AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cody laughs as he chases after her. “Surprise! Dad and I set it up while you were gone.”
“This is incredible,” Katie whispers. Her back is to me as she takes in the space.
I pull the ring box from my pocket and drop to one knee. Then I wait for her to turn around. It feels like minutes when, in reality, it’s only seconds. When she does, her hands fly to her mouth. I hold my hand out for her to come closer to me. She doesn’t hesitate, making my nerves dissipate.
“From the moment I met you, I knew you were something special. The one thing I never prepared for was how special you’d come to mean to me.” I look over at Cody and hold my hand out to him. He should be part of this moment just as much as Katie. “There aren’t enough words to fully describe how much I love you. You’re my whole world, and I want nothing more than to make our family official. Katie, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes, of course. Yes.” Katie laughs through her tears. I take the ring out of the box and slide it onto her finger. The simple band and princess-cut diamond shine against her olive-tone skin. It’s perfect.
I look back at Cody. “I always wanted a family. Kids, the white picket fence, everything. You have surpassed every fantasy I ever had about what my future could look like. You’re the son I’ve always dreamed of having, and every single day that I get to spend with you is better than the one before. I want to make you mine officially, if that’s something you’d want, too.”
Cody’s eyebrows scrunch. “What does that mean, exactly? Aren’t we already a family?”
The corner of my mouth quirks up. “Yeah, bud. We are, but I want to adopt you. I want you to have my last name the way your mom will after we get married.”
His eyes grow wide. “So, you’ll really be my dad, then?”
“Yes, if you want me to be.” I glance up at Katie. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. She’s nodding her head, knowing I’d need her confirmation that this is okay.
Cody slings his hands around my neck. “I want you to be my dad.” I hug him back, happier than I’ve ever been in my life. When he finally pulls away, I stand up with his hand in mine. I reach out for Katie’s to connect the three of us.
“Codes, there’s something else we’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Katie starts. I lead us over to the couch, knowing what she’s going to say. I’m glad I didn’t have to broach the subject on my own.
“There’s more news?” Cody’s exasperated tone makes me laugh.
Katie smirks at him. “How would you feel about being a big brother?”
Cody’s eyes grow wide as he stares at his mom’s stomach. “You’re having a baby?”
“Yeah.” Katie’s voice is thick with tears.
“We really are going to be a family now.” Cody’s reverence makes me tear up this time, and I have to give him a hug. “I think this might be the best day ever.”
Katie blows out a breath. “I’ve got a lot of planning to do.”
I look at her with a look that’s half grimace, half smile. “What would you say if I told you we could get married tomorrow?”
Katie rears back. “What do you mean?”
“We can plan a full wedding if it’s what you want. Hell, seeing you walk down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress would be a dream come true, but I’ve made all the arrangements to have a ceremony here in the backyard, tomorrow evening.”
“You’re kidding me,” she breathes out. I can’t tell if her reaction is good or bad. There are a million things I want to say, but I wait her out instead. She finally puts me out of my misery. “Apparently, a backyard wedding is going to be an Ellis family tradition.”
A relieved laugh falls from my chest. Last summer, Tilly and Matthew got married in their backyard, and then Sara and Ben proceeded to do the same thing. Ellie and Adam are the only people who didn’t get married at their house, but they had just as small of a wedding as the rest of us.
“I can’t wait to call you my wife,” I tease her. It’s one of her favorite romance book tropes.
“I better go call Ellie. We’ve got some last-minute shopping to do.”
“Ah, shit.” I sniff with a laugh. A hand slaps on my shoulder while I wipe my eyes. I need the tears gone so I can fully appreciate the sight of my woman walking down the makeshift aisle my family created in our backyard. Cody is escorting her, looking very dapper in his white button-down and navy blue tie.
Katie’s wearing a beautiful floor-length white dress. The sleeves fall off her shoulders, highlighting the heart-shaped neckline. It makes her glow brighter than when the sun reflected off the ocean in Puerto Rico. Finally, she steps up next to me. She hands her small bouquet of white flowers off to Ellie, who’s standing with my siblings and parents.
I grab her hand and bring it up to my lips. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She’s beaming at me, her smile wider than I’ve ever seen it. We turn toward Carter, who is standing in front of us, a big grin on his face to match ours.
“When Nolan asked if I would be willing to get certified to marry you two, I thought he’d tell me you’d get married this summer or in the fall or something, not in a week. Leave it to him to do things as differently as possible.”
