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What’s more, I deserve a love with this man.
“I love you, Zach,” I say finally. “I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”
“Then marry me.”
I freeze. I couldn’t have heard him right. “What?”
He notes my hesitation and pulls back to hold my gaze. “We can have a long engagement if you’re worried about us moving too fast. But there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is what I want. I want you, Aly. Forever.”
He wants to marry me.
Me, Aly McKenzie, the little workaholic from Home Depot finally gets to ride off into the sunset with her prince charming.
I get everything I could ever hope for, and it’s all thanks to this man.
“So what do you say?”
“Yes,” I answer, my heart bursting.
“I’m yours. Forever, yours.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
“What do you mean, ‘you can’t find the rings’?”
Marianne twists at the hip to look over her shoulder at me. She grins, the cellphone still pressed against her ear. “Everything’s fine, dear. Nothing to worry about.”
Marianne twirls back forward, yanking the long flowing skirts of her bridesmaid’s dress along with her for dramatic emphasis. Or maybe it’s the only way to subtly relieve the obvious anger taking hold of her now. She whispers a few hushed curse words and something about Derek’s mother before hanging up the phone.
When she turns back around to face us, only her famous, glittering smile remains. “Everything’s fine. Derek’s handling a little bump in the road, but nothing to worry about.”
“Do they need help?” Lyndsey asks and straightens the train on my gown.
They continue their conversation, but I’m a million miles away.
I’m not worried about missing rings or botched bouquets. So long as Zach is waiting for me at the end of the aisle, nothing could possibly ruin this day for me. I don’t need a ring or a ceremony to tell me I’m Zach’s wife. We could have eloped to Vegas for all I care. I’m just glad to make it official, before everyone we love.
Finally.
Dr. and Mrs. Hawthorne. Mrs. Aly Hawthorne.
The words sink into my soul like a prayer.
This is everything I could have ever hoped for, everything I could never have imagined I deserved. And yet, I could not imagine my life any other way than it is now.
Here I am. Standing in my wedding gown, ready to face the crowd of people outside. The rows and rows of guests that I barely know, except for the stray, distant relative. That’s not true. I know the contributors and workers for our business. The one we’ve poured our blood, sweat and tears into over the past year. Every sacrifice is completely worth the cost.
And of course, I know most of Zach’s close friends and family by now.
His mom and her new husband have even been staying with us for the past two weeks, just to help with any final arrangements and potential mishaps. It’s been a revolving door of family members and welcomes. A never-ending line of handshakes and hugs.
This wedding isn’t a single-day event for his family. It’s a weeklong celebration. So I’ve had plenty of time to get to know everyone.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t ease the sting of walking out there. His mother convinced us to allow one camera crew to film the ceremony. It was good for the business she said, giving it the exposure it needs to expand. Only the most trusted reporter in her PR arsenal survived the blitz on all publicity. But after everything that happened when Jackson leaked the photo of us to the press a year ago, you can’t blame a girl for being a little wary to trust the media a second time.
There are times I wonder if I’ll ever fit into this lifestyle. Even Zach seems untouched by it all. He’s so real and down-to-earth, I sometimes forget he’s worth billions. He certainly doesn’t act it when he’s with our patients. To him, it doesn’t matter where his clients come from or what their situations may be. When they talk, they are equals.
