Page 142 of The Proposal Pact
“Thank you, Gracie. Thank you for bringing me to Loverly Cave.”
“Told you it was magical.” She smiles into my hair.
“Yeah. It is.”
“Damn it,” Vassar hisses, pressing his fingers over his eyes as soon as he sees me and his chest shakes silently. “You are the most beautiful bride, little sister.”
My own throat clogs up with emotion. “You better stop crying or I will too, and I can’t start yet! My mascara is not that waterproof!”
Vassar chuckles a bit, wiping a tear off his eye and barrels at me, wrapping his arms around me nearly crushing me. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
“Mom and Dad would be so proud,” he says, and I crack, the tears I was holding back spilling into his shoulder.
“Of both of us, Vas. Of both of us.”
He hugs me tighter, not letting go for a long moment.
“You’ll always be my little Sophie, remember that.” He pulls away, eyes red and damp. “But now, let’s go down that aisle so I can hand the responsibility of your chaotic ass over to your husband.”
I can’t wait to tell him he’s about to be an uncle of another little chaos.
We both laugh, tears and all. It takes another ten minutes to reapply my makeup that I already ruined before we are ready to go.
Despite all the color around me for our wedding, I opted to keep my mother’s ivory dress with puffy lace sleeves without any alterations. It’s not the usual dress you’d see in the ’80s, because my mom wasn’t a usual kind of gal. The skirt is not puffy like you’d expect, but rather a flowy A-line with no extra underlining. Just overlapping lace everywhere and a scoop neckline and I needed it just like that.
The only color on me are my flowers and the pink panties Clover loves so much.
I take a step forward, finding Clover’s eyes already waiting for me, and all my worries, nausea, and everything else fades. Because there he is. My husband. My lover. My soulmate.
He’s right there, ridiculously hot in his green suit, watching me with trepidation and so much love in those intense eyes, I feel mine fill with tears.
How did I get so lucky?
Vassar leads me toward him, I’m aware there are people around us. Our friends and family, but I only see him and the urge to tell him, to let him know, is overwhelming.
We step up, Vassar gives Clover my hand. “I knew it from the first time I met you, Callum. I knew you were the only person I could trust with my baby sister. The only one to love her the way she deserves. To treat her like she’s your entire world and you keep proving it every day. Thank you,” he says, his words tight with emotion he’s trying to hide, and so is my husband, who swallows hard and wraps Vassar in a hug.
Well, there goes that new layer of mascara.
Mr. Colson steps up and starts the ceremony but I don’t hear a word as I look in Clover’s eyes. The eyes that reflect the same tears or happiness that I’m wearing.
We say our vows, having decided long ago that we’d like to repeat the exact same ones we said on our first wedding. The one that started it all, but before Sam Colson can say another word, a loud oink comes from down the aisle, and I gasp when I see Killian running after a tiny pink pig wearing a tutu.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Clover, I still got the rings! Come on, piggy, we have to behave!” my nephew shouts, but the pig won’t stop until she’s sitting at my feet. My eyes drop down and then to my smiling husband.
“Is that…Shrek! Did you get me a pig?”
He takes the rings from Killian, who tries to drag the piggy away, but she won’t budge.
Clover takes my hand and slides my ring back on. “I told you, I’d give you anything you want.”
This man…this beautiful, grumpy, complicated…
“I’m pregnant!” I blurt out, my heart too full with feelings to keep it hidden a minute longer.
There’s a beat of silence, followed by a collective gasp from the audience, but it’s Clover who has my attention as his eyes widen, drop to my belly, and then he drops to his knees. Right there, right in front of me and half of Loverly Cave as he lays his palms on my stomach and cries. Tears streaming down his face as he kisses my stomach and looks up at me. “Pregnant…we’re going to have a baby?”
