Chapter 19
Laura
“Good morning, darling,” Dallas mumbles, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close.
“Morning,” I say with a smile, curling into his embrace. We have been dating for over a year now, but waking up next to Dallas still gave me butterflies.
“Any fun plans for today?” he asks.
I laugh. “You’re looking at a free Saturday for the first time in months. I was thinking we could check out that new art exhibit you’ve been wanting to see?”
Dallas kisses the top of my head, his fingers tracing circles on my back. “Perfect.”
“Wonderful,” I say. We lay there for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company.
Dallas and I have such an easy chemistry.
We can spend hours together talking, or be perfectly content saying nothing at all.
He is the yin to my yang, balancing my Type A tendencies with his laid-back approach to life.
Dallas sits up with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head. I admire the lean muscles of his torso, a surge of affection washing over me. Here is a man who could have any woman he wanted, yet he spends his Saturday mornings with me.
“I’m going to make some coffee,” he says, leaning down to kiss me again. “Want some?”
I grin up at him, reaching up to run a hand through his already messy bedhead. “Please. And maybe some toast too?”
He arches an eyebrow. “Toast too, huh? Aren’t we demanding?”
This is bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss. And I never want it to end.
As he heads downstairs, I notice something strange in the pocket of his discarded jeans—a small velvet box. Could it be?
I shake my head, trying to dispel the thought.
Still, my curiosity gets the better of me. I slide out of bed and creep over to his jeans, slowly reaching into the pocket. My fingers close around a familiar shape. I gingerly lift out the box, flipping it open to reveal a glittering diamond ring.
My breath catches in my throat. This isn’t just any ring; it is utterly breathtaking. Dallas has impeccable taste, and he must have spared no expense on this.
Which can only mean one thing. He is going to propose.
I slide the ring back into his pocket, my hands trembling. Marriage. To Dallas. The thought fills me with equal parts delight and panic. Our relationship is the most fulfilling one I’ve ever known, but am I ready to commit my life to another person?
I am still standing there, frozen in place, when he comes back upstairs. One look at my face and he knows. His expression turns sheepish as he runs a hand through his hair.
“You found the ring,” he says. My heart thuds in my chest as he sinks down on one knee, gazing up at me with eyes full of love and tenderness.
“Laura Stevens, will you marry me?”
I stare at him, overwhelmed with emotion. “Yes,” I breathe. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
Dallas’s face lights up with joy. He surges to his feet and envelopes me in a warm hug, spinning me around. I cling to him, laughing and crying all at once.
When he sets me down, he takes the ring from his pocket and slides it onto my finger. It is a perfect fit.
“I love you so much,” he murmurs, cupping my face in his hands. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I love you too,” I say. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
We sit down on the edge of the bed, eager to plan our future together. “A small wedding would be perfect,” I say. “Just close friends and family. Nothing too fancy.”
He nods. “I agree. A big wedding isn’t important to me. All I care about is making you my wife.”
I laugh, filled with joy and gratitude at finding a man who understands and supports me. Our future is bright, and I can’t wait to embark on the adventure of marriage together.
After going to the exhibit, we drive to the courthouse. It is a brick building that looks about as romantic as a DMV, but I don’t care. I am marrying the love of my life, and that is all that matters.
We walk through the heavy wooden doors, his arm wrapped around my waist. The courthouse is dim and stuffy, with ugly green carpeting and fluorescent lights that buzzes faintly overhead. A few people mill around, waiting in various lines.
He wrinkles his nose. “Not exactly the wedding of your dreams, is it?”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “Every place is magical when I’m with you.”
His eyes soften. “You’re too good for me, you know that?”
“Nonsense,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. “We’re made for each other.”
After waiting in line for what seems like hours, we reach the front. The clerk looked bored as she shuffles through a stack of papers. “Name?” she asks in a monotone voice.
“Laura Stevens and Dallas De La Cruz,” I say. Nothing can dampen my enthusiasm today.
She stamps a few forms with a rubber stamp and slides them across the counter. “That’ll be fifty dollars. Cash or credit?”
He pays the fee and tucks the marriage license into his jacket pocket.
I throw my arms around him, overjoyed that tomorrow I’ll be Mrs. Laura De La Cruz.
Our unconventional wedding suits us perfectly.
All that matters is that we are committing our lives to each other, ready to face any challenge that comes our way.
The next morning, Valerie helps me pick out an outfit for the wedding while we chat on the phone.
“Something simple but elegant,” she advises. “You don’t want to be overdressed for the courthouse, but you still want to look special.”
I settle on a knee-length ivory dress, a string of pearls Dallas gave me on our first anniversary, and a pair of nude heels. When I emerge from the bedroom, Dallas’s eyes lit up.
“You look stunning,” he says, enveloping me in a hug.
“So do you,” I say, admiring how handsome he looks in his gray suit.
We arrive at the courthouse a few minutes before our scheduled appointment, clutching each other’s hands to steady our nerves.
The same bored clerk meets us at the counter, barely glancing up from her phone. “You’re late. Go on in. The judge is waiting.”
My heart races as we enter the courtroom. Judge Collins, an older man with kind eyes and a warm smile, greets us from behind the bench. “Welcome. Whenever you’re ready.”
Dallas and I walk up to stand before him, our hands still clasped together. We wrote our own vows to keep things simple.
I clear my throat, hoping my voice wouldn’t shake. “From the moment I met you, I knew you were special. You’ve brought so much joy and love to my life, and I cherish each day we spend together. I give you my heart, and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor, as I join my life to yours forever.”
He blinks back tears, gazing at me with such tenderness it makes my breath catch. “Laura, you make me want to be a better man, and together, I know there’s nothing we can’t face. I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. You are my best friend and now you will be my wife.”
Judge Collins dabs at his eyes with a handkerchief. “What beautiful vows. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!”
Dallas sweeps me into his arms and kisses me, eliciting cheers from our witnesses. When we break apart, I see tears glistening in his eyes to match my own.
We sign the marriage license with trembling fingers, the permanence of our union hitting me in a wave of joy and nervousness. We are married. Mr. and Mrs. De La Cruz.
As we walk down the courthouse steps into the sunshine, he squeezes my hand. “What would you like to do to celebrate, Mrs. De La Cruz?”
I smile up at him. “Anything, as long as we’re together. But maybe we could do dinner at our favorite Italian place and then go dancing?”
“Perfect.” He kisses the top of my head. “Then whatever comes after.”
A delicious shiver runs down my spine at the promise in his tone. I have married this complex, passionate man, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. “To the future, Mr. De La Cruz.”
“To the future, Mrs. De La Cruz.”