Chapter 41
Noah
Five days later . . .
I wasn’t kidding when I said I didn’t want to waste more time.
Fortunately, I have a fiancée who agreed with me. We were either going to elope or have a last-minute wedding at the crime scene.
Liv laughed that the crime was against her heart when I stole it.
My side of the story plays out differently.
The criminal moment that stands out in my mind is waking up to that empty bed.
From either perspective, we got back here as quickly as we could to serve our time—a lifetime of companionship, loyalty, and above all else, our unwavering love for each other and our little family.
We only had one requirement when choosing our date and to make it special. Our families must be able to attend. All eleven and a plus-one were there on the shortest of notices. Not one person complained that we changed their weekend plans. They just showed up for us like they always do.
My mom fusses about my tie as I stand at our end of the aisle. “You look so handsome, honey.”
Tilting my head down, I whisper, “I think we’re starting.” I’d never ask her to stop caring about us.
Her eyes soften as she looks into mine. “So proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
She returns to her seat just as my dad steps out of the house.
With the sound of the ocean behind me and the Hamptons house in front, I stand in the dunes where we met under a full moon on a summer’s night.
Two strangers brave enough to talk to each other and bold enough to fall into bed came together on this very spot.
And here we are again . . .
My bride steps out of the house, wrapping her arm around my dad’s extended elbow. Breathe, Westcott. I slowly inhale, drinking in the vision of my soon-to-be wife as she walks toward me.
My heart pounds in my chest, but when I get choked up, I realize I’m staring through a watery haze. I swipe away the fiendish devils invading my eyes, wanting to stare at her instead.
She’s spectacular. Two braids drape like a halo around the crown of her head while the rest of her hair flows down in soft curls, the ends getting caught in the wind.
She wears her hair more golden than brown these days, but either way, she’s fucking gorgeous.
Her makeup draws my eyes to hers—the green and gold are radiant in the diffused light of the setting sun.
The softest pink hue of the dress flattered against her skin, the flowing material in contrast to the fitted top that hugs her amazing tits.
I feel like I should apologize for having that thought during such a ceremonial event, but I’m okay with noticing such things.
Damn, she looks good. She’s making it hard to keep my hands off her when she finally reaches me.
So I don’t.
Taking her hands in mine, I bring the left to my mouth, kiss it, and then do it to her other hand.
I didn’t expect this moment to be so emotional.
We live together. We’ve already had a child.
You wouldn’t think the traditional act of us coming together would be so poignant, but I feel everything about this moment with her—the breeze, the warmer air, and the salt that lingers in the humidity surrounding us.
I feel everything because this woman came into my life and taught me.
“You look beautiful.” It’s easy to get caught up in her and our life. I never knew I needed it until she showed me what I’d been missing. Our life—it’s my favorite place to be with my favorite humans ever.
“You’re so handsome, Noah.” Glancing at Max sitting in the front row with Cassandra . . . and her plus-one, Halden. Liv smiles at him. “You’re my handsome little guy.”
Max runs to throw his arms around her legs.
Bending, she kisses his head and whispers something that has him smiling while looking up at her.
He turns to me and holds out a hand to shake.
I shake it but then lift him into my arms and hug the little silly.
When I set him down, he runs to Cassandra and climbs on her lap.
The justice of the peace clears his throat.
We both glance at him and then back at each other with smiles.
Liv and I didn’t want stuffy or too formal.
My mom and Trudy wanted to handle the food, my dad took care of stocking the bar inside, Marina took care of the flowers, and Tuesday and Loch handled the setup.
Harbor was out of town, so Lark and Mavie assisted the moms in the kitchen.
This wedding was a true family affair. But even treated more casually, I suppose we should get this moving. The sooner we’re married, the sooner we get to honeymoon. And I plan to honeymoon the hell out of her.
The justice asks, “Are we ready for the vows?”
Staring into my eyes, Liv replies, “I’m so ready to marry you.”
We recite the lines after him and stand there, the humor gone as the love swallows us completely.
Her lithe fingers are bare until I slide the wedding band and then an impressive diamond ring—if I do say so myself—onto her hand.
