by C. M. Albert
“I want to thank you for fighting for me when you already had everything at your fingertips and could’ve lost everything. I’m not just here because of the baby, Olivia. I’m here because there’s no other woman who could ever make me as happy as you do.
“I wish to god I could marry you on paper, with a proper minister in a church. This may not be that, but it holds the same weight to me, to my heart. When I say this, it’s because I love every part of you. It’s because I want to make vows with you before god, and my family, and Ryan. And Stitch,” I added. Olivia’s hands were now clasped in a prayer position by her mouth as she fought back tears.
“I want you for better or worse for the rest of our days. And I pray to god you’ll have me, too. No matter what happens with the baby, or Ryan, or our jobs, or this house. I just want you. So . . .” I cleared my throat, getting choked up—so much so the box was beginning to shake in my outstretched hand.
I removed the ring and took Oliva’s right hand. “Olivia North Wells, will you commit yourself to me before god and be a wife in all the ways that really matter? Will you marry me by heart and be mine forever?”
Her hand was trembling, her left hand covering her mouth in disbelief.
“Just so you know, I did get Ryan’s blessing,” I told her.
Olivia half-laughed and half-sobbed as she nodded her head. “Yes! Of course I will.”
I slid the diamond ring onto her finger, and she gasped. It was a perfect fit, thanks to Ryan. “It’s the color of our tulips,” she noticed.
“Because, tulips,” I said, pressing my forehead to hers. “I was so nervous, Olivia.”
“Why? That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Did I do better than Ryan?” I teased.
She laughed. “Shut up and kiss me, Kerrington.”
So, I did. Then I scooped her up and brought her to my bedroom and did all the things engaged couples do to celebrate. Morning would be soon enough to let her know the wedding was already planned for Christmas Eve.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Olivia
I STRETCHED AWAKE, finding Brighton asleep beside me on his back, his arm thrown over his head. Even in slumber he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever met. Like a Roman god with his chiseled jaw and perfect nose. He had long, dark blond lashes that tickled when he gave me butterfly kisses. His lips were full, made for my kisses. I longed to reach out and run my hand along yesterday’s stubble, but I didn’t want to wake him. We’d been up late celebrating.
I stretched my right hand out and looked again at the lilac-colored diamond. It took my breath away.
“Did I do okay?” Brighton asked, his voice rough from just waking up.
I leaned over, laying on his bare chest as I looked up at him. “More than okay. Last night was so special. I can’t imagine the planning that took.”
“I had a lot of help.”
“But it was your heart that created that moment to make it special for us. So, thank you.” I reached up to kiss him. “Are you sure Ryan was really okay with all of this?”
“A thousand percent, Liv. Don’t worry. Come on. He’s making breakfast for us. Let’s get dressed and go face the music.”
I put on last night’s clothes before we headed downstairs. We grabbed two mugs of coffee and made our way to the front door, stepping on a trail of beautiful rose petals along the way. I was laughing at something Brighton said when we heard someone on the sidewalk call out to us. I stopped dead in my tracks. I took a deep breath and turned, facing my husband’s work colleague.
“Good morning, Kimber! What are you doing over this way so early?”
She was bundled up in a long wool coat sinched at the waist, a cowl scarf in the same hues of gray and soft pink wrapped around her neck. Her husband was beside her. He tipped his hat in our direction but said nothing.
“What are you doing out so early?” she asked, eyeing our coffees. We were clearly not dressed appropriately for being outside in the dead of winter. And I was sure I had sex written all over my hair, my skin, my face. I probably smelled like a brothel.
I swallowed, having no clue how to answer this woman.
Brighton held up his coffee mug. “She’s just mooching off a generous neighbor to get her morning coffee fix. Their coffee pot is on the fritz. Thought maybe Ryan might like one, too, in exchange for some homemade pancakes. I don’t get those too often anymore.”
Kimber was not buying what Brighton was selling, but it was smoother than anything I could’ve come up with on so little sleep.
“How—cozy. And did I just hear you right? Did you say neighbor?” she asked slyly.
“You heard right,” Brighton said cheerfully. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but Ryan’s coffee is getting cold, and I’m sure Olivia is freezing to death. It was good to bump into you again, Mrs. Shanahan. Mr. Shanahan.” He nodded to her dour-looking husband.
I could tell Kimber was pissed that she didn’t get the satisfaction she was looking for. And I still couldn’t figure out what she was even doing in our neighborhood. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away from her. As we made our way to the back door, Stitch barreled out to greet us. He jumped excitedly, as if he hadn’t seen us in a week. Ryan stood there looking all handsome in his gray sweatpants and black Avengers T-shirt, holding the door open for us.
“Morning, babe,” he said.
I raced up the steps and kissed him good morning. Brighton handed him his coffee, which brought a confused look to Ryan’s face, his brows furrowing.
“Just go inside,” I said.
When we got into the kitchen, I made my way to the sink. Sure enough, Kimber was still out there, staring at our house. She looked dead at me and a satisfied, knowing smile lifted the corner of her lips before she turned and walked with her husband in the opposite direction. Shit.
