Page 46 of Better Together

In sickness and in health. In the good times and the bad.

Well, Colt didn’t know the half of the bad she’d been carrying. She’d given him the CliffsNotes version after her quick decision to announce their fake engagement, but there was no way he understood the things she’d done and the regret she carried.

Colt held her gaze as he repeated the words and slipped the ring onto her finger. She’d never worn a ring in her life, and the band would take some getting used to.

When it was her turn, she vowed to devote her life to him without so much as a blink. Whatever doubts she’d had before were gone. Maybe this was God’s way of showing her she’d made the right decision.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Remi’s eyes widened. How in God’s green earth had she forgotten there was a kiss at the end of all this? If she’d been hoping things would just stay the same between them after this, all of those hopes hopped out the window, pointing and laughing as they went.

While she stood paralyzed in shock, Colt took a slow step toward her. There wasn’t a trace of nervousness in his expression. Maybe she’d gotten all the unease about the kiss.

Colt’s left hand gently brushed her jaw, and the callouses reminded her that this was her Colt–the man she’d spent almost every day hanging out with for years. But everything changed when his right hand gripped her waist, pulling her close enough to eliminate the space between them.

Colt leaned down to brush his lips against hers, and Remi stopped breathing. The soft movement awakened a buzzing inside her that drowned out everything else in the world except the man holding her. After a tense second, she inhaled a deep, freeing breath. Having him this close had all of her cylinders firing at once. Inch by inch, she melted into his arms. The gentle hand on her jaw promised to adore her, while the powerful hand gripping her waist swore to protect her.

When Colt pulled back, Remi swayed, knocked off-kilter by the loss of his support. Was she drooling?

“I’m proud to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Colton Walker.”

Abby jumped and cheered, sending petals floating to the ground around her. Ben’s scrunched nose said exactly what he’d thought about the kissy time.

Colt shook the judge’s hand and thanked him for his service. Remi looked down at her ring–her wedding ring–and tried to make sense of what just happened.

“Can I throw the bouquet?” Abby shouted.

Remi turned, but she wasn’t fast enough. Both bouquets were already sailing straight up in the air. Ben darted toward one of them just in time to catch it, but the other landed on the Judge’s desk, spraying red and white petals over half a dozen stacks of papers and folders.

Remi and Colt looked back and forth between the two bouquets that had managed to give the drab office a semi romantic vibe despite the outdated design. The judge huffed, jiggling his round belly.

“We’ll clean that up,” Colt promised.

The judge reached behind his desk and pulled out a black wastebasket. Shoving it toward Remi, he waddled out of the room.

Abby sniffed. “He isnotas jolly as Santa Claus.”

Colt laughed and started raking petals from the desk into his hand. “I was starting to think he was Santa too, but you’re right. Not enough Christmas cheer for sure.”

They had the small office free of petals within five minutes, and they all waved good-bye to the judge’s white-haired assistant. At least she smiled. The judge had washed his hands of them before the ink was dry on the marriage license.

Abby skipped ahead as they headed out of the courthouse, swishing the skirt of her dress from side to side. Ben jogged after her, shouting for her to wait up.

Remi looked up at Colt walking beside her. He looked like the same man she’d always known, but they were both different now. Could they handle the change? Were they going to be able to handle a new marriage and raising kids?

“Colt, about–”

“We don’t have to talk about it,” he interrupted.

Well, she hadn’t expected that. Colt always wanted to talk about what he thought or felt. She’d always appreciated his candor, but apparently he’d been keeping more bottled up than she realized. He’d confessed to loving her. Did he mean friendly love or romantic love? One she could handle. The other…

“Really? But I just didn’t know…”

Colt stopped and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. “I said the things I wanted to say, and you said thank you. We don’t have to change. We don’t have to talk about it. We don’t have to do anything different. You’re still my best friend, and you always will be.”

Looking up into Colt’s honest eyes, she could almost believe they could continue on with life as they knew it. But she remembered the kids and turned to make sure they were still in her sights. When she looked back at Colt, he was smiling.

“I said I wouldn’t ask for more than you were willing to give. That promise stands forever.”

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