Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Emma
Chloe Emmerson is a whirlwind.
I know no one here well enough to help me organise a wedding at short notice, but Caleb’s sister was apparently over the moon when he asked her.
Before the barbecue, the last time I saw Chloe, she was eleven years old and she adored her big brother.
It’s clear that hasn’t changed.
I was happy to get married at the registry office as soon as we could get the license.
Caleb wasn’t happy with the registry office. He wanted something we could remember forever.
Chloe’s intervened and convinced both of us that she could organise our perfect day in a week. And as together as I always had to be for the sake of my children, she leaves me in her shadow.
But I’m content to sit back and watch—especially when on day two we get into a boutique to look at wedding dresses.
I don’t want something traditional, and it’s not like I have months to get anything made. But Chloe knows this city much better than I do now, and she’s like an excited child when we arrive in a shop full of gowns.
It’s so overwhelming.
She frowns once her initial excitement is over, and studies me closely.
“This is a little too much for you, isn’t it?”
I force a smile. “I’m okay.”
“I’m just so happy for you and Caleb. I remember what he was like when you left.”
My heart sinks. Of course she’s old enough to remember that. Caleb and I haven’t discussed much about that time other than me not being able to contact him. I’d always imagined he missed me the way I missed him, but over time I wondered maybe if it was more one-sided.
“What was he like?”
Chloe takes my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. “Why don’t we go for lunch after this, and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“I’d like that.”
“You’ll be my sister-in-law soon, and I’d love it if we were close.”
Tears prick my eyes. It’s been so long since I’ve had any friends of my own, and I’d love to have more women in my life. Chloe’s so nice and she understands the pressures of being a mother.
“I’d like that too.”
She nods in the direction of the dresses. “Let’s go find something that’ll make my brother’s eyeballs fall out.”
I bark out a laugh, and she tugs on my arm.
Her bouncy mood is infectious—it helps me relax and enjoy the moment.
I think I’m going to enjoy friendship with Chloe very much.
I lost count of how many dresses I try on. Each one looks amazing on the hanger, but once it’s on, they just don’t feel right.
Except one.
The very last one I try on floats down me like a dream as I slip it over my head.
I pat myself down before leaving the dressing room.
“Oh, Emma. That’s the one.” Chloe’s breathless, and when I turn to look at the mirror, I completely understand why.
The pale blue gown hugs my waist and hips like a second skin, and the skirt flares out, weightless and airy down to my feet.
“Your boobs look amazing in it. Caleb will swallow his tongue.” Chloe laughs, and it brings a smile to my face.
“I feel like a princess.”
“You look like one. We need to find some jewellery to match. I know the perfect place.”
I grimace. “I can’t spend much.”
“It’s on me. I’ve got to get you a wedding present anyway.”
I turn toward her. She’s beaming with happiness, and it’s impossible for it not to rub off. “Chloe, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“We are going to be sisters.” She grasps my arm. “You make him very happy.”
“He makes me happy. I’m just not sure if he’ll stick around afterward, you know?”
Her brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he asked me to marry him when facing up to my father. When all that’s resolved, do you think he’ll want to stay married to me?”
Her blue eyes pierce my brain, and I have to look away.
“I think that once you’re married, there’s no keeping him from you. He loves you, Emma. I remember when you left. He was such an angry, miserable mess and it took him a long time to get over it. But when he realised you were back … it was like no time at all had gone past.”
I meet her gaze again. “That’s how I feel when we’re together.”
“Then be happy. He’s not going to let anything happen to you, and he’s not going anywhere.” She smiles. “Except maybe now he’ll live in your house and not in our parents back yard.”
We both laugh.
“I have coffee group once a week with a group of women I think you’d love. Please let me take you one day.”
“I’d like that.”
She grins. “I’ll text Meredith. I went to school with her. They’re all locals. You might have even been at school with one or two of them.”
My heart swells.
“Now, let’s get out of here. I’d kill for a coffee about now.”
