Chapter Forty-Eight #2
I rest my forehead against hers. “You mean it, Indi? Because if you’re messing with me…” My voice drops. “It’ll destroy me.”
She kisses me again. “Marry me, Caleb.” Her smile softens. “I want to be your wife. Forever.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her onto my lap. “If we get married…” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear, “… everyone will know. They’ll know who you are. They’ll know we’re together.” I search her face. “Are you ready for that?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “I love you.” Her hand cups my cheek. “I trust you.” She smiles. “I’m ready.”
My chest feels too full for my heart.
She reaches behind her back and finally reveals the ring box she’d been hiding.
I laugh. “You planned this.”
“I might have.” She hands me the box.
Inside sits the ring, and she extends her left hand.
My fingers shake almost as much as hers as I slide it onto her finger—it fits perfectly.
Like it was always meant to be there.
Like she was always meant to be mine.
Finally.
Forever.
I look back up at her. “I’m going to give you the most incredible wedding.” I hook my hands beneath her thighs and pull her fully onto my lap.
She laughs, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I don’t know…” she says. “I’m not really into big rockstar weddings.”
“You don’t want to be a princess for a day?”
She wrinkles her nose. “I’d rather something small… intimate… just us.”
I grin. “We could always elope.”
Her whole face lights up. “That would be perfect.”
“Really?”
She nods. “Think about it. If we had a big wedding, everyone would be there for you. I’d have Kenzi.” Her smile fades a little. “It would feel so one-sided.”
I nod. “I get it.”
She’d feel the absence of her family more than she’d feel the celebration.
“I don’t want that for you.”
She squeezes my hands. “So…”
“So…” I smile. “Elope it is. The only person I need standing beside me is you.”
Her eyes glisten. “Can I ask for two more people?”
“Sure.”
“Your mum and dad.” She smiles shyly. “They’re the closest thing I have to family.”
My heart melts. “I’d love that, and so would they.” I laugh. “Besides, if we got married without Mum there, she’d probably hunt us down and kill us both.”
Indi giggles, then leans in to kiss me.
I kiss her back, running my fingers through her hair.
It’s longer now than when we first got together.
Beautiful.
Just like her.
“When do you want to do this?” I ask. “Next year?”
She smiles. “Would tomorrow be too soon? I think we’ve waited long enough to be together finally.”
I can’t stop smiling. “You’re serious?”
She nods.
Without another word, I grab my cell and dial Dad’s number.
***
Dad straightens my tie as I stand in the dressing room of Auchen Castle in Gretna Green, Scotland.
Because of the Banns of Marriage in England, and because Indi was determined to become my wife now, Scotland was our only real option. Otherwise, we’d have been waiting at least three weeks before we could marry.
Neither of us wanted to wait.
So I made a few phone calls, spent a small fortune getting us here, and booked out the castle for the day. Thankfully, it was a weekday, and the venue was available. Indi had fallen in love with it the moment she saw the pictures online, and seeing it in person…
It’s even more beautiful than she imagined.
“Are you nervous?” Dad asks.
I smile and shake my head. “Not even a little. I’ve waited years to marry her. This…” I glance around the room before laughing softly. “This feels like a dream. I can’t wait until we get home and I can finally tell everyone.”
He smiles. “I’m so proud of you, son.” His eyes shine with emotion.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever see this day. You and Indi always seemed to find a way to complicate things.
” He chuckles. “I’ll admit, finding out you’d been together for almost two years and managed to keep it from me stung a little. ” He shrugs. “But I understood why.”
His expression softens. “Indi needed that time. Soon enough, the spotlight’s going to find her whether she wants it to or not, and knowing you’ll be beside her through all of it… that means everything.”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “She was always my missing piece, Dad.” I smile. “And now my puzzle’s finally complete.”
He doesn’t say anything straight away.
Instead, he wraps me in a hug.
“I love you, son.” His voice is thick with emotion. “And I couldn’t be prouder.”
“I love you, too, Dad.” I squeeze him back.
“And… thank you.” I pull away enough to meet his eyes.
“You’ve been an incredible father. Especially after everything when I was younger.
” I shake my head. “I spent so much time pushing you away because I wanted someone else to fill that role.” A guilty smile tugs at my lips. “I was an arsehole.”
He laughs quietly. “You were a confused kid.” He pats my shoulder.
“I knew I wasn’t Colt. I also knew I hadn’t been there the way he had…
” He pauses. “I never really knew how to be a father.” His smile turns self-conscious.
“It didn’t come naturally.” He looks at me. “I just hope I got there in the end.”
Emotion tightens my chest. “You did, Dad.” My smile touches my eyes, and they turn glassy. “You really did.”
The door creaks open, and Mum pokes her head inside. “She looks beautiful, Caleb.”
A grin immediately spreads across my face. “I don’t doubt that for a second.”
Mum exchanges a knowing smile with Dad before he claps me on the shoulder. “It’s time, son.” He grins. “Ready to become a husband?”
“With all my heart.”
He nods and slips out of the room.
Mum walks over, gently fussing with my tie even though Dad has already made sure it’s perfectly straight. “You look very handsome.”
“Thanks, Mum.” She slips her arm through mine. “Come on.” Her smile widens. “Let’s go get you married.”
Together we leave the castle and make our way down to the lake as the sun begins to set.
The walk is peaceful.
Beautifully quiet.
As we stroll through the gardens, my mind drifts over everything Indi and I have survived to get here.
There were plenty of lows.
Some of them even broke us.
But every high…
Every laugh…
Every kiss…
Every moment with her…
Made every single struggle worth it.
Mum leaves me beside the celebrant before taking her place, while soft music drifts across the water and I wait.
Then I see Dad.
He’s walking slowly across the lawn.
Beside him…
Is my bride.
The setting sun spills gold, pink, and soft aqua across the sky, wrapping Indi in warm light until she almost seems to glow. Her white lace dress catches the breeze as she walks toward me, and for one impossible second, I swear she’s not touching the ground at all.
She’s breathtaking.
She catches my eye and smiles.
And just like that…
The rest of the world disappears.
There is only her.
My savior.
My angel.
My one true saving grace.