Love Conquers All (16 page)

Sean rested his hand on my shoulder. “You picked a good one.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” He dropped his hand. “I love you, man.”

“I love you too,” I said without looking at him.

“Good luck.” He patted my shoulder and walked away. “I’ll be here for you when she says no.”

I laughed. “Fuck you, asshole.”

“Fuck you too,” he said with a laugh.

When everyone was in the backyard, I was alone.

Her parents arrived then joined the others. All the cars were hidden down the road, out of sight.

All I heard was the quiet sound of the world. Crickets chirped and the faint sound of the ocean crashed in the distance. I stood in my new suit, wanting to look different than I did at work. The ring was in my pocket
and I was aware of how heavy it was.

I suddenly had the urge to cry. I never thought I’d become a family man. I never thought I’d commit to one woman for the rest of my life. All of this was too good to be true. When I thought about how happy I was now, I remembered how shitty my life used to be. I wasn’t sure what I did to deserve this, but I did something. Now I had a family.

Headlights appeared in the distance. I knew it was Scarlet. Cassandra probably wondered where they were going, and if she remembered where this house was, she may already suspect it.

A minute later, the BMW pulled into the front of the house. I stood in the center of the walkway, the rows of candles on either side of me. Everyone took time
off work to prepare everything. I wouldn’t have prepared this special moment without them.

Cassandra didn’t get out of the car. I suspected she was staring at me, unable to believe this was really happening. Finally, the passenger door opened.

She stood up, wearing a teal dress that showed her swollen belly. Even though we were fifty feet apart, I could see the reflection of the lights in her eyes. Her hair was pulled to one shoulder and golden earrings hung from her lobes. She looked like a princess from a fairytale. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was.

She stilled while she stared at me. She studied everything around her, a mesmerized look on her face. I didn’t move. My natural tendency was t
o go to her, but I held my ground.

She lifted up her dress as she approached the entrance in the brick wall. Her heels crunched on the gravel until she reached the sidewalk. She gasped when she saw the sea of candles. Then she looked at me, the moisture building.

Slowly, she came to me, her eyes locked to mine. She stopped in front of me, the tears forming. “Oh my god…”

I didn’t touch her even though I desperately wanted to. “My life was unbearable before you came along.
Every night I was alone, I waited for the darkness to end so I wouldn’t feel so miserable. I teased others for being fathers or husbands, but deep down, I envied them. But never in my life did I think I’d find someone like you. You’re so perfect. Sometimes I think I dreamed you.”

Cassandra blinked quickly and tears started to bubble.

I took a deep breath. “Please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry.”

She sniffed then laughed slightly. Her hand wiped the tears away.

“When I saw you for the first time, I thought you were fucking hot.” She chuckled again at my honesty. “And I’ve never made such an idiot out of myself around a pretty girl. But that just showed me how much I liked you. You’re different than the women I usually date. You’re real, strong, and sassy. It annoys me most of the time, but it’s sexy as hell at the same time.”

More tears fell as my words went straight to her heart.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, I need to get through this without crying.” I already felt my eyes burn.

“We’re not going to make it,” she said with a sniff.

“You’re everything to me. My entire life, I live for you. I promise to take care of you and love you. Every time it gets rough, I will never leave your side. I will honor you, protect you, boss you around and let you tell me off, and I will do this every single day for the rest of my life.”

She took a deep breath and wiped more tears away.

I wasn’t going to last. My tears were breaching the surface. “Fuck it.” I wiped them away and she chuckled at me. “You’ve given me the greatest gift in the world, and I’m honored you’ve chosen me to be your husband and the father of your children. I promise I will do the best I can.”

“I know you will,” she said quietly.

Tears fell down my cheeks and I dropped to one knee.

She covered her face and gasped.

I opened the box. “Cassandra, will you—”

“Yes!” She moved to her knees in front of me. “Yes!”

I smirked. “You didn’t even let me finish.”

“Put that beautiful ring on my finger, Mike.”

I pulled it out and slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. My brother was right.

