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We continue to talk, and by the end of the session, my nerves have calmed and I feel a sense of clarity. As I walk out of the office, I take another deep breath of the cold air, anxious to see Jesse...
...and when he pulls up, I see him in a whole new light.
He gets out to open my door from me, and when I take in his clever eyes and smirking lips, I realize I'm not my parents. Jesse and I are something new--novel, different, beautiful. And wemade something amazing, something that came out of love and not obligation or addiction. Hope is our sunshine, our beacon of hope, and we're going to raise her in a home filled with love and affection.
"Hey," Jesse says, taking my hand and leading me to the car. "How was it?"
"It was good," I say--then I pause, wrapping my arms around his neck as we stand by the car. "Jesse, I just need to tell you something."
"What?"
"I need to tell you that..."
I think about what I want to say, all the words that have been stuck in my throat since I had the baby.
"I need to tell you that I want to be better than I was raised with. That I promise you I'll take care of you and Hope, that I'll never leave. I'm not going anywhere."
He laughs softly, though I can see the relief in the way his shoulders slump. "I didn't know that was on the table."
"Stop," I laugh with him. "I'm just saying...you're the love of my life, Jesse. And I'm so glad you found me."
He kisses me against the car, his hands on my waist and my arms wrapped around his neck. For the first time since Hope was born, I feel the spark of desire between us, and I want him so bad I can hardly stand it.
I want to be his wife.
To sleep next to him every night for the rest of our lives.
As we pull away, we rest our heads together. Finally, it's like I'm coming out of the shadows of my depression...and it couldn't come at a better time.
"Alright, darlin'," he says. "I love you too. Now...you ready to go get married?"
I nod. "More than ever."
Chapter twenty-three
Jesse
Ididn'tthinkPipercould possibly be more beautiful...but she looks more gorgeous than ever on our wedding day.
I wait with my brothers at the end of the altar, a simple winter wedding set up in the old dance hall downtown. As I watch Piper walking down the aisle with my mom at her side, my heart skips a beat.
Her long white dress hugs her curves in all the right places, and the intricate lacework looks like it was made just for her. Her black-brown hair is styled in loose waves that cascade down her back, and she wears a small veil that barely covers her face.
I can't help but smile as she approaches me. Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears, and I know that I love her more than anything in this world. She reaches me, and her gaze meets mine.
"Hey," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the soft music that plays in the background.
"Hey," I reply, my voice just as soft.
We stand there for a moment, just taking in each other's presence. I feel like I'm the luckiest man in the world to have her by my side.
The ceremony itself is short and sweet, and before we know it, we're husband and wife. It feels like this is what we were supposed to be all along--when we were chatting at family gatherings, or online, or when I was driving down the coast to see her.
We're meant to be.
It's obvious.
As we walk out of the dance hall, hand in hand, the cold winter air hits us. Piper shivers and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her close to me.
