Neither the story nor the characters belong to me.
Chapter Eight
TEMARI
Holy. Shit.
I was engaged to Shika Nara.
Cue montage of childhood fantasy coming to life. Except it wasn't real. It was for the sake of keeping the boys together.
It's not real. It's just for the boys... Then why did my heart feel like it was ready to sprout wings and launch into the sunset?
Cheers erupted all around us, and Gemma banged his gavel like a petulant toddler. This is what happens when candidates run unopposed.
"Settle down! This is a serious matter!"
The room fell silent as Judge Sanderbilt walked down the aisle past us. He shook his head, opened the wooden gate, and approached the bench. Gemma leaned down, his dark-brown hair contrasting to the wispy silver that marked Sanderbilt's years of experience. This could go either way. Sanderbilt was a good judge, kind, reasonable, and more than fair, but Shika had stood on the defendant side of his courtroom too often to be forgotten.
Shika's hand intertwined with mine, warm and firm. Steady. He flaked out on every woman he'd ever known, with two exceptions: the pink-haired woman on his left, and me. For us, he was rock solid.
Gemma sighed and stood.
"Everyone with the exception of counsel, DSS, and the prospective foster parents needs to leave. Now. This hearing is now closed to the public."
A groan went through the courtroom, but they all stood and shuffled toward the exit.
"What the hell?" Sakura whispered excitedly as she yanked me into an awkward hug over the back of the bench.
"Just so we can keep the boys" I assured her in the same whisper, but hugged her tighter. "It's not real. It's not real." I said it once to her, and once to myself.
She pulled back and took my face in her hands, seeing too much like she always did. "Smile. Act like it's real, even if it's just to keep those boys together."
"I can do that." My smile shook.
"Okay, then wipe the shocked look off your face, and you know…just act like you're in love with the guy you've been in love with for the last twenty years or so. Should be a piece of cake."
I tossed a glance toward Shika to see if he'd heard her, but he was locked in what looked like an overly intense discussion with Sasuke.
"And after?"
God, how long could we keep this up? Until my mother planned a wedding? It would break her heart.
"We'll deal with that later. One bite at a time." She smiled as she picked up my hand, grinning down at the diamond. "But, wow."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Wow." The whole thing was wow.
Before I could beg her to stay with me for the sake of my sanity, she headed out with Sasuke and Kiba. A few heartbeats later, the courtroom was empty, save us, the lawyers, DSS, Judge Sanderbilt, and Gemma.
"Why don't you two kids come up here?" Sanderbilt motioned with a smile. "There's no need to be so damn formal."
Oh my God, I was about to lie to a judge... Well, two of them, but I didn't care so much about what Gemma thought.
Hand in hand, we walked through the wooden gate until we stood between the first two tables. I returned Judge Sanderbilt's smile, determined to keep my eyes off Gemma.
"Gemma, for Christ's sake, get off your high horse and get down here." Sanderbilt rubbed his forehead.
A quick glance told me the court recorder wasn't recording.
"I'm the presiding judge in this courtroom," Gemma snapped.
Judge Sanderbilt's face dropped all pretense of civility.
"You will get down here, or you will recuse yourself, as you should have done the moment you realized it was your ex petitioning to be the boys' foster parent. This is Konoha, son, not L.A., or wherever the hell you learned to practice law."
"Chicago," Gemma muttered as he climbed down from the bench.
"Same difference" Sanderbilt said with an eyeroll "Now, there's no need to stand on formality. We're all here to determine where to place the boys in their best interest, not get into a pissing contest."
I blinked. Had he always been this awesome?
"They're not really engaged" Gemma accused, folding his arms across his robes "If they're willing to lie in order to keep the boys, that definitely makes them unsuitable."
Shika tensed next to me, which, in my experience, meant nothing good was coming next. I swept my thumb over his, hoping he'd remember to check his temper for our endgame.
"I asked Temari if she'd stand with me. If she'd marry me. She said yes. Not sure about you, but where I come from, that means we're engaged. So does the giant rock on her hand."
"We're from the same place," Gemma spat.
"You moved here after law school, but I'm born and bred Konoha, and we don't put little kids at risk over vendettas." Shika's grip tightened.
"They wouldn't be at risk" Gemma argued "They'd be placed with certified, trained foster parents, which you aren't. I might not like you, Nara, but I wouldn't move those kids if I didn't have a damn good reason. I know your history, your pattern, and I won't let you disrupt those kids' futures when you decide to kick them out because you're done playing daddy, which you will."
