Page 60 of So Wrong It's Right

All the onlookers have moved closer now, and there are hugs and well wishes and champagne on the lawn of our new house. My parents are chatting with Stella’s parents. Perry is crying. Kids are running. Dogs are barking. And the cheerleaders break into a chant spelling out words. It’s a circus.

It’s my circus now. I am oddly proud of this.

An hour goes by when people finally start leaving to get back to their own lives. I’m not sorry I brought them all into this, but I’d like to have some alone time with the woman I just invited to my life.

We make plans to get the families together next weekend. Brunch at Stella’s folks’ house. Megan asks me if when I’m planning on proposing, but Brad steals her away before she starts in about venues.

I’ve never been so happy.

Stella and I stand on our porch as the last of the visitors go. This is it. This is ours now.

I reach for her hand. “It feels like it’s been a lot longer than two weeks since I’ve touched you.”

She turns to me, her face tense. “Are you sure about this?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s too perfect. I’m going to wake up and this will have been a dream.”

“Hey,” I pull her into my arms, cherries and vanilla the scent of home now, “are you having second thoughts?”

“Christopher, it’s just like me to rush into something that’s better to be taken slow. I’m worried that I have lured you to my dark ways.”

“I meant what I said. Until you came along, I wasn’t really living. But if you’re not sure, we can go slow. As long as we’re together, that’s what matters to me.”

“I love you, Christopher. I’ve never told a man that.”

“I love you, too. Want to look inside your new house?”

“Mynew house?”

“Well, I’m not going to live here by myself.”

She sucks in a breath. “You want to live together?”

We walk in, hand in hand, and it feels right. Also, it feels empty.

The house I mean.

“I figured you’d want to help pick out furniture, so I didn’t get much.”

She lets go of my hand and wanders through, room to room, on the bottom floor. “Are you going to commute then?”

“Actually, no. Dr. Anderson offered me a partnership buy-in. She needs to be able to spend time with her dad. I made her promise not to tell you until I was ready. I’m surprised she was able to keep the secret that long.”

“So am I. So, you’re moving here to Brazen Bay. You bought a house. After everything you’ve been through, weren’t you even a little scared I’d say no?”

“Terrified, actually. But I realized I could just stick around until I wore you down. I don’t ever want to go back to my beige apartment and wonder ‘what if?’ What if I’d told you how I felt? What if I’d not let you walk away from me at the wedding? What if I’d begged you to let me love you? If you’re not ready, we can take as long as you need.”

She runs her hand along the bannister. “I had a lot of what-ifs, too.”

“I didn’t do things the right way with you before. I’ll do better this time. I love the way you are, and I don’t want you to change. I love your heart and the way you brought the stars to me.”

The light comes into her eyes for the first time since we were on the porch. I did that. I put that there. “I can’t believe you want me to move in. Are you sure you don’t want to go slower? Play it safe for a while?”

I’m so done with that. “I thought I was living a safe life, but it turns out I wasn’t really living at all. I want you to keep challenging me and keep showing me all the things I was missing because I wouldn’t look.”

I fold her into my arms, and she rests her head on my chest. “So, you want me to help you pick out furniture for your house?”

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