Chapter 40
40
Shane
I let her go once. I won’t make that mistake twice.
This part of the beach was as close as I could remember to where we had the graduation bonfire years ago. We were fresh from the graduation ceremony and drinking beers. I don’t remember anything about that night other than I kissed Cat Farin. And now, fourteen years later, I’m marrying her. For real this time.
With Luna holding Clara on the left and Laird holding Kick on the right, I walk up the aisle, stopping to kiss my mom and shake my dad’s hand before he brings me in for a hug. “Proud of you, son.”
I don’t get to see them much, but it feels good they made the trip and got to meet their grandkids. “Thanks, Dad.”
Kissing Kick’s head and then Clara’s, I stand beside Laird and wait for my bride to arrive. He says, “Hope you’re prepared.”
Prepared for what?
The music starts, drawing my eyes up the aisle to see Tommy with my bride on his arm. “Fuck.” I dip my head and squeeze my lids tight. I don’t know why they’re watering all of a sudden.
“Yep,” Laird says, handing me a tissue. “It happens to the best of us. And you’re the worst.” He laughs under his breath.
“Fucker.” I drop my head again and wipe my eyes before balling it up and shoving it in my pocket. Holding my head high, I don’t want to miss a second of this beauty walking down the aisle to marry me.
I may be the king of the stage, but Catalina was always the queen of my heart.
Stepping forward, I take her hands and lean in to kiss her on the cheek. I’ve had children with this woman, but for some reason, we were told to keep it clean at the altar. We’ll see.
She checks on each baby before taking my hands and standing before me as I stand before her.
The rules are followed. I make sure I do for Cat’s sake.
I slip the platinum band around her finger. I didn’t write vows. I wanted to speak from the heart, so I say, “We were meant for each other. I knew that the moment I laid eyes on you. But I was no good for you at eighteen. We would have broken up and never looked back. So I can’t regret the time lost, the years I didn’t get to love you. I can only make up for them. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. I promise to be the man who’s earned his place in your life.”
My gaze travels to her mouth and the lips I can’t wait to kiss—this time as my wife. Officially. Looking into her eyes, I see the beginnings of her tears. I don’t want her to cry, not over me. Not even if they’re happy tears. I only want to see her smile. “I swear to love you with intention, fiercely protect you and our family, and to be there, to be present in our lives as we change and grow, and bloom in new directions. I will always be your biggest cheerleader and shine the spotlight on you whenever I have the chance. I’ve said it before, but I’m well aware that I’m the most fortunate man alive because I get to be called Nurse Cate’s husband and the father of her kids.” She sniffles, blinking away tears. “I love you from the depths of my soul, babe. Marrying you is the honor of my life. And it’s just fucking sexy that I get to call you my wife.”
She laughs, wiping under her eyes, but Kick starts to cry. I get it; no kid wants to hear his dad calling his mom sexy. Laird peels off to calm Kick back to sleep.
Cat slips the band on my finger. It’s not confining like I expected. Holding my hands, she says, “I didn’t dream of a better life. I had already created that on my own. I dreamed about having a family and being loved so completely that I wouldn’t remember my life prior. And then destiny brought you into my life and already had us married.” She takes a breath. “I could say I’m married to Shane Faris, and everyone would know who I’m talking about. Or I could say I married the love of my life, the man who held my hair through the early stages of pregnancy and my hand when I was upset. A man who went out of his way to make a plan because I adore them, made a weekend schedule of activities that I love, but also pushed me to be brave in new experiences. He looks at me like I saved him when I’m convinced he saved me. He’s generous to a fault and . . .” She comes closer, and whispers, “Magical with his tongue.”
Luna hoots, startling Clara, who starts crying. She also walks to the side to entertain the baby.
Cat continues, “He’s a man who loves so big that he used to misplace it to unburden himself. That’s not who he is with me. He’s my heart, the father of my children, and my other half. But he’s also my soulmate. Here’s to the present, future, and eternity loving you.”
I kiss her because I can’t wait any longer. Sliding my hands over her shoulders and higher onto her neck, I kiss her because we don’t have to be announced to know that were always meant to be. And then I dip her because it’s what I read in her romance novels, and I want her to have that moment.
“Having El Fuego’s Burrito Shack cater the reception was a stroke of genius.” Laird takes a big bite. “I have to admit, I never took you for the traditional type, cousin.”
“They’re traditions for a reason.” I take a gulp of my beer and scan the deck of the restaurant we rented out. It was only a short walk from the ceremony, so it kept the wedding plan simple.
