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“You don’t have to,” I whispered. “I already know my answer.”
His nostrils flared, and I could tell it took all his self-restraint not to rush me when I paused. But I didn’t want to make him wait any longer. We’d already missed too many years being apart. I didn’t want to miss another second.
“It’s not just a yes.” I grinned. “It’s a hell yes.”
He pulled me into him, kissing me like his life began and ended with my lips. I sighed against him, pressing my body to his—
“Gross. Old people making out.”
Walker and I broke away from each other, looking toward the mouth of the alley. A few school kids in various states of ‘too cool for school’ type dress stood down there, scrunching up their faces as they watched us judgmentally.
All we did was exchange a look and laugh.
I’d brought Walker here so we could remember our young love.
But the truth was, we weren’t those people anymore. We were older and wiser—and so much happier for it.
24
Walker
Preparing for a real wedding turned out to be a lot more work than I’d anticipated. In the end, Mackenzie and I opted for something both unconventional and intimate, something we could both be proud of in the decades of our marriage to come.
When Alex found out that we were properly engaged, he decided to take it upon himself to offer the art gallery as the venue space. He also offered to do artwork for us just for the wedding. At first, I was hesitant—not because I didn’t appreciate his art, but because he refused to let me pay for the pieces that he eventually did for us.
It’s called a wedding gift, he’d said with a flick of his wrist and a very pointed roll of his eyes. Why the hell would I let you pay for something that I’m giving you? Commission me in the future if you’re so stressed about it.
That had been the end of that conversation. I did make a mental note to find a reason to commission his work in the future; he was too good to not pay for his efforts.
The weeks leading to our wedding were taken up with moving Mackenzie back into my house—something Bruno was almost as happy about as I was. He didn’t settle down for three days straight after she returned, prancing around the place like a puppy on a caffeine high. I never expected to have the guy get so rowdy for anyone, but I was happy for the change of pace when it came to our ‘fu
r baby’, as Mackenzie had started to call him affectionately.
I wouldn’t tell her just yet that an actual baby was definitely an option, too.
The next step was getting her parents in, which was as easy said as it was done. It took a bit of explanation, from how we met again, to our first ‘marriage,’ and all the angst and heartache in between. In the end, her parents were happy to see us together again after all these years, and we invited them to stay at the house in the lead-up to the wedding. They made themselves at home, and it was just like old times.
Bringing plates from the kitchen into the living room where they all sat cozily on the couch, I couldn’t help the swell in my chest at the sight.
Mackenzie was wedged between her mother and father. Carl had picked up a little extra weight in his middle and had gotten grey around the temples since the last time I’d seen him. Maria was radiant as ever, with her own silvering hair falling in thick curls like Mackenzie’s over her delicate shoulders. It was easy to see how Mackenzie was a mix of the two of them in their prime; she got her eyes from her father, her hair from her mother, and her open, inviting countenance from them both. Bruno rested at their feet, wagging his tail and enjoying all the scratches and pets he could get.
I smiled.
This was my family—and I didn’t have a single, solitary ounce of regret. I hoped, if my dad could see me now, he’d be happy for me; that he’d be proud of the legacy he’d left behind.
“Lunch,” I offered, setting the plates onto the coffee table and sitting on the love seat nearby.
Mackenzie smiled and got up, coming over to sit with me. It was a scene I hadn’t expected or even thought I wanted for so long. My future wife at my side, and her parents across from us. I squeezed Mackenzie’s hand; what would it have been like if my own mother and father were here to see this? It was hard to see how my own father would fit in with Mackenzie’s down to Earth parents. He had always been painfully formal and almost stuffy; Mom would’ve been the one to reach over take Maria’s hand and tell her how happy she was that we were going to be a family together.
“Something on your mind, hun?” Maria asked me. “You look preoccupied.”
I shook my head. “It just hit me how different this is from anything I ever expected.” A chuckle fell from my lips. “I was thinking about how my own parents would react to all of this. What it would be like for my father and mother to meet you. Honestly… it’s a little overwhelming. And amusing. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about it.”
Carl laughed. “Everyone always has those thoughts, son. I remember the first family dinner I went to after I asked Maria to marry me.”
“I don’t suppose you have any pointers?”
The hearty man waved me off with a laugh. “Oh, we approved of you a long time ago, Walker. There’s no need.”
