“Not very far, Minx.”
She smiles at me and bites down on her lip. “Do I get to call you my fiancé now?”
My heart skips a beat and I grin at her, nodding. “Yes, but not for long.”
Emilia frowns and I smirk at her. “You’ll be calling me husband soon.”
She laughs, her head tipped back, and my heart skips a beat. She looks around in wonder when I park in front of my parents’ house and I grin as I walk around the car. I lift her back into my arms and walk straight to the treehouse.
Emilia’s eyes widen, and she grins at me. “What are we doing here? You know your house is big enough for privacy, right? Even if Kate and Dad are there.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I love the way your mind works,” I whisper. “Ours. It’s our house.”
I carry her up the stairs carefully, not releasing her until we reach the top. I put her down carefully and grin as she walks in, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
Emilia opens the door and gasps. I smirk and follow her in, my eyes falling to the hundreds of roses that fill the space. It took me hours to set this all up, and the roses cut my hands a few times, but it was so worth it to see the look in her eyes. Against the wall, in large letters crafted from roses, are the words Marry Me?, fairy lights lighting up to the room, making everything look magical.
Emilia’s eyes fill with tears, and I pull her in a bit further. “Emilia,” I murmur, a huge smile on my face. “You’ve always had a knack for ruining my plans, no matter how well laid out they might be. Today is no exception, and though it shouldn’t surprise me, it did. You both surprised and delighted me. You’ve always had that effect on me. Your beauty, your intellect, your heart, none of it ever ceases to surprise me. I don’t think it ever will. I always hoped I’d get to ask you to marry me one day, and if I did, I knew it’d be here, where it all started. You’ve been my first in every way that matters, and I want you to be every last, too.”
I drop down to my knees in the middle of the treehouse, and a tear rolls down her cheek. I pull a diamond engagement ring out of my pocket and hold it up, the light making it sparkle beautifully.
“Emilia Parker,” I murmur. “I have loved you all my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She bursts into tears and nods. “Yes, Carter. A thousand times, yes.”
I smile as I slip the ring onto her finger. “Finally,” I murmur. “I’ve been wanting to put a ring on you since you were sixteen.”
She bursts out laughing and drops down to her knees. Emilia wraps her arms around me and kisses me. I kiss her back, my heart truly at ease for the first time in years. She’s finally truly mine, and if she goes anywhere at all, I’m going with her.
Chapter 66
Emilia
“Are you ready?” Kate asks, a smile on her face. I nod, and she opens my bedroom door. Dad’s eyes widen as soon as he sees me in my wedding dress, and tears fill his eyes. Helen and William follow him in, both of them just as emotional as Dad is. My emotions overwhelm me and I inhale shakily as a tear drops down Dad’s cheek.
“You look beautiful, Princess,” he whispers. I sniff and open up my arms as Dad walks up to me. I hug him tightly, a tear running down my face.
Helen walks up to us and nervously touches my hair, her hands trembling as she fixes my updo. She looks like she’s been crying all morning, her eyes shimmering with happiness. I thought my wedding day would be the happiest day of my life, but it looks like Kate and Helen might be happier than I am. I chuckle to myself as Helen sniffs yet again.
“Her hair is fine,” William says, his voice suspiciously shaky. He pats my hair and smiles at me, his eyes filled with the same happiness I see in my own father’s eyes. He claps Dad on his back, and Dad squeezes me a little tighter. “I’ll take her away before she starts fussing over you,” he says, grabbing Helen’s hand. The two of them have tried their best to be involved in the wedding, and though I didn’t expect it to happen, Helen and I have grown much closer. Nothing is as it used to be, but the bonds I thought were long lost are on the mend.
William leads a reluctant Helen away, and Kate closes the door behind them as I hug my Dad a little tighter. My dad being able to walk me down the aisle today is a dream come true. I’m feeling so incredibly blessed, so happy, and without Kate this might not have been possible.
Kate smiles, but I can tell her eyes are glistening with tears too. “You’ll ruin your makeup,” she says, and I smile at her, my head resting on Dad’s shoulder. Slowly but surely, she and I were able to mend our relationship. Things aren’t what they used to be, but there’s no animosity between us anymore. As a gesture of goodwill, I asked her to be my maid of honor, and it’s brought us closer than I expected. She’s supported me every step of the way, and nothing was ever too much. I didn’t think it’d happen, but I’m glad she’ll become my sister-in-law. We have a long way to go, but we’re getting there, one step at a time.
“I love you, Daddy,” I murmur. “You’re the first man I ever loved, and you always will be.”
Dad sniffs loudly, but he can’t keep his sob in. He pulls away from me and buries his face in his hands.
I hold his shoulders, trying my best to hold back my own tears. “I’m not going anywhere, Dad. You’re only a ten-minute drive away, and if you ever want to, you can just come stay with us. We’ve left your room just as it was.”
He nods and tries his hardest to pull himself together. Dad cups my cheek gently and swipes my stray tears away with his thumb. “I love you, too. You’ll always be my little girl, Emilia.”
I nod and take Dad’s hand. We both inhale deeply before walking towards the garden. Carter and I opted to get married in our garden, and the decorators have done a magnificent job transforming it into a floral paradise. It’s everything I could’ve ever wished for. It’s small and intimate, and it’s us.
