Page 91 of Seeing You

“Billie Donovan, I’d marry you today if I could. We’ve waited a long time, and…I’m not gonna lie…I don’t want to wait too long. I’m ready for our future.”

She was nodding at him. “I want all that too, and I’d marry you today too, if it were possible.”

Wrapping her in his arms, he sealed it with a kiss, knowing it might not happen today, but that they were going to be saying “I do” very soon.

“Do you love it? I mean…are you completely in love with the house?” Ashlynn asked an hour later. They had texted that they were joining everyone for dinner and now they were all seated around the giant dining room table, talking about everything that just happened—even Marcus’s dad and Max were there.

“I do!” Billie gushed, holding his hand. “Marcus took me on the grand tour and I swear I couldn’t believe how much space there is! And for an older home, there’s obviously been a lot of work done on the inside!”

“The kitchen it had was fine, but basic,” Jade explained. “We had to pull a few strings to convince Kevin to come in and do the work immediately, but we knew it would be worth it!”

“What did you have to do?” Looking around in confusion, she didn’t seem to know who exactly to ask.

“We agreed to have him do work on our house,” Levi said.

“And ours,” Chloe added.

“And mine,” Marie said, holding up her hand. “But I think mine is the only one that actually needs the work.”

“You guys,” Billie said. “I can’t believe you did all that just for a kitchen!”

“The place had to be perfect,” Ashlynn chimed in. “So, what was your favorite part of the house?”

“Oh my goodness…first, I loved how much character the house has! Even with all the updates, there is still so much charm to it. And that primary bathroom is amazing! I think that the bathtub was one of the biggest selling points—that and the fenced-in yard for the dogs.”

As if on cue, they heard the dogs barking playfully out in the yard. Silas was out there throwing balls and trying to teach the puppies how to play fetch, and it was pretty freaking cute.

“I have to admit, I was also a little blown away by the massive home office,” she went on.

Marcus had explained to her how it was a major requirement because he was going to be working from home—remotely for the time being, but potentially starting up his own financial advisory firm. In the meantime, his company was more than agreeable to letting him work this way. He’d have to go to D.C. a couple of days a month, but he was okay with it because it meant he could be where he wanted to be.

With her.

“I still can’t believe you guys pulled this off and I didn’t have a clue!”

“It was a group effort all the way around,” Marcus told her. “Seriously, this was a true family affair. Your entire family was in on it, along with Max and my dad.” He smiled at them all. “As I told you, your cousin Patrick had the listing and helped me sell my place in D.C. Reid and Ronan were in on the demo. Ash, Chloe, Jade, and Marie helped me decide on the right house based on the things they knew you would want. Levi’s been working with me to find potential local clients so I can start up my own firm. Max came to help me move, and Dad opened his home to me and the dogs for the time being.”

She was smiling, and it made him feel so damn good.

Like he’d finally done something right.

Something selfless.

Maybe there was hope for him yet.

Chapter Sixteen

It didn’t seem possible, but one month later, Billie was sitting in Ash’s salon getting her hair done for her wedding day.

It was finally her turn.

All around her, people were running around, fussing over one thing or another, but Billie was sitting with a cup of tea, feeling completely at peace. Ash and her team were doing hair and makeup for Jade, Chloe, Marie, Cora, and a few of Billie’s cousins. They had the salon to themselves and there was a whole spread of breakfast cakes and muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, and mimosas. There was nothing but joy and laughter all around, and it was beyond perfect.

Because it was such short notice, it wasn’t possible for the entire extended Donovan family to attend, but that was okay. All of her cousins from the Laurel Bay branch of the family were there, along with her grandparents and the Florida Donovans. It was so much more than she expected, and she felt beyond blessed that so many people made the time to come and celebrate with her and Marcus.

“Are you nervous?” her cousin Ryleigh asked as she sat in the salon chair beside her. “You look almost too serene and I’m trying to figure out if you’re inwardly freaking out.”

Laughing softly, Billie shook her head. “I think everyone else is freaking out more than I am. I’m just ready to be married. I didn’t think this day would ever get here.”

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