Page 15 of Independence Bae

“I don’t understand. If the dress was perfect, why didn’t you buy it.”

“Ted. Seriously. It was forty thousand dollars.”

She drew out the words as if she were talking to someone who spoke a language other than English.

“Marley,” I couldn’t help but smile. “Do you remember how many zeroes were on that contract?”

It was going to be the damn Toms all over again, except on a grander scale.

“You’re acting as if it’s official, and we haven’t even discussed it. If you’re already spending money as if it’s a done deal, I guess you don’t need my input after all.”

I took her hands between mine, caressing them with my thumbs. The last thing I wanted was our romantic evening to spiral into an argument.

“Love. Raven and I had million-dollar contracts for years. Did I expect you to spend forty thousand dollars on your wedding dress? Fuck no. But, if it’s the one thatyoulove, and you can’t picture yourself in anything else. By all means, get the dress.”

“It’s one day, Ted.” Her voice was so schoolteacher condescending. It did the opposite of what I’m assuming she hoped it would. Instead, I was rock hard and wanted to take her back to the hotel, tie her hair in a bun, buy her a pencil skirt and stilettos and make her talk to me like that all night long.

“I’m not saying spend money like it’s going out of style on a regular basis, but our situation is so out of the ordinary. We won’t have a huge bar bill, or a giant catering expense simply because we don’t know enough people. So, where other people spend thirty or so thousand on their reception ours will be probably a quarter of that. Hence why I say if that dress is perfection—please, get it. I want you to be blissfully floating down the aisle to marry me. Not wishing that the dress you bought off the rack for seventy-nine dollars was more like the one you truly had your heart set on but bullishly refused to buy.”

Her lips turned into a stubborn pout. I knew I wasn’t going to win any arguments.

“Seeing you happy is one of the most satisfying things for me, Marley.”

I fought the instinct to gather her in my arms and snuggle her. I think that the fancy restaurant we found ourselves in probably frowned upon that kind of thing anyway.

“There are so many parts of planning this wedding that have made you really fucking sad, and the last thing I want for you looking back on this day, is to think about how many things made you cry.”

“It’s a lot of money, Ted.”

“I know. But think about it. I’ll support whatever decision you make, but know I only want to see you overflowing with joy at the end of that aisle.”

For a moment I thought she was going to say something about the dress again, but then she leaned her elbow on the table, cradling her head at me, and smiled the most brilliant smile.

“You take such good care of me.” She beamed. “I don’t think there has been a single instance since we’ve been together where I’ve ever even hinted that something was going wrong that you weren’t there immediately with a solution. I don’t know if I’ve ever acknowledged that, Ted. How wonderful you are. Or that I feel so safe and tended to with you.”

I wished they would have put us in a booth instead of a table. At that moment all I wanted to do was gather Marley in my arms and breathe in her sweet scent.

“I think I’ve taken that for granted. That you’re there right away to fix it and make it better. And that’s not fair to you.”

My pulse quickened as she spoke. From the sweet smile on her face and the way she spoke it sounded like it was a positive observation, but simultaneously I worried if she’d decided something about how to tackle the contract—like deciding to live separately or something as outlandish as breaking up.

“Marley—”

“Please Ted, I just need to say this one thing.”

But I feared her one thing was something I wouldn’t want to hear.

“I realize it isn’t fair because you give so much of yourself to me. You are always looking out for my happiness. When this contract came up the first thing I thought about was my happiness and how this impacted my picture perfect scenario. But what I should have been asking myself is how much happiness comes fromwherewe live and how much of that happiness is fromwhoI’m with.

“Ted, you, me and this baby? That’s my home. It’s not a place. It’s not a created scenario in my head. All I want is to make you as happy as you make me. And if that means taking a giant leap into the unknown—then let’s do it.”

“Marley.” If I were a more emotional man, I’d be crying tears of relief. I’d been so stressed over having to say no to this contract. I didn’t know what I would have done—and I kept picturing all of these awful scenarios in my head like having to say goodbye to Raven and work the morning show in North Pole on my own.

“This new adventure will open so many doors, Marley. I promise I will spend every day I’m married to you making sure that you know how much I adore you.”

“It’s scary,” she told me. “The thought of selling my mom’s house, leaving North Pole forever.”

Damn this stupid restaurant for not putting us in a booth. I threw my napkin on the table and circled around, facing Marley.

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