Page 24 of Never Enough

I glance back over my shoulder.

Gracie’s sitting a few feet away, lit up under those string lights, watching me, a sweet smile on her lips.

“But,” I say, turning back to the crowd, “we figured this was as good a time as any to make it official.”

A beat.

Then I nod toward her. “Gracie, sweetheart—c’mere.”

The word slips out easier than it should.

She hesitates for half a second.

Then she comes to me.

I reach for her without thinking this time, my hand settling at her waist as she steps into my side. She fits there like she belongs.

Like she always has.

“Y’all already know Gracie,” I clear my throat, tighten my grip just slightly. “But tonight I get to introduce her as my wife.”

Wife.

A ripple moves through the crowd—some cheers, some “about damn time,” a few knowing laughs.

I huff out a breath. “Yeah, yeah. Y’all can act surprised if you want, but I know better.”

More laughter.

I glance down at her.

She’s smiling.

“So,” I say, forcing my attention back outward, “like I said, we know most of you already heard. But we wanted to stand up here and say it ourselves. Maybe absorb some of the wisdom and good luck from my grandparents.”

I gesture loosely toward Pops and Mimz.

A few awws from the crowd.

Pops snorts. Mimz beams.

“Fifty-something years,” I go on. “That’s… not nothing. That’s showing up. Every day. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”

My fingers flex at Gracie’s side.

She shifts closer.

“And if we can manage even half of that…” I trail off, then shake my head with a small grin. “Hell, we’ll be doing alright.”

“Anyway, I guess that’s all I’ve got to say.”

“Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.”

The chant starts from somewhere in the back tables. But it grows louder as the rest of the crowd joins in. “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.”

I turn and face my wife, cup her face, and then kiss her. Of course, my intention is to keep the kiss family-friendly since we are in public, but that first brush of Gracie’s sweet lips and I’m a damn goner. Her hands grip the front of my shirt and her mouth parts. Our tongues have barely touched when someone yells, “Get a room!”

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