Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Idon’t have a ring because seeing you every moment I’m not working gives me no time to go ring shopping.”
My mouth dropped open, and my heart raced in anticipation as he gave his explanation.
“Katelynn Donovan, I don’t want to spend my life with anyone but you. I want us to grow old together, whatever that looks like. I want you to be the mother of my future children, and I want to experience your love for them and for me for the rest of my life. Marry me, Kate.”
My chest tightened, not with fear, but from the sheer magnitude of what he was offering me. Shock pinned me in place, feeling slightly out of focus as if I’d stepped into someone else’s life.
But it wasn’t someone else’s dream. This was my life. And I’d forever see it as before this moment and after. In the after, there would be holidays and hard days and ordinary Tuesdays, all of them suddenly precious because we’d face them together.
He was holding both of my hands then, and I pulled him up so that I could look up at him—my favorite way to look at him and feel him looking down at me with purpose and care. There was a sense of being chosen, seen, and held all at once.
“Say yes, my love,” he whispered, watching me expectantly.
“Yes, Colin. Of course. Yes, let’s get married.” My voice betrayed the emotion I felt, but that was okay because I had no reason to ever hide anything from him anymore.
Colin’s breath left him slow and shaky, as if he’d just realized it was safe to exhale.
His posture loosened, and a quiet, almost disbelieving smile broke across his face. His eyes brightened, and he didn’t hold back. Gone was the serious and stern CEO.
“You don’t know how happy I am,” he burst forth, hugging me so tightly to him that I could hardly breathe.
“I do know because it’s how happy I am,” I said, everything finally bubbling up to the surface. I was smiling. Maybe crying. Definitely shaking.
He put his hands on my face and swiped a tear away with his thumb.
“Don’t cry, my love. This is a good thing.”
“I know,” I said with an unsteady voice. “It’s the best thing. I just can’t help the overwhelming feelings.”
“Then cry if you need to. I’m here.” He lowered his lips to mine, and we had our first kiss as fiancés.
We kept the news to ourselves that evening, but the rush of having that little secret gave us both a little extra energy, and even Colin was willing to try out some more line dancing.
We stumbled along together, laughing heartily at the many mistakes and near-falls.
Stealing kisses and sharing knowing looks.
I caught my mother watching us sometimes. It was obvious from the thumbs-up sign she’d give me across the room that she approved of Colin.
The next morning at breakfast, we told my mother. She looked back and forth between us with a hesitant smile, as if waiting for me to tell her it was an April Fool’s joke.
“We’re serious, Mom,” I said.
“I’d love it if we had your blessing, Mrs. Donovan,” Colin added, taking my hand.
My mother banged both hands on the table and afterward brought them up to her face. “Oh, my goodness! That’s wonderful! Yes, you have my blessing!” She cupped our hands in hers. “I hope you’ll both be as happy as your father and I were.” She dropped her head as a soft sob escaped her.
Colin got up from his chair and hugged her.
I couldn’t stop myself from crying, simultaneously watching the love of my life comfort my mother and envisioning him do the same to our kids when they’d had a bad day.
I also knew why my mother was so overwhelmed, and it was what she’d expressed yesterday—that she’d be the mother of the bride but there would be no father of the bride at the wedding.
“Mom, will you walk me down the aisle?” I asked.
She sighed as she cried, then nodded and brought me into the hug.
Even Colin’s eyes looked bright and a little wet when we all sat down again. My mother cleared her throat and said, “So let’s get down to business. When? Where? And I don’t see a ring.”
Colin and I smiled at each other. I explained, “We have a few things to figure out. As for the ring, Colin prefers me to pick it out myself, and I love that idea. We can do it together, the both of us.”
My mother nodded, the grin never leaving her face.
The wedding planning was in full swing a month later. We’d decided on a June wedding, so we had about eight months to plan. Not too soon, but sooner than many venues preferred.
We searched all around, nixing the idea of Brightwater Island when Colin’s mother brought it up.
We both expressed our gratitude, especially since his mother was very welcoming to the idea of me being her daughter-in-law.
But seeing as how the place held a mix of good and bad memories, we decided to hold the wedding on neutral ground.
We finally found a beautiful farm with rolling hills and a sparkling lake.
It was the perfect place, and it was available in June.
Everything else fell into place after that, especially once I gave Colin’s mother free rein with the flowers and caterer after we shared our preferences with her.
I’d never been the type to dream of a wedding, and it was obvious she was eager to be included.
My mother, however, was humbled when I asked her to help me find my dress.
We spent a few lovely days shopping in the city on a trip she made specifically for that purpose.
It was also a chance for her to see Colin’s penthouse apartment.
She didn’t make a big deal out of it when he was around, but as soon as Colin left to find them some wine from the kitchen, my mother nearly fainted on the couch.
She widened her eyes and put a hand to her cheek, mouthing, “Oh my god!”
I giggled and shrugged my shoulders. Since our last conversation about our financial differences, I’d made great strides in accepting that I’d now be wealthy myself. There were still mental adjustments to be made, but I was getting there.
I let Colin buy me the world’s most beautiful ring, an extravagant single diamond that I was in awe of every time I looked at it.
