28. Kai
I stand in a courtroom next to the Justice of the Peace. Liam and Emerson are at my side, and Mom is sitting in a chair in front of us. The doors open, and my heart drops out of my chest as I take in Cordelia on Reece’s arm.
She.
Is.
Stunning.
That dress is something. It fits her figure perfectly and shows off her beautiful neck with the way it dips down across her chest. Her baby bump shows, and my eyes well. I get to marry my best friend. I don’t cry, tears were beat out of us as kids, but seeing my future walk towards me makes the dam that was boarded and welded shut burst right open. I take a shaky breath, and Emerson pats my back while Liam leans over my shoulder.
“She’s beautiful, man,” he says, and I nod, unable to take my eyes off her.
There is no music except the thump of my heart. Cordi is holding the bouquet of flowers Mom ordered from the florist. She has light makeup like she always does, and her lips are glossy while her pretty, long, dark hair cascades down her back.
As Cordi takes her next steps to me, my gut settles because this moment is special. It was fast and unusual, far from typical, but it was perfect for us. They come to a stop in front of us, and Reece looks me in the eye. I face him as he hands me the most precious part of him.
“I trust you’ll take good care of her,” he says to me, holding out his hand.
I nod and shake it firmly.
I reach for Cordelia’s hands, and they fit perfectly in mine. She smiles up at me, and I grin back, almost giddy. The Justice asks us to repeat after him. I wink at her and wipe a tear from her eye.
“Do you, Kai Coldwell, take Cordelia Quinn to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to honor and cherish, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“I do,” I say, and her eyes glitter at me like the sun reflects off the ocean.
He asks Cordelia the same, and her hands squeeze mine tighter. “I do,” she rasps.
“You may now share your vows,” the justice says.
My heart thuds in my chest painfully, and I release one of her hands and put it on her belly. “Cordelia Quinn, I love you. Love isn’t always enough, but for us it is. Every bit of me is committed to you, blood and soul. You are my light in my tunnel of darkness. You are a blessing that I have done nothing to deserve. You are my reason to fight for light. I can’t wait to be your husband and… a father. You have made me a better man, and I hope to make you proud.”
Cordelia lifts her hand, dabbing at her eyes again, and takes a deep breath. “Kai, my daredevil, my best friend. I knew you were the one when we met as kids. I had hoped and prayed that God would bless me with you, and He did. It wasn’t at all how I thought it would be, but isn’t that how it always goes?” I nod and blink away the tears. “You make me feel safe, loved, and cherished. You make me feel like the sky is the limit, and you’ll take me up there just to see if it’s true. You give me a reason to face my fears and be stronger than them. You give me a reason every day to keep trying, even when I fail. I will always be there no matter what happens, no matter the outcome, because you are mine, and I am yours. Together, fear has no place between us. I will be fearless with you in the face of life. I love you so much. I can’t wait to be your wife, and I hope that I can make you proud of me. You make me a better woman, and there is no question in my mind that you are the one my soul has been waiting for.” A tear slips past my eyes, and I quickly brush it away.
The justice calls for the rings, and Emerson presents them. As we recite our commitment, I slip her wedding band next to her engagement ring. As she slides mine over my finger, it’s like a piece of me clicks into place, my other half finally home.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” he says, a little choked up himself. He takes a step back, and I grab Cordelia, spreading my hand on her lower back and the other to the back of her neck. I tip her slightly before slamming my lips on hers. She grabs onto my shoulders for balance. Our tongues push past each other’s, and I lose myself in her for a moment before the world comes back into color and sound. Everyone is clapping and whooping. Reluctantly parting, I stand her back up, still keeping my hands on her.
“Ow, ow!” Liam yells, and Cordelia giggles, lifting her chin to kiss me again. I hug her tightly, then drop down onto my knee to press a kiss on her stomach.
“How?” I ask her. Her eyes search mine, and she kisses me again.
“Because it was meant to be,” she whispers so only I can hear. There is no other way to put it because people like me don’t deserve people like her.
Mom hired a photographer, so we take a few photos and then head to dinner. I can’t take my hands off of her. I have to force my eyes away so I don’t trip and eat it. The way it felt to have her slide that ring on my finger felt momentous. My life will never be the same. It felt better than any jump, and it feels right on my finger.
Emerson holds the door for the family as we walk into Le Luke. Mom gives them her name, and they lead us to a private room they had reserved on the second floor. We walk past the massive wine cellar and up a white and light brown staircase with gold accents while a large chandelier hangs in the middle of the ceiling.
The private room is huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows showing off the sunset, which casts a pinkish hue. Centerpieces are lit, and flowers run down the center.