After we sat with the twins to feed them, my aunt and uncle took them home to put them to bed. They’re great sleepers. Everyone calls us blessed. It’s such an odd thing to say. We’re blessed, even if they didn’t. We have each other. Everything else is gravy.
Receptions are for other people to celebrate—cutting cake, first dance, and whatever else is required of me, I’ll do for Cat. I just want my wife.
“Have you seen Cat?”
“She was with Luna and Maggie at the food truck last I saw them.” He scowls, looking personally offended. “Damn, I’d forgotten how bad music had gotten. This is Top 100 shit.”
I chuckle. “It’s not an issue when we’re on top.” We both turn to see the DJ in the corner, rocking like he’s listening to real music, like ours. He’s not. This singer’s balls haven’t even dropped. “That’s why we make our own music.”
He tosses the trash in a bin nearby. “I’m off to find Poppy.” Grabbing my shoulder, he says, “Congrats, man.” He drags me in like the sap he is and pats my back. I humor him and knock my shoulder against his and pat him right back.
The crowd shifts as trays of desserts are brought out, giving me a view of Cat—stunning in a white dress with no straps, her hair pulled back since the ceremony because of the wind that’s picked up, and wearing shoes with no heel because she intends to dance the night away. Other than when the twins were born, I’ve never seen her happier.
My chest tightens, so I scrub my palm over it. It doesn’t ease it. It never does. Because it’s not about pain but the beauty of living this life with her.
Come to think of it, she was really fucking happy the first time I showed up to her work. And she found some sick joy when we were leaving the divorce meeting. I’ve seen her happy more than anything else. The Grammys don’t matter. That woman, our two kids . . . their happiness will be my greatest success.
I leave my beer on a table and cross the deck, ready to pull her into my arms once again and give her the fairy-tale ending. But then I look to her left. Fuck .
Rushing past guests, I slide my arm around her waist. “Hey, what are you guys talking about?”
She’s barely five foot, if that. My gaze dips to Roberta when she says, “I was just telling her about the funny mixup…”
I shamelessly kiss my wife by sliding my hands over her ears and attacking her mouth. She swats me away. I don’t blame her. “What are you doing, babe?”
“Kissing you.”
I receive a pointed stare and then a smile contradicting it. “Did you forget we’re in public?”
“Nope.”
She starts laughing, running her hand down the front of my jacket. “Okay, I’m not sure what to do with that, but I guess it’s something we need to discuss privately and not during our reception.” Great, that went sideways. Now she thinks I’m into that when there’s no fucking way anyone will ever see my wife naked.
I take my jacket off and wrap it around her shoulders. Pulling her against my side, I tuck her under my arm. “How long do you want to stay?”
Her hand covers mine, and she looks up at me. “Not long, I promise, and then I’ll be ready.”
Kissing her head, I say, “We can stay as long as you want.”
She turns back to Roberta. “She was just telling me the most interesting story about their online beta program. Apparently, we were part of it. That’s what caused the marriage mess.”
“Is it a mess?” I ask, lowering my hand to get a good grasp of her fine ass. “I see it more as divine intervention.”
Angling against me, she rubs her hand over my stomach, but she’s not sneaky. I know she’s copping a feel of my abs. She glances up at me. “You knew about the beta program?”
Fuck me.
My eyes dart to Roberta, who is cringing for me. Yeah, not the way I wanted to start my real marriage. Roberta shrugs. “I thought she knew.”
“Knew what?” My sweet girl.
“There’s really not much to tell. Does it matter now?”
“No, but I’d like to be in on the secret.”
Roberta’s joy gets the better of her. “It’s so good to be here to witness you guys finally coming together. I knew you two were meant for each other, and now you’re legally married.”
I see the thoughts running through Cat’s expression when she asks, “I thought we already were?”
“Officially married,” Roberta says so cheerfully, and then backtracks when she sees Cat’s face. “I must be confused.” She turns. “Brownies.” And then she’s gone, leaving me stuck in this trap of lies all by myself.
My eyes dart to Cat, who appears to be muddling through this information to make it make sense. Facing me straight on, she asks, “Were we ever married?”
Best intentions or not, I kept it from her. But it was always going to come out.
“We are now. That’s what matters.” I move in to kiss her again because I can tell she’s not mad and even holds me close by fisting my shirt. She is quiet, though. And that’s unsettling. The last thing I want to do is upset her. That’s what got me here, though.
