Page 36 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“Yes. I’m sorry.” She kissed him. Over and over again, she kissed him. “I am so sorry. Yes. I’m not taking it off.”
She could never stop apologizing. And he never stopped listening, letting her release the guilt every time they were alone.
Each day, they carved out time for them. A quiet hour where they shared a meal or a cup of coffee and never discussed anything except their hope for the future. A future that involved a life they still believed in. A home. A family. Happiness.
Yet somehow, by the end of every quiet moment, the apology crept in. Like a reflex, she couldn’t control. A scar that would never fully heal. Her "I love you" would inevitably always come with an "I'm sorry" attached.
“I want to keep my ring on forever.” She finally stopped kissing him, not missing the unshed tears in his eyes. “I want to be yours forever.”
He didn’t speak right away and stared down at her while he worked out what he wanted to say.
It made her nervous. “What?”
“I had a long talk with Samuel the other day.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure that was torture.”
“Yeah. He’s been more of an ass than usual with the stress.” His smile returned. “But we were discussing how when Evie agreed to marry him, he didn’t give her time to second guess it. It made me realize I’ve been screwing us up since the beginning. I should have insisted we get married sooner.”
Again, something else that was her fault, yet he was taking the blame for it. She hadn’t wanted a big wedding, just something special, but every time she got close to deciding exactly what that meant, life got in the way. They kept pushing it off, over and over, until the months rolled into years.
“I’m giving you a week.”
Jamison’s lips parted, quite positive that she hadn’t heard him correctly. “I beg yourpardon?”
“One week.” Looking rather pleased with the idea, he gently pressed two fingers under her chin to close her gaping mouth. “One week from today, I want you to meet me under the Marriage Oak and become my wife.”
Goosebumps rippled across her skin, and Jamison honestly thought she might pass out. “But… but the beach. The… everything.”
“I’ll give you a beach wedding later.”
“Later?”
“A wedding isn’t a marriage. We can do the big thing another day.”
“But my dress.” She sagged a little. “I had it made just for you.”
“Then wear it just for me.” He gazed out the window at the Marriage Oak. The massive tree had watched over their story and the stories of countless others through the years. “Right there, under that tree. Wear the dress you chose to become my wife in and marry me. Can you do that?”
This man was so perfect it hurt her brain sometimes.
“I can do anything you want me to do.” Hell, she’d marry him right now if they could pull it off. “But are you okay with me adding a few touches? I know a wedding isn’t a marriage, but can I include some of my plans?”
“I don’t care if you ride down the lawn on an emu, Jamison. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t give me a heart attack.” He turned back to her with a chuckle. “Just let me have you. Let me have you as my wife. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
His wife.
He still wanted her to be his wife.
Buried deep within her soul, that invisible string of destiny hummed with a melody she would know in any lifetime. It linked her to Liam and sang with such perfect happiness that it had her ears ringing. She was going to be his wife. Jamison Fairweather was about to disappear, and while that made her a little sad, it also brought forth an eerie sense of peace.
It felt right.
Perfect.
Exactly as it was meant to be.
“You really wouldn’t care if I showed up on an emu?”
