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Kirsten decided to leave her hair down, adding some small pins to the front for detail. Giving herself a quick once over, she grabbed her bag excitedly and headed out to find Henry and Zara.
She found them in the living room waiting for her. He stood as she walked into the room, a smile brightening his face. Henry was dressed in a navy suit that made his green eyes almost hypnotic. His copper curls were brushed away from his face in an effortless sweep. Little Zara was in a matching navy dress with a small white bow on her hair.
“You look beautiful,” Henry said.
“What about you? You look so handsome,” she said, reaching out for Zara. “And you look just like a little princess.”
Henry put his hand on the small of her back and led her and Zara out to the car. The car ride was short and pleasant. Henry held her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her. Kirsten blushed, taking his hand and doing the same before looking out the window to enjoy the view.
The restaurant was a place that was reserved for special occasions. The hostess was polite as she guided them to their seats. The dim lighting and thick plum drapery on the wall created a cool, earthy atmosphere.
Kirsten felt like she was in heaven. Henry had pre-planned a seven-course meal, and each dish was better than the last. Zara loved the choices too. The night was filled with laughter, Henry in full charmer mode. Kirsten looked at the man in front of her and couldn’t believe that she was this happy. Even her wildest dreams couldn’t compare to this.
“Time for dessert,” Henry said.
The waiter brought out a warm, creamy fudge cake with a healthy scope of almond ice cream on top. Kirsten looked at him excitedly, handing him a spoon.
“Henry, you’re spoiling me,” she cooed.
“You haven’t seen spoiled yet,” he said, digging his spoon into the thick fudge and giving Kirsten her first bite.
Kirsten let out a groan at the combination of rich chocolate, ice cream, and Henry’s eyes as he fed her. She picked up her fork, plunging it into the thick cream until her fork hit something hard. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she pulled the strange item out of the cake.
She froze as the facets of a diamond caught the light. Quickly grabbing her napkin so she could rub off the rest of the chocolate, she looked over at Henry. He was down on one knee in front of her as he took the ring in one hand and hers in the other.
“Kirsten Belew, you have made me the happiest man on this earth, and this family would be nothing without you. Will you marry me?”
The hot trail of a tear slipped across her cheeks. She was finally home. Kirsten looked between Zara and Henry, knowing there was nothing in the world she wanted more.
“Yes,” she shouted, jumping into his arms as the pieces of her life finally fell into place.
FORTY-SEVEN
HENRY
Henry felt like he was waking up in a dream. Kirsten had said yes. Every chance he got, he looked down at her hand, a reminder that she wanted their family as much as he did. Kirsten was light, warming up their home with her presence since the moment she had walked through the door. His tiger purred, satisfied with their mate’s enthusiasm for being theirs.
He headed downstairs, following the scent of lilies, until he saw Kirsten and Zara dressed and waiting in the kitchen. The wedding was getting closer, and that meant every day was needed for the final planning. Today they were going to finalize the flowers and then go over the guest list and seating chart ... again.
It turned out there were a lot more people they needed to invite than they realized. A modest-sized gathering of 80 people quickly turned into a 250-person guest list. Kirsten’s parents had told everyone in her large family and friend group about the good news, and Henry’s family was just as excited at the announcement of finding his true mate after everything that happened with Sher.
A small tremor of nerves grew inside him at the thought of meeting Kirsten’s parents. Not only would this be his second marriage, but they were a package deal, and he wasn’t sure how Kirsten’s parents felt about that. They sounded happy for her, but there was a small piece of him that still worried they would think he and Zara weren’t good enough for Kirsten.
Henry pushed the worry aside, wanting to bask in Kirsten’s joy.Shewas happy, he thought, and that was all that mattered.
She wore a simple white satin camisole, accompanied by a floral printed skirt that molded to her hips before following the seductive lines of her legs downward, ending at her calves. Her long hair was parted at one side and styled in waves.
“You ladies look great,” he said, rubbing Zara’s cheek before kissing Kirsten.
“Thanks, we thought we’d match the flower theme today,” she said.
He grabbed the keys, and they loaded into the car. Making sure everyone was strapped in, he pulled out of the driveway, mentally preparing for the next four hours of planning. Thankfully, Kirsten was the one who kept track of all the tiny details. All he had to do was drive and give his opinions.
Truthfully, he didn’t care what the wedding looked like as long as Kirsten was the one walking down the aisle. However, he knew how much it meant to Kirsten for him to be involved, so he made sure to make every appointment the wedding planner had set up for them, including the dance lessons for the first dance.
“Remember, we’re meeting at the venue so the florist can do the visual run-through of what the final design will look like,” Kirsten said.
“Got it, so Grand Junction it is then.”
