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/> “And?” he pressed with a hopeful grin.
“And...I love you. Very much.”
Tyler slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her knuckles before standing up and pulling her into a gentle embrace. Amelia melted into the safety and comfort of his arms, a place she’d thought she might never be able to return to. She tipped her head up to kiss him, pressing her mouth against his soft lips. The moment they made contact, she felt a rush of excitement run through her body. The thrill of new love, the delight of finally experiencing the moment she’d always dreamed of. His proposal was all she’d ever hoped for and more, because it was Tyler. The man who knew her better than anyone. The man who could make her laugh, make her smile and even make her cocoa.
She had always fantasized about perfection. It didn’t get any more perfect than this.
Breaking away, Amelia clung to his neck, burying her face in the lapel of his suit coat and breathing in the warm scent of his skin. She sighed in relief as he held her, grateful she hadn’t lost him with her foolish fears.
“You know what?” he asked. “It’s Wednesday. Day thirty.”
Amelia smiled up at him. He was right. Everything had ended just the way it was supposed to. “It looks as though we’ve made it. It’s kind of hard to believe it, but a lot has happened in the past month.”
“It certainly has. And one of the things I’ve learned over the past few days is that I don’t want to keep this a secret. We need to call our families. Tonight. We can’t make that same mistake twice.”
“You’re right. But let’s wait a little while longer so I can bliss out in this moment.”
“Okay. And I’m sure after that, we start planning the big wedding you’ve always dreamed of. Do you still have that giant notebook?”
Amelia shrugged. “I do, but you know, I’ve done a lot of thinking since you left. The idea of that isn’t as appealing anymore. My big wedding plans were focused on everything but starting off a new life with the man I love. I’d rated cake and flowers over the groom. I guess it’s because I was planning a wedding when I wasn’t in love yet. Now that I am, I don’t think I need all that anymore. We’re already married. We love each other. I think that’s all I need.”
One of Tyler’s eyebrows raised curiously at her. “You say that now, and it’s sweet, but I know you’ll regret it later. One day, ten years down the road, we’ll have an argument and you’ll throw out there that we eloped in Vegas and you were wearing black and you never got to have your dream wedding. Somehow it will be all my fault. You’ll be a total Momzilla when our daughter gets married as you try to live the dream you lost. No way. We’re having a wedding. I insist.”
Amelia twisted her lips in thought. “Okay, then. Maybe we can come up with something in between. Not quite as grand an affair as I have in my notebook, but one with a white dress, a pastor that doesn’t look like Elvis and our friends and family there to share the moment with us.”
Tyler smiled and pulled her into his arms. “That sounds like the perfect wedding to me. Plan whatever you like. All I ask is that you don’t make me take dance lessons.”
Amelia laughed aloud. Tyler was a confident, powerful businessman, but he had zero rhythm. “I’ve seen you dance before, Tyler. No amount of lessons is going to help.”
“Hey!” He laughed. “Okay, you’re right. Just tell me when to show up and what to wear.”
“It’s so easy for men.”
Tyler laughed. “That’s because we’re far more interested in the honeymoon.”
Amelia laughed, then felt the light moment fade. When she looked up into his pale blue eyes, she felt the urge to tell him everything. Why she’d done what she’d done. Why she’d lied. “Tyler...” she began, running her fingers through his messy blond hair. “I’m so sorry for how I’ve acted. I was terrified of being in love with you and not knowing if you felt the same way. I just couldn’t believe that you were here because you loved me, so I convinced myself it was just because of the baby.”
“That’s my fault,” Tyler admitted. “I was afraid, too, so I tried to focus on the baby because no matter how you and I felt about each other, the child was going to be a part of my life. I felt things for you that I’d never felt for another woman, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I thought that if I kept my feelings locked inside, when you pushed me away, it wouldn’t hurt as badly.”
Amelia winced. “And I did push you away. I fulfilled your biggest fear.”
“And it didn’t hurt any less by keeping my secret. It probably made it worse. I should’ve just said it right there in the hospital room and not cared what you might say. If I’d told you I loved you and I wasn’t going to let you push me away, would you have still told me to go back to New York?”
She wasn’t sure. Would she have believed him? She didn’t know if her heart had been strong enough in that dark moment to take the risk. “It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “We can’t change the past, and I think this happened the way it needed to. Being apart helped us both realize how much we love each other and want to be together. Sometimes that’s what it takes.”
“I know it made me realize I hate my apartment in New York. I can run my business from here just as easily as I do there. I really don’t want to give up this house. I know it’s too big, but...”
“We’ll work on filling it up,” Amelia said with a smile. She didn’t want to get rid of the house, either. It would take some time, but eventually it would be filled with children and laughter and life, and it wouldn’t feel so large and empty. Losing the baby had made her realize how badly she really did want children. Searching for the perfect mate had put that dream on hold. The doctor said they should wait a few more months, but when it was time, she wanted to try again.
“You know, I grew up with five brothers and sisters crammed into a three-bedroom, two-bath apartment. We’ve got thousands of square feet to work with here. If you want to fill this place up, we can fill it up.”
“Sounds like a challenge,” Amelia laughed.
“I don’t know,” Tyler warned. “For a girl so focused on perfection, you may find a house full of kids to be a very messy prospect.”
“I’ve decided that perfection isn’t so perfect after all. While you were in New York, I had a much-needed and enlightening conversation with my grandmother.”
Tyler looked at her with surprise. “The one with the perfect, long-lasting marriage I’ll never live up to?”
