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He slipped the ring on my finger and then kissed me. I didn’t even notice the flashes of cameras or all the people cheering until we broke our embrace. Then he took the empty seat beside me and held my hand.

“Valentina, I don’t know if you remember meeting my sister Carlie, and this is her husband, Roger.”

“Your sister?” I knew he had one and I had met her a long time ago. How could I not have recognized her?

“Welcome to the family, Valentina,” Carlie said.

“Thank you.” I looked around the table and everyone was beaming with joy. “I would introduce you to my family, but I think you’ve already met. Why do I have a feeling that this was not a spur-of-the-moment family vacation?”

Abby shrugged. “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” she smiled smugly.

Turning to Rick I said, “Are you sure this is the family you want to marry into?”

He leaned over and said, “If I back out now, I think your daughter will throw me overboard.”

Abby chuckled. “Damn straight.”

“Since I’m not leaving this ship without my wife, there’s no chance of that,” he said.

“You mean your fiancée, not wife,” I corrected.

“Didn’t I mention that I perform weddings?” the captain chimed in.

“I…believe you did. Why?” I asked.

Abby and Carlie got up. Then Abby said, “Because you’re getting married.”

“I know. I just said yes,” I reminded her.

Abby said, “I mean now. Well, in an hour. If you will all excuse us, we ladies need to get dressed. Come on, Mom, we have to change.”

I didn’t budge. “What are you talking about?”

“We’ll tell you on the way to my cabin. Now come on. You don’t want to keep your Prince Charming waiting at the altar, do you?” she asked.

I looked at Rick, who was smiling. “I’ll see you soon,” he said. And with a quick kiss, he left the captain’s table.

Carlie said, “You just made my brother the happiest man on the planet. Well, you will if you actually say ‘I do’.”

“I can’t get married. I don’t even have a wedding dress,” I stated firmly.

“Yes you do. It’s in my room. Why do you think I had so much luggage?” she smiled.

“So you were involved with all of this too?” I asked.

“We all were,” my mother replied.

They all looked so proud of themselves pulling this off. “Why didn’t any of you tell me?” I asked.

My mother said, “Because you wouldn’t have come if we had. And one thing we all know that you might not, is that you and Rick are soulmates.”

“But it’s been so long,” I said.

“And yet when we talked when you had first come back from your cruise a couple of months ago, you said it feels like it was just yesterday. Even now when I saw the two of you together, I knew you belonged together. So stop overthinking it. Stop looking for a reason not to be happy. Do you love him?” my mother asked.

With all my heart.“Yes.”

“Then marry him,” Abby said, trying to drag me from the table.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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