She laughs and presses her fingers to my lips. “Okay, okay. Don’t you remember when we got married how I didn’t want my dad or my parents to give me away?”
My mouth curves beneath her fingertips and she removes them. “Yeah. I remember.”
“Because I’m not someone’s possession to be handed from one person to another.”
“Right. So you’re not mine.”
She opens her mouth, eyes flashing.
I laugh softly and shake my head. “I don’t view you as a possession. You know that.”
Her face softens. “I know.”
“When I say that, it means… you’re my wife. My lover. My partner.”
She nods, looking up at me, her big eyes glimmering with shifting shades of cobalt and sapphire.
“My biggest fan,” I joke.
She laughs and shakes her head. “Okay, sure.”
“It doesn’t mean I own you. It means I want to be with you forever. It means I want to protect you and support you forever.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Can I say that too? You’re mine?”
“I most definitely am yours.” I bend to kiss her mouth softly.
She sighs against my lips. “That was better than more marriage vows.”
“Okay, good. Because I have this for you.” I reach into my pocket to pull out a small box.
Her forehead creases and she glances from the box to my face and back down again. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
She takes a step back and flips open the top of the box. Her mouth sags open and her eyes widen. “Oh, wow. That’s beautiful.” She lifts her gaze to mine again and I could drown in those blue depths.
“It’s an eternity ring.” I carefully pluck it from the box, then take her left hand.
She has her wedding rings on again now. As do I. The big diamond solitaire I gave her as an engagement ring glitters next to the simple gold band of her wedding ring. This one is a full circle of diamonds. I slide it onto her third finger and snug it up against the engagement ring.
“Eternity,” she murmurs.
“Yeah.” I lift her hand and kiss her fingers, meeting her eyes again. “I’ll love you forever.”
Her eyes go shiny and her bottom lip quivers. “I’ll love you forever, too.”
“What if… maybe… we had to fall apart… so we could fall back together.”
Making a soft sound in her throat, she slides her hand around the back of my neck and pulls me down to her for another kiss. This one is longer. Deeper. Hotter.
A rap on the door interrupts us.
I press my forehead to hers, fighting for breath. “Shit.”
She huffs out a laugh.
I head to the door and open it to Archie and his wife, Andi. They got married in a small ceremony last year without even telling anyone.