“It’s hard to be upset when it all worked out better than I could have dreamed. We have two beautiful babies, and we’re married.” When she looks up at me, she asks, “Do you have any other secrets? Now would be a great time to share.”
“I bought the house.”
“You bought what house?” She’s not generally shocked anymore when I make big purchases. We consult each other anyway, but I know this one is different.
Pulling the key from my pocket, I hold it in my palm. “You deserved that house you lost.”
Her head jerks back, surprise taking over. “Shane . . .”
“I took a chance.”
Tears well in her eyes. Taking the key from me, she looks back up just as a tear falls. “Why would you do that? It’s too small for our family.”
“It felt like the right thing to do. You worked hard to have something of your own. Now you do. Paid in full.” She rests her forehead against me, staring at the key in her hand. “Make it an art studio where you can paint. You’re so talented.” I stroke her back several times, then hold her. “Fill the yard with gardens and those overflowing flower beds. Take a nap when you need a break from the house. Rent it out to make money on it. You can do whatever you want with it because it’s yours.”
“Is it mine when we didn’t sign a prenup? I mean,” she says, wrapping her arms around my middle and smiling up at me. “What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.”
“What’s mine is yours, but that house is in your name alone.”
She rattles the keys in her hand again. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss her head.
Looking up at me again, she says, “We always call the marriage debacle a mess, but I don’t see it that way anymore. I see it as destiny course correcting.”
“I like that.” When I lift her chin, those soulful eyes I fell in love with so long ago still make my heart beat hard in my chest, steadier and stronger than any drums ever could.
She says, “I think I’m ready.”
“Yeah? What are you ready for?”
“To start this beautiful life. Let’s go home.”
Looking around the party, we’d be stuck for two hours saying goodbye if we made rounds. When I glance down at my wife by my side, I can tell she realizes the same. She asks, “Want to sneak out?”
I laugh, loving how much I’ve rubbed off on her. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”
“Sometimes life has other plans for us. Come on. I scoped out our escape path earlier in the day.” Pulling me by the hand, she leads me to the steps that flow to the sand.
“So this was the plan all along?”
Shrugging, she laughs. “Tomato.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
We make it out without anyone noticing, and even into the Ferrari the valet pulled around. Hopping in, I’m tempted to squeal the tires in a fast getaway, but that would draw too much attention, so I drive the speed limit instead.
We make it a few lights down, cruising toward the highway entrance. Sitting at a stoplight, I rest my hand on her leg. “I love you.” I feel so fucking happy. I didn’t know life could be this good until Catalina Farin, now Faris, showed me by loving me.
“I love you, too.” There’s a pause, causing me to look over at her. “You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?”
The light turns green, so I start driving again. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss it, then hold it to my chest. “What have you been thinking about lately?”
“What are the chances of having twins again?”
Slamming on my brakes in the middle of a busy street was not my best reaction. “I’m going to need you to hold that thought.” I pull into the nearest shopping center, grateful we weren’t hit. Parked between a grocery store and under the glowing sign of an In-N-Out Burger, I turn to her. “Are you pregnant?”
She takes my hand and pulls it to her stomach. “The babies are craving french fries.”
The words hit quick, sinking into my thoughts. Pregnant. Twins. We haven’t even had a honeymoon. Dropping my head forward, I scrub the inner corners of my eyes as they begin to water, too happy to give a shit about a fancy vacation.
I swallow down the emotions threatening to stick in my throat, then look at her, my stunning wife, the mother of my children, waiting so patiently for my reaction. I rest my palm on her stomach and rub gently. Leaning over the console, I kiss her, her lips the sweetest thing I ever tasted. Loving her is my greatest pleasure.
I nod, too overcome to say anything. I kiss her again and then along her jaw because I find comfort in our connection. Bending down, I kiss her stomach twice for the twins.
When I finally sit back, our fingers are woven together, our hold on each other solid. Looking at this incredible woman beside me, I say, “We should get the babies those french fries then.”
Eliciting her smile is everything, the heavy sigh she releases as if she’d been holding her breath also gives me relief. She nods, her shoulders relaxing, and then asks, “And maybe a strawberry shake?”
I chuckle, shifting the car into drive. “We’re definitely getting a strawberry shake.”
Pulling her hand to my chest again, I smile like a fool pulling into the drive-through lane. When I glance over at her, she’s smiling the same. Partners in crime. Forever. Eternity. Always.
What a wild ride we’ve been on. “And to think, we started with a glitch.”
She laughs, but then it settles into a sweet smile. “No, babe. We started with a kiss.”