"You don't know the first thing about me," Shika argued.
It was on the tip of my tongue to bite back in Shika's defense, but Gemma turned to me next. I found myself tugged up against Shika from hip to shoulder.
"You're really engaged to him?" Gemma asked, pure challenge in his eyes.
"I am."
I wiggled the ring. Maybe he was right and Shika would eventually walk out as always, but the boys needed me to take that chance.
"Prove it." His gaze narrowed.
"That's enough." Sanderbilt rubbed the skin between his eyes "Stone, you may have been elected, but you're nowhere near ready for a responsibility like this if you can't at least pretend impartiality. I'm going to give you one chance, and if you blow it, I'll be forcing you to recuse yourself. Just because Ms. Uzumaki didn't want to commit or have children previously doesn't mean she isn't entitled to change her mind in the future."
Just because I didn't want to have kids with you. That's what I wanted to say, but I kept my lips pressed tightly together.
Gemma flushed cherry red. We were going to be in for quite an explosion if he didn't breathe in the next ten seconds. Not sure he could contain his own pressure…or his ego.
"If we weren't engaged, why would she be on the title to my house?" Shika asked.
My head snapped toward his so hard I thought I'd hear an audible snap. I was on his what?
Shika nodded as everyone gaped at him.
"It's true. Pull the title. She's been on it from the moment I purchased the land as part of my estate planning."
Relax your face. I couldn't let them see my shock.
"If I'd known that, the fostering thing would have been way simpler in the beginning," Shizune mumbled.
"Sorry" Shika told her "After the town council approved the hotshot crew, and I realized I'd be moving home, I did the responsible thing and met with an attorney regarding my will and my property in Konoha. Yes, Gemma, I'm capable of being responsible."
"That's Judge Stone while we're in this courtroom" Gemma shifted his weight but didn't look appeased.
What the hell would it take to convince this guy we weren't lying when we…well…were?
"Is your only concern that they're not stable as a couple?" Sanderbilt asked.
"It is" Gemma answered, sparing me a quick glance. "The Clark boys' entire life has been disrupted, and while I agree that leaving them where they are will lessen the trauma they endure now, I'm looking at the long term. It could be months before we locate their father or find a suitable pre-adoptive home. Though Temari and Shika have been living together for all of five days, they're not married, and not proven to be stable. I'd rather uproot the boys now than devastate them in a month when this all crumbles." He motioned between Shika and me.
Damn it, he was being almost reasonable. Thoughtful, even. I squeezed Shika's hand, and he held mine tighter.
"What would it take for you to agree to let the boys stay here in Konoha with them?" Sanderbilt asked, losing the earlier annoyance in his tone.
"It would take being a stable, married couple. Not that single women can't foster, and Temari, I know you're physically capable. But these boys are in this position because they lost their mother, their sole caretaker. They need the reassurance that it won't happen again while they're in this limbo. They need two stable foster parents."
Judge Sanderbilt looked at Shika, then at me.
"You two kids didn't have a date or anything planned, right? You don't mind doing a little paperwork now so the boys can stay with you?"
A date? Shika and I had never even been on a date. Not that they knew that.
"We'll do whatever paperwork you want," Shika answered.
Judge Sanderbilt clapped his hands.
"Excellent. Problem solved. Midge!" he called over to the court reporter.
"Sir?" The middle-aged redhead looked up over her glasses.
"Go down the hall to the clerk and recorder and grab a license. We can take care of this right now."
We were going to get the fostering license. Relief flooded my veins and nearly took out my knees. I honestly didn't care what had made Gemma change his mind as long as it was changed.
Shika shot a grin at me, and I couldn't help but echo it. Butterflies took flight in my stomach. I couldn't remember the last time he'd looked this happy.
"Sure!" She jumped up with a legal pad and headed our direction. "Full legal names?"
"Temari Evelyn Uzumaki," I said clearly, making sure she spelled it correctly.
"Shikamaru Matthew Nara," Shika added, and then Midge shot out of the courtroom like someone lit her skirt on fire.
"You're sure this will satisfy you?" Sanderbilt asked Gemma.
Gemma nodded, his face tense.
"So, kids, we can do it here. Super simple. This will just be the legal stuff, and then you can do a big celebration with your families whenever you feel like it. You willing to do that?"
"We can do a barbecue with the crew this weekend or something," Shika suggested with a shrug.
I'd never really thought about celebrating a foster placement, but the boys deserved to meet everyone and know they were wanted.
"Yeah, I'm good with that," I answered.