She stared at it
, mesmerized. “God, it’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

She turned the ring over and saw the engraving. She smiled. “The day we met?”

“No. The day I found my soul mate.”

More tears fell from her eyes and she wrapped her arms around my neck, crying into my shoulder. “You got the house…”

“It’s a wedding gift to you.”

“Mike…”

I pulled away and looked at her. “This is where we’ll spend the rest of our lives.”

She put her head against mine. “I’m so glad I found you.”

“Me too.”

She kissed me, showing me how much she loved me and adored me. My hand moved to her stomach, wanting to feel my baby inside. We were a family, and this is where we were beginning.

“That was the most beautiful thing in the world, Mike.”

“No,” I said as I looked at her face. “But it’s a close second.” I stood up and pulled her to her feet. “I want to show you something.”

“What?”

“Come with me.” I took her hand and guided her to the back. I knew my face was stained with tears like hers, but I didn’t care. No one would judge me for it. I knew Sean cried like a baby when he got married.

When we rounded the corner, everyone jumped up.

“Congratulations!”

Cassandra clutched her chest. “Oh my god!”

Everyone ran to us and embraced us, telling us how happy they were. Cassandra’s friends took her hand and screamed when they saw the ring.

“That’s gorgeous,” Z
eal said.

“I know.” Cassandra stared at it fondly.

Her parents came to her.

“Mom? Dad?” she asked.

“Hey, honey.” Her father hugged her tightly. “Congratulations.”

She was speechless. “But I thought…”

“Your fiancé is a wonderful man,” he interrupted. “And we’re happy to have him in our lives.”

More tears bubbled up. “Daddy…”

Her mother hugged her next. “That’s a gorgeous ring.”

“I know,” she said with a sniff.

I watched her interact with her family, proud of myself for making that moment happen.

My dad put his arm around my shoulder. “Congratulations, son.”

“Thanks.”

“I knew you’d make it.” He patted me then walked away.

Scarlet jumped in my arms and hugged me. “I know I shouldn’t be a bitch right now but I’m going to be. Told you so! Told you so! I knew you’d find your dream girl.”

I laughed while I squeezed her. “You can celebrate your victory all you want. I’m happy I was wrong.”

She moved back down and my brother hugged me.

“I can’t believe she said yes,” Sean said.

“Shut the hell up,” I snapped.

Ryan fist pounded me. “Welcome to the non-bachelor’s club. You’re going to love it.”

“I’m sure I will,” I said.

Cortland patted my shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you,” I said.

When I looked at Cassandra, she was hugging Monnique. Janice was jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

I couldn’t believe how magical this night was. It worked out better than I thought.

Andrew turned on the stereo. “Now let’s get down and dirty!”

“Oh shit,” Sean said. “My dad is going to start dancing.”

My dad moved into the circle and started dancing. Everyone clapped and danced with him.

My mom came up to me and hugged me. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

“And I love her.”

“I know you do.”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “And I’m very excited about my grand baby.”

“Good. But don’t spoil it too much.”

“I can’t promise anything.” She moved to Cassandra next and hugged her.

Everyone started to have a good time, but I only had eyes for one person. Unable to be apart from her any longer, I came to her and wrapped my arms around her.

“Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world.”

Her eyes softened. “I fixed you and you fixed me.”

I eyed the house then looked back at her. “Maybe we should sneak off a little…”

“It can wait,” she said. “And trust me, you’re going to get so much sex from me for the next few weeks.”

I smirked. “I can get on board with that.”

She pulled me toward the dance floor. “Now dance with me.”

“You’re the only woman I’ll ever dance with.”

She hooked her arms around my neck and swayed with me. “I know.”

I pressed my head to hers and stared into her eyes, unable to believe that I got my happily ever after. But I did. And I would never take it for granted. I had a baby on the way, and I was marrying the love of my life. Life was good.

She rubbed her nose against mine. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask me in bed.”

I smirked, loving how well she knew me. “I almost did.”

“For what its worth, I would have said yes.”

“I know.”

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Love Hurts

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