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That’s when I would inform the board about a changing of the guard.
“The cupcakes were good,” Bones informed me. “Especially the chocolate ones.”
“Hmm.”
He squeezed my fingers before letting them go. “You’re thinking about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow my entire life changes,” I stated.
“It didn’t change today?” he inquired.
“Today? You mean when I became Hayden Spencer Dalton?” I shot him a tender smile.
“I like you with my last name.”
“I haven’t even practiced my new signature.” I shook my head. “It’s going to be insane tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” He placed his hand on my thigh. “But tomorrow, we move in together. Tomorrow, we get to celebrate.”
I touched his face. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate.”
He turned his head to kiss my palm. “It’s my wedding too, you know. I wanted to have a celebration with my wife.”
Wife.
I looked down at my ring finger. Bones had pulled out a thin gold band and slid it onto my finger while we said our wedding vows.
“I thought men hated weddings,” I teased.
“I got off easy,” he quipped. “But I want to take you out tomorrow night. We deserve that, at least.”
“All right. We’ll go out.”
“Good, because I already made reservations at Holliday’s.”
“The steakhouse?”
He leaned forward and grinned. “They’ve got other things too. But just in case, I already called and informed the chef I’d like something special made just for you.”
“Aren’t you sweet.” I scooted my chair closer and leaned my head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m so sad.”
“Don’t be,” he said quietly. “I know why you are.”
“My wedding was always going to be bittersweet after losing my father. But I didn’t expect it to feel…like this.”
“You have regrets.”
I lifted my head so I could stare at him. Flames from the fire cast shadows along his jaw. “Yes, I have regrets. So many regrets. I regret that you never got a chance to propose to me the way you wanted. I regret that we didn’t get to stand up in front of friends and family and have a real ceremony. I regret that I didn’t get to wear my grandmother’s veil or shop for my wedding dress with my mother and Charlie. I regret that my dad isn’t alive to walk me down the aisle. I regret that it all turned out this way.”
His tone was vehement as he said, “Your stepfather did this. Him, and no one else. If you want a wedding, a real wedding, I’ll give it to you. We can have a do-over. Whatever you want. I just wanted to protect you. Even if that meant signing paperwork in my attorney’s office like it was all business. Sometimes that’s how it’s gotta be. But we’re together now. And I’m not sorry about that part. Not at all.”
My eyes filled with tears. “You’re just so…”
He smiled gently. “What am I?”
“The one that I need,” I said simply.
We stared at one another for a moment. He swallowed. “Hayden, there’s something that I should tell?—”
