Page 63 of One Night Bride
She squeezed my hand. “Let me get this out, okay?”
At my nod, she continued. “I realized I’d let public opinion dictate my life. And then Amelia went into labor and I watched a miracle happen right in front of my eyes. I saw the way she and Titus looked at each other with this little person they’d made because of their love.” Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked hard to clear them. “I just knew I’d made the worst mistake of my life.”
She sniffed and let out a watery laugh. “I actually haven’t worked all week for the first time since I can remember. I haven’t gone online either.”
I gasped, trying to lighten the mood, making her smile. “I know, I know. But I say all that to show you that I’m making some changes. I refuse to let work and faceless followers dictate my life. They should enhance my life, not take from it. I had it all backward, but not anymore.”
I put my other hand on top of hers, squeezing tight. “I’m proud of you.”
She dipped her head. “Actually, that’s not quite true. I went online right before I got on the plane.” Her gaze swung up to mine and hung there, vulnerability in the way she told me everything. “I posted a video explaining how we met, what happened after, and why I was taking a social media break. Do you want to watch it?”
If it was important to her, it was important to me. “Absolutely.”
She pulled her hands away and got her phone out of her back pocket. I stood up and swung around the table to sit next to her on the small padded bench. I took a deep inhale and savored the scent of her. She hit play, and I took the opportunity to lean in closer.
Her gorgeous face filled the screen and even with her makeup done perfectly like usual, I could see the red around the rim of her eyes. She outlined how we’d met, the drunken wedding, me finding her, and then us spending time together.
So that’s the story. I fell in love with him and I want more than anything to stay married to him. He challenges me, helps me with work, has his own passions we discuss every night, and he loves me better than I ever dreamed of finding in a man. I hope you give him a chance, and even if you don’t, that’s okay too. I’ve seen some comments that say having a husband doesn’t fit my brand. But you need to understand that my brand is more than a logo or a video that went viral four years ago. My brand is me. And I’m just a woman, looking at her cowboy and asking him to love her. Remington, if you see this, I hope you can forgive me for not putting you first. I won’t make that mistake again. I love you.
The video shut off, and the screen went dark. I sat there, stunned. Overwhelmed. Feeling not quite worthy of a courageous woman like her. I’d come here to offer up whatever it took to keep her. I’d give up the nonprofit. Turn my back on the ranch. Whatever she needed me to do, I would do it. And she’d already given everything up for me.
“Esme,” I managed to mutter.
She tapped the phone against the table repeatedly. “I know what I did was unforgivable, but I’d very much like you to consider giving me another chance.”
“Esme,” I said again, this time putting my finger against her lips to stop her. “It wasn’t unforgivable. I’d already forgiven you before I knew you posted that video. That’s why I’m here. I want to make things right with you. I want to stay married. However that looks. I’m all in.”
The tapping stopped. Under my finger, her lips smooshed into a wide smile. She held something up between us. “So can I wear this again?”
My heart soared up into the clouds, seeing that she’d brought the ring with her, hopefully with the intention to wear it again, not to throw it at me. I removed my finger from her mouth to take the sparkling engagement ring from her. I held it to her left hand. “May I have the honors?”
“Yes, please.”
The sun dipped below the level of the ocean and the sky turned the kind of pink you can’t describe with words. I slid the ring on her finger and everything in my chest locked into place. Every plan, every worry, every missing piece slid into position and I knew without a doubt Esme and I would have a long and bright future as husband and wife. Two hyper focused entrepreneurs don’t come together without some choppy waters, but I knew we’d weather the storm.
With eyes and hearts wide open, we came together again for a kiss that soothed the hurt and mended the heartache. Lights flickered on all around us, startling us apart. Esme gaped at the dozens of light strands overhead I’d had that guy put up for me. I smiled and silently vowed to keep surprising her until her aging heart couldn’t take it any longer.
Esme rounded on me, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me like she was making up for lost time. Then she pulled away and giggled.
“Take a selfie with me?” She held her phone up, facing us.
Smiling for the camera, we both looked like the happiest people in Hell when she clicked the shutter. The lights twinkled in the backdrop, making for a shot that seemed far more magical than finding your wife at a bar in Tahoe.
“Can I post it?” she asked shyly.
“Fuck yeah, you can post it. Shout it from the rooftops. I want everyone to know you’re mine and I’m yours.”
She leaned in to kiss me before sitting back and typing out a caption. “No more hiding. Ever.” She put the phone down with a flourish. “There! Now everyone who wants to know our business knows we’re back together and stronger than ever.”
I reached over and picked her up, settling her on my lap so her legs were straddling me. I needed to be closer to her. I needed to feel her and reassure myself she wasn’t going anywhere. She ran her hands through my hair and I think I found heaven.
“My mom and dad are totally going to want a real wedding or at least a reception,” she whispered as she kissed her way around my jaw.
I cupped her face, holding her steady. “I want a real wedding too. I want to see you in a ridiculous white dress, in front of all our friends and family. I want that moment when I see you walk down the aisle on your daddy’s arm.”
She grinned, eyes already watering at the thought. “Are you going to cry when you see me?”
I laid on the twang. “Ain’t you ever seen a cowboy cry before?”
