She slapped the key on the counter, "I gave you room 4, it has a bath and a TV" she said still looking at Clay like she had a chance.

"Thanks but I don't think we'll be watching much TV tonight" Clay said smirking at her as he took the key and dragged me out to room 4, I grabbed a bag of ice from the cooler on the way past.

The room was ok, it was clean and had a double bed, TV, fridge and air conditioning, it had its own bathroom with a bath and separate shower. He grabbed me into another kiss but I pushed him off quickly, "Sit" I instructed pulling out the dresser chair, he sat down obediently and I grabbed the stuff from the pharmacy. I set to work cleaning his face and then setting the ice his face to try and keep some of the bruises away.

He pulled me down on his lap so I was straddling his legs while I worked. He was tracing his hands up and down my thighs making me hot, I slapped his hands away, "Will you stop I'm trying to concentrate" I said trying to sound stern. He smiled his cocky grin and moved his hands back to my legs again, "Stop! I need to clean your face up Clay" I said trying not to smile. He pulled me towards him and pressed his lips lightly to mine, I could taste the antiseptic on his mouth.

"I love you so much Mrs Preston" he said putting his forehead to mine and stroking my face.

"I love you too Clay" I said smiling getting butterflies in my stomach. Oh crap are we really not married like my Mom said? "Clay was it really not legal because I'm not 18?" I asked worriedly.

He frowned and shrugged, "I don't know RIley, we'll have to look into it I guess, I hope it was" he said quietly. Oh God I hope it was too, I never really thought about being married to Clay but now that I was I wanted it so badly I would do anything for it.

"If it's not legal then I'll just have to marry you again in a year" I said flirtily. That was the only solution, we could get married again on my birthday if it wasn't legal.

He sighed dramatically, "Oh well I guess I can cope with another wedding night, seen as I let you down the first time" he said teasingly making me laugh. He kissed me softly tucking my hair behind my ear, "How about I order us a pizza?" he suggested, I nodded not even realising how hungry I was until he said.

Chapter 18

I woke up early the next morning and climbed out of the bed as quietly as I could so I didn't wake him and put on my clothes. I snuck out of the room and went to sit on the nearest bench. I'd been thinking about this all night, I didn't want to move out and get a place if we didn't have to. I didn't want Clay to have to earn money to pay the bills if there was some way we cold work this out with our parents.

My Mom and Brian loved Clay, this was all just a shock that's all, well that's what I was hoping for anyway. I was hoping that if I called them maybe I could convince them to let Clay and I live there together, I mean he practically lived at my house anyway.

I called the house silently praying for my Mom to answer, I was still mad at Brian for hurting Clay but he'd convinced me last night not to hold a grudge. I guess he was doing what any father would have done to a guy who had just told him he married his teenage daughter in Vegas. I was still angry but I guess I needed to let it go and get it sorted quickly before Clay and I needed to rent a place, I didn't want to stay in the motel forever.

I held my breath while the phone rang, eventually Brian answered.

"Hi it's me" I said closing my eyes waiting for his reaction, please be ok!

"Riley! Where the hell are you young lady? You get back here right now so we can sort this damn mess out" he growled, wow he hadn't calmed down at all.

"Brian, there's nothing to sort out, Clay and I love each other, we want to be married" I said trying out my most persuasive voice in a bid to calm him down. This act usually worked to his face but I'd never tried it over the phone before.

"There sure as hell is something to sort out Riley! You can't be married at 17 for f**k sake, get home now" he ordered making me flinch slightly.

"No, I just wondered if there was anything we could do to sort all of this out, stay married but come home?" I asked hopefully even though I knew it was pointless to even ask.

He gasped, "Are you kidding? If you want to come home then come home, but you do it alone, you understand what I'm saying?" he shouted. I could hear my Mom crying in the background.

"Brian please don't make me choose between you and Clay" I said pleadingly.

"I'm not allowing this Riley, come home now and stop being such a f**king child" he shouted. I closed my eyes and swiped away the tear that fell. I loved Brian, I always thought of him as my Dad it was breaking my heart that he would make me do this.

"I love Clay" I whispered.

"Then you're staying married is that what your saying?" he asked condescendingly.

"Yeah" I croaked.

"Well then I guess you've made your choice, when it all goes wrong your mother and I will be here to pick up the pieces but I can't condone a teenage marriage, I love you Riley" he said his voice breaking through emotion.

