confidently. "I do believe she is in very good hands, Ms. McInerney. The hospital serves many high-profile patients, hence the greater security measures, and especially now, amidst the pandemic."

"True," Shane agreed calmly, although her inquisitive mind was spinning as she eyed Oliver curiously. He flashed her a smile and she inhaled, looking back at her mother.

"I am sorry that they sent me back here," Ms. McInerney told them.

"We are too," Oliver responded. Shane shot him another look, this time with wide eyes, and he stumbled over his words awkwardly. "I mean, uh….we are sorry that you were not permitted to stay with Alex….and that you had no choice but to come back here with us—uh—I mean—"

Shane's mother chuckled. "I know what you mean, Oliver. It's quite alright, though. The nurse said Alex is doing very well but exhausted after the testing. The good news is that she might not need as many surgeries as they had thought at first….and because she has handled this like such a champ, she could even be discharged very soon."

"That is amazing!" Shane exclaimed with excitement, as Oliver chuckled satisfactorily.

"It is such a relief," Ms. McInerney agreed, a broad smile plastered on her face. "So I don't want you two to worry about a thing when you leave Saturday. I'll be here to help as long as Alex needs me—and you can come back for a visit when you're ready." She eyed the ice pack in Shane's hand. "You really should ice your injury, Oliver, so you won't be so miserable Saturday on the plane." In spite of her earlier blunder, she boldly gave him a knowing smile, her brows raised.

"Yep! We are going to do that now." Shane had turned her focus to Oliver and didn't seem to notice her mother's coded words or expressions, or perhaps she simply chose to ignore Ms. McInerney's mannerisms this time. Putting her hand on Oliver's arm, Shane guided him toward the bedroom. "Just knock if you need access to the bathroom!" she said over her shoulder, closing the door behind them.

"Make yourself comfortable," Shane instructed Oliver. "I'll get a towel for this ice pack."

"Okay," Oliver complied, settling into the bed as Shane stepped into the bathroom.

A few moments later, Shane stepped out and approached Oliver, the towel-wrapped ice pack in her hand.

"Maybe this will ease the p—"

Shane stopped at the side of the bed and looked at Oliver closely.

"Oliver?" Shane spoke quietly.

There was no answer, only the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed easily.

Shane chuckled, then sat beside him on the edge of the bed. She pulled up one side of his shirt, resisting the urge to run her hands over his well-toned abs and focusing on his injury instead. She settled the ice pack on the bruised area, and surprisingly, Oliver barely stirred through it all.

After lowering his shirt over the ice pack and pulling the covers up over his arms, Shane placed a hand on his clean-shaven cheek and smiled, her heart overflowing but aching at the same time. Because of her actions, Oliver had suffered. She had realized this truth earlier, during their difficult conversation, but nursing his injuries made it even more prominent.

"I promise I'll make this up to you," she whispered, her voice shaky. A lone tear found its escape route through the corner of her eye and fell freely down her cheek until she swiped at it with the back of her free hand.

She reluctantly broke contact and stood, glancing at the time on her phone. She quickly slipped into the bathroom and collected the bag of contaminated clothing. As she walked back into the bedroom, she halted and eyed Oliver for a few more seconds as an idea came to her. She knew what she needed to do, and she needed to act quickly. Exhaling sharply, she turned and exited the room, quietly pulling the door closed behind her.

"Mom," Shane said, looking at her mother, who was sitting on the couch, picking at what was left of the food.

With eyes wide and mouth full, Ms. McInerney raised her head from above the coffee table to look at her daughter.

Shane laughed at her mother's guilty expression. "Eat whatever you'd like. Oliver is out like a light, and I have some laundry to do. I'm going downstairs and will be back in a bit."

Her mother nodded and waved, still chewing. Shane exited the suite carrying the bag of soiled clothing, her phone tucked into a back pocket of her jeans.

Once on the main floor, Shane located the laundering area and dumped Oliver's parsnip-stained clothes into a washer and disposed of the bag. After starting the cycle, she found a quiet spot and, grinning with excitement, pressed the speed dial button for Rita. The phone rang a couple times before she answered.

"Hi Shane!" Rita exclaimed.

"Rita! Hi!" Shane chuckled with glee at the sound of her friend's voice. "How are you?"

"Good!" Rita replied quickly. There was an awkward pause. "How are you?"

"I'm good. We're good, all things considered." Shane frowned. "Did I….call at a….bad time?"

