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“Brody... You... Just be you. That’s the man that I fell in love with. Everything that you’ve been from the moment that we met.”
“But my track record is terrible,” he said. “I’ve never been in a relationship, I’ve never even thought about what it would be like to get married...”
“It doesn’t matter. I knew Carter for years. And I trusted him. I trusted that he would be with me, based on knowing him. But we didn’t know each other, because we didn’t even know ourselves. And that’s one of the craziest things about being with you. It’s taught me about me. I know myself better now for having been with you. And that’s a miracle. You made me understand all these pieces of myself. You... You made me okay with being me. Not just Carter’s ex-wife or Benny’s mom. Or a foster kid that nobody wanted. I told you that I loved you with no expectations, Brody, not because I didn’t think you could live up to them, but because I was okay with not having what I wanted right away. Because I just felt... It isn’t a weird, insecure love that makes me feel worse about myself. It makes me feel better. It makes me feel stronger. It makes me feel like I’m worthy of all kinds of things.”
“You want to marry me?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Can I call you Lizzie?”
“Forever.”
“Are you going to end up having to keep his last name? Because it’s okay if you have to. I understand why you did. I understand that it was for... That it was for Benny.”
“Yes. It was for Benny. But you know... I was clinging to something with that. To this ideal. The need to pretend that my old dream wasn’t broken. I didn’t want to be broken. And I didn’t want my family to be. But it won’t be. It’s not. It might not be what I dreamed of but, my dream wasn’t as good as this reality. Because it was just a picture. Nothing more. This is more than a picture. It’s life. It’s deep. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. So even though Benny will always be Benny Colfax, it doesn’t make him less my son if I am Lizzie McCloud. Elizabeth. I still want to be Elizabeth. I need something nice for my business cards.”
He laughed. “That’s fine with me. I never... I never thought I could do this. I never thought anyone would love me.”
“I do. I love you, Brody McCloud. Everything you are.”
“I love you too.”
“Thank you for making me the best version of myself.”
“Me too,” he said. “Me too.”
“Benny won’t be back until tomorrow. You know what that means?”
“We can have sex all day,” he said.
“You can have half the day. Now we have a wedding to plan. Because I can’t live in sin with you, I have an example to set. But I also can’t not sin with you. So that means this has to be quick.”
“In the aid of not sinning, I will make a binder and plan that wedding better than you’ve ever seen a wedding planned, and I’ll do it in record time.”
“I have absolutely no doubt.”
“And then, when Benny gets back... I have an idea.”
ELIZABETH WAS VIBRATING with nerves. And excitement. Benny was coming back today, and Brody had been gone for most of the afternoon.
He had a plan, he hadn’t let her in on the details of that plan. But... She knew that he wanted to have a man-to-man talk with Benny.
She saw Carter’s black SUV rolling up the road, and right behind him was Brody’s beat-up pickup truck.
Her heart lifted at the sight of both.
She couldn’t believe it. And it didn’t feel too good to be true. It felt right. It felt like life. It didn’t need to be perfect from this day on. It just needed to have Brody and Benny. It just needed to be... This.
And she had every confidence that it would be. Because she didn’t feel like she didn’t deserve it. She felt like enough.
And so did all of this.
The SUV parked right up in front of her cabin, at the same time Brody rolled up in his truck. And when she looked through the windshield, she thought...
What?
Brody was wearing a black mask.
