"Will you do the honor of marrying me? Of being my wife and sharing the rest of your life with me?"
Closing my eyes as I shake my head yes, my parents are there. Smiling at me. Holding each other. As if they're in the room with us right now. And my heart . . . it's overflowing.
Chapter Twenty-One
Three Months Later
Career day. One of my favorite days of the year. Not only because I get a break from being the center of attention but also because I enjoy the way the kids’ eyes light up when they listen to the different speakers. At this age, their imaginations are still creative. They don't know what they want to be when they grow up, but there's still hope of being whatever their heart desires. Whatever they dream they can be.
So this year, when it came to choosing speakers, I made the decision to bring in a variety of people I knew would make a great impact on the kids.
The first speaker this morning was a lawyer. He found a way to make what he does every day sound like fun. It wasn't all about research and working late and going to trial. It was about helping people who have been caught in a bad situation. Working hard to make sure the innocent are proven innocent and the guilty are held accountable for their actions.
He also spoke on how hard he had to work to get where he is today. That putting in the effort now will pay off later on. Practicing good study habits. Volunteering and helping in the community.
There were a few sets of curious eyes, listening intently.
After that, we welcomed a local farmer. He described the hard work he does every day and why he does it. How farming helps people in ways that often aren't seen or recognized. He talked about his love for animals and how he cares for them.
What really stuck with me from his speech is the way he encouraged the kids to try it at home. He brought them each a baggie of seeds with instructions on how to plant and care for them. He wouldn't tell the kids what they were growing but promised them if they worked hard, they would reap the rewards in a few short months.
Last I brought in Liam to talk about what he does. How he collaborates with the police and what it really means to be a private investigator. This was purely a selfish move on my part. He had been out of town the previous weekend, and I’d missed him, so when the firefighter had to cancel at the last minute, I called him and prepared to beg.
Thankfully, I didn't have to.
A promise of what would happen when I got home that night was all it took to get him rushing around the house so he could make it on time.
I keep a picture of us on my desk so when he walked in, my students recognized him immediately. And when it came time to ask questions, they were all asking about us.
When we're getting married.
How long we’d known each other.
How long we’d been dating.
Liam happily answered every question they threw at him, a smile on his face that matched my own. After he left, the kids began peppering me with questions about him. What did I like most about him? When did we fall in love? How did he propose?
They loved that story the most. Mainly because they know the spot in the library where it happened.
At the end of the day, Liam was waiting for me by my car, oblivious to the fact I was approaching. I took the opportunity to check out my fiancé. Leaning against the hood casually, his firm and lean body in only his suit pants and a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Damn.
It makes me wonder how I never noticed how attractive he was before now. How in the hell was I so blind? I mean, I knew he was a good-looking guy. All the girls wanted him. All the guys wanted to be him. But I never really looked at him.
Now I have a bad habit of staring at him like a piece of meat.
He says he doesn't like it, that it makes him feel like I'm only using him for sex, but he says it with an unconvincing smile. Usually as he's peeling my clothes off, and then we fall into bed together.
Staring at his phone, his thumbs gently tapping against the screen as I approach, he says, "You look hot as hell in that dress."
"Well, it is unseasonably warm today," I joke, leaning against the hood next to him and dropping my bag at my feet.
"Is that why you look so flushed?" Turning to face me, Liam slides his phone in his pocket and cradles my cheeks in his hand. "I thought you were just happy to see me."
"Oh, I am. I'm also confused as to why you're still here. Don't you have better things to do than hang out with a bunch of nine- and ten-year-olds?"
"I do, but I have to follow my heart, and since you own it and you're here, here I am."
Damn him for always having a sweet response that makes my heart melt. Smiling against my lips before he kisses me, he adds, "And I wanted to make sure you made it to your car safe since you look so fucking sexy today. Didn't want any male teachers getting any bright ideas."
I want to laugh and tell him that the giant diamond on my hand is enough to scare everyone off, but I can't. His mouth is devouring mine, and if it could actually happen, my panties would be melting off my body right now.
When he pulls back and looks into my eyes, I smile and ask him the one question that's been on my mind all afternoon.
"So when are we getting married? You wrote the date on the board and showed the kids, but they wouldn't tell me." Not for lack of trying either. Liam made them promise not to tell me.
"That's for me to know and you to find out."
"You do realize that women like to be part of the planning process, right? That we need time to prepare, to make sure everything is perfect?"
When Liam first told me he was planning our wedding and all I had to do was show up in a white dress and say I do, I laughed. I didn't realize he was serious.
I tried to reason with him, but he wasn't having it. He wanted to do this for me, for us, and he promised I would have everything I ever wanted in a wedding. All I needed to do was trust him.
