Chapter 220 Taking Marriage Seriously
"You guys are too much!" Crystal Robbins looked on the verge of tears.
Ashton was getting irritated.
He reached out and took Kenny’s hand. "He also hit my Berlin!"
My Berlin.
Kenny tilted his chin up slightly.
Even prouder now.
Chris looked on, struggling to breathe, as if he was going to explode with anger.
"He's your brother, for God’s sake!" Crystal shouted.
The words hit Ashton strangely.
It was as if… Crystal Robbins was hinting at something.
"The brother I don't want is not as important as my future husband," Ashton blurted out.
Crystal was stunned.
"You're going to marry him?"
"Yeah, but don't expect a wedding invitation; I refuse to let you jinx it," Ashton said, tugging at Kenny, “Husband, let’s head out!”
In just a few short minutes.
Kenny's status went from Berlin to husband.
His pride was practically skyrocketing!
Watching the figures of Kenny and Ashton grow distant, Crystal came back to her senses.
Her first reaction was, of course, elation.
The second was to check on Chris.
"Chris…" she called out tenderly, “Are you hurting much? You look pale."
“Who arranged today’s debacle?” Chris looked at Crystal, his words measured and deliberate, “Did I not make myself clear? Stay away from Mrs. Maria, don’t bother Ashton, I’ll handle it!”
"My mom was just worried…"
Chris didn’t let Crystal finish.
"Worried?" he growled. "Worried so you could disregard what Ashton wants? Now she's cut ties with her mother and the Shaw family and is impulsively marrying some guy. Are you satisfied with this outcome?"
Tears had been brimming in Crystal Robbins' eyes for a while before they finally fell. "I had no idea they'd trick Ashton into coming by saying Mrs. Maria was sick. Chris, we came here together!"
Chris was breathing heavily, his mind racing. The man looked youthful—practically a pretty boy—and significantly younger. The thought of Ashton marrying him out of spite sent chills down Chris's spine.
But there in front of him, Crystal pleaded with tear-stained cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and gently took her hand. "It's not you I'm upset with."
"I know," Crystal nodded, her voice laced with hurt.
"Let's go back for now," Chris said wearily.
"What about Ashton?" Crystal asked anxiously.
"We'll talk when she cools off."
"Okay."
Crystal's gaze fell; she secretly wished that Ashton and that enigmatic man would just elope and register their marriage right away. Whether she was overthinking it or not, she was ready to let go of any lingering feelings for Chris.
*
In the car, Ashton sat in the passenger seat, her anger ebbing away to give room for reason and a flood of embarrassment. My God, what did I just blurt out? She had boldly called Kenny "husband"!
Being close to an ex was a recipe for disaster.
"Mr. Kenny..." Ashton turned to Kenny, who was driving, "I lost my head back there. Don't take the 'husband' thing to heart, and if you feel I've offended you..."
Kenny had been in good spirits until then. Looking over at her, he asked, "Then?"
"Then?" Ashton pursed her lips, "I'll make it up to you. No discounts."
Discounts! The discounts she was about to secure were flying away with imaginary wings. Inwardly, she mourned their loss, almost wailing.
Kenny glanced at Ashton, his lips seemingly curling into a cold smirk. With his long fingers, he smoothly turned the steering wheel, making a U-turn, then fell utterly silent.
Ashton had always thought Kenny had a soft spot for her, but maybe that was wishful thinking on her part. Just one slip-up of calling him "husband," and he seemed livid. Had they not been in her car, he might have been inclined to kick her out.
Overwhelmed, Ashton's head throbbed with pain. Kenny's silence and the smooth car ride provided little distraction to her swirling thoughts, and soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, the world outside the car had already succumbed to dusk.
Kenny was nestled in the driver's seat, his long legs curled up as he texted someone back.
"Is it dark already?"
Ashton glanced out the car window.
Kenny didn't even look up. "You sure can sleep, Ashton."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she muttered.
The night before, her mind had been buzzing with the day's events, and she had hardly gotten any rest.
Today had been an emotional rollercoaster.
It was only natural she'd dozed off...
But she had only known Kenny for a few days, hadn't she?
Had she already let her guard down too many times around him?
"It's getting late, maybe we can hang out some other day?" Ashton peeked outside, feeling a bit sheepish.
And there it was, Disneyland just beyond the window.
Classic Kenny.
Who would have thought he, of all people, enjoyed Disneyland?
"Do you want to see the stars?" Kenny asked, changing the subject.
"Would love to, but where can you see stars in Bay City? The night skies in New Port are beautiful," she reminisced about the time when her father was still alive.
She had a passion for astronomy.
In fact, her dad had promised to gift her a telescope for her birthday the year he passed away. But...
That thought brought back memories.
Ashton had even written an essay titled "Dad and the Stars," all about the telescope incident, and had won first prize.
The New Port skies were beautiful – that was something her dad had told her. He had said they would visit all those places together.
But after her dad passed away, she had never made it to any of them, for various reasons.
"Then let's go," Kenny suggested firmly.
"Huh?" Ashton was stunned.
"Isn't your recent job about buying property?" Kenny looked at her. "I'll hold onto the land for you while I take you to New Port."
"But..." Ashton was utterly confused, "Why... why would you do that?"
"I'm taking you seriously about getting married," Kenny stated bluntly.
Ashton's jaw nearly hit the floor.
She had thought Kenny was somewhat interested in her, but she assumed it was just a physical attraction.
How could he be serious about marriage?
He was so young.
"Mr. Kenny, you must be joking..." Ashton chuckled awkwardly.
"I want to take you to these places so you can get to know me better, to see if I'm someone you can rely on," Kenny explained earnestly. "Of course, if you don't see the point, we could just get the marriage license tomorrow."
Gradually, it dawned on Ashton.
Kenny was serious.
In her entire life, the only marriage she had ever considered was with Chris.
She never imagined that she would be entangled with another man in this way.
Ashton, your bold declaration in front of your ex and his fiancée has set the stage—it seems backing out of marriage with me won't be so easy now," Kenny smirked.
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