Page 138 of All Our Ghosts

“No, Sunflower. Marry me for real. With all our friends, our family. The cake, you in a giant dress.” A smile creeps over my lips as my fingers comb through her hair. “I want it all with you, Kadence, and I don’t want to wipe away what’s happened the last few months, but I want to start my future with you by my side.”

Tears prick at the corners of her eyes again. The weight of everything surrounding the reason we’re here lifts as she sits up slightly. “How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?”

My hand tangles in her hair and tugs at her roots gently, pulling her lips closer to mine. “You aren’t,” I rasp and press my lips to hers. Kadence mewls softly, the vibration sending a tingle down my spine and straight to my toes. She pulls away breathlessly and grins.

“Us against the world?”

“Us against the world.”

EPILOGUE

KADENCE

Four Months Later

“I now pronounce you both husband and wife…again.” Scottie grins at the two of us. I laugh as Holden’s arms wrap around me. The once small bump, now more prominent, is almost squished between us as he embraces me. “Kiss that bride of yours, Nash.”

Holden’s blue eyes drag from Scottie to me with a smile so wide I can’t help but match it.

“C’mere, Sunflower,” he rasps as one hand slides up my back and around the back of my neck.

“It’s wife to you,” I whisper as his lips graze against mine.

Holden shakes his head and the corners of his mouth turn up again as my hands grip onto the edges of his cut.

“You’re still my Sunflower.” Holden closes the distance between us, taking my top lip first as he kisses me and our friends cheer around us. Getting lost in the first kiss we’ve shared in hours, I whimper against his lips, feeling him smile against my own.

The sun beams down against the raging water of the river below. It glitters against the soft pearls and stones on my dress, creating a disco-like effect over the brand new wood and metal of the bridge. When I first suggested it as the place we should get married, Holden shook his head and went into many, many reasons as to why we would never get married here.

Trey had spent time with the city planners to fix the bridge after Holden called it a death trap. He wasn’t entirely wrong, I had almost died because of the state the bridge was in previously. Under Holden’s guidance, Trey had the bridge rebuilt to almost new only leaving the initials carved into one restored piece of the wood.

Holden pulls back from the kiss as the crowd begins to file off of the bridge and back towards the pull off through the cut down trail lined with flowers that led us out here.

“I have something for you,” he says, tucking a tendril of hair behind my ear.

“You do?” I raise a brow. “I thought we said no gifts.”

He narrows his eyes and bobs his head. “We did, but we’ll just call this perfect timing.”

I shove against his chest. “Holden Nash, what did you do?”

“Nothin’ darlin’, it wasn’t all totally me,” he admits, glancing behind him.

I follow his eyeline to where Cole and Blake are bickering back and forth about something. Holden shakes his head as we continue walking with everyone else. His fingers intertwine with mine as we walk down the trail until he came to a stop just before the opening out to the pull off. He lets go of my hand and turns to me, curling his fingers around my cheeks.

“I told you once I never wanted to replace your father and I know he couldn’t be here today, so I wanted to give you the next best thing.”

My brows furrow softly. “What?”

He dips his head, looking out beyond the tree line, and points. I turn to look and through the trees I see shiny black metal.

“Is that?” I whisper looking back up at him, seeing that mischievous smile plastered on his face.

“Go look,” he says softly, pressing his lips to my forehead before letting me go.

Excitement flows through me as I make my way through the brush, holding my hand out behind me for him to take, which of course he does. Stepping out from the trees, in between the rows of motorcycles parked, was my Comet. My father’s Comet as I remember it. White-walled wheels, cherry red steering wheel and brand new black paint that glitters under the afternoon sun.

Tears fill my eyes and a sense of warmth washes over me. Holden lets go of my hand for a moment, stepping over to where Dex and Scottie are as they pass something to him. My eyes are glued to the car as I slowly walk around it.

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