That's the easy part. Of course I trust him.
But not knowing even one little detail of the wedding is driving me nuts. Hell, the only thing I know for certain is what I'll be wearing. Sasha and I finally found the perfect dress a few weekends ago, and since then, Liam has gotten even more hush-hush about the wedding.
That's when I knew he picked a date.
"Would it make you feel better if I told you it wasn't a Halloween wedding?"
We talked about doing a theme wedding, but I vetoed it when I realized he was thinking about Halloween. It sounds cool in theory, but I'd rather not have witches and paper machete ghosts as decorations.
"No, because that's like saying I'm going to win the lottery but not tonight. I'm excited knowing I'm going to win, but the anticipation is going to kill me. Will you at least tell me it's soon?"
"Sooner than you think." A quick kiss to the cheek and he's gone before I can protest his answer.
As soon as I get in the car, Sasha is calling. She wants to grab coffee before I head home. Feeling exhausted from the long week, I happily agree and send Liam a text to let him know what I'm up to. He replies with a winky face, and I don't really know what to make of it.
Not until I spot Sasha waiting outside the coffee shop for me.
Holding a garment bag in her hands.
Wearing three-inch heels and a dress that flatters her figure perfectly.
"It's time," she states with a wicked grin on her face.
"Time for…" I'm going to make her say it. I need to hear the words to confirm what I'm thinking.
"It's time for you to officially become Mrs. Liam Henry Fell."
Cassidy Fell.
The irony because that's exactly what I did. I fell in love with Liam. Hard. So much so I didn't even realize it was happening. But every time I look back, every time I think about all we've been through, I see it clearly. I've been falling in love with Liam all my life.
Taking my hand and giving it a light squeeze, Sasha nudges her head and tugs me down the sidewalk. I'm no
t sure where we're going, but I know the final destination will be the end of an aisle where Liam will be waiting for me. Patiently. The same way he has been for the last eleven years.
It. Was. Perfect.
Everything I ever could have wanted and things I never imagined were possible. From the guest list that included friends from college I hadn't seen since graduation to the perfect venue.
I'm still not sure how he pulled that one off.
When my parents passed, their house was sold. The people who bought it didn't know my parents. They didn't know my story. Since moving in, they’ve kept to themselves. But when Liam and his parents approached them and asked if they would consider hosting the wedding in their backyard, they willingly agreed.
That house is filled with memories. With happy moments and stories of my childhood. The moments before my parents died. Growing up next door to Liam. Running through the sprinkler on hot summer days. Chasing butterflies. Trudging through the snow in the backyard to watch movies in Liam's bedroom on cold winter nights. Lying in the grass and staring up at the stars when one of us needed to talk.
The house holds more than just memories of my life with my parents. It holds my entire childhood. After my parents died, I was forced to grow up fast. Living with Michael and Betty, being so close to my own house yet so far away, was hard. I'd stare out the window and imagine my father at the grill or my mother working in her rose garden.
But after today, I have a different perspective on this house.
It looks almost the same, but it doesn't feel the same. It's not filled with my mother’s infectious laughter or the smell of my father’s aftershave. It's just a house. The people in it are what make it a home.
Still, walking down an aisle of rose petals through the backyard to where Liam was waiting for me . . . it was magical. Perfect.
And sitting in the front row, each on their own chairs, were pictures of my parents. As if they were guests. As if they were witnessing the beautiful moment happening before them.
I'm glad I didn't notice that until the ceremony was over. I would have been a blubbering mess during our vows. More so than I already was.
"Well?" Liam asks as he spins me around the makeshift dance floor set up in the backyard.
"You did great," I reply, knowing exactly what he was referring to.
"I promised you it would be perfect, Cass. You deserve nothing less. Today and every day for the rest of your life."
"I have you, and that's all that matters."
"So you're saying you have perfection. I'm glad we agree," he jokes, dipping me before quickly pulling me back up and sealing his lips against mine.
I can hear our guests whistling at our public display of affection, but this time it doesn't bother me. It warms my heart to know we have so many people in our lives who support us. Our relationship. Our marriage.
I place my heart against his chest after he finally releases my lips. "You're awfully full of yourself, Mr. Fell."
"You're going to be full of me later, Mrs. Fell."
The promise in his voice causes a shiver to run up my spine. He's not the only person with secrets in this relationship. The one part of the wedding I was allowed to plan was our honeymoon. Because he refused to tell me the date of the wedding, Sasha made all the travel arrangements for us.
We leave tonight.
