They had to get up early the next morning to drive into town so they could complete all the errands they needed. First, arrange for a marriage license, next the rings, then Livia would go with Aurelia to get a dress, and Corvin would go with Lars for a new suit. Garnet would be in charge of finding a cake and other refreshments. Corvin’s sisters were put in charge of finding a bouquet.

“What’s the update on the housing situation?” Corvin asked.

“The lady said I had to show them my marriage license, and they would dissolve the contract. Then I asked Whitney to write an email to them stating she’d been notified. She wrote the email and already has a preferred roommate request submitted. She hopes she can get one of her friends into the contract,” Livia said.

“So, that sounds like it will work out?” Corvin confirmed.

Livia nodded. “After we show them the marriage license, it should all be taken care of….”

Alia stood at Livia’s elbow. “Livia, do you like these flowers?” she asked.

Livia looked at the image she had pulled up on her phone screen, and they went through different flower combinations until it was time to ride in the car.

Livia walked out the door next to Aurelia, who took in her appearance. She ran her fingers over Livia’s hair. “Maybe we could squeeze in a haircut?”

Livia couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a haircut. “Uh, sure.”

“I’ll make an appointment for Corvin too. His hair keeps falling into his eyes,” Aurelia pulled out her phone. “Let’s see if we can find a place with appointments.”

The car ride was filled with discussions of wedding dresses and haircut styles. Corvin pulled Livia aside after they arrived in the city, which was more a podunk town than anything. They could walk through the entire thing in an hour, but they had three of their most important requirements: a town hall, a wedding dress boutique, and a ring store.

“Liv, Hun, I should have asked before, but what kind of identification papers do you have with you?”

“What?”

“You must prove you’re a US citizen and your birth date to marry.”

“I-I have my driver’s license. My birth certificate is at Hyrum’s house.”

“Do you think he’d drive it down? We have—” Corvin looked at this watch. “Two hours. He could make it, barely.”

“Let me call,” Livia said.

Hyrum answered on the third ring. “Hey, Livia, what’s going on?”

“I need my birth certificate.”

“Where are you?” Hyrum asked.

Livia explained where they were.

There was a beat of silence. Then, “I got the certificate. I’m on my way.”

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Livia looked at her phone in disbelief and then put it back to her ear. “You’re one your way? Don’t you have work?

“Alvinius owes me for ditching me with the Senators. See you in…an hour and forty-five minutes in front of the town hall building,” Hyrum said and hung up.

Livia looked at Corvin in surprise. “He’s coming. He has the certificate.”

Corvin gestured at the jewelers across the street. “Then let’s go look for some rings.”

Livia hesitated. “Corvin, I don’t have a lot of money….”

“Noted. We don’t need to spend much. It’s more about the symbol than the expense, Fabulous.”

Livia was still worried, but she followed him. “Corvin, how will I afford a wedding dress?”

“My parents are paying for it. Consider it a wedding gift.”

“Wait—”

Corvin interrupted. “Livia, do you know how many thousands of dollars they saved doing it this way?”

“I-that’s true,” she admitted.

“Then, allow them to spoil you a little, Hun. No stress about money today. You’ll have everything you need.”

Livia sighed, and Corvin pulled her hand into his, looking both ways before pulling them across the street. Livia’s attention strayed to a quaint antique store that was obviously a tourist trap. Gold window paint advertised that they carried rings, jewelry, and watches.

The jewelry store gleamed, with polished marble floors and shiny glass cases; even the walls were made of mirrors. Livia squinted her eyes to adjust to all the brightness. Every piece of jewelry was locked inside cabinets, every surface was clean, and the sales associate walking toward them was as stiff and rigid as the floor plan. A little sign on the counter said ‘no browsing.’

Livia frowned, feeling unwelcome. These places were always closed to her as someone who never had enough money to ‘look the part.’ She wanted to leave.

“May I help you?” The sales associate addressed Corvin, angling her chest out and flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

Livia saw him hesitate, and the cool mask he wore descended. “Yes,” he said neutrally, professional Corvin now. “We’re looking for a wedding ring set.”

“What we have in stock is over here. Follow me,” the associate turned on her heel and walked with such a dramatic sway to her hips that Livia covered her mouth to hide her laugh.

Corvin met Livia’s eye. He gave an exasperated eye roll and readopted his professional demeanor. The rings were set up in a lit-up cabinet. They were beautiful and expensive. Livia eyed the price tags seeking the cheapest set. Once she found it, she pressed her lips together grimly—it was enough to ruin the budget they’d discussed yesterday. Maybe they had cheaper rings that weren’t part of a set? Did they have to match? All the settings had oversized diamonds that would make it difficult to do work.

“I don’t like any of them,” Livia complained.

The woman scoffed. “You’ve hardly looked.”

“Excuse us,” Corvin smiled and then pulled Livia aside.

“You don’t like them?” he whispered.

“They’re too big to wear while you’re working,” Livia said. “And they’re too expensive.”

“Livia,” he explained, “I understand the cost is high, but we’re buying a product that will keep its value over time. It’s not like a car where it will depreciate, and we’ll lose money. We plan to wear this item every day for the rest of our lives. So it’s okay to spend money on it.”

“Where will the money come from?” Livia hissed.

“Livia, please, money is not an issue—” Corvin said.

“It is! It is an issue—”

The associate said, “I’m sorry, there is no browsing. We only serve customers that intend to buy.”

“We do intend to buy,” Corvin said. “We’ll be back. Thank you.”

Corvin tipped his head to the side, gesturing that they should step outside. Livia feared he’d be angry with her, so she went on the offensive when they stepped outside.

“Those rings were outrageously priced!” she cried.

Corvin sighed. “I agree. They were overpriced, but we don’t have many options here, Livia. I can make the finances work.”

“How?” she demanded.

“I can put it on my credit card, and we can pay it off over time—”

“And spend even more money on them!” Livia cried.

Corvin sighed. “Livia, I’m willing to do that for a purchase like this. Again, it’s something we will wear every day and keep its value. It’s like an asset. We’re not losing money. We’re changing it into a different currency.”

Livia shook her head. She didn’t feel comfortable with his reasoning. “Look! If you meant what you said about this not being about money but the symbol, let’s go over there.” Livia pointed to the antique store.

“The antique store? Livia—” Corvin stopped himself. “Okay, you know what? It’s worth a look if it makes you happy.”