Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 827

Ariel met Jayson's gaze.

When they got married, everything had been rushed. They had merely completed the necessary paperwork and received their marriage certificate—no wedding ceremony, no celebration. From the very start, they agreed to keep their marriage a secret, so there had been no need for a ceremony.

Claire stopped fussing after finishing her milk, growing sleepy in Jayson's arms. Setting the bottle aside, he looked back at Ariel.

"It's a shame we never held a simple ceremony back then. If things hadn't started off on the wrong foot, I really would've wanted to give you a proper wedding."

The situation at that time had been awkward for both families. Reporters had even tried to use the incident to blackmail them. Under those circumstances, keeping their marriage private was the best way to prevent unsavory rumors about Ariel from spreading.

Truthfully, Jayson had always wanted to make it up to her with a proper wedding. He had even planned to bring it up when their relationship was going well. But his pride had stopped him—especially after discovering something he wished he hadn't seen.

Ariel, on the other hand, had never been the type to daydream about weddings or romance. To her, ceremonies were just formalities. From a practical standpoint, she thought it might feel strange to hold a wedding now.

"Wouldn't it be odd for us to have a wedding at this point?" she asked.

They had been married for a few years now, after all.

Jayson placed Claire back into her cradle. "That's not the point. What matters is that we finally get a proper wedding ceremony. You're even less particular about it than I expected."

Jayson felt a little helpless. Compared to Ariel, he seemed to be the one looking forward to it more.

Ariel blinked. "Plenty of people already know we're husband and wife anyway."

More importantly, she didn't have time to plan a wedding. The very thought of the endless details and preparations gave her a headache.

"It's not the same," Jayson said, gently pinching her cheek with a slightly sulky look. "Otherwise, your admirers will never give up. Don't you agree?"

He was thinking of Lucas and Samson—men who likely still hadn't given up on Ariel. Though Jayson had made sure neither of them could approach her again, what he'd seen years ago had left a scar on his heart.

"You should sleep first," he said. "I'll work on this for a while. If Claire wakes up, I'll take care of her."

Babies often woke up several times during the night, and one parent usually had to get up each time. Jayson wanted Ariel to rest, so he took it upon himself to watch over Claire while he worked on designing the invite.

Ariel, too tired to question his energy, decided to leave him be and went to bed.

Jayson was capable of handling almost anything. Yet, when it came to the invitation card, he spent an unusually long time tweaking and adjusting every detail.

Normally, he made decisions quickly and decisively. But tonight, he wanted the card to be perfect.

Throughout the night, Claire woke up three times.

Jayson had moved her cradle right beside his desk so he could reach her easily and avoid disturbing Ariel's sleep.