“This is beautiful,” Cordelia gasps, and I squeeze her hip and take her to her seat.
The table isn’t large since there’s only six of us. Once she’s seated, I order a round of bourbon for my brothers and me, then make myself comfortable next to her with my arm around her shoulders and her hand on my thigh.
“You are stunning, wife,“ I murmur in her ear, making her shudder. I smirk because I love calling her wife. A word I never thought I would be saying to any woman.
“Thank you, husband,“ she whispers back. I can’t help myself and grab her chin, laying one on her. A throat clears, and we pull apart as Mom rises for a toast.
“To Kai and Cordelia, may their love be strong, committed, and passionate. Welcome to the family, Cordelia. Cheers,” she says, and everyone clinks their glasses.
Reece clears his throat and stands. “I wanted to say something.” We all turn and look at the other end of the table. “Kai, I forbade you from even looking at my daughter. Now you’re married, and she’s pregnant, so that clearly got through to both of you.” I grin at him, and Cordelia puts her face in her hands, groaning. “In all seriousness, I can see the love you have for each other is very much real. If I had the choice to make anyone my son-in-law, I’m damn glad it’s you. So here’s to a long, happy marriage and to breaking the rules.”
Liam yells, “Hell yeah!” and we raise our glasses again. Then Liam stands and says, “Well if we’re going around the table, then—“
Emerson grabs his arm, forcing him to sit back down, and I give him a flat “No.”
He grins widely at both of us instead. “Welcome to the family, little sister,” he says, winking at her. I growl, and Liam throws his head back in laughter.
“Thank you, Liam,” Cordelia says, raising her mocktail to him.
The waiter comes in and hands Kai and me each a menu.
“I know this is a fancy place, but garlic cheesy bread sounds so good right now. But the short rib looks good, too,” Cordelia sighs.
“Is that what you want, baby?”
She shrugs and looks up at the waiter. “For dinner, can we do either the chicken or the short rib?” she asks the waiter, and he smiles professionally.
“Gem, do you want cheesy garlic bread?” I ask her again.
“I’m sorry, sir, we don’t—“
I cut him off with a look and glance at my wife.
“They don’t have it,” she says.
“But do you want it?” I ask her.
She nods and bites her lip. “If they don’t have it, they don’t have it, Kai.”
I give the waiter a severe look, and his eyes widen a bit.
“We can certainly get that added for you, not a problem,” he says quickly.
“Thank you so much,” Cordelia says. I’m craving it so badly right now. Can we do the cobb for the salad? Then, for dessert, I want that chocolate cake with vanilla Swiss buttercream, cherry compote filling, and chocolate ganache.”
“Yes, ma’am, anything else?” he asks her. She shakes her head, and I nod in thanks. The waiter goes around the table, collecting orders from each family member.
“You didn’t have to scare that guy over some garlic bread,” Cordi whispers in my ear.
I move my hand to the side of her neck and rub my thumb on the edge of her jaw. “Whatever you want, you get. It’s that simple. Also, a place like this can make you almost whatever you want. Don’t feel bad. Mom knows the head chef, and I think he has a crush on her, so he will do it.”
“Ooo, scandalous,” she says. I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“The drama,“ I say, and she giggles and takes a sip of her drink. “Are you happy, Cordi?”
Her expression drops, and her cute eyebrows squish together. “Why would you ask that?”
Without thinking, I smooth my thumb between them, and she makes a silly face. “Because this was probably not how you dreamed your wedding day would be. We can do that later, but—“
“Kai, I’m happier than I can put into words, okay? I told you I was sure, and I meant it. I love you, and we’re with our family. I’m happy if you’re happy.”
“I’m happier than I deserve, baby,” I say roughly.
“Then you clearly have no idea what you deserve,” she says quietly and tilts her head up for a kiss. I press a gentle one on her, then lift her hand to kiss her knuckles.
Minutes later, a few waiters bring in our cheesy garlic bread and Cobb salad.
Cordi wiggles in her seat and bites into the bread, sighing. “This is the best thing I have ever eaten.” I smile down at her, enjoying the food, and sneak a bite of hers. I faintly hear Liam snort, and I ignore him as Cordi feeds me some of her garlic bread. “Isn’t it good?” she asks.
I nod, chewing. I glance up at Emerson, who is looking at us with something in his eye that I can’t place. My older brother is locked up tighter than Fort Knox, and now is hardly the time or place to ask him about it.
“This place is amazing, or maybe I’m just famished and very pregnant,” Cordi adds.
“It’s definitely good,” I say and take a bite of my own food.
After we enjoy the appetizer, our main course comes out.
