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“Okay, I’m happy,” she says, seeming to calm. She lifts the lid and sets it aside on the bed. “Another box?” She glances up and then pulls it out to give a little shake. “It has weight to it. What is it?”
I don’t have a nervous bone in my body. This is something I wanted to give her years prior, but the middle of the night works as well. “Just open it.”
She lifts the flaps on the box, removes the tissue, and then stops, covers her mouth, and starts crying. I wrap my arms around her and pull her to my chest. “It’s not that big of a deal.” I kiss her head.
Sitting up, she says, “Creating a scholarship in my name for kids who might never get the opportunity to follow their dreams is averybig deal.” She kisses me. “And the best present you could ever give me.” She caresses my cheek. “What an incredible graduation present. Thank you, babe.” She kisses me again. I’ll take as many as she’s willing to give.
“You started this years ago, and I didn’t even know.”
“I wanted a gift that kept giving, so I cashed out one of my trust funds. The scholarship is fully funded for the next twenty years. And you’ve already had two Beacon graduates pursue higher education because of you.”
Though tears still glisten on her cheeks, she grins. “Because of you.”
This time I kiss her, rolling her gently onto her back. Staring into her eyes, I ask, “Will you marry me, Lark?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” She pulls me down to kiss her this time, and when our lips eventually part, she says, “A thousand times yes.”
* * *
My wife is stunning in a white, strapless dress with a skirt that just barely catches in the wind. The brooch was hersomething oldthat she wore in her hair. It was a nice touch, especially since her mom was there. But for me, the little yellow ribbon she wore pinned to the garter—in her words, “to honor the bird that saved me”—cemented what I knew all along.I’m still the lucky one.
“Youare the Lark that saved me, baby.”
John walked her down the aisle in the backyard of my parents’ home. The ceremony wasn’t big, just the people who matter—my family, her dad, Amanda, and a few others who touched our lives along the way. Even Dane stopped by as an invited guest. He shook my hand and wanted to thank me for changing his life.
I take no credit for that.
He changed the course of his life when he made amends with the people he hurt. Living with a clear conscience makes life so much sweeter.
My aunt wasn’t invited. I know it’s healthier to forgive her in the long run, but I’m not there yet.
But something Lark said to me more recently stuck.“There have been more than enough broken hearts in this lifetime.”After checking with her dad, she invited Liz.
And she showed up.
I leave her and John chatting at the buffet to find my bride near the garden just before sunset. “Need a breather?” I ask, wrapping my arms around her.
“No. Just wanted to stand back and take it all in. I used to work these events, and now, here I am hosting one.” She smiles. “It’s pretty surreal.”
Lark hasn’t changed from the girl I met, but I have.For the better.Because if I learned anything along this journey to the altar, it’s that all we used to be doesn’t matter. It’s who we are now that counts. When she helped me escape my past, I discovered who I had always wanted to be. In business—my own boss.In my personal life—her husband.
Now I’ve achieved both.
I hold out my elbow, and she wraps her arm around it. “Are you ready to spend the next eighty years together?”
“Only eighty?” She laughs and bumps into me. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
“I think forever sounds better. What do you think?”
“Sounds perfect to me, Doctor.”