Since I didn’t have a ring a few days ago when I asked her, I made up for it today.
But when she slips a platinum band around my finger, I feel the weight of the metal and the commitment we’re making. I didn’t just choose her. She chose me—then and now—always willing to go the distance for each other.
As tears build in her eyes, I caress her cheek, moving closer, unable to keep my hands from comforting her. The tip of her nose turns pink as her emotions well up inside. I kiss it and then her cheek, the corner of her mouth, and her lips.
Her mouth opens, and as our tongues reunite, the warmth of her hand slides around to the back of my neck, holding me to her. She doesn’t have to hold on so tight because I’m not going anywhere.
“I pronounce you husband and wife, equal partners on the deeds of life, and all in. I guess you can kiss—Pfft. You’re already kissing. Carry on.”
The applause brings us back to the wedding, our eyes opening, and a new fire burning inside—one lit by our passion and devotion to each other. She says, “I love you so much, babe.”
“I love you more than you’ll know.”
We seal our ceremony with a chaste kiss this time around.
She wipes her bottom lip as we laugh with our family, including Trudy and Lark’s dad, John, who I’ve seen grown closer more recently, and Leanna, who sits in the back row with a tissue in hand.
Cassandra holds Max’s hand while Halden stands on her other side.
Max breaks free again, like the little escape artist he is these days, and comes running into my arms. I catch him, pushing him into the air like a bird with his arms as wings at his side.
He closes his eyes, and I know at that moment, he’s flying.
I understand the feeling. Married to Liv, I understand more now than ever.
We were already a family of our own, our souls connected long before we realized, much less said vows.
Bringing her hand to my mouth, I kiss the top of it just before we walk down the aisle as that same family accompanied by a new perspective—a deeper commitment that works for us on a new level.
I wanted to be tied to her in as many ways as possible. This just makes our bond legal. Check.
Although it was mostly only family, small and intimate, we had a blast at the reception, and I collected two-hundred bucks on a bet my brothers made when I was twenty-one that I would never get married. Like how I won by bringing the first grandchild into the family, years before either of them.
My brothers hate to lose, so I’m curious what they’ll come up with next.
Since my mom offers to take Max for the night, once everyone leaves, I charm my bride upstairs to the bedroom, hold her in my arms, and dance to the music of nature.
We’re slow and steady tonight, making love with our eyes as much as our bodies.
“Like a thief in the night, you stole my heart when I wasn’t looking. ”
Liv smiles, shattering the remainder of any preconceived notions I still carried around from the years prior—one that made me think I didn’t deserve her and another that had me questioning if I’d find her again. I found her . . . as she said, we found each other when we needed each other most.
We kiss until her lips are swollen and make love until our orgasms hit so hard that we need sleep and time to recover.
Though it never takes long or much with her.
Sometime in the night, she dipped beneath the covers and went down on me.
I happily returned the favor, my wife always my favorite flavor, before holding her in my arms until we fell asleep.
When the sun started peeking in, I cracked open my eyes.
The dread I felt the first time I woke up in this bed fortunately evades me this morning.
Tucked in my arms with a purr of a soft snore is my girl.
My girl, the woman who captivated me the moment we met, the mother of my child, now my wife, and my soulmate.
This is what forever looks like and feels like.
This is love in its purest form, which is how we created Max.
Yep, birth control couldn’t stop our love from expanding.
The theme is never wasting time, so we stand in a long line that doesn’t seem to budge the following Monday.
I’m trying to entertain Max, but he’s almost two, so I’m beginning to lose this battle.
He’s wiggling and antsy to run. Even his Aston Martin isn’t keeping him occupied this time.
“You sure you want to do this today?” I ask, rocking him to see if it will settle him down.
“Positive. I want the paperwork filed and approved as soon as possible, especially before we travel anywhere.”
The wedding came fast and is now a memory of the past weekend. This is not how I imagined spending our honeymoon. “Speaking of travel . . . You sure you want to put off the honeymoon?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I don’t want this trial hanging over our heads. Is it wrong to wait until we can move on knowing the outcome?”