“What was that all about?” Ryan asked, handing Brighton his coffee back.
“Kimber,” I ground out, slamming my mug onto the countertop. “God! That woman is such a troll.”
Ryan looked amused. “You ran into Kimber? Outside? What in the world was she doing over here? I know for a fact that she lives near the university.”
“I don’t know, Ryan! But she saw Brighton and me sneaking back over here this morning. Thank god for his quick thinking. He told her our coffee maker was broken, and I was mooching coffee from him.”
“Mooch anytime, gorgeous,” Brighton said, taking a sip of his coffee.
I rolled my eyes in his direction. “Seriously, guys. This does not look good.”
“What’s she gonna do, Liv? It would be inappropriate of her to ask me anything point blank. And you gave her a plausible response. I’m sure it’ll blow over and she’ll forget all about it. If she doesn’t, I’ll have a word with her.”
I chewed the corner of my mouth, still not happy that the situation was fully resolved. Kimber was nothing if not inappropriate, and I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to find some sneaky way to bring it up to Ryan in the future.
“Why are we talking about Kimber anyway? Don’t we have something to celebrate this morning?”
I looked into his eyes, meeting his gaze.
“Come here,” he said, opening his arms. I fell into them, resting my head against his chest. He smelled like pine, and peppermint, and home. “I think this will be a good thing, for all of us.”
He looked over my head at Brighton and nodded.
“Are you sure you’re really okay with this?” I glanced up at my husband. His beard was neatly trimmed as it always was, but it was thicker in the winter, and I was here for it. His warm, whiskey eyes held nothing but love for me as he drank me in.
“Everything except missing you last night,” he said, kissing my nose. “I don’t like not sleeping with you. The house was lonely. I hope you don’t mind, but I let Stitch sleep on your side of the bed.”
I laughed, looking over at the spoiled dog. He was only a little more than six months old, bu
t he’d already won over all our hearts. As if he knew we were talking about him he cocked his head, his brown curly ears lifting.
“Did Brighton tell you anything about last night?” I asked. “I’m not sure how much you want to know.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Then that’s all I need to know.” He held out his arm for Brighton, who joined us. Ryan draped his arm over his shoulder and pulled him in for a half-hug since I was nestled against his chest in his other arm.
Brighton leaned forward and brushed his lips over Ryan’s. It surprised me to see Ryan reach his hand up and bring Brighton’s mouth closer for a deeper, more sensual kiss. But it still got me in the girl bits every time I saw them show their love for each other this way.
Brighton playfully bit Ryan’s lower lip and slapped him on the ass before stepping back. “You’re not getting your own ring, Wells.”
“As if,” Ryan chucked back at him. But the mood lifted, and Kimber was forgotten. We enjoyed blueberry pancakes and a fresh fruit bowl that Ryan prepared for us. I really, really didn’t deserve the man.
“So, do you know what you’re going to wear yet, or do we need to go shopping?”
“Huh?” I said eloquently, my mouth full of cantaloupe.
“You didn’t tell her yet, did you?” Ryan asked, looking at Brighton.
Brighton made a cringey face, clearly busted with whatever he’d forgotten to tell me. “Since we don’t have to wait on a marriage license, and it’s going to be an informal ceremony just for our benefit, I thought we’d get married on Christmas Eve. My whole family will be coming down for Christmas and staying at my place. And I’d really like to get married before the baby comes, because I’m sure she’s going to be a handful if she’s anything like her mother—”
I lobbed a blueberry at Brighton, who was too late lifting his hands. The blueberry bounced off his solid chest.
“We’re playing it like that are we?” he asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
I backed the chair up, ready to dash.
He grabbed my wrist before I could even clear the table and yanked me onto his lap. “You’re being a very naughty girl. And here it is right before Christmas. What would Santa say?”
“I think he’d say I need to be punished by two very handsome elves.”
“You mean two well-endowed, handsome elves?” Ryan quipped.
Brighton rubbed my bottom as I squirmed in his lap. “You’re not getting punished until you tell me you’ll marry me on Christmas Eve.”
“This is the weirdest conversation,” I said, looking back and forth between my fiancé and my husband. “But yes. We can have our ceremony on Christmas Eve. I assume we’ll have it at your house?”
“Already have everything planned,” he said, lifting his eyebrows salaciously. “Did I tell you Becca was an event planner?”
“Why, no, you didn’t. Your sisters sure know how to save your butt.”
“That’s what sisters are for,” he teased. Then he scooped me up in his arms like he would if he were carrying me over the threshold. My legs dangled over his arms as he carried me upstairs, Ryan close behind.
After our shower, the three of us tumbled into bed. We’d missed Ryan, and now that we were all back together, everything felt complete.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ryan
I’D PROBABLY NEVER do anything again for the rest of my life more awkward than meeting the family of the man who was about to “marry” my wife. But the Kerringtons were a boisterous, warm family, instantly putting us all at ease about the situation. Paige was the only one who was a little more reserved about the whole thing. But her husband, Vic, stayed by her side all night, keeping her away from Brighton as much as he could.