I turn for her to help me with the zip. “You really think this is the dress?”
“You look amazing. Let’s grab this, go and get lunch, and then I think a jewellery hunt is in order.”
I smile the whole way back into the changing room. When the dress is slipped off, I hold the soft fabric in my hands and sigh. This wedding might be hurried, but it’s light years from my first one.
Me, pregnant and in jeans and a blouse at a registry office.
A groom I didn’t love who was twenty-six years older than teenage me.
This time I marry a man I love—the father of one of my children, and I’m happy about it. No one’s forcing me into something I don’t want to do.
I just hope he does stick around.
The warm sun streams through the kitchen window bathing Caleb in light.
He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
For a moment, I just stand in the doorway and watch him as he gazes out the window. It’s been a long time since he was that tall, gangly teenager I fell in love with. But the man he’s become is so much more.
I clear my throat.
He turns and his smile makes me smile.
“Hey. You’re back. Chloe with you?”
I shake my head. “She just dropped me off.”
“What did you do today? Chloe said you were going shopping.”
I nod. “I found a dress.”
Caleb’s eyebrows rise. “A wedding dress?”
“Chloe took me to the most amazing dress shop. It took a while, but I found something perfect.”
He slips his arms around my waist. “Do I get a preview?”
“It’s bad luck before the day.”
Caleb kisses me softly. “I can’t wait.”
“It won’t be long.” I sigh. “I’m so glad you two talked me into having a proper wedding.”
He chuckles. “Me too.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so sentimental.”
His eyes search mine. “This is my one and only wedding.”
My throat tightens. I know he’s doing this to protect me and my children from my father and the church, and he says he loves me, but there’s a part of me that still doesn’t trust his feelings. He’s a good man—I think he’d offer to marry me either way.
“Caleb, you don’t have to do this.”
His brows knit. “How many times do I have to tell you that I want to?”
“You’ve never wanted to settle down before. Why now?”
He squeezes my hip and tilts his head. “You. You turned my whole world upside down coming back. Do you think I’m going to let you get away again?”
“So this is because of Noah?”
His frown deepens. “No. It’s because of you. I know you’re finding your way back to yourself, and I want to be a part of that journey. I’d told myself so many times that my feelings for you weren’t as deep as I remembered, but spending time with you has taught me that’s not true.”
“Caleb,” I whisper.
“I know you feel the same. We’re just fast tracking this to sort out the problems with your dad. And then we get to live the rest of our lives together.” He places a kiss on my nose. “Okay?”
I nod. “Okay. I’m trying to give you an out in case you—”
“I don’t want an out. What I want is to put my ring on your finger and promise that I will always love and support you—no matter what.”
This time he kisses my lips, and I sigh against him before he deepens the kiss. Of all the things I missed about Caleb, it’s the fact the man can kiss. He was talented at sixteen, but at forty-three, I could do this for hours.
When he finally lets me come up for air, he presses his forehead to mine. “You got that?”
“I got it.”
“What we do have to talk about is living arrangements. We haven’t discussed me moving in.”
I bite my bottom lip. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Well, clearly you guys can’t all move into my place. It’s too small.” He chuckles. “Sean has the prenup together. We can sign it before the weekend.”
My heart thuds. This man.
He waves his hands in the air. “This is your inheritance. I just want to give you that reassurance I’m not after you for your house or any money you’ve got.”
“I know that.” I place my palm on his chest.
“It’s obvious you don’t fully trust my motives yet, but you’ve got me for life. If you want me.” His blue eyes search mine, and I nod.
“I want you, too.”
“Stop worrying and enjoy the ride.”
I bark out a laugh and he pulls me in tight against him.
“This is where I belong. With you,” he murmurs into my hair.
This is what I clung to for so long after I left. Memories of what it was like to be loved kept me warm for years.
I’m so scared about jumping into this with Caleb, but at the same time it feels right.
I couldn’t do this with anyone else but him.