While we eat, I look around the table at my family and smile to myself. I actually saw Emerson the grump smile. The peace can be tangibly felt. I can count on one hand the number of times we have sat down and ate, enjoying the time we’ve spent together. All of those times have been without my father. This one is special, though. Not just because I’m a married man now but because it feels like, for the first time in a long time, there is a light at the end of this never-ending tunnel.
My family and I have been in this darkness since my brothers and I were born. I glance at Mom as she talks quietly to Emerson, and the stress that usually regally sits on her face is smoothed out. We will see this to the end, whatever it takes. I turn back to Cordi, and she’s still digging into her food, not paying attention to anything else. I love her so much, I love our kid, and I will stop at nothing to make sure we are all safe and can move on with our lives. The chains my father has had around us for years will be severed.
“Are you okay?” Cordelia asks, bringing me back into the room like a rubber band snap.
“Yeah, I’m alright, baby,” I tell her and kiss her temple.
A bit later, they bring out the cake with long sparklers on the top, fizzing and lighting up Cordi’s eyes. After the sparklers go out, the waiter cuts everyone a piece. Emerson clears his throat and stands. My heart pounds in my chest. I’m amazed he’s saying anything.
“I’d like to say something, if you don’t mind,” he says. I’m frozen in place but manage to nod. “First, congratulations, you two. Welcome to the family, Cordi and Reece. We’re glad to have you. I can sense a change in the air, and you, Cordelia, are the beginning of that. So, to new beginnings. Tueri, defendere, amare. To Kai and Cordelia.“ My throat is too tight, and my eyes burn. My brother sacrificed more than Liam and I, and it will never go unacknowledged. He deserves so much more.
“Thank you, brother,” I rasp and raise my glass to him.
On our way out of the restaurant, Cordelia hugs my arm close to her, and I shuck my jacket off and lay it over her shoulders. “Thank you,” she says and resumes holding on to me.
Everyone tells us goodbye, and I take my wife to the penthouse. “What does that mean?” Cordelia asks while we wait for the elevator.
“Hmm?” I ask in a hum, and she looks over her shoulder at Emerson and Liam, who are heading to the hotel bar. Mom and Reece both went their separate ways when we left.
“What Emerson said, what did it mean?” she asks.
“Tueri, defendere, amare? Is that what you’re asking about?“ She nods. “It’s from our family crest, which is arguably laughable but true. It’s Latin, it means protect, defend, love.”
“I don’t think it’s laughable at all. It’s you, Liam, and Emerson. That’s exactly who you are. That’s all you three have ever done for your mom, each other, and now us,” she says, putting her hands on her belly. I stare at her hand on her stomach, and the elevator finally dings. We step into the thankfully empty elevator, and I hit the button for the fourth penthouse. Then, I swipe my card for it to let us in. The doors close, and my eyes drag over to Cordelia.
“Do you think so?” I ask her. My heart thunders in my chest like a pack of wild horses. She licks her lips. The anticipation grows thick between us, and it’s all I can do not to throw her up against the metal wall. Regardless, that’s not how this can work right now, not with the baby.
“You’ve always done that for me, even when we were kids and I was around during the summers. If I fell, you were there, if I needed defending, you were there, and if I…” she pauses and swallows thickly, looking up into my eyes. “If I needed to be loved, you were there.” She blinks, and her eyes water again. “I love you,” she whispers.
The elevator dings, and we step out and walk the five feet to our door. I open the door, tug her in, slam it closed, and flip the lock. She grips my forearms, and I push her up against the wall.
“I will always love you. I need to love you.“ I tell her and slam my lips on hers. She whimpers into my mouth and drags her hands up my arms to my neck, her nails finger the shorter hair at the back of my head. Without parting, I lift her up, and she locks her ankles at my spine. Though the baby bump is there, it doesn’t keep me from claiming every bit of her.
I carry her to our room and gently lay her on the bed before crawling over her body on all fours, continuing to trail kisses down her neck to where her dress dips. The baby has made her breasts bigger, and it’s all I can do not to bite into them like a juicy strawberry. Cordelia grips my hair, pulling me back up to her lips. We explore each other like it’s the first time our lips have met. I knew the first time we kissed, it would never be enough, and the fact that she is my wife now makes me want to roar.
Something snaps in me. She is mine. With gentle but firm hands, I pull her to her feet. She wobbles a bit, and I grin at the slightly dazed look in her eyes as I grab the hem of her dress and pull it up over her body. “Kai, I don’t…this is not what I…”
I toss the dress to the floor and kick off my shoes and socks. “What’s wrong? We can stop, just say the word.”