"Love you too" I whispered. I heard my Mom wailing in the background and he disconnected the call.

It felt like it was killing me but I knew I'd made the right choice, I loved Clay with all of my heart. I wanted to be Mrs Preston, and Brian was wrong it wouldn't fall to pieces because Clay and I were meant to be together. In time he'd see that too.

I wiped my face and went to the nearest corner shop to buy the classifieds, on my way back to the motel I stopped and bought doughnuts and coffee's. Clay was still asleep when I got back to the room, his face had gotten worse overnight. He had two purple shadows under his eyes, and is cheek looked like he was blushing, his cuts over his nose and on his lip had healed but still looked sore and angry.

"Clay" I whispered sitting on the bed next to him, he moved to wrap his arms around me so I quickly moved the coffee and doughnuts out of the way as he threw his arm over my legs. "Clay" I said again a little louder, he opened his eyes slowly and took in my already dressed form holding breakfast.

"Hey you" he said sleepily

"Hey husband" I said smiling pretending I wasn't hurting inside, he pushed himself up and I passed him one of the coffee's and put the box of doughnuts on the bed, "I got you a jelly doughnut" I said pulling a disgusted face and faking a shudder, he laughed and picked one up taking a big bite.

"You're organised this morning, why didn't you wake me? I would have come with you" he said rubbing his hand up my leg lovingly.

"I wanted to get you breakfast in bed" I said drinking my coffee. I grabbed the paper and flicked through until I found the 'for rents' then snuggled closer to him and laid it out across my legs so we could both read it.

"You bought a listings paper?" he asked seeming proud of me.

I nodded, "Yeah, Clay I rang Brian this morning, there isn't anyway we can go home, maybe you could ring your parents and see too?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded, "I'm sorry Riley bear, they'll come around when they see that this wasn't a mistake, when they see how much we love each other everything will be fine" he said rubbing my leg soothingly.

I kissed his perfect mouth and smiled, "Yeah I know, it's just sad that it had to happen this way, but if your parents won't let us live at yours then I thought we would skip school today and get everything sorted, I don't mind this place but I don't really want to stay here too long" I said turning my nose up.

I busied myself sorting out our clothes and suitcases while Clay was on the phone to his Mom. He looked sad, when he hung up the phone he didn't even need to say what happened. I could tell by his face that they weren't going for it either.

I smiled and resigned myself to the face that we would be renting an apartment. I actually liked the idea of it, our first home, I just wish that Clay wouldn't have to pay for it and use his wages to pay the bills as I wouldn't be able to help being at school. At least we had the money from Vegas, that would pay for the deposit and rent. Clay didn't want to spend much of it though, he said he wanted to save it and use it to buy a place in a few years or at least use it as a deposit on our own place anyway as that wouldn't stretch very far now days.

I climbed back on the bed with him and we scanned through the paper and found three apartments for rent in this area. Two of them were two beds and one was a one bed, they were all furnished which was good as we had nothing. I rang Rachel while Clay phoned the agents and arranged viewings for this afternoon.

"Hey Rach" I said,

"Oh I've been so worried about you! How did it go?" she asked. I took a deep breath before answering,

"Err not too good, we're in a motel and today we're going apartment hunting if that gives you your answer" I said sadly.

She gasped "Oh no, I'm so sorry" she said meaningfully.

"Yeah don't worry about it, do you think you could get anything I miss from school today and ask Tom to do the same for Clay?" I asked stuffing the rest of my doughnut in my mouth,

"Yeah ok sure, will you be in tomorrow?" she asked.

I thought about it, "I don't know depends on the apartment hunt I guess" I said honestly. "I better go, thanks and I'll speak to you tomorrow Rach ok" I said watching Clay as he stood up and headed to the bathroom butt naked. Damn my husband is yummy!

"Yeah ok see ya" she said hanging up.

I jumped up and ran to the bathroom to watch Clay shower. "You just going to watch me or are you going to get in here and wash my back?" he said seductively making my insides squirm. I stood up and pulled off my clothes as quick as I could and jumped into the shower being careful not to get my cast wet.

A couple of hours later we were walking down the high street, Clay said he had something he needed to sort out. He dragged me into the bank, "What are we doing in here?" I asked confused, he smirked at me and dragged me to the nearest free banking assistant.