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“Come on, you. Let’s go get ready for bed.”
“But it’s only eight-thirty.” My attempt at arguing is half-hearted. I’m exhausted.
“How about we shower together, then see how you feel.” Ben picks me up, my legs dangling over one arm, while the other is wrapped around my back. I snuggle into his neck, breathing in his masculine scent. I don’t even mind the sweat. Much.
When the hot water is streaming over both of us in the massive grey stone shower, I don’t feel quite so tired as my hands slide across Ben’s wet skin.
“I’m never going to get enough of you,” I tell him, leaning in to place a kiss on his chest.
“Good. Because I’m keeping you forever.”
“Forever, huh?” I quirk my eyebrow at him, pretending like that’s not exactly what I want from him, too.
“Forever. My heart is yours, Sara. And it always will be.” He presses his lips against mine, his kiss searing into me as our bodies slide against each other.
“I’ll protect it with all that I have, just as you’ll protect mine,” I whisper against his mouth.
He’s the one I’ve waited my whole life to find. The one I wasn’t sure was out there until he stomped into the clinic with a storm cloud raging over his head. He’s everything I dreamed of and nothing like I expected.
He’s my happily ever after.
EPILOGUE
BEN
“Should you chew some gum? Bad breath could ruin the whole moment,” Mom asks, fussing with my tie. I’m pretty sure if she tightens it anymore I’m going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“No, I don’t need gum, Mom. I brushed my teeth.” I gently push her hands away from my neck.
“Charles, can you get him some gum? There should be some in my purse.” She continues ignoring my refusal. I glance at my dad, his eyes rolling like a teenager. I hide my smirk, knowing he’d never have done it if Mom’s back wasn’t turned to him.
She keeps fiddling with the lapels of my suit, the boutonniere pinned perfectly in place, anything else to keep busy. “Mom.” I grab her hands, forcing her to look up at me. “Stop fussing. Everything is perfect.”
“But you’re my baby boy, and it’s your wedding day. I can’t help it.” Her eyes get a little teary as she cups my face.
“Well if you keep tightening my tie, I won’t be alive long enough to actually get married.”
Mom swats my shoulder, fighting a grin. Dad comes over and wraps his arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead as he pulls her away. Mom melts into his side, and I just smile at the two of them, the best example for me to strive for in my own relationship.
Adam pokes his head into the guest bedroom. “She’s about ready. It’s time to head out there.”
A bout of excited nerves filter through me as I walk out behind him, my parents following me.
We’re getting married today. Finally.
I asked her to marry me about six months after we moved in together, which was answered with an emphaticyes, but it’s taken us over a year to get to this day.
At first, neither one of us were in a huge hurry to get down the aisle, but when people started questioning why we felt that way, we both realized there was more to it than just not wanting to rush.
A few months before I asked Sara to marry me, we found out Michelle had been charged with two counts of murder in South Carolina. At the time, we thought it was a great thing because it meant Michelle would likely receive a much longer sentence in the end. But what ended up happening instead was a long, drawn-out trial that lasted almost a year before any sentencing happened.
The defense attorney tried to get a plea deal, but Michelle refused to sign it, maintaining her innocence, and sending them to a full trial.
The evidence against her was irrefutable, so we were confident she would be sentenced, but Sara and I couldn’t move forward with planning our wedding, knowing there was even a small chance Michelle could get off. We needed that part of our lives to be settled before we felt ready to move forward.
The day the jury came back with a guilty verdict, both of us were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Michelle was charged with three counts of first degree murder which resulted in her being sentenced to life without parole. Since we knew she was never getting out of prison, we opted out of going through a trial for Sara’s kidnapping. We just wanted it to be over.
Then when we started discussing the wedding, our mothers began planning this over-the-top, froufrou event that wasn’t even close to what the two of us wanted for our day, and we finally had to threaten a courthouse wedding to get them to back off.
