Page 214 of Perfect
“Do you want me to ask?” She nods, leaning into my chest and looking up at me, her face open and adoring and her smile radiant.
“Alexandria Marie She-”
“Fuck yes,” she cuts me off, and I laugh, grinning at her like an idiot and trying to figure out, just for a second, if I’m dreaming.I kiss her softly, and she makes a sweet, content sound before pulling away and laughing a little. “It took you long enough,” she teases, and I kiss her again quickly.
“I wanted it to be right,” I say quietly as I pull the box from my jacket pocket. Alex makes a little cooing sound when she sees the ring and beams up at me.
“Good choice,” she says as I slip the ring on. She kisses me and leans her back against my chest as she puts the binoculars back up to her face, trying to point something out to me. I hold her close and stare at her left hand wrapped around the binoculars, watching the emerald ring glint in the sunlight, satisfied in a way I didn’t know I could feel.
She’s right. It was a good choice.
I’m just not sure it was ever mine to make.
***
Alex slips back into the hot spring, a silicone cup of beer in hand, and she grins as she positions herself in my lap.
“We’re getting married next month,” she proclaims, and I laugh.
“You’resoimpatient. Can you even plan a wedding in a month?”
She rolls her eyes. “Theo, we barely know enough people tohavea wedding. Bailey’s ordained, you’ll cook, and Miles will be the ringbearer. We’ll do it at the house in Yachats, and I’ll rent a small block of rooms at one of the hotels so everyone can stay the night.” I raise my eyebrows at her, a little surprised.
“Wow, you’ve thought about this alotin the last two hours.”
“No, I’ve thought about it a lot in the lastyear,” she says softly, kissing my shoulder. “I already invited everyone and made hotel reservations.”
“When did you have time to do all that?” I ask, trying to figure out when she’s been out of my sight long enough to make that many calls.
“Oh, I did it before you got out of prison,” she says sheepishly, and I laugh, pulling her close and kissing her in a way that makes the people around us avoid looking at us.
“So,” I ask, kissing her temple, “when are we getting married?”
A wicked smile spreads across her face. “September 21st.” I think for a second and then start laughing so hard she slips out of my lap.
“You’re fuckingkiddingme, right?”
“Baby, it’s ouranniversary,” she says sweetly, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek.
“That’sour anniversary?”
“It’s ourrealanniversary, anyway,” she mutters, and I groan, sinking further down into the steaming water and looking out over the cliffs at the ocean stretching out behind her. “I promiseI won’t throw a wine glass at your head this time,” she says sweetly.
I look back at her, shooting her a heated look. “I promise I’ll make you cry,” I say quietly, and she gives me a smug smile.
“That’s theonlyreason I said yes.” I watch her teeth skate over her bottom lip, and I grin at her, not calling her out on the lie.
***
The wedding is small – just us, Bailey and her family, Catherine and Suzie, as well as Anna and Jessica and their plus ones. Alex spends the night before we get married at the hotel with her friends, and the only reason I don’t freak out is because I’m ten minutes away and I trust Bailey, but I still barely sleep.
Instead, I spend all night replacing the floodlight cameras with state-of-the-art ones and keeping an eye on Alex’s location, which doesn’t move. I spend all morning making way too much food, mostly because I’m on the verge of a panic attack.
I have the distinct fear that Alex is going to walk in and tell me that none of this is real, or that I’ll wake up in that tiny, uncomfortable bed in that tiny, uncomfortable cell and find that I’m still counting the hours until I can see her again.
When Alex and the guests walk in, I freeze. She’s stunning in a loose, lacy white dress, her hair is curled in soft, golden waves, and her cheeks and lips are a gorgeous pink that matches the bouquet of flowers in her hand, but everything about her pales in comparison to the look she gives me.
It’s pure, unfettered, unconditional love, contentment and joy and excitement all wrapped into one smile. For one fleeting moment, I’m confused as to how someone so perfect exists.
