Page 169 of I Choose You

“I know,” Pamela sobbed, handing me a tissue as she dabbed under her eyes.

Kaden grinned at me and smoothed his hand over my thigh before taking my hand in his.

When the emcee invited other couples to join the bride and groom on the dance floor, Kaden stood. He looked at me with that all-compassing love and devotion in his eyes.

His hand lowered toward me, and I smiled as I reached up to take it.

He led me to the floor where other pairs had come out to move and sway under the sweet song declaring true love was all that mattered. It was and I knew it now more than ever as Kaden and I danced together for the first time.

This was the moment. I didn’t need an airplane with a banner flying overhead. I just needed to speak from my heart and tell him how I felt. But not just yet.

Under the twinkling lights of the chandelier, I felt taken back in time. I hadn’t had the guts to stand on that dance floor at the school’s gym, but this one was perfect. Resting my cheek against Kaden’s hard chest, I sighed and was taken back. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself in the mirror in my room. My mom stood behind me, smiling as I took in the final look of my beautiful prom dress. I’d felt like a princess then, but now, I knew it wasn’t so cliché after all. In Kaden’s arms at this lovely wedding, I felt like it again—and more. I was the princess and he was my prince.

He kissed my temple, and the brush of his lips on my skin brought me back to the present.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked softly.

“Because I feel brave for once.”

He cocked his head to the side, raising his brows slightly.

“I’m in love with you.” The admission that I’d kept so close to my heart came out in a rush. No finesse, no gentle sweetness. I just needed to voice how deeply I felt for him.

So, so much.

I nodded. “I love you.”

Each word rang true to my ears. And I waited with bated breath for his reaction.

A smile spread across his face, almost lazily, but I realized it was more a sense of awe. He grinned, and in his eyes, I saw the adoration that never disappeared when he gazed at me. He lit up, and when he exhaled a whoosh of air, I realized he’d been holding his breath.

“I love you, too.” He lowered his face and brushed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes again, relishing the sweet pressure of his mouth and the daring hint of alcohol and mint on his breath. I wanted to devour him, but this tenderness was just as good—and likely all we could do out here around the others.

“I love you, Brooke.” He moved our joined hands, bringing them closer to our chests flush together. Raising my hand as he rubbed his down my forearm, he stared into my eyes with a burning glint of love. He rotated my wrist, revealing the large, dramatic eye I had inked there.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder.

His lips touched the design. “I love you and all your beauty.” He kissed it again. “Inside and out.”

I swallowed, choking back the tears that threatened. He was too sweet. Too gentle. He remembered what I told him about that tattoo, and with his kiss there, I understood.

In his eye, according to what he saw, I was beautiful. Not only in my looks, but who I was as a person. His love wasn’t conditioned to only the physical desire for me. His love was complete and whole, and it filled the gap in my heart that I feared would always be empty.

I kissed him and committed this moment to memory. For the rest of my life, I would remember this. This song. This dance. This supreme comfort and sense of belonging that being in his arms offered.

I’d never need to wonder if I belonged. I wouldn’t fear being overlooked or forgotten. As long as Kaden had my heart and I had his, I would never be lost like that again.

“Excuse me.”

I glanced up from resting my cheek against Kaden’s chest. When he told me that he loved me back, I felt like my heart would burst. He’d felt the same, it seemed, because he didn’t let me go. Not once, not even when the song changed to another.

Now, we both parted a bit to look at his brother.

Kody stood there. I didn’t see a smirk or suggestion of a scowl that might indicate he was in the mood to be a jerk or cause trouble. He simply stood there and looked from me to Kaden, then back to me.

I didn’t speak, curious about what he wanted. Kaden raised his brows.

“Can I cut in?” he asked. His tone wasn’t timid. I doubted this man could ever be. He didn’t demand or sneer.