Page 83 of In the Stars

I tip his chin up so he can look at me. “I do. Every step of the way, Wesley. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he whispers, voice heavy with emotion. “I love you.”

“I love you too. You’ll get better. This is a setback, but it’s not a setup for the rest of your life.”

“Not a set up for the rest of my life,” he repeats solemnly but with conviction.

I gently kiss his lips, tasting his regret mingling with his tears. “It’s okay, baby. We’ll get through this.”

“It’s selfish for me to ask, and I feel like shit that I have to, but will you stay? Please don’t leave me. I can’t…I can’t take that right now.”

I chuckle humorlessly, pressing my forehead to his. “You don’t even have to ask. I love you. I’m not going anywhere.”

THIRTY

JAXON

One year later…

I rubmy hands on the tattered napkin, trying to soak up the copious amounts of sweat. The room feels too hot, and I can’t seem to drag enough air in.

“You’re going to wear out the floor if you keep that pacing up,” Dad says, and I glance over at him, giving him a soft smile. “Why are you nervous?”

Shrugging, I force myself to stop eroding a track in the floor and sit on the sofa in the living room. “What if he changes his mind? What if he’s not sure?”

Dad smiles wide and walks over before kneeling in front of me to cup the back of my neck. “He would never to do that. Do you know how much he loves you?”

I nod because I do. No one has ever loved me as much as Wesley does. Not only does he say it, but he also shows it. He’s always there for me when I need a sounding board. He spoils me. He treats me with respect. In everything he does,I feel loved. So why am I so scared he suddenly woke up and changed his mind?

“Just…” I try to find the words, but they won’t come. I sigh. “I’m being a fool, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” Dad says with humor, “but that’s okay. No one heard but me. Now help me up. I’m ruining my suit.”

Laughing, I assist him off the floor and beat the wrinkles from the knees of his dress pants.

When I stand upright, Dad straightens my tie and fixes my pocket square. Eyes shining with happiness, he says, “You look great, son. Wesley will be lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Dad.” I push back the tears and give him a wide smile. “Let’s get me married.”

Wesley only proposed last month, but neither of us wanted to wait too long to belong to each other. We didn’t desire a large wedding, so we invited our close family and friends for a good ol’ fashioned backyard wedding that Dad will be officiating.

I moved in with Wesley into his haunted house after he got out of rehab the second time. There was no big move. I just slowly brought over my things until I realized that most of my stuff was here, not in my childhood bedroom. It also came to my attention when I showed up at my dad’s house and he was surprised to see me there. So I gathered the rest of my stuff—two boxes—and moved into Wesley’s for good.

Now, we’re getting married, tying our lives together forever. And I couldn’t be happier.

After I duck into the bathroom to splash water on my face and straighten my tie one more time, I head outside to the side of the house. I shake out my arms and wait until the music starts—Kas playing the wedding march on his bassguitar—then I make my way around the house to the aisle where I’ll meet Wesley in the middle.

When I lay eyes on him, I gasp. He looks fucking amazing.

Since he’s gotten out of rehab, he’s let his hair grow out. It’s pulled into a sleek man bun, showing off his beautiful brown eyes, high and flushed cheeks, his straight nose, and those plump, beautiful lips.

He’s filling out his suit very well, the time in our home gym, yoga, and eating right getting him in excellent shape.

What I really notice is his wide smile when he looks at me. Love shines from his eyes as he traces my body with his gaze.

This is what love looks like. How he’s gazing at me, I feel so loved and cherished. There’s no reason to doubt that Wesley wants this. He wants to be with me as much as I want to be with him.

We’re supposed to meet in the middle, then turn and walk down our makeshift aisle, but instead, we reach for each other at the same time and kiss sweetly. I hold on to him, putting all my love and happiness and fucking elatedness into the press of our lips.

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