In fact, we have to head to the airport in a little over an hour. Our adventures as children are about to become real. Two weeks traveling around Europe. Every place we used to pretend to go is on our itinerary. And we’re starting with the destination that sparked it all.
Spain.
"Are you ready to find out where we're going on our honeymoon?" I ask.
"I have a feeling you're itching to tell me."
"Oh, I am, but I'm not going to. Not yet, anyway. You'll find out when we get to the airport. I won't be able to keep the destination a secret once we're there. It's printed on your ticket."
"Or you could tell me now since we're leaving soon."
"Nah," I state dismissively.
Sharing the location of our honeymoon is only one of the secrets I plan to share with him tonight. It's going to pale in comparison to the other one I'm holding on to. The secret I haven't shared with anyone for fear he would find out.
"How about we exchange gifts now?" he suggests.
"About that," I start, pulling back so I can look up into my husband’s gorgeous blue eyes. "I can't give you yours yet. It's at the apartment."
The tiny gift is wrapped in an old necklace box I found. I’ve been hiding it in a shoe box at the top of my closet for the last week. Since I wasn’t sure when the wedding was, I was preparing to give it to him next weekend. The anticipation was killing me.
"Not for much longer."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, while we're on our honeymoon, everything in our apartment is being moved."
"Where?"
"That's your gift. I bought us a house. A place of our own. One where we can start the next chapter of our life together."
He bought us a house.
Without asking me.
Without getting my input.
I want to be angry, but the hint of amusement in his eyes tells me to wait. There's more. More to the story that will make me forgive him of whatever he's done.
"And where exactly is this house you bought?"
"You're standing in the backyard right now."
His words register, bringing me to a stop.
He bought this house.
My parents’ house.
The place I grew up. The one place that holds my past and now my future.
He didn't have to ask me because he knew I'd be okay with this. Because he knew that making this our house, a place for us, would be the perfect gift.
"I used to watch the way you would stare out the window longingly after you moved in with us. You missed your parents, I knew that. That pain was raw. But you also missed this house. You missed what it stood for. You missed the life they created for you here. It was your home. The one place you could always run to and be accepted, no matter what.
"That's what I want for us. For the family we'll have one day. A place that's more than four walls and a roof. A place they feel safe. Where they feel loved. I thought this was the perfect place to represent that. Is that okay? Are you okay with this?"
There's hesitation in his voice. He's doubting his decision, probably because I haven't said anything. I haven't moved. I'm stuck in a state of shock and awe. Not only for the gift he's given me but for the man he is. I'm the luckiest girl alive.
Not only because I married my best friend, but because I married a man who gets me. He understands me. He accepts me and all the baggage I have.
His love knows no bounds.
He would do anything to make me happy, but that's not a new development. He's been like that all his life.
"I'm more than okay with that, Liam. This is the greatest gift you could have ever given me. Well—" I pause for dramatic effect "—maybe the third greatest gift. You've already given me the first two, though."
"Oh, yeah? What might those be?"
"First, there's your heart."
"You stole that, just to be clear. I had no say in the matter. Not that I regret it." Laughing as I place my hand over his heart, I smile up at my husband and prepare myself for what I have to tell him next. "And the second?"
"The second is your wedding present." Pulling his head down, I whisper in his ear, “Our family is starting sooner than you think.” His cheek rises with his smile, pressing against my chin. I think he’s gotten the hint, but just in case, I say the two words I've been dying to say to him since I confirmed my suspicions. "I'm pregnant.”
Pulling back, Liam places a hand on each of my cheeks and I watch as true happiness consumes him. His eyes light up, tears pricking the corners, threatening to spill over. His smile is genuine and stretches as far as his lips will allow.
But it’s
the look in his eyes that conveys his feelings more than anything.
It’s the same look he used to get when we were kids. One that was filled with wonder and excitement. Eagerness to find out what happens next. The acceptance of our next challenge without fear or hesitation.
And then he pulls my face to his and kisses me deeply, passionately. Making sure I feel every ounce of his love.
And I do.
I’ve always felt it.
Though the good times and the bad.
And now, I can feel the truth in the words once spoken to me… Your best life comes from surviving your worst experiences.
My best life, our best life, lies ahead of us. We’ve survive more than most people our age and there’s nothing life will be able to throw at us that will stop us from fighting for each other. For our love. For our future.
Because what we have is worth the fight.
Every. Single. Time.
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About the Author
Rachael Brownell is an award-winning author of both young-adult and new-adult romance. She resides in the midwest with her husband, son and their fur-babies. To learn more about Rachael and her books, follow her on social media or sign up for her monthly newsletter.
For more information…
www.AuthorRachaelBrownell.com
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Worth The Fight Page 18