"Invite your mom too?" he suggested.
"Good idea."
At some point, she was going to have to know what was going on. Living in Crested Butte wasn't far enough away to escape Konoha gossip.
The legal minds stepped to the side, talking among themselves while Shika and I discussed the important details of our life, like where we would pick up dinner tonight. Since Konoha had all of five options, the choice was pretty simple.
Takeout Italian from Pizzano's, it was.
Midge came back in, her heels clicking rapidly on the floor as she hurried down the aisle.
"Here we go!" she said, waving a white paper above her head.
"Excellent." Sanderbilt took it for a thorough examination. "Okay, kids, why don't you make sure your names are spelled correctly. Gemma and I both think it would be best for all involved if I take over this portion of the legalities, and then he'll finish up the placement decree."
Judge Sanderbilt handed me the fostering license and turned around to grab a set of robes from Midge. The paper was thick in my hand, that good, expensive stuff that felt... What the fuck?
I blinked, then read the heading again.
One more time.
Nope, it was still there, in big bold letters: Marriage License.
My mouth did its best fish impression, and Shika snatched the license, reading it himself. His brows rose and his wide, brown eyes sought out mine, but that was his only visible reaction.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
My stomach sank. Faking an engagement to Shika was one thing. Actually marrying him was quite another. The guy didn't even like me in that way. I was just his best friend's little sister, and now he was holding a marriage license in his hand because I'd put him in this position.
"Whatever it takes, right?" His lips flattened into a tight line.
"That's a marriage license, Shikamaru." Guilt tasted like sour day-old socks in my mouth.
His lips parted as our eyes locked.
"God, it's been ages since you've called me that."
"Sorry. It just slipped out." I fidgeted with the diamond on my left hand.
"No, it's good. Say it again."
The request came out slow, the deep, sandpaper-rough words sliding across my skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. Shika was a natural seducer, but his voice was far and away his best weapon. Or maybe it was just his mouth in general. Then again, that kiss had been eons ago. Maybe I'd glorified it into something it wasn't. Maybe he'd been right back then and we didn't have chemistry. Maybe the crackling tension between us was all in my head.
"Temari," he whispered, stepping closer, until I had to crane my neck to look up at him. It seemed unfair that he got hotter as the years went by.
"Shikamaru" I answered. "What are we going to do?"
His jaw flexed.
"You going to make me ask you twice in one day?" His thumb brushed over the ring on my left hand.
"Whatever it takes?" I asked, so quietly I barely heard the words myself.
That tiny part of me that still held out hope for Shika's love cried out, begging me not to do this, to win him fair and square. To hear his declaration of love, not his promise of loyalty.
I wanted this to be real, but it wasn't about me. It was about Denki and Hoki.
"Whatever it takes," Shika agreed with a single nod.
He didn't want this, not really. I knew it in my bones, but it was the only way to keep the boys together. Besides, we could always annul it once Nolan showed up. Not could, will. You will annul it. My throat tightened.
"You kids ready?" Sanderbilt asked.
"Are we ready?" Shika asked me, lifting one brow.
"We're ready," I answered, not taking my eyes from his.
Judge Sanderbilt started the ceremony in a blur, and before I could take a proper breath, Shika let go of my right hand and pulled a ring from his pocket, handing it to the judge. This was happening fast. So fast. Earth-tilting fast.
"You keep a ring in your pocket?" Judge Sanderbilt asked with a puckered brow.
"Long story." Shika took my hand back, and my equilibrium restored.
"I don't have one for you," I apologized, like I should have known we'd need one or something.
"We'll get one later" he assured me with a gentle squeeze "Don't worry about that now."
Yeah, just worry instead that I was forcing the guy I'd always loved into marrying me when he in no way felt the same. Awesome.
"Repeat after me" Sanderbilt urged.
Hands bound, eyes locked, I repeated the words to Shika.
"I, Temari, take thee, Shikamaru, to be my wedded husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, honor and ob... I'm not saying that." I glanced at Sanderbilt, then back to Shika.
Shika full-out laughed, and my heart thundered.
"I think we can work around it."
Judge Sanderbilt chuckled, and we kept going. I cleared my throat.
"To love, cherish, honor, and obey only when I feel so inclined, till death do us part." Or we annul it.
Then it was Shika's turn. His voice dropped lower, the words layered with so much feeling that I almost believed him.
"I Shikamaru, take thee, Temari, to be my wedded wife; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, honor, and to obey your every single whim, till death do us part."
Now I was the one laughing.
