My Favorite Wife

My Favorite Wife Going to the Chapel, Book 1 by Elizabeth Andre Published by Tulabella Ruby Press Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Andre/All Rights Reserved Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental. For inquiries about film and TV rights or other questions, contact [email protected] Sign up for Elizabeth Andre’s email newsletter and download a free prequel to the Going to the Chapel series, exclusive for newsletter subscribers. Other titles in the Going to the Chapel Series Trail of Hearts, the Prequel (Available to newsletter subscribers only) Lovespell (Going to the Chapel, Book 2) by Rebekah Stone Other titles by Elizabeth Andre The Curse of the Old Woods (Paranormal Grievance Committee Chronicles, Book 1) Muses (Paranormal Grievance Committee Chronicles, Book 2) The Soul of WBVR (Paranormal Grievance Committee Chronicles, Book 3) The Time Slip Girl Taijiku Lesbian Light Reads, Volumes 1-6 Boxed Set Lesbian Light, Reads Volumes 7-12 Editor: Cassandra Pierce Table of Contents Prologue, Spring 2011 Other titles in the Going to the Chapel Series About Elizabeth Andre Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Epilogue Prologue Spring 2011 Aisha unrolled her poster board on the dining room table. Vanessa passed her a marker, their fingers touching briefly. “What do you think? GAY MARRIAGE NOW! Or—GAY MARRIAGE ROCKS!” Aisha held the marker over the blank board, poised to ink whatever Vanessa opted for. “It’s not gay marriage. It’s just marriage.” Vanessa flashed a vibrant smile and flipped her long dark hair. Aisha always tried to ignore Vanessa’s flirtations, but she couldn’t ignore that smile. It got her every time. “You said it, sister,” said Nicky, the president of Pride, the LGBTQA group at their university, as she raised her fist. Aisha was the L in that acronym. Nicky was the B, and Vanessa was the A for straight ally. “Okay, then how about MARRY ME!” Aisha said. The sign was for a protest at the local courthouse that afternoon. “Anytime!” said Vanessa. Aisha rolled her eyes. “For the sign, Nessa. What do you think of it for the sign?” “Great! And, yes, I think you should marry me. It’s not legal anyway. It’ll be fun, and it’ll make a statement that we’re serious,” Vanessa said. Then she did this thing that girls with abundant, long hair liked to do. She ducked her head down and flung her head back. Her hair flipped back, seeming to bounce in the air. It was, in Aisha’s mind, a spectacular display. Vanessa’s thick black hair was perfect for it. Aisha, with her 4C hair that she’d recently stopped getting straightened with chemicals, was short with tight coarse curls. Even when she did get it straightened, she couldn’t achieve the buoyancy that Vanessa had. She self-consciously ran her hand over her head. Her hair is made for someone’s hands to play with, thought Aisha. “It’s not a bad idea,” said Nicky. “Maybe better than just standing outside with signs. We should have some people ready to do the deed if they acquiesce.” Aisha had never wanted to get married. She thought it was an outdated institution. She said she didn’t want to be tied to one other person. When other girls in grade school were planning their weddings, she was a tomboy playing in the street with the other boys in the neighborhood. Of course, she didn’t like the idea that anything would be closed off to her just because of who she loved. She didn’t need a wedding, but she wanted all of her options open. Vanessa touched her shoulder, and Aisha girded her loins for the feelings that flooded her. She always had to remember that Vanessa was straight, even though she was so much fun. They would always be just friends, no matter what she felt. “Will you marry me?” Vanessa asked. Aisha turned to look into her dark brown eyes. She wanted to kiss those lips, and she had at a kiss-in at the student union cafeteria a few weeks ago. They kissed briefly and passionately and quickly shifted back to being just friends after the protest. Vanessa’s hand slid down Aisha’s arm. She grabbed Aisha’s hand and kissed it. “Get a room,” said Nicky. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Let’s do it. It’s for the cause,” said Aisha. **** As they marched to the courthouse, Aisha held up her sign and used her free hand to clasp Vanessa’s hand. They looked like a couple, even though they were just a couple of friends. They stood on the courthouse steps and chanted, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Homophobia’s got to go!” and “What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!” A het couple left the courthouse newly married and gave them the thumbs up. Some of the clerks looked away when they saw the protestors. A few of them smiled. Aisha and Vanessa joined a line of about a half dozen couples who entered the courthouse and went to the counter to request marriage licenses, only to be turned away. “You know we can’t do this, dearie,” said an older woman with reading glasses on a beaded cord around her neck. “You’re going to have to go. We have real couples to marry.” Aisha bristled at the clerk’s comment about “real couples.” She was single with no potential girlfriend in sight, but she wouldn’t have liked to have a romantic relationship she was in thought to be less real because it wasn’t heterosexual. She scowled at the woman and was trying to think of