He bought me a car, and I was happy to trade in my old Honda Civic for a new Mercedes.
When he presented me with a page with my schedule for art classes printed on it, I didn’t question how he’d gotten me into such a prestigious program.
Out of everything, that was the most touching gift, and as I attended the classes and grew more confident in my skills after years of disuse, I presented him with a painting of us, which I’d done from a photo we’d taken together the night of his proposal.
Colin’s look of pride convinced me we’d be happy and supportive of each other for the rest of our lives.
As the months passed and we received our RSVPs, I tried to convince Colin to invite Landon.
“He might not even come,” I said. “But at least you’ll have been the bigger person.”
“Kate, I can’t invite him. Isn’t it enough that we invited Maggie?”
“She never knew what was really going on until it was too late, Colin,” I reminded him.
“That’s the only reason we didn’t prosecute her. And allowed Grant his plus one.” His look was not that of a man who might be persuaded. I dropped it and never brought it up again. The brothers would have to figure this out on their own, if they ever wanted to.
One night, I had my own struggle in deciding who should or shouldn’t be involved in my life. I received a message of congratulations from Lyla, the ex-friend whose husband had tried to kiss me in their outdoor hot tub.
I had my finger on the message, wondering what it held. Finally, I opened it.
I wanted to congratulate you, but I wasn’t sure how you would receive it coming from me.
You must think I’m the biggest idiot. I knew you weren’t lying, but I had to save my marriage, and obviously you were collateral damage.
I’m sorry that I chose him instead of you because I found his many texts to several women last year.
I wasn’t sure if I should reach out to you, but when I saw your engagement picture, I thought you should know that I wish you all the happiness in the world.
There was a strong burning sensation in my chest as I read that. Anger, cynicism, sadness, and then, emptiness… I didn’t experience the relief I thought I would if I had received her apology a year ago. Colin said it was because I’d already grieved the friendship, and I had let those friends go.
I sat next to him at dinner one night, sharing the message and listening to his take on it. After, I reached for my phone and replied, Thank you for the well wishes. I forgive you.
And that was that.
The week of the wedding, I was a mess.
Angie was in town, and as my maid of honor, she’d prepared a night out for the bachelorette party.
This was a couple of days before the wedding, and I let her invite my new art friends and Jessica and Monica from work, both of whom I’d promoted to Assistant Directors.
(Grant hadn’t taken this very well at first, but he soon realized there was more than enough work for the three of them with the boom of clients we were experiencing. He was less cranky after that.)
We made it through the bachelorette party, and Angie and I stumbled into my apartment at 3 o’clock in the morning.
“That was way too much fun,” she said. “Those girls are a hoot.”
“Yeah, they’re awesome,” I agreed, “But you, my dear, are the awesomest. I don’t know what I’d have done all these years without our friendship.”
“Don’t make me cry, Kate,” she said, pushing me away as I tried to hug her.
We laughed as we threw ourselves onto the couch.
“I can’t believe I’m getting married in two days,” I said.
“It’s technically tomorrow, so one day,” she said.
I smiled.
“Colin’s the best man I’ve ever met,” I said.
“He loves you so much. Last night at dinner, he was so sweet with your mom. And his mom, too. I assumed she’d be stuck-up, and I remember her being very particular about her wine, but she wasn’t what I expected.”
“She loves Colin, I can tell. She’s not the kind of mom that we had. She doesn’t show her love consistently (and his dad not at all), and so Colin grew up depending only on himself. But theirs is a different world.” I sighed.
“It’s great that he fits so well into yours, and you can influence his.” Angie put her head on my shoulder.
“Agreed. We … fit together in so many ways. I can tell him anything, and he says he can share everything with me too.”
“I’m so happy for you, little bear,” she whispered.
“Thank you, big bear.” We sat in silence, and that’s how we both fell asleep.
The next morning, Angie and I struggled. We woke up around eleven, and after showering and eating the breakfast my mother made us, we all began our spa day at a hotel near the wedding venue.
I enjoyed the time with my mom and best friend, letting the massage and mani/pedi relax me as much as a bride can be the day before her wedding.
Colin and I had decided we wouldn’t see each other until the wedding, but a call from him right before dinner that night was exactly what I needed.
“I miss you,” he announced when I answered.
“I miss you too.”
“Tell me you’ll be there tomorrow to say ‘I do.’” It was both a command and a hopeful request.
“Most definitely,” I giggled.
“I’ll be waiting for you. I can’t wait for tomorrow night after the wedding too,” he said.
“We may be too tired from the wedding,” I said, playing with my engagement ring so that it sparkled when the light hit it just right.
“There’s no way I’ll be too tired to show you how much I love you. And I’ll love you even more once you’re my wife.”
“Your wife! I love the word.”
“I love you. And, Kate,” he said quietly, “I think you saved me. I didn’t believe in happy endings before you.”
I drew in a deep, satisfying breath.
“I love you, Colin, and I can’t wait to marry you.”
“Goodbye, my love. Enjoy your evening and sleep well.”
I was sure I wouldn’t sleep a wink.
Tomorrow, I marry the man of my dreams.
For the first time in my life, the future felt less like something to fear and more like the beginning of everything I’d ever wanted.