Page 66 of A Very Miller-Cooper Life

Chapter 17

Charlie

“Everyone good to go?” Reagan asked as we pulled out of her parents’ driveway to head to Maryland for a week of pre-wedding festivities.

Reagan’s Mom and Dad both gave her a thumbs up. Both of Reagan’s parents were now over ninety and neither one was in great health. Her mom was in a wheelchair and her dad used a walker most of the time. Still, they insisted on being part of the renewing of our vows.

What was even more surprising was where the wedding was taking place—outside at my parents’ house in Maryland. With the lake as a backdrop, it really was a gorgeous setting, but if someone had told me after the shit hit the fan at that family reunion all those years ago that Reagan and I would one day renew our vows at that very same spot, I would have thought they were crazy.

Honestly, I still didn’t quite believe it. A part of me was waiting for a call from my mom where she told me she had changed her mind and didn’t feel comfortable hosting this event. I had no reason to believe that with how much stronger our relationship had become over the past few years, but sometimes it was hard to escape the trauma from my past.

All of those fears flew away when we pulled into the driveway and found a sign hanging outside of the house that said, “Congratulations, Charlie and Reagan. Thirty years down. Forever to go.”

“That’s…” I couldn’t even get the words out because I was so choked up. “Shit. That’s really sweet.”

“It really is.” Reagan grabbed my hand and squeezed it but quickly dropped it. “Since this week is all about reminiscingand celebrating the past, I need you to do me a small, but strange favor.”

“Why am I suddenly scared?”

Reagan shook her head and laughed. “It’s nothing crazy. I just want you to get out and take your hair out of your ponytail in front of the car.”

“Excuse me?”Is my wife completely losing it?

“Please.” Reagan ran a hand through my hair. “I want to relive the first moment I saw you.”

“You remember what I was doing the first time you saw me?”

“Of course I do.” Reagan shrugged as if this was no big deal, even though to me it was a huge deal and made me love her even more. “That was the moment I gave my heart away.”

My own heart clenched from her sweet confession. I was so glad that in a few days I would get to make this woman my wife all over again. “When you say things like that, how could I possibly tell you no?”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” Reagan said with a wink.

I looked back to check what response Reagan’s parents had to all of this, but they were fast asleep with their heads resting against one another.The perfect picture of where I want our relationship to be in another thirty years.

I got out of the car then looked around to make sure there wasn’t anyone watching aside from Reagan. When my eyes met hers, she licked her lips and gave me a thumbs-up. It took me much too long to get my hair out of the ponytail and I was pretty sure even though I was attempting to look sexy when I shook it out that I actually looked like a wet dog shaking off after getting out of the pool.

If Reagan found my display to fall short on the sexiness scale, she didn’t show it. She quickly undid her seatbelt and hopped out of the car, closing the distance between us in no timeat all. She put an arm around my back and leaned so close to me that our noses were touching. “Now let me show you what I really wanted to do when I met you that day.”

I squealed when she surprised me by dipping me back. Her strong arms held me tight as she placed a quick kiss on my lips. My head was still spinning when she lifted me back up and gave me another kiss on the cheek.

“Okay, that was adorable.” I put my hand on her chest so I could feel her rapidly beating heart. “It’s probably for the best that you didn’t do that though. I think I would’ve found it a bit strange if my brother’s girlfriend kissed me before even introducing herself.”

“But it would have been okay if I introduced myself first?” Reagan teased.

“I mean that’s essentially what you did and we have been married for thirty years, so I’d say it worked.”

“Aw, come on. That’s not true. I at least let you come out to me first.”

“Yep. And kissed me as soon as I did,” I said with a laugh.

Reagan laughed along with me. “What can I say? When I see something I like, I go for it.”

We woke Reagan’s parents up, then helped them get inside and got them settled in the downstairs room my parents had built into the house for my Nana when it became harder for her to climb the stairs. Next, we grabbed our own bags from the car and took them up to my childhood bedroom, which my parents hadn’t changed even after all these years. There were a few times they tried to convince me to take my old cheerleading trophies and other memorabilia back to my house, but when I never did, they gave up.Thank god. I had no idea what we would do with all of this, but I also knew I wouldn’t want to let it go. Thank god my parents kept my room as a shrine to me.

Even though we almost never stayed at my parents’ house when we came to visit, we figured we needed to this time. It was only fitting since this was the room where we first fell in love. Reagan set our bags on the floor then walked over to the window and opened it up. She crawled through it onto the roof and motioned for me to follow.

When Reagan sat down and patted the spot beside her, I slowly lowered myself onto the roof.

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