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Carter pulls back to look at me and kisses me soundly.
Neither of us pulls back until the need for air becomes too great, and I find myself leaning against him for support. Carter gives me another searing kiss, the kind that makes my toes curl and my heart swell to twice its size. Then he laces his fingers through mine and pulls me behind him. When he sticks his head out of the room, his eyes are darting down both sides of the hallway. I peek out, but my brows furrow together when I don’t see anything special.
“What are you doing?”
“Ernesto and Paul are supposed to be nearby,” Carter replies without looking at me. “I need them to find Tristan, Sam, Anita, and a minister.”
“A minister? Does that mean you’re on board?”
“I’ve been wanting to marry you for months,” Carter responds, flashing me a quick smile. “Now, if I can just find out where everyone went…”
I tug on Carter’s hand and pull him back in. “We could just use our phones.”
Carter uses his free hand to pull his phone out of his pocket. Pressing it to his ear, he barks out a few things in rapid-fire tones, and I use the opportunity to drink him in. Every last inch of him, even the stubble peppered across his jaw and neck, is beautiful.
This is the best I’ve felt in a long, long time. And I can’t wait to call him my husband.
A short while later, Anita and Sam descend upon us, carrying two bags each. Anita sits by the baby, cooing and murmuring while Sam pushes me into the bathroom. There, she takes a veil and tiara out of one of the bags. She helps me into a short white dress with rhinestones in the center, frowning a little at the hemline. After running a comb through my hair, she places the tiara in the center and artfully arranges the veil around my face.
“Where did you find all these things on such short notice?”
“There are a few shops nearby. It seems you two aren’t the only ones to figure out you couldn’t wait to get married.” Sam gives a slight shake of her head and pushes me onto the chair in front of the mirror. “Now, I don’t have much to work with, but I’ll do my best.”
I squeeze Sam’s hand. “This is a good thing.”
“As long as we still get to have a wedding party later,” Sam teases, her lips spreading into a slow smile. “All that matters is that you and Carter are happy. You have each other, and you have your daughter.”
“And we have you guys,” I remind her with a smile. “We’ve gotten pretty lucky.”
Sam nods, and her eyes fill with tears. “Absolutely. Now, don’t go all getting sentimental on me, or you’ll make me cry.”
I release her hand and sit up straighter, watching in the mirror as she fiddles with my hair. When she takes the makeup out of the bag, I pull a face at her. Undeterred, Sam holds me still as she applies a light coat of mascara and some concealer and finishes the look off with some dark lipstick, blush, and shimmery eye shadow. As soon as she’s done, she gestures in the mirror, and I blink at the final look.
I don’t look like I’ve been in the hospital for a week. Hell, I don’t even look like I’ve just given birth.
Instead, the smokey-eyed woman in the mirror looks alluring and beautiful, and it’s exactly what I hoped for. Grinning, I pull Sam to me, ignoring her muffled protests the entire time. When I pull back, Sam pulls me back so I can give myself a once-over in the mirror.
“You’re getting married.” Sam squeezes my waist and dabs at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I told myself I wouldn’t cry.”
“It’s an emotional time.”
“You’re damn right it is. But after everything you two have been through, I’m just glad you made it here.”
I nod and swallow past the lump in my throat. “Me too.”
“Okay, let’s go back outside and wait for the minister.” Sam fluffs up her hair in the mirror and straightens her back. “You ready?”
“You’re still going to be my maid of honor, right?”
Sam takes my hand in hers and squeezes it. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Arm in arm and giggling like a pair of schoolgirls, the two of us make it back into the room. Anita has the baby in her arms, and she’s singing to her in Italian. Ernesto and Lorenzo are standing in the doorway, peering out into the hallway. Tristan is standing in front of Carter, helping him adjust his tie. Slowly, Carter spins around to face me, wearing a black tux that is a size too big, but he still looks as handsome as ever.
And he takes my breath away, as he usually does.
Sam leads me to him, and I feel like I’m floating on a cloud.
I’m weightless and untethered until Sam unloops her arm and takes a step back. Carter takes my hands in his and draws me closer to him. “You look beautiful.”