Liv and I didn’t invite any family, since her parents died when she was a student of mine and my sister lived too far away. We both had plenty of friends from work and our college days, but we’d let those friendships lapse when we lost Laelynn. They wouldn’t understand what we were about to do anyway, and we wanted to keep it intimate—surrounded only by the people we loved and trusted the most.
Brighton, Liv, and I decorated the downstairs of his house with a Christmas wedding in mind. The rooms were adorned with fresh, green garland, winterberry centerpieces, and floor lanterns of various heights filled with soft vanilla candles to warm the space. Brighton had recruited his mother’s best friend to perform the “wedding” ceremony. She was a spiritual healer of deep faith and was accustomed to performing unconventional commitment ceremonies, as she did for years before same-sex marriages became legal in New York. She was happy to help Brighton and Olivia pledge their hearts before god and family.
I paced the kitchen, waiting for Olivia to come downstairs. I wasn’t completely sure how to feel now that the day was here. Although it wasn’t legally binding, it may as well have been for the deep commitment they were making. I knew I wasn’t being replaced, but it left me feeling unsteady about our own vows now that she was exchanging them with Brighton.
As Olivia descended the back staircase, tears threatened to spill over. I suddenly had memories of her walking down the aisle to me at our wedding. She’d walked alone since her parents were no longer alive. She looked like a free-spirited goddess back then with her golden blond hair hanging long and straight, her skin sun-kissed and warm under the late day sun. She walked to me barefoot in the grass, carrying a romantic-looking bouquet of baby blue eucalyptus and white seafoam roses.
That was when she was mine, and mine alone.
I had no words for how beautiful she looked as she walked toward me in her wedding dress for Brighton. It was the palest of blush pinks with tiny, capped sleeves. Her décolletage was bare, leaving a long line of the soft, pale skin between her breasts exposed. While the top of the dress was lace and more form-fitting, the bottom tulle fell softly, expertly covering the bump that was getting harder to hide. She was barefoot again, which made me smile as she stepped into my arms.
“My god, Liv,” I said, careful not to mess up her hair. She’d swept it back in some sort of sophisticated, loose bun with a singular braid framing her face like a crown. She had a small flower pinned into her hair and was wearing the diamond studs I’d bought her as a push present for Laelynn, before we knew of the awful fate that would change us forever. Tonight, they twinkled in the candlelight, as if Laelynn approved from above. “You never cease to take my breath away.”
Olivia squeezed me hard before pulling back to meet my eyes. “I love you,” she said. She was shaking, so I held her hand between my palms, gently calming her before we walked in to where everyone else stood in the front room.
“I love you, too, Liv. Till my dying breath,” I reassured her, conveying everything I could in the look that passed between us. My heart hammered, but I had to be strong for Olivia. “Tonight is about your commitment to Brighton, though. And I promise you, I am okay with this. You have changed so much since he came into our lives. This feels right—to bring Brighton into the fold of our family. And I’m not marrying him. So, thanks for taking one for the team,” I joked.
Olivia smiled then, bigger than she had since coming downstairs. I got it. She was worried about me. But there was a strange comfort knowing that between the two of us, Liv would never be alone. She deserved to be loved this much after all the loss she’d experienced in her life. And before Brighton, I was the only family she had.
“Ready to go get hitched? Again?”
“Ryan!” she said, laughing. She asked me to hand her the wedding bouquet she’d made herself. I walked to the box that was sitting on the kitchen island and lifted it out for her. She had a few sprigs of eucalyptus in her romantic bouquet of mixed wildflowers and evergreens. There were large, dusky pink roses, pale lilac flowers I didn’t recognize, and purple tulips so dark they looked like the sangria we were having after the ceremony with our Christmas Eve dinner.
I noticed the bottom of the bouquet was wr
apped with material, then covered with a thin layer of lace. “Your bouquet is beautiful, Liv. You did an amazing job.”
“Thank you,” she said. She angled the bottom of the stems my way. “I added a little piece of the kids and you to my bouquet.”
“What is that?” I asked, looking closer.
“A small piece of one of Laelynn’s blankets and one of Sam’s is wrapped around the stems. The lace is from our wedding.”
“You cut your wedding dress?” I asked, gaping at her.
“No! It was from my trousseau. But it reminds me of you.”
“Good,” I said, stealing a quick kiss.
She wiped the lipstick from my lips and adjusted my tie before we clasped hands and headed toward the curtains we’d hung to separate the back of the house from the front, so Liv could have her “moment.”
I texted Brighton to let him know we were coming out. We heard the officiant say, “You may now rise.”
Then I walked my wife down the aisle.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brighton
SHE STOLE MY breath. Liv was everything I’d ever dreamed of, and she was walking toward me. To marry me. It didn’t matter that we wouldn’t have a piece of paper to legally claim our marriage. We were saying commitment vows under god, and before family. That was good enough. Ryan walked her down our small aisle lined with candles. Half my family stood on one side and the rest stood on the other half. I was so grateful that they’d all come and were willing to invite Liv and Ryan into our family as an extension of me.
