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He knows I’m not warning, not bluffing. I’m telling him.
Man to man.
“You’ll do what you’re told Masters, and you too Bernie. If I have to come back here again, I’ll reach so far down each of your throats you’ll be shaking my hand every time you need to go shit. Got it,” I growl, bringing my fist down on the table in front of both of them, making everybody in the room jump.
Masters scowls again for a moment, breathing in heavily as he looks from me to Katelyn, then to Simon, who’s fanning himself with his papers like he doesn’t want to hold onto them much longer.
“This is outrageous. You can’t just come in here, demanding… what is it you want exactly anyway, Heart?” he asks, his eyes narrowing like red slits in his skull.
“Katelyn,” I tell him simply. Smiling.
“She’s what I want, and I want you to treat her with some well earned respect from now on after this. I’ll go, but she stays. She completes her year here and then she’s off to Boston for her post-graduate studies, and it’s none of your damned business who she marries,” I end up shouting.
“Marries?” everybody including her says in unison, and I turn to Katelyn, going for broke I guess. But it’s what I’ve really wanted to ask her since the first night, the first second I laid eyes on her.
“I have to have you, Katelyn. Now and always,” I tell her. “I’ve loved you like nothing else since meeting you and these past few days? We can have them ten thousand times over, every day can be ours, together.”
I see her lip tremble, and she looks pale, a tear forming in her eyes.
“Don’t say anything,” I tell her, “Unless it’s to say yes. Just say yes and we’ll figure everything else out as we go. I love you Katelyn and I won’t let you or anyone else convince me you don’t want what I want, that we don’t deserve to be the two happiest people alive.”
There’s an awkward silence for a moment, but I hold her eyes with mine, mouthing I love you to her one more time before she whispers the one word I’ve longed to hear.
“Yes.”
“What did she say?” Bernstein shouts, craning his neck to hear.
“She said yes, you fool,” Masters cries.
“She said yes!” I shout.
I take her in my arms, and kissing her deeply I hear the sound of paper being torn behind me.
With the exception of one single sheet.
“I think the college can accept your terms, Mr. Heart. And also congratulate you on your early retirement, and impending nuptials,” Masters says warmly, shaking my hand and patting my back.
“What did he say?” Bernstein creaks, irritated at not being able to hear.
“He said congratulations!” Simon shouts, and we all laugh together, wrapped up at the moment.
“I did say yes,” Katelyn whispers in my ear. “Yes to everything, and I would’ve said yes that first night too. Today, tonight, and every other night,” she says, kissing me like she’s never kissed me before.
Kissing me like a bride should kiss her husband to be.
Epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Katelyn
“Are you sure you even want them here? I mean, after everything they did to you?” Wes asks.
“They’re not so bad,” I tell him, reminding him if it wasn’t for the professor or the Dean, I wouldn’t be in Boston working on something I really care about.
Almost as much as I care about Wes.
“I don’t know why they have to give you away though, I mean best man too? It’s creepy Katelyn. It’s unnatural,” he hisses, teasing me by pretending to be so grossed out by the only two men who are the nearest thing we have to family, apart from ourselves that is.
He makes a face, sticking his tongue out at me as he adjusts my dress at the back.
“Well, I haven’t forgotten what they did, how they treated you. How they treated us,” he says with conviction, making me wince as he pulls something too tight.
“Alright Wes, easy on the ropes back there, I can’t breathe,” I gasp.
“Sorry honey,” he murmurs. “Are these strings getting shorter, or am I just imagining things?” he murmurs to himself.
“What are you doing back here anyway? You’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, it’s bad luck,” I remind him. Changing the subject as I try to suck some more of my belly in.
“Like the same not seeing the bride before the wedding bad luck I made you scream out about three times last night?” he asks, letting one of his hands slip and somehow grab hold of my chest.
I could slap it away, but I love Wes’s touch. I crave it.
Wedding day or not, he can touch me anywhere, anytime.
This is the last day I’ll probably even fit in this dress anyway, I had it re-sized and altered so many times now, there won’t be anything left of it to let out if we don’t get married today.
