Page 204 of Feels Like Forever

I can’t get to him quickly enough.

By the time I’m there and Rae has my bouquet so I can hold his hands, I’m so close to happy tears that it’s truly a good thing I don’t have a lot of makeup on.

His eyes aren’t dry, either, as they move all over me.

He sniffles before he whispers, “God, Liv.”

I squeeze his hands and nod my silent agreement.

Officiant Barton starts talking. It’s weirdly difficult to listen to what he says because he seems to be speaking quickly. I’m not surprised. I figured this would be a pulse-tripping blur, and it’s fine with me. I’m ready for what he has to say. I’m ready to repeat my vows and hear Landon repeat his.

I do that when it’s time, and I slide his wedding band onto his left ring finger. And he says the words back to me, slides my band onto my finger, too.

And then…

“…I now pronounce you man and wife. Landon, you may kiss your bride.”

He drags me to him and does that, too, as our nine onlookers clap and cheer for us.

I kiss him back hard and heartfelt and happy, and then I pull away, take his face in my hands, look right into his eyes.

“I love you forever,” I tremble out.

His smile is brighter than the sun, but his voice is unsteady, too. “I loveyouforever, Liv-Andria.”

I believe him.

I know Rae believes him, too, when she comes up for an ecstatic hug and is told, “I love you to the moon and back times a million, little lady. You look perfect, just like Annie.”

“We look like princesses!” she exclaims.

“You totally do!”

Indeed, as our small reception kicks off in Robbie’s dining room, she and I receive compliments from everyone. We both blush quite a bit as we thank them. Ivy brings my engagement ring from where I’d safely hidden it, so I get more compliments on how the modest marquise-cut solitaire looks with my band. They’re the most beautiful rings ever, in my opinion.

I take more than one opportunity to tell Landon how damn goodhelooks. I’ve never had to untie a tie before, so I try to sneak a few peeks at it for later, and he knows what I’m doing every time. He flicks the hottest of looks over me.

The third time it happens, he finally murmurs, “Can you make it another half-hour? We’ve still got cake to eat before I can get you back home.”

I’m blushing furiously now, elated and just as hot as he is. I nod like I’m not wishing our honeymoon was starting even sooner than in thirty minutes.

I love our little party, though. I do. Only our closest of friends are here, and there’s a lot of laughter and cheer among us. Our cake is delicious even though Landon didn’t make it—I’m glad we’ll get to take some of it with us.

We get some great pictures, and when we’re ready to leave, we all step back outside and light sparklers. Then he and I thank everyone for everything.

We especially have Bill and Shannon to thank. They offered to let Rae stay the weekend so we can have our apartment to ourselves.

But as eager as we are to get home with each other, we take our time giving Rae hugs and telling her how much we love her, how pretty she looks, how well she did with all the excitement of planning and executing our little wedding. We promise to call her just like we did the last time she had a long sleepover with Abby, and she promises to behave.

As I watch her kiss Landon’s cheek, I feel a fierce tug on my heartstrings over what we have planned for when she comes back home on Sunday.

And then it’s time for me and him to go, and everyone is waving and cheering and congratulating, and Rae is blowing big kisses with Abby.

In the car, he and I spend a quiet second looking at each other.

Between how intensely happy we are and how open our weekend looks, the air around us is practically sparking.

We share a smile.

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