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“You do.” He swung into the Holloway’s parking lot and found a space up front.
I followed him inside to our spot. Savannah waved to us from behind the bar as we slid into the back corner booth where so many of our memories together had been made.
Our eyes met and he smiled as he reached into his pocket then slid a black velvet ring box onto the table, opening it to reveal an emerald cut engagement ring. It twinkled in the light, and I burst into tears.
I’m not a big crier. But anyone would cry over this.
This man.
This ring.
This perfect moment that I was lucky to share with him twice.
“Oh, you!” I burst into tears. “Cade...”
“Stop crying so I can ask you.” He chuckled and wiped my tears away with a thumb.
“Can’t do it. Ask me anyway. I’m sure I can choke out a yes.”
“Charlotte Keli Cassidy-Barrett for life—will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me again?”
I opened my mouth, and a huge ass sob came out of it instead of ayes. I fluttered my fingers in front of my face and nodded my head while I tried to answer him again. But I had no words. I sputtered out another sob and covered my mouth with my hand.
I, Charlotte Cassidy, an author who wrote words for a damn living, couldn’t manage to say the one word that would change my life in all the best ways.
“Baby...” He pulled me close and kissed the crown of my head. “I love you so much.”
“Yes,” I whispered against his broad chest as he held me. “Yes. I love you!”
He pulled back and took my hand, and as my shoulders shook and the tears flowed, he slid the most perfectly gorgeous emerald cut ring on my finger.
And I lost my damn mind, I couldn’t see through the tears, I couldn’t talk through the lump in my throat. I couldn’t even think, I was so happy.
Something had broken inside of me. Like a dam had burst and all the feelings I’d been denying over the years I’d spent without him came flooding out—relief, joy, happiness. But mostly, it was the simple gratitude that I was able to follow my heart home to Sweetbriar and let it lead me back to him.
Epilogue
Charlotte Keli Cassidy-Barrett
Red lips, serious glam. I smiled at myself in the mirror as I tossed my lip brush to the counter. I was channeling Keli Marlowe’s look on my wedding day, but I felt one hundred percent like myself.
Charlotte Cassidy, soon to be legally Barrett for life.
“Oh, Charli,” Gwen brushed her tears away as she came up behind me. “You’re so beautiful.”
I turned. “Thank you, Gwen. Look at you, maid of honor. You’re stunning.”
“Thanks. But more important than how gorgeous we both look today is the fact I have my best friend back for good.” She hugged me and I tried not to cry. Even though most of my makeup was waterproof, I still didn’t need any tears. Getting all red and blotchy from crying was a real concern with my fair skin and I wanted flawless wedding photos. I was determined to live the entire bridal experience I’d missed out on during our first go-around. The go-around with Trent didn’t count, it was a fake courthouse thing that meant nothing. I wanted this to be perfect for Cade and me—something beautiful we would remember forever.
“Can we come in?” Violet popped her head through the partially closed doorway of my suite at the recently renovated Sweetbriar Inn.
“Yes. Oh, my goodness, you’re all stunning.” While Gwen was my maid of honor, each one of Cade’s sisters was a bridesmaid.
My wedding colors were shades of black and silver. Gwen was in a deep black beaded strapless sheath, while Cade’s sisters wore matching dresses in shades running from dark gray to a light sparkling silver. They looked like an ombré midnight rainbow.
I had told Cade our second wedding would be big, and I’d meant it. I’d rented out the entire inn. But since Cade’s Grandma Rosemary still owned it, she cut me a sweet deal. This place was gorgeous—an old Victorian mansion at the edge of town. After her husband died, she shut the inn down and retired from running it. Holly was currently working on restoring it back to its former glory and she’d moved into one of the suites.
Black and white roses covered nearly every surface. Flameless candles and twinkly lights provided sparkly illumination, and all the guests were dressed in black. But not me; I was in white silk and lace. My hair was in a fabulous French twist and my veil was a work of art. My dress even had a train; when I walked down the aisle, I would be followed by ten feet of beaded lace.
