“Is that still what you want?”I honestly don’t care about the details, just that she’s my wife.Fucking finally, after all these years, she’s really going to be mine.Mine to hold, to love, to cherish for the rest of our lives.Just like we’d always planned.
“Yeah, small and intimate sounds perfect.”
“Where?”I’m taking mental notes so that I can execute this wedding flawlessly.
“Well, how about your mom’s backyard?That way, she doesn’t have to travel and can be there with us.”
Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that or the jolt of emotion her request causes to well inside my chest.“Yeah,” I rasp.“We can do that.”
“When?”Her eyes are lit with excitement.
“You tell me, baby.I’ll be there.I know you need a dress, flowers, and whatever else we need for a wedding.Hell, I don’t know, so you tell me.The sooner the better, and we’ll make it happen.”
“I always wanted to wear my mom’s wedding dress.She was pregnant with me, just barely, when she and my dad got married.I don’t know.I just always thought it would be cool to wear her dress because I was kind of there.”She laughs.
“Okay.The dress is taken care of, and the flowers?Food?”
“Nothing fancy, just a bouquet for me and a boutonniere for you.I assume you’ll wear your dress blues, so that’s covered.As far as food goes, I could have Alice and the staff here cater it.”
“Done.Date?”
“Well, I want all of my sisters to be there.Baylor doesn’t get home often, but she’ll be here for the Fourth of July.”
“As in less than two weeks away?”I ask, excitement barely contained.My arms that are banded around her fold in a little tighter.
“Yeah.Is that too soon?”She bites down on her bottom lip as if I’d say that’s too soon.
“No.Tell me the date.”
“Well, she’ll be here that entire week, so Saturday?Two weeks from today?”
“You’re not playing with me.In two weeks, you’ll be my wife?”
Her smile lights a fire inside my chest.“Two weeks from today, I’ll be Mrs.Copeland James.”
“Fuck yes, you will.”I crash my lips to hers, showing her what this means to me, because words just aren’t enough.When I pull away, we’re both breathing heavily.Resting my forehead against hers, I whisper, “I hope it’s positive.”
“We should go see,” she says.
Standing with her in my arms, I carry her bridal-style to the bathroom, placing her on the counter next to the sink.We stare into each other’s eyes.This moment feels life-changing.My gut tells me it’s positive.Is it possible that in one day I get everything I’ve ever wanted?My Ells as my wife, and our first baby?
“Ready?”
She nods, smiling.“You look.”
My eyes drop to the test, and all three of them stare back at me.My breath hitches, and fuck, my eyes are wet.My hands cradle her cheeks, and I stare into those big blue eyes of hers when I say, “We’re having a baby.”My voice cracks with emotion.
“We are?”she asks, blinking back tears before turning her gaze to the counter.“We’re having a baby,” she whispers.
I’m hit with this fierce, intense warmth, like someone lit a fire under my ribs.My hand drifts to her stomach, almost without me thinking, and I swear I feel something shift inside me—something intense and protective.
The love I feel for her, for our unborn child, is more complicated and deeper than anything I’ve ever felt.She’s glowing, her smile is blinding, and tears coat her lashes.
She’s never looked more beautiful.
I’m shaking, not on the outside, but on the inside, where everything feels too big to fit in my chest.My throat burns, my vision blurs, and for a second, I can’t breathe because the world has narrowed to her and the tiny life we somehow made.
“I’m… fuck, Ells, I’m so happy,” I whisper, my forehead falling against hers.“I didn’t know I could feel like this.”
