Page 44 of What She Wants

Well, it doesn’t matter because the first time Esme opened up her smart ass mouth I knew she was it for me. Nothing else could change that.

When my eyes move back to hers, I know that we’ve made the right decision even though it’s not going to seem like that when we get to the true arguments.

There are a lot of things that I’ve never wanted before and that’s a long list that I don’t need to bother to go through. A lot of times, I never thought about why I enjoyed my solitude, why I never bothered to look for a spouse and to make her happy… I didn’t realize I was punishing myself in my own way.

There’s no need for me to blame my parents for every single one of my decisions but I know that them being divorced and on whatever terms they’re on was a major factor for me. There was no way I would bring that kind of hurt to my wife, a woman of my choosing.

That’s what baffled me about people who got together then split blaming the other, they are too busy crying and screaming that it’s the other’s fault. Too blind to see that they chose this person.

Esme chose me first so I chose her right back. She may not have seen it but when she came to me even when it was in a sea of people, it meant something. She can’t say no even if she tried.

Looking into her eyes as she steps closer and closer to me, I smirk because I know she can tell that I know she’s happy. That I made her happy even if I bulldozed this entire event but my baby pulled it off well.

“You look beautiful.” I say to her when she’s in front of me.

Everything else falls away as the priest speaks on what love is. His words resonate with what I’ve never been able to articulate with words, not that I can’t but I just wouldn’t have put it that way.

“Love isn’t something that is hard. Love is easy. It forgives and it changes. It doesn’t simply change you but it helps you grow. Changing someone outside of love cannot be accomplished. It’s just impossible to do but with love it can happen. You want to know how? Just look around. The people that love Esme and Marín are here. Standing and watching with smiles on their faces as two people decided that they want to give love a chance. To show others what it is to have compassion and understanding.”

I reach out and lift Esme’s head with a finger to her chin. She kicks up a brow with playfulness in her eyes and the priest gives a small chuckle.

“Love is respect, mutual respect. Why would you want to hurt someone you want to take care of? Would a husband let his wife feel like she’s the scum of the earth while others ridicule her? Would a wife let her husband feel as though she doesn’t enjoy his touch? No. You know why, because love, my dear friends and family, is joy. It brings you peace and most of all, it brings everyone together. Marín Delgado and Esme LeClaire never give up on your love. Never.”

Someone brings the rings but my eyes don’t look away from my bride, my girl, and my wife. Esme bites her lip as I hold her left hand in mine and I slide the ring on as I repeat the vows that the priest has me repeating. There are slight tears in Esme’s eyes and I lift her hand up, kissing her ring as I promise to never give up on our love. She does her vows as she slides my ring on and I must say, I like seeing it on me. I love being a husband, something I never thought I’d give to someone but here I am.

Esme kisses my ring finger like I did hers and I chuckle.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, Mr and Mrs Delgado. Go color the world with your love. Make it beautiful and make it last.”

Chapter26

Marín

Now this is a party…Watching everyone dancing and enjoying themselves makes me realize that I wouldn’t change the way things happen for anything.

Well, maybe my mother smiling and being happy for me would’ve been better but she’s so stuck on her high horse of disliking Esme based on her last name as if she appointed herself a Founder. These were things that she had no control over, kind of like when you’re born into a family.

Whether it is a good family or not, that isn’t relevant. You can be judged on that but my mother insists that Esme must be dragged through mud because of a last name that realistically has done nothing to her. Not one iota.

My eyes wander from my mother to my father who is having the time of his life on the dance floor with the guests. I chuckle when Ainslee sneaks in through the guests and dances with my father. I shake my head because if from what I’ve observed countless times before, Jagger should be popping up in a matter of seconds.

I throw my head back and laugh at the way he grabs her by the back of the neck and kisses her possessively, it’s so close that if my father were trying to hit on her, he’d have to take the hint and walk away.

Ainslee finally pulls away and glares at Jagger but then puts her arms around him. Hopelessly in love.

A lot of these marriages are arranged and I know that there could’ve been a possibility for Esme to have the same but I’m grateful she didn’t. I watch as she dances with my father, his next dance-till-we-drop victim but I know she’s ecstatic as a fan could be if this happened to them.

My father winks at me as he spins her around and then dips her. He gives her the signature Delgado men smirk and I swear my wife swoons.Is she out of her damned mind?

As I make my way to snatch her from my father, maybe even do it in Jagger’s style with a twist, my mother invades my space.

“Hijo!” She exclaims. My eyes narrow at her sudden excitement.

“Mamá.”

She shrugs off my response and smiles wider. “Look who showed up!” She pulls Yasmin into my space as well.

Yasmin smiles at me expectantly as if there is something I should be saying to her. Rather she should be congratulating me. There’s some uneasiness on her face but she’s trying to mask that.

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