Page 105 of Here's to Now

“No, don’t apologize. I wonder if we would have made it this far if you hadn’t. I think…I think we needed a break before we were too far in. It gave us time to just…be.”

“Can you believe we’re married?” she says, her lips so close they’re brushing against mine.

“No, and I think you should know I didn’t go to Vegas with plans to get married. That was…”

“Spur of the moment?”

“Yes. Times a thousand.”

“Why did you ask?”

Confused, I ask, “You mean why did I ask you to marry me?”

“Yes. I’ve never asked you that.”

“You say never like we’ve been married for years instead of days.”

She brings her hand up to her head dramatically. “It feels like years.” I laugh. “No, really,” she insists. “Why?”

I chew on that question for a moment, thinking about exactly why I did suggest getting married, especially since we didn’t have the most stable relationship to begin with.

“I think it was a combination of everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Your smile, your laugh, your heart. The way you light up the room. The way you make me feel, make my heart do these crazy insane flips every time I see you. It was the way you sneaked up on me, the way I slowly fell for you. It was everything. I just knew. In that moment, in the club, when we said I love you for the first time, something inside me clicked. I saw my future, and I saw you in it. I couldn’t let that get away from me, couldn’t take the chance.”

“A chance,” she repeats quietly.

“A chance.”

“I married you for your abs, just so we’re clear.”

I burst into laughter. “I’m glad we know the truth now.”

“Honestyisthe best policy.”

“How teacherly of you,” I tease.

She pokes me and says, “You don’t regret it, do you? Taking that chance?”

“Not for a second.”

I capture her lips fully in mine and kiss her until she believes every word I’m telling her. Pressing back, she tells me over and over again how much she loves me every time her lips fall against mine, with every sigh, with every subtle movement of her hips. She tells me she believes me. She tells me she’s fully on this crazy ride we boarded. She tells me she’s okay, that she’s happy, and that’s all I really want.

After our kiss, we curl up on the couch together. She tucks herself safely under my arm and I hold on to her, protecting her from everything.

“Have you told your dad?”

“Ha! Nope. You can do that.”

“That’s seriously screwed up, Hales.”

She giggles and snuggles into me farther. “He’ll love you. You’ve got this.”

“Is he going to kill me?”

“Possibly.”

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