He slid the band onto my finger alongside the engagement ring, and my laughter died. Shika was marrying me. He was promising to love me. Promising to cherish and honor me. My heart clenched. I so wanted to believe the lie. Hell, I wanted to live in the lie. I loved him, and not in the little girl crush kind of way. I loved every part of Shika, from his grin to his scowl. I loved his humor and his anger. I loved his intensity and his general recklessness. I was under no illusions about who he was and loved him for every flaw, not just in spite of them.
Shika's thumbs brushed over my fingers, and I felt the small touch in every cell of my body.
"I tell you now to love faithfully," Judge Sanderbilt continued. "To cling to each other through the best and worst, whatever may come. And in moments when you falter, remember the love you share, and what has brought you here this day. And now, the good part. By the power vested in me by the State of Colorado, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss your bride."
Oh. God.
Shika's eyes flared at the same moment, as if the total implications of what we'd just done finally hit him. He swallowed. Then a slow smile spread across his face as he tugged me closer.
My breath stalled in my chest as the moment froze.
Shika cradled my face, and then he took a second to look at me. A slight smile softened his sculpted lips, and his eyes danced with something that looked a lot like adoration.
My lips parted slightly as he lowered his head and kissed me. His lips were soft, the kiss delicate. Chaste without being prudish. Sensual without being sexual. It was the most perfect wedding kiss in the history of wedding kisses, and it was over before I could even sigh.
Electricity zinged through me, just as it had years ago. It wasn't in my head, our chemistry really was that reactive.
His eyes darkened as he pulled away, dropping to my lips before taking my hand. I didn't remember walking, but we made it to the table where our license waited. I heard congratulations somewhere in the roar that filled my ears, which only intensified when I saw Shika's firm scroll on the signature line.
"You sign it Nara if you're taking his name, or Uzumaki if you're keeping yours," Midge told me quietly when Shika turned to talk to Shizune.
Temari Nara. How many times had I signed that in a high school notebook? Scrawled it on pages I'd thrown away, or hidden beneath my mattress? Signing my name as his was every dream, the perfect ending to the fairy tale I thought I'd have.
But this was a lie. A beautiful, heroic lie.
He'd been forced to marry me by his own honor code, but I wasn't taking his name. That felt like flat-out stealing from him.
I signed my name as Uzumaki and Midge nodded, then took the license to be filed. April thirteenth was officially my wedding day.
Gemma ruled that the boys would remain in our home. Our home. Shizune assured us the placement paperwork would be delivered tomorrow, and we were free to go back to our days.
Our days.
Like nothing momentous had just happened. As if we'd stopped in for a cup of coffee and then discussed the Broncos.
Shika squeezed my hand and guided me toward the double doors.
"You ready for this, wife?"
"Wife." I almost skidded to a stop in a cartoonlike flurry of arms and legs.
"Yeah, wife," he repeated with a nod, his jaw flexing again.
"We really need to talk about what just happened" I said, gripping the sleeve of his shirt so hard I certainly left wrinkles.
He nodded, his muscles tensing beneath my hand.
"Yeah, I figured we could handle that at home. Unless you want to sit for a second?" He motioned to the benches in the back of the courtroom.
"No, home is good. Home is perfect."
Because there were no prying eyes there, and he'd just referred to his house as home, where I lived with him. Kind of.
"Okay, then let's get out of here." He held the door open for me, and we walked into the crowded, noisy hallway.
Half of Konoha was out here.
"Oh my God!"
"Seriously, you two!"
"Let me see the ring!"
They were still here. They were all still here. Sakura pulled me into a hug.
"You guys are keeping the boys?"
"We are!"
"And you're engaged!" Ino squealed, reaching for my hand.
"You're fucking what?" a familiar voice roared, and I let go of the girls to see a sharp pair of blue eyes the same shade as mine gawking at me in surprise.
"Naruto!" Relief hit me like a freight train, and I jumped at him, clasping him in a hug. "I didn't know you were here! When did you get home?"
He hugged me tight for a second, then set me back on my feet, holding me at shoulder's length.
"About ten minutes ago, when I pulled into town and was told to get to the courthouse because my sister is engaged to my best friend." His stare turned glacial as he looked over my head, his hands slipping from my shoulders.
"Not exactly" I said, sidestepping so I stood in front of Shika.
Naruto was going to lose his shit.
"Oh, thank God." Naruto sighed, his shoulders falling slack.
Shika picked me up by the waist and moved me to the side before facing Naruto head-on.
"I'm married to her."
Naruto swung.