"Oh, no. No, no. We're not doing a thing! Nothing's going on." Rita said quickly before diverting the topic. "I've been so worried about you. How is Alex?"

"She's doing so much better. And I'm sorry I haven't been in touch much lately. A lot has been going on."

"Oh, that's okay, Shane. It's probably better that way."

"What?" Shane inquired, confused.

"Well, I just mean that uh, you're so busy and we shouldn't be talking. Uh, I mean, it's not necessary for us to talk. Except that you called me and I didn't want to ignore your call because what if you really, really needed me?" Rita rambled. "A good friend doesn't ignore messages or phone calls or—"

"Rita, what is going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine! I've just been worried about you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sooo….does that mean that you and Oliver have, uh…."

"No, it does not." Shane sighed, then filled Rita in on what had happened over the last couple of days. When Shane had finished her summary, she felt an unexpected wave of relief. She hadn't realized how much stress she had been carrying and how much she had missed conversing with her friend.

"Oh, Shane, you can't blame yourself for everything that's happened. You know Oliver's not blaming you."

Shane nodded, biting her lip. "He's been wonderful, Rita. So patient. Still, I want to make this up to him. I need to fix this and make our marriage what it should have been in the first place."

"Well, aren't you planning to come home Saturday? Maybe then you can shift your attention from your sister, take some time off work and really focus on your marriage, just the two of you."

"That's what I'm hoping for. But as you know, Oliver is very traditional—"

"Oh yes, very traditional," Rita repeated.

"Well, I have an idea."

"You….do?"

"I do! I want to surprise Oliver with a real church wedding on Saturday, as soon as we get back to Denver."

Her statement was met by silence on the other end.

"Rita, are you still there?"

"Oh! Uhhh, I'm here….just, uh….just a little speechless!"

Shane chuckled. "It will have to be a very small ceremony with only family and a few close friends, due to restrictions and such short notice. We'll say our vows again, only this time we'll exchange rings, too, of course." Shane blew out a breath of excitement. "So, what do you think?"

"Well, I think that sounds like a fantastic idea! I'm positive Oliver will love it," Rita replied with a giggle.

"Yes, he will appreciate a church wedding, and I want us to look back on this time with no regrets," Shane declared.

"I agree. So you're positive this is what you want?"

"Yes, Rita, I am. Because if we have to wait much longer, one or both of us will lose our minds."

They laughed.

"I know this won't be exactly what you had dreamed of for your wedding, Shane, but it can still be beautiful," Rita insisted. "Think about my wedding. We made last-minute changes and got married in a barn. With cows. And our marriage has turned out to be amazing."

Shane smiled at the memory of the days leading up to Rita and Norman's wedding. "Yes, that's so true. All that matters to me is that Oliver and I are truly married." She sniffled. "I realize we only have less than two days to plan, but will you help me make this happen, Rita?"

"Of course I will. As your matron of honor, I'm happy to do whatever is needed to get you two married….twice and for all!"

The two friends laughed and continued chatting for a while, mainly discussing what details should be handled before Saturday. Once the laundry was dry, Shane collected the clothing and headed back toward the suite, her mind spinning with the idea of a wedding in two days.

Her cheery demeanor suddenly sobered as a sixth sense alerted her, sending a chill up her spine. She kept walking but nonchalantly glanced over her shoulder as she rounded the hallway and passed through the lobby.

A tall, large-framed man, dressed in a dark suit and sporting a beard, walked several yards behind her. When she reached the elevators, he stopped near a sitting area of the lobby and appeared to wait. Shane discreetly kept an eye on him until the elevator opened. As she hastily entered the elevator, she noticed him on the move again, heading toward her.

Her heart pounded as she reached forward and repeatedly pressed the button to close the doors before the man had an opportunity to join her. Relieved to be alone within the confines of the elevator, Shane leaned against the side wall and let out a breath, only wishing Oliver were here with her. She watched as the lit-up numbers slowly shifted from one to two, then two to three, and finally three to four. The doors opening to the fourth floor quickly brought back that unnerving sensation. Stepping out of the elevator, she glanced around at the quiet, empty hall, her laundry in one hand and room key ready in the other.

She knew she had to make the long walk to the end of the hall, and her breathing quickened with each step as she picked up the pace. Once she arrived at the door to suite 401, she glanced back down the hallway.

And there the mystery man stood once more, in front of the door to the stairwell, eyeing her from a distance as he tapped on a mobile phone.