Cee had just graduated school and we were having an amazing dinner to celebrate. After we stuffed ourselves silly he brought out some black forest brownies. It had easily become my favorite dessert ever since he introduced it to me.
Ben and I greedily ate our dessert polishing off our plates in no time. We looked up at Cee and saw that he had barely touched his plate. Each bite he would look at, place it in his mouth, slowly swallow and then nod his head, as if each bite was a completely different taste. Ben and I sat in silence as we watched Cee take his sweet time.
I heard his phone buzz and he checked it.
“Hey, I just got a text from Cindy, she wants us to come over for a game night in celebration of me finishing school. Do you want to go?” Cee asked. He was only half way done with his dessert.
“Sure. We haven’t had a night with her in forever,” I agreed.
As if by magic Cee made the rest of his brownie disappear and quickly put all the dishes into the sink. I sat dumbfounded at the sudden switch. It was if Cee suddenly remembered that he had the ability to move at a rate faster than turtle's pace.
We grabbed our shoes and headed out the door to a warm night. Ben scampered ahead of us and made it to Cindy’s house before we even got to the sidewalk. I saw his body dart in through the door and he left it ajar in his excitement. I shook my head and quickly walked to catch up with Cee right beside me. I didn’t want all of her air-conditioning to escape.
We made it inside and I made sure the door was securely closed behind me. As soon as I got into the kitchen I felt like all eyes were on me. It was a much bigger game night than I expected. Cindy and Tricia were sitting around the table with Melissa. Ray, Cindy's husband, was standing getting drinks filled. I smiled as I walked in feeling as though I was missing out on some sort of secret.
“I had no idea you guys were here, too. It’s so great to see you.” I went around giving out hugs.
“Since you got that big promotion we never get to see you anymore,” Melissa said, hugging her arms around me.
“Yeah, it has been a bit crazy, I still can’t believe they picked me.” I walked to the table and sat down on an empty chair. “Where is Ben?” I looked around, seeing Jake sitting on the couch watching a movie.
“Oh he is just grabbing something from upstairs,” Melissa replied, waving a nonchalant hand through the air.
“Okay, what are we playing tonight?” I asked.
“I think dominoes sound good?” Cindy offered.
“Yeah, sounds fun,” I agreed.
At that moment, I heard the scampering of little paws and saw a black lab puppy skittering across the wood floor and Ben chasing after it.
“Who is this little guy?” I said bending over to pick him up. “Did you get a dog?” I looked at Cindy.
She beamed back at me and shook her head. I started to see tears well up in her eyes. I looked at everyone else with the same question and they all shook their heads ‘no’ as well.
I grabbed the pink collar that was around the wiggling ball of fur. Between wet kisses I found the silver tag shaped like a heart. On one side it has ‘Cee and Jes’ engraved. I flipped it over to the other side and inscribed was ‘Will you marry me’. I froze in shock. I felt the squirming dog get pulled out of my hands and my view was no longer obscured.
“You always said you wanted a dog.” Cee was on one knee with a ring box open in one of his hands. “Jess, I love you. The time that we have spent together has been amazing. I never want to spend a moment without you.”
He pulled the ring out of the box and grabbed my shaking left hand.
“Will you marry me?” He asked, his violet eyes enveloped me.
“Yes, yes of course!” I yelled. I bent over and hugged him, tears streaming down my face. I heard a cheer abrupt and looked around to everyone. Cindy was dabbing her eyes and Ben gave the thumbs up, the puppy squirmed in his arms.
“But really whose dog is this?” I asked as Ben put the puppy down and it ran across the floor. Everyone chuckled
“It’s yours mom!” Ben giggled.
***
“You coming Jes?” Cindy called out. I had fallen behind being lost in thought. I quickly ran down the hallway to catch up to everyone.
I had made the decision to not have any bridesmaids, but wanted them to know that if I did, it would be them.
I wanted this day to be about me, Cee and our love.
I did have a maid of honor though, Ann. She moved in with us a few months ago, after being discharged from the hospital, and we were fast friends. Our bond grew thanks to the hours we spent at physical therapy.
We made our way out from the hotel and onto the beach. I got behind Ann and helped her push her chair as the wheels stuck easily in the sand. I was very glad I had opted for a short dress and sandals as the sand whipped around my feet.
We arrived to everyone standing on the beach. It was a small party of just family and close friends. Cee and I wanted a short ceremony and thought chairs were useless.
I stood next to Ann as I watched each of my friends walk down the aisle, and take their seats. I patted Ann on the shoulder and pushed her to the aisle marked out in tea-light candles. Cee had his back to us, and was looking out to the ocean.
I was glad I had made him face away as to not catch a glimpse. He was dressed in a gray suit. Next to him was Ben in an identical suit, he looked so amazing. He held the leash of the black lab Dinger, who had a pink bow-tie around his neck. I gave Ben a slight nod and waited as Ben gave Cee the signal to turn around. His smile was so big that I could see every tooth at the end of the aisle. He took my breath away. I quickly sniffed and tried to keep the tears at bay. I leaned down to Ann and whispered in her ear, “You ready for the water works?”
“Yes.”
I held out my arm as she took a firm grip and slowly helped as she raised herself up to a standing position. She gave me a little nod and I took as step and she followed suit. Everyone let out a small gasp.
She was walking, something that doctors had told us she would never do again. She took another small step, leaning slightly. I tried to take as much weight as I could as we took each step, knowing that each movement of her legs was exhausting. I looked up at Cee, tears were running down his face. He was not paying attention to them, but watching us take each step.
I whispered to her as we took a few more steps, “You are so mean wanting to make your big brother cry, especially in photos.”
She nodded her head, focusing on each step, but she gave me a devilish grin. She had decided after we had gotten engaged to make it her goal to walk down the aisle. When I visited her one day in the hospital she told me what she wanted to do, and how she wanted to keep it a secret.
I came by once a week and worked with her. She had a renewed vigor about the therapy. We made it down the aisle, and Cee gave her a big hug, his cheeks wet with tears.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” His voice cracked with emotion.
“We wanted to surprise you. Now go get married.” Ann gave him a kiss on the cheek like what she did was no large feat. I helped her back into the wheelchair that was brought by one of the crowd up. I could tell she was tired.
“You did so well! He definitely was shocked.” I gave her a kiss on the check.
“You look beautiful. Now go get married to my brother.” Ann smiled.
I stood up and looked to Cee, his eyes still wet with tears. I grinned. It was so great to see a man who had such emotion. I walked to him and he grabbed my hands. The officiate took control of the ceremony, and lead us through our vows.
“Do you Jes take Cee to be you husband?” He asked.
“I do,” I vowed.
“And Cee, do you take Jes to be your wife?” He asked Cee.
“I do,” he promised.
“Then with the power vested in me and the state of California, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Cee and I leaned in for our kiss, I felt his lips on
mine, and his arms wrap around me. It was official, I was married to my nanny.
Check out these other works by Krista Lakes!
Stepbrother Romances
Stepbrother Hero: A Forbidden Military Romance
Stepbrother's Gift: A Forbidden Billionaire Romance
The "Kisses" series
Saltwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Kisses From Jack: The Other Side of Saltwater Kisses
Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story
Wishful Kisses: A Champagne Kisses Novella
Freshwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Sandcastle Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Hurricane Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Sunrise Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Waterfall Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Other Novels
Wolf Six's Salvation: A Shifter Love Story
Burned: A New Adult Love Story
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Walking on Sunshine: A Sweet Love Story (Seasons of Love Book 1) Page 19