We pause at the start of the aisle, and my eyes find Carter’s. I see him gasp, his eyes widening. He looks as emotional as I’m feeling, and I smile at him. I’ve waited for this day my entire life. I watch as Asher teases Carter, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me for a single second.
Dad holds me tightly as we walk down the aisle, and his hands are shaking when he places my hand in Carter’s. Their eyes meet and a silent exchange I’m not privy to ensues before Dad lets go of my hand. He smiles at me and takes a seat, and the whole world fades away. All I can see is Carter, and the butterflies in my stomach go wild.
“You look breathtaking,” he says, and I blush.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I whisper.
Carter chuckles, and together, we turn towards the officiant, our hands joined. Neither one of us lasts more than a second before our eyes are back on each other.
We both opted to write our own vows, and my eyes fill with tears as Carter turns to me.
“Emilia, I swear I’ll love you and cherish you for all eternity, long after I take my last breath. Throughout the growth and changes we’ll face in life, I will always prioritize you and I’ll never take you for granted. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality, knowing that together we will build a life that will be far better than either of us could imagine or achieve alone. I’ll always provide for you, and I promise to never run out of t-shirts for you to steal.”
My eyes fill with tears as a sharp laugh escapes my lips. Carter smiles at me and tightens his grip on my hands.
“I promise to be your safe space and I promise to always be on your team,” he says. “As your husband, I promise to be faithful and to never give up on you or on us. I know that whatever the future may hold, we’ll face it together, and I vow to stand by you through both good and bad times, in sickness and in health. I love every bit of the version of you standing in front of me right now, and I promise to love the person you are yet to become. I will love you even if you hide fake cockroaches in our bed, I will love you when you inevitably stick post it notes all over my favor
ite car, and I will love you even if you cause me to lose all my hair – again.”
Our guests burst out laughing, many of them remembering our old antics. Carter raises our joined hands to his lips and presses a soft kiss to the back of my hand. I smile at him, tears in my eyes.
“Carter, before anything else, you are and always will be my best friend. You’ve laughed with me, cried with me and you’ve grown with me throughout the years, and I vow to keep doing that with you for the rest of our lives, even as time and life changes us both. I vow to not only grow old together, but to grow together.”
His eyes fill with tears as he looks at me, his expression telling me that he can barely believe we really made it, that we’re really standing here together.
“I promise to be your family, and as a family, I promise to work with you to create a home filled with love, laughter, and compassion. I promise I’ll always put you first, and for as long as I live, you’ll be the only one for me, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer. No matter what life throws at us, I’ll never leave your side, and I’ll be on your side. I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of time, and I’ll spend every day showing you just how much I love you. I will love you even if you almost get me arrested on account of illegal possession of oregano, and for the rest of our lives, I’ll drink salty coffee with a smile on my face, grateful that it’s you I get to spend my years with.”
Carter’s looks away for a second, gathering his emotions. I smile at him, my heart filled to the brim with happiness. The officiant clears his throat, but I can’t take my eyes off my husband-to-be.
“Emilia Parker, do you take Carter Clarke to be your wedded husband?” he asks.
I look into Carter’s eyes, and for a second he looks nervous. I grin and nod. “I do.”
“Carter Clarke, do you take Emilia Parker to be your wedded —"
“I do,” Carter says, just as the officiant says, “wife.”
Our guests burst out laughing, and so do I.
The priest smiles at us and nods. “Then with the powers vested in me, I proclaim you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Carter grabs my waist and sweeps me off my feet, his lips finding mine. Loud cheering erupts around us, and I smile against his lips.
“Finally,” he murmurs. “At last, you’re Mrs. Emilia Clarke. My wife.”
Carter cups the back of my neck and kisses me properly, deeply. The cheers around us get louder, and so does the beating of my heart.
I smile at him, my arms around his neck. “And you’re finally my husband, Carter Clarke. I knew fate would lead us back to each other. You’re my destiny, Carter. You always have been.”
The End
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Afterword
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following Emilia and Carter’s story. Emilia and Carter’s story had been running through my mind for months, and I’m so happy they finally got a voice.
I truly hope you enjoyed the Mayhem trilogy and would absolutely love it if you left a review. They’re the highest compliment an author can receive. Please click here to leave a review.
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Also by Catharina Maura
The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience
Our marriage was meant to be one of convenience. So when did it all become so...inconvenient?
What was I supposed to do when I found out that my father's last wish was for me to marry my best friend's older brother?
I couldn't say no — if I did, the company my father and I worked so hard to build would fall into the hands of the one person that would burn it all to the ground.
Besides, I couldn't let my father down. I couldn't deny him the very last thing he ever asked of me.
Daniel and I were never meant to be so perfect together. We were never meant to fall into bed together, and we were definitely never meant to fall in love. After all, we started our marriage with an end date in sight.
Acknowledgments
This book wouldn’t be what it is without the following people: Ashley, Tammy, Patricia, Jo, Lidón, and Abigail.
Thank you for all you do for me, ladies. I am forever grateful to have you on my team.
I’d thank my amazing husband too, but he’s never going to read this. I love you babe — you really should read one of my books sometime. Or, you know, any book.
The Ruins Of Us (Mayhem Book 3) Page 26
