Page 131 of A Chance for Us
“I love you, babe.”
“Good. That makes this so much easier.”
I remove her blindfold, and she looks out. Everyone we love is here. Her aunts and uncles, my brothers and sisters, even Alex who flew in from Egypt when I told him I could’ve died and he wasn’t here. I’m not above using guilt to get what I want. They are all here to witness what should’ve been our beginning.
“What is . . . Aunt Eileen? Uncle John? Devney? I don’t understand . . .”
Her eyes meet mine, swimming with a million questions. “Today is our anniversary.”
She shakes her head. “I know that, but what is our entire family doing here?”
I take her hands and sink down to one knee, pulling out the ring I should have bought for her a year ago. “Maren Parkerson, the last year has been a rocky road. We didn’t start out like most couples. You came into my life, turned it upside down and made me a husband when we weren’t even dating. Then I fell for you. I fell harder than I knew I was capable of. Now, I would give up my own life before letting you go. I love you more than any man has loved a woman. More than my heart can even contain.” Her tears are streaming, and I can hear others catching their breaths. “I married you one year ago without really knowing that I wanted to spend the rest of my life beside you. So, I’m asking you today, as the woman I love with everything that I am, will you marry me?”
She falls to her knees, taking my face in her hands. “You beautiful, wonderful man, I would marry you every day of my life.”
I lean in, kissing her softly, and we both smile, breaking away. I slip the ring onto her finger. “Was this a good surprise?”
“The best.”
“It’s not over,” I tell her.
“There’s more?”
I glance at Stella and Devney, who come rushing up. They give us each a hug and then pull Maren toward the house. “Come on, today is your wedding day, too.”
I wink and watch the woman I love walk away to get ready for what is our true wedding.
* * *
“I can’t believe you did all this,” Maren says as I close the door to the master bedroom.
Today has been a really long day, but seeing her in her wedding dress brought me back to our first wedding. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Yes, but . . . it was so sweet, Ollie. I’m so happy, and now we’re married without any lies.”
I pull her into my arms. “No lies.”
Three months after I found out I had cancer, we came clean to all of Maren’s family. We felt it was the right thing to do. At first, they were really upset at the level of deceit, but as we kept explaining, they settled on a lot of laughing.
That day, I promised myself that I would make sure her family knew the truth about how I felt about her.
“I wish . . . I wish my father could’ve seen this one,” Maren says hesitantly.
“I do too, but I like to think he was here.”
She plays with my collar, which she loves to do when she’s deep in thought. “This house was his and my mother’s, and when we’re here, I like to think they’re smiling down on us. Did you invite Linda?” she asks before meeting my eyes.
“I did, but I knew she wouldn’t respond.”
“Yeah, I don’t know why I asked.”
I tilt my head, forcing her to look up. “Because you still care.”
Linda shut out the entire McVee family from her life as though they never existed. No one other than Maren seems to care, and she still reaches out to the woman once a month, hoping that she’ll have a chance to ask for a few of her father’s belongings. Linda has ignored every phone call.
“I’m dumb for that.”
“No, you’re kind, which is never dumb.”
