Page 55 of A Baby to Make Her His Bride

“I was using my guilt and anger over Saqui’s death to buffer my grief, so I didn’t have to face it and feel it. Rather than dealing with the pain, I put it between us. On you. I won’t do that again. I promise.”

“You miss him a lot.” She turned her hand so she was holding his.

“I do.” His brow flexed. “But I have to accept that he’s gone. Putting Orlin Caulfield in jail won’t bring Saqui back, so I won’t obsess over that anymore. It’s important to me that he be caught and brought to trial, but I’ll let the authorities handle it. That isn’t my life. You are. Both of you.” He released her hand to set his palm on the top of her bump. “I’m so glad you and the baby are going to be all right. I don’t know what I would have done without you, I really don’t.”

She covered his knuckles, so moved by his naked honesty she could hardly speak.

“I let my own ghosts come between us when I said you don’t give me anything.” She felt so remorseful for saying that. “You give me everything. My life with you is the one I always wanted. I would be honored to marry you, Jasper.”

They married a few days after she was discharged, on the morning of Christmas Eve. Vienna was still moving slowly, but feeling much better. She put on her wedding dress, which was a classic ivory silk with a crossover top and a satin sash. Since she thought they were simply meeting the wedding officiant at the hotel for a private ceremony, she didn’t bother with the tiara and veil or even a bouquet.

She was greeted with a miniature version of their wedding decor in an intimate lounge. The arbor was in place before a marble fireplace where a fire crackled merrily.

Vienna gasped as she took that in along with the dozen smiling faces.

“My cousins are home with their families, but these guys were happy to step in.”

He meant Eden and Remy, and Quinn and Micah, who were standing with Tobias and Ola. Hunter held Peyton, who was in layers of silk and tule. Amelia was trying to put a band of silk flowers on her head, but Peyton pulled it right off.

The baby smiled when she saw Vienna. Everyone did.

“I can’t believe this!” she said to Jasper, touched to the bottoms of her feet.

“We wanted to come,” Eden said.

“Yeah. You scared us the other day,” Remy said, coming forward to give her a gentle hug.

“You came all the way to Germany for our wedding,” Quinn said.

“We weren’t going to miss yours,” Micah agreed.

“Shall we get started?” the officiant said in a gentle nudge.

The women arranged themselves to the left of the arbor, the men on the right. Ola took Peyton to lead Vienna and Hunter down the short stretch of carpet that formed the aisle.

“He really loves you, you know. We all do.Ido,” Hunter said in a quiet, sincere undertone as he offered his arm to her.

“I know.” She hugged his arm. “But thank you. I like hearing it. I love you, too.”

They started to walk. Her pulse tripped with enchantment, taking in everything from the soft notes of an unseen harp to the light shining from her groom’s eyes.

Jasper was profoundly handsome in his morning suit. He took both her hands as she joined him. His eyes were damp with joyous emotion. So were hers.

They spoke their simple vows in strong, confident voices and, when they kissed, they were both smiling. The spark of passion was always there, though, keeping her lips clinging to his as he tenderly brushed at the happy tear on her cheek.

“I never imagined I could feel this way about anyone,” he told her, right there in front of all their witnesses. “I love you with everything in me.”

She hadn’t known she could feel this much love, either. Or that she could let it spring out of her, confident that Jasper would catch it and hold it with such tender care.

“I love you, too.” She had never felt so truly loved, so surrounded by love, in her life.

EPILOGUE

Almost one year later

“IPROMISEYOU, son, that if you let yourself sleep, the whole world becomes a brighter place,” Jasper told Finley Tobias Saqui Lindor.

The infant interrupted his own overtired cry to give a big yawn that showed his four tiny front teeth. He scrubbed his fist into his eye and started to cry again.

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