Page 143 of Tell Me Something

“It’s a yes.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, he nuzzled my neck. “We need to talk wedding plans. I know you have a whole binder and things planned out, but in the interest of time—”

Kissing his face, I made up my mind. I was ready to make my own decisions about my future instead of thinking about what my parents would have wanted. “All I care about is that I get to wear my mother’s dress with my amazing shoes and stand across from you.”

Smiling, he hugged me tight. “Really? You don’t mind if I take over and we get married, say, New Year’s Eve?”

“That’s only a little over two weeks away.”

“Yes, it is, which means we need to get moving on the logistics. First things first, where do you want to have the ceremony?”

“What do you think about that beach house in Tortola, if it’s available? We could maybe do tents outside? Or if the house isn’t vacant, just anywhere on a beach.”

His face lit up, and I could tell he was pleased with the idea. Kissing me deeply, he glided his fingertips down the side of my face. Pulling back, he stood up and looked around for his pants, grinning. “I love that idea. I’ll see if it’s open, and we can start on the guest list. I know it’s short notice, but considering it’ll be one hell of a New Year’s Eve party, hopefully most people can come last minute. It’ll only be a small group, anyhow. I’ll have Maria start on travel logistics, and I should have a list of questions for you by morning. For now, let me start calling people so that they have a chance to change their plans.”

I couldn’t help smiling. “You truly don’t mind planning the wedding?”

He helped me up and hugged me tightly. “As long as you don’t feel like you’re settling. As much as I want you to be my wife as soon as possible, I don’t want you to be disappointed. If you desire the grand wedding that you and your mom intended, we could do it after the baby comes. It would give us a year to plan.”

I thought a moment before replying. “We can talk to Dr. Mac about it tonight during our session, but I planned my wedding before I was in love and before I knew what mattered most. My mom would understand that a wedding of my dreams is the one with the man of my dreams. I need to do what feels right to me.”

His eyes closed, and he clearly savored my words. “God, I love you. Now, come on. Get dressed before I take you to Vegas because I’m too distracted to plan anything.”

I giggled. “Tell me something, Josh.”

He put his hands on either side of my face, looking serious. “You’re my second chance at happiness. One I never thought I’d deserve but that I will never take for granted.” He kissed me sweetly. “Your turn.”

My smile was just one indication of how happy he made me. “I’m still scared. But now I realize what terrifies me the most is imagining a future without you. Everything else we can face together.”

EPILOGUE

A s I watched my gorgeous bride come down the aisle, I fought the overwhelming emotion that clogged my vision. Haylee looked exquisite in her mother’s wedding dress, absolutely the epitome of beautiful, inside and out. I was the luckiest man on the planet. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and shared her small smile as her father’s former business partner gave her away. She’d insisted on keeping it simple, without a bridal party, for which I was relieved.

We were surrounded by our friends and family in Tortola. All the family. Yes, the best had been Haylee’s reaction to her relatives making the trek from Australia.

We had told everyone about the baby individually over the last week since we were officially out of the first trimester. All of the tests had revealed a normal pregnancy. Although there was still some anxiety over this little life for which I’d be responsible, I was ecstatic about becoming a father.

Haylee loved me in a way that I’d never felt before. She wanted me for who I was instead of for anything I could give her. She’d taught me what it was to love unconditionally, and although we were still working on our trust issues with Dr. Mac, I felt confident that we’d conquered the biggest hurdles.

After the ceremony and during dinner, I pressed a kiss to her cheek and stood with the microphone so that everyone could see me. I felt a sense of déjà vu. Most of the faces were the same we’d seen at her going-away party last July, although now they included family. The big difference with this party, though, was that I’d put a ring on my love’s finger, and she wasn’t going anywhere. We were in this life together.

“I’d like to say a few words to my lovely bride.” I waited as the chatter died down. “To know you, Haylee, is to love you, and I’ll spend the rest of my days showing you how very much I do. You are my rock, and I have every intention of being yours, forever and always. I will adore you until my last breath.”

She gave me a watery smile and stood, hugging me tightly.

Taking a moment, I kissed her sweet lips. “Now then, I would like to share a first dance with my bride.” I smiled at her shocked expression. My friends had much the same look on their faces. I was not a man who danced. Not at a prom, not at a club, and not with my first wife. Not ever. But for Haylee, well, I’d do a naked jig on the table if it meant she’d look at me the way she was in this moment.

The music started, and I watched the recognition on her face as the song, “Thinking Out Loud,” by Ed Sheeran started.

“How did you know?” she whispered.

Taking her out on the dance floor, I answered, “I took a peek at the wedding binder you made with your mom. Matter of fact, if you look at the wedding centerpieces and the cake, they’re also from that binder.” Every detail was important for making this special for my wife.

She tipped her face toward mine and kissed me sweetly. “You’ve made this the very best day for us, from the song to this necklace.” She fingered the beautiful diamond piece around her neck.

I’d had it delivered to her as her wedding gift while she’d been getting ready earlier. It wasn’t the same one from the model shoot, but Catherine had helped me pick it out as something unique for today.

“I plan on seeing you in nothing but that later tonight.” I could picture it already and needed to stop before I became hard on the dance floor.