Page 84 of Lock 'em Down

“Great! We better take our seats. The ceremony is about to start.” She links her arm with mine and tugs me toward the groom’s side.

I turn to look back at the woman, but she’s gone, already seated on the bride’s side.

I take a seat next to Piper and try to keep my breathing as my mind whirls.

It was Leif’s idea to give our marriage a chance. He wanted to try. Why? Because he didn’t want to fail.

I wanted to get an annulment or divorce. Why? Because I told him I didn’t love him.

And at the time—I didn’t. Except now, I do. And this fucking hurts.

Hell, this burns and aches and cuts deeper than any pain I’ve ever known. Even deeper than when Levi disappeared. This hurts on a level I’m unprepared for and for a second, I can’t catch my breath.

The music starts and the bride and her father begin to walk down the aisle. Casey looks stunning. She’s glowing, beaming, happy.

I’m supposed to do this next month. I’m supposed to walk down the aisle to Leif and choose him again. My husband.

Except as I sit and listen to Casey and Chris exchange sincere, heartfelt, handwritten vows, I know I messed up.

Leif and I did it all wrong.

Our marriage in Vegas wasn’t a spontaneous, adventurous leap of faith.

It was the start of a fucking disaster.

Because I fell in love with him and deep down, I know I’ll never be enough. I’ll never be worthy.

Leif just doesn’t want to tell me the truth. Hell, he doesn’t want to admit the truth himself.

So, we’re stuck living a goddamn lie. One I fell for.

One I need to cut ties with. But, how?

Twenty-Two

Leif

God, she’s gorgeous. Breathtaking. Mesmerizing.

The most beautiful woman in the room, and that’s saying something because Casey is a stunning bride.

I can’t wait to see Cami walk down the aisle to me—again—in a month. But this time, our family and friends will be present. I’ll finally meet her father and siblings; she’ll get to know the Bang brood. It’s everything I ever hoped for and today is a little trailer of what’s coming soon.

So soon, I can taste it.

The diamond engagement ring sits in my pocket; I’ve been careful not to stick my hand inside in fear of accidentally pulling it out. Or worse, losing it. To mitigate the risk, I tied a blue ribbon around it. Hudson thinks I’m nuts for carrying it around but I’m scared Cami will accidentally discover it if I leave it behind, tucked into our shared suitcase.

Tomorrow, once the wedding festivities come to a close, and Cami and I are on our way home, I’m going to propose. Before we leave the town limits of Honey Harbor, I’m going to pull over to a scenic spot I’ve already scouted. It overlooks the lake. It’s surrounded by beautiful, calming greenery. It’s quiet and tranquil. A slice of peace in a chaotic world.

That’s where I want to propose to my wife.

I want to give her the opposite of what we’ve already done—chaos in Vegas, calm in Honey Harbor. Two extremes, two experiences, two moments—just us.

This way, we’ll have a mini-anniversary, with her purple crown ring and a chapel in Vegas, and a mega-anniversary, with a real diamond and a wedding witnessed by our loved ones. It’s the best of both worlds.

Now that the ceremony is over and the bridal party has finished taking the necessary photos, I can finally enjoy a glass of champagne with Cami. I’m glad she had some time to herself today—shopping with Piper, having lunch with the girls. I even saw her chatting with one of Casey’s friends, Melissa, who I went on a date or two with years ago.

Cami had looked at me thoughtfully and I wondered what Melissa had said—but it can’t be anything bad, we’d parted on good terms, and she knew the score when we started seeing each other. It would just be casual. I’d never done anything real until Cami.

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