Page 196 of The Stolen Moments Trilogy

She smiles at me and bites down on her lip. “Do I get to call you my fiancé now?”

My heart skips a beat and I grin at her, nodding. “Yes, but not for long.”

Emilia frowns and I smirk at her. “You’ll be calling me husband soon.”

She laughs, her head tipped back, and my heart skips a beat. She looks around in wonder when I park in front of my parents’ house and I grin as I walk around the car. I lift her back into my arms and walk straight to the treehouse.

Emilia’s eyes widen, and she grins at me. “What are we doing here? You know your house is big enough for privacy, right? Even if Kate and Dad are there.”

I laugh and shake my head. “I love the way your mind works,” I whisper. “Ours. It’s our house.”

I carry her up the stairs carefully, not releasing her until we reach the top. I put her down carefully and grin as she walks in, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Emilia opens the door and gasps. I smirk and follow her in, my eyes falling to the hundreds of roses that fill the space. It took me hours to set this all up, and the roses cut my hands a few times, but it was so worth it to see the look in her eyes. Against the wall, in large letters crafted from roses, are the words Marry Me?, fairy lights lighting up to the room, making everything look magical.

Emilia’s eyes fill with tears, and I pull her in a bit further. “Emilia,” I murmur, a huge smile on my face. “You’ve always had a knack for ruining my plans, no matter how well laid out they might be. Today is no exception, and though it shouldn’t surprise me, it did. You both surprised and delighted me. You’ve always had that effect on me. Your beauty, your intellect, your heart, none of it ever ceases to surprise me. I don’t think it ever will. I always hoped I’d get to ask you to marry me one day, and if I did, I knew it’d be here, where it all started. You’ve been my first in every way that matters, and I want you to be every last, too.”

I drop down to my knees in the middle of the treehouse, and a tear rolls down her cheek. I pull a diamond engagement ring out of my pocket and hold it up, the light making it sparkle beautifully.

“Emilia Parker,” I murmur. “I have loved you all my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She bursts into tears and nods. “Yes, Carter. A thousand times, yes.”

I smile as I slip the ring onto her finger. “Finally,” I murmur. “I’ve been wanting to put a ring on you since you were sixteen.”

She bursts out laughing and drops down to her knees. Emilia wraps her arms around me and kisses me. I kiss her back, my heart truly at ease for the first time in years. She’s finally truly mine, and if she goes anywhere at all, I’m going with her.

Chapter 66

Emilia

“Are you ready?” Kate asks, a smile on her face. I nod, and she opens my bedroom door. Dad’s eyes widen as soon as he sees me in my wedding dress, and tears fill his eyes. Helen and William follow him in, both of them just as emotional as Dad is. My emotions overwhelm me and I inhale shakily as a tear drops down Dad’s cheek.

“You look beautiful, Princess,” he whispers. I sniff and open up my arms as Dad walks up to me. I hug him tightly, a tear running down my face.

Helen walks up to us and nervously touches my hair, her hands trembling as she fixes my updo. She looks like she’s been crying all morning, her eyes shimmering with happiness. I thought my wedding day would be the happiest day of my life, but it looks like Kate and Helen might be happier than I am. I chuckle to myself as Helen sniffs yet again.

“Her hair is fine,” William says, his voice suspiciously shaky. He pats my hair and smiles at me, his eyes filled with the same happiness I see in my own father’s eyes. He claps Dad on his back, and Dad squeezes me a little tighter. “I’ll take her away before she starts fussing over you,” he says, grabbing Helen’s hand. The two of them have tried their best to be involved in the wedding, and though I didn’t expect it to happen, Helen and I have grown much closer. Nothing is as it used to be, but the bonds I thought were long lost are on the mend.

William leads a reluctant Helen away, and Kate closes the door behind them as I hug my Dad a little tighter. My dad being able to walk me down the aisle today is a dream come true. I’m feeling so incredibly blessed, so happy, and without Kate this might not have been possible.

Kate smiles, but I can tell her eyes are glistening with tears too. “You’ll ruin your makeup,” she says, and I smile at her, my head resting on Dad’s shoulder. Slowly but surely, she and I were able to mend our relationship. Things aren’t what they used to be, but there’s no animosity between us anymore. As a gesture of goodwill, I asked her to be my maid of honor, and it’s brought us closer than I expected. She’s supported me every step of the way, and nothing was ever too much. I didn’t think it’d happen, but I’m glad she’ll become my sister-in-law. We have a long way to go, but we’re getting there, one step at a time.

“I love you, Daddy,” I murmur. “You’re the first man I ever loved, and you always will be.”

Dad sniffs loudly, but he can’t keep his sob in. He pulls away from me and buries his face in his hands.

I hold his shoulders, trying my best to hold back my own tears. “I’m not going anywhere, Dad. You’re only a ten-minute drive away, and if you ever want to, you can just come stay with us. We’ve left your room just as it was.”

He nods and tries his hardest to pull himself together. Dad cups my cheek gently and swipes my stray tears away with his thumb. “I love you, too. You’ll always be my little girl, Emilia.”

I nod and take Dad’s hand. We both inhale deeply before walking towards the garden. Carter and I opted to get married in our garden, and the decorators have done a magnificent job transforming it into a floral paradise. It’s everything I could’ve ever wished for. It’s small and intimate, and it’s us.

We pause at the start of the aisle, and my eyes find Carter’s. I see him gasp, his eyes widening. He looks as emotional as I’m feeling, and I smile at him. I’ve waited for this day my entire life. I watch as Asher teases Carter, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me for a single second.

Dad holds me tightly as we walk down the aisle, and his hands are shaking when he places my hand in Carter’s. Their eyes meet and a silent exchange I’m not privy to ensues before Dad lets go of my hand. He smiles at me and takes a seat, and the whole world fades away. All I can see is Carter, and the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

“You look breathtaking,” he says, and I blush.

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