Page 21 of It's Always Us

“Marry you?”

“Tell me you don’t love me, that you haven’t loved me all these years, and I won’t ask you again.”

Her eyes fall closed, and I see her admittance. “Mark . . . ”

The way she says my name is like no other, and a flash of heat climbs from the depths of my core, spreading to the surface.

“Lex, it’s always been us. It will always be us. Nothing will change that. Marry me.”

She lifts her chin, her eyes opening as she searches my face, weighing . . . something.

I tug her closer, resting my forehead on hers, waiting.

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Ok.”

Chapter 6

LEX

Mark’s large hand surrounds mine, and I stare at our linked fingers. The warm, safe, secure feeling is exactly the same, despite the roughness and callouses from years of perfecting his skill.

He charms the smitten white-haired old lady behind the desk of the small white chapel, ordering our drive-thru ceremony and insisting that our expedited nuptials remain private.

He squeezes my hand, glancing at me like he’s making sure I’m still here, followed by a grin that shows off his perfect white teeth. That confident, cocky grin that’s always done funny things to my insides. The feeling I’ve missed every day.

This is absolutely insane, but it’s the best kind of insane I’ve ever felt. This man is a drug. He’s completely intoxicating, and just being near him makes everything and anything seem possible.

He hands over a credit card, and the woman takes her time explaining how our ceremony will proceed. All I can do is memorize all the new details of the man I never thought I’d see again, let alone get to call mine, but this time forever.

A smile tugs at my lips as Mark releases my hand to slide his arm around me, pulling me close and kissing my forehead.

“This is the best day of my life,” he whispers.

Driving Miss Daisy finally finishes her instructions and directs us to sign the paperwork. Next up, we’ll become husband and wife.I can’t believe we’re doing this.

Mark tugs me to a corner as we wait for our turn in the chapel, holding me close and keeping his back to the reception area. “You ok?”

I tip my chin up to meet his eyes. His dark brown irises are littered with flecks of gold. His olive-toned skin is smooth underneath a subtle layer of scruff. His black hair, trimmed close to the sides and long on top, is different from the close-cropped style he wore in high school. He’s even more beautiful than I remember.

I reach up to push a couple of longer strands off his forehead. “I forgot what this feels like.”

He smiles, wrapping me up so tight. His once tall, lanky body is now the strong, lean frame of a man.

We stay like that until our number is up and we’re called back. Mark takes my hand, and we walk down the short aisle. It’s exactly perfect, only the two of us. There’s no extravagance or grand formality. It’s simply us promising our lives to one another, legally, this time.

When we reach the end, the officiant waits dressed in a suit and a horrifying toupee. Mark’s eyes widen, and he gestures toward the rug that could be made of goat hair and slightly cocked to the side. I bite my cheek and pinch his hand to keep from losing it.

The man shuffles through the paperwork as if he’s performed marriages for the last century, and even that feels entirely right. Mark maintains a solid grasp on my hand, linking my fingers with his as our expedited ceremony begins.

I steal a glance at him out of the corner of my eye, wanting to cement this moment in my memory forever. The strong, confident man standing next to me, the young man I fell in love with so long ago.

I let out a long, slow, and steady breath, allowing myself not to think just this once. To be in this moment with him.

I turn my head, lifting my chin to peek at him. His shoulders are pulled back, and his filled-out muscular body makes him seem taller. Mark was always a little high-strung, but secure. There’s a new self-assurance about him that only comes with experiences and living, something I’ve not had or done. I’ve been afraid, but with Mark, it all doesn’t seem quite so scary.

He turns toward me, taking both my hands, as he jumps right into reciting his vows, promising to love me until the end. I offer them in return, knowing I never had a choice. He wrote his name on my heart all those years ago.

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