Chapter 23 - Ace
Sundown to Sunrise - The Ghosts of Liberty
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The sun peeks in and out of the clouds that move above us, twinkling through the canopy of white ribbon and wisteria flowers we’ve spent the past week putting together. The day after I asked Nova to marry me, I held a family meeting with Mila, Dante, Charlie, Porter and of course, Seth, who came under the ruse of baby Henry needing a babysitter. I apologised for doing everything out of order but I asked him for her hand in marriage and confessed that I love her. Despite his complaints that it took me long enough, he agreed with the plan and Operation Marry Nova was created.
Every spare minute over the past two weeks has been spent making decorations, getting dresses, suits and anything else that we thought of. Mila insisted that the wedding from Twilight should be the inspiration, so I sat through every one of those films to find it. I was team Jacob until I got to the end. As soon as he imprinted on the baby I decided that was enough teen shifter romance for a grown man to watch and I should probably go back to wedding planning.
Several overnight deliveries and a mountain of teamwork later, I'm standing under a wooden arch wrapped in white roses as the wind catches the ribbons blowing overhead. Thousands of white rose petals lay scattered on the ground, an aisle of green grass guiding a path from the barn to where I stand.
We're not on a time crunch for what time we leave today, the plan is to drive a few hours to a small resort nestled in the woods. A kind of halfway point between us and her family. Tomorrow we will get ready and drive the remaining hour and a bit to Lizzie's rehearsal dinner, with cocktail hour starting early afternoon. When she emailed me the full itinerary she apologised for the intensity of it, citing her mother had taken the lead on several things. I don’t know if I will ever understand wealthy people and their need to show everyone how rich they are. Not my Nova though. She has more money than you could spend in a lifetime. An inheritance from her grandfather she claimed after her escape. A fortune that allowed her to start over without anyone interfering.
Dante, Porter and I stand around waiting for the women folk to be ready. We watched them drive over the hill a couple of hours ago now, and I knew it was going to be a bit of a wait for her to make her entrance. I also know that Seth was going to talk with her, give her an out if she didn't want this. I don't think I let the notion of those words sink in when Seth first told me he would only be a part of this if she wanted it. Of course that makes sense, he's her dad in every sense of the word and no man will watch their daughter enter a forced marriage. But what if she doesn't want me? What if, I was so blinded by my own love for her that she simply walks away? That she welcomes the out he will give her.
I pray that she doesn't take it.
Our love for each other is not a lie but a truth, withheld. I want to give her everything and this is the first step in me showing her that I will.
Her needs will always come first.
Even if she walks away.
The large sliding door of the barn creaks open and Mila steps out, giving us all a big smile, calling out to Henry. We watch as he slowly waddles over to his mother, standing at the start of the aisle, his little legs still learning how to walk. Dante takes the opportunity to scoop him up, walking to where she stands. Blowing a raspberry to his plump cheek before passing him to Mila, his squeals of delight ringing out across the open space. She’s in a beautiful navy silk dress, or maybe it’s a gown? I'm not an expert on these things but I do know the shade matched the colour of our suits perfectly. The lady at the store said you couldn't get a closer pairing and that it would compliment the ivory of Novas dress.
Oh shit, this is happening.
Giving Dante a quick kiss, Mila shoos him away and he resumes his position next to me. I want the life he has, the love he has from Mila. I know that if they can overcome the challenges they faced, and even what Charlie and Porter went through. If they can get past their obstacles then Nova and I will be fine. If she steps out of the barn and walks toward me then I'll know for certain that she's in this with me. That no matter what, she's my person.
The low grumble of the barn door sliding open catches my attention and I swear I stop breathing. Music starts to ring out as Mila holds Henry on her hip. Charlie appears in the doorway and I can hear Porter start babbling something in Russian, no doubt complaining about the amount of men he will have to kill with her dressed so beautifully. About halfway down the aisle, Henry starts to squirm and Mila quickly lets him down. His little basket of petals hanging loosely in his hand. Dante calls him over, the determination on his face matching that of his dads. Distracted from the flowers hanging above us, his small fingers let go of the basket, spilling its contents before Mila and Charlie crouch next to him, trying to coax him to keep moving but failing. Fistfuls of petals are shoved into the basket, the most adorable little flower boy elated with his bounty.
Porter moves from where we’re standing, meeting Charlie with a passionate kiss, taking their place in front of us. As Mila and Henry approach, Dante too leaves my side to join his family, standing before us to witness our wedding. The intensity of the music picks up and my eyes lock onto the most angelic sight.
She is breathtaking.
Nova stands at the barn doors, her arm nestled firmly in the crook of Seth’s. She is a vision, and as she walks toward me, her smile is full and happy. My palms are sweating. My neck is sweating. Can your eyes sweat because that's happening too? I can feel the water spill over and run down my cheeks.
Using the decorative cloth in my jacket pocket, I wipe my eyes. Not wanting to miss a second of her with my vision blurring as she walks toward me. I'm fairly confident that the birds have stopped chirping because the beat of my heart is so loud with every step she takes toward me.
She's marrying me.
Seth kisses her on the cheek before he takes his place behind the archway. A bonus of having the sheriff become your father-in-law is that he can marry you. Shaking his hand quickly, I reach out to Novas, guiding her to stand in front of me, witnessed by our friends, our family, the beginning of us.
“Hold on a second,”
I say, my voice raw despite barely talking. I quickly retrieve the footstool I was keeping hidden, knowing I wanted us to be at eye level when we did this.
“Ace,”
she chuckles, “you didn't.”
Her laughter releases any worry I was holding on to. This is going to happen, she's choosing me.
Helping her to the top of the step ladder, I get my first full look at the woman who is about to become my wife. Her platinum hair is loose, with just a few strands clipped back by some small light blue flowers. Her dress is tight at the waist. A hint of her small breasts peeking out from the deep V cut in the middle before it flows to the ground. Simple, elegant, and unapologetically, Nova.
Looking into her eyes, I see everything I've ever wanted looking back at me.
“Before we start, I want you to know that this can all be for show. I know Seth talked with you and that he probably told you to run while you can,”
I say, quickly looking at him while he gruffs at my words. “What I'm trying to say is that before we go through with this I need you to know that I love you. I love, love you. More than guns, more than secret compartments and gadgets. I love you more than anything I've ever had in my life and if you want this to be the start of us, for this to become a real marriage, then I want that too. I desperately want it, Nova. However our future looks, I just need to know that we’re in it together.”
There’s a lump in my throat the size of Texas and she grasps onto my hands so tightly I’m almost worried about a lack of blood flow. Looking at her now, knowing her past and the woman she's fought to become. It's important she knows my truth and I have to be okay with where the cards may fall. Her chest heaves as she takes deep breaths, looking over to Charlie and Porter, then Mila and Dante with Henry fast asleep in his dad's arms. They all nod in encouragement, not certain of the traumas of her past but wanting her to make the most of her future.
Tears fall down her face and she looks over to Seth, “Pop,”
she gasps, quickly stretching out her hand to take his. Finding strength in his hold just as much as mine.
“If you're going to fall, baby. Let him be the man to catch you.”
His frown deepens slightly as he wills the tears in his eyes not to spill over, ever the stoic father figure before he moves her hand back into mine. Looking up at me, her doe eyes wide with fear and hope, she says the words we share all the time with each other, but this time it’s different. This time the meaning behind them has changed and there’s no more avoiding the idea of us being something more.
“Ace ... James. I love, love you too. And if you'd like to, I want to get married. I want to be your wife.”