Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
SIX WEEKS LATER
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
True to her word, Calla’s face paled as she looked up at the Isadora Resort, unable to hide her nerves. All morning, she’d been fretting over her choice to come here. She shook her head and glanced up at me. “This was a mistake. I think it’d be better to tell them in a letter. Oh! A postcard! Who doesn’t love getting those? It really is a lost art if you think about it.”
I chuckled, pulling her into my arms. “If that’s what you want, we can do it that way, but I think it’s better to get it over with.”
She groaned, placing her forehead against my chest. “I hate when you make sense.” She sighed and stood up straighter, linking my hand with hers.
In the weeks since we got back together, we were rarely apart, already having enough separation for a lifetime. After I stayed true to my word and took Calla on an official date, we sat down and talked about our future together. As much as she loved the city, Calla didn’t want to move again, especially not after getting her books in just the right order. We compromised on a split-time arrangement. If I had to go into the city for work, she’d join me, but otherwise, our home base would be Saint Stephen’s Lake.
After taking a couple of weeks to plan my next move, I decided I wanted to set up my own shop. I took out what I didn’t like about the agency, designing something smaller and focusing more on individual clients. And the best part? I was able to do most of my work remotely, only having to fly out to LA or New York for client meetings or other important events. With my client roster at a reasonable number, I was able to keep a good balance between work and my home life. While I’d never be the guy who logged off exactly at five, it was easier to walk away when I knew Calla was waiting for me.
It was a beautiful balance, having her at my side but watching her carve out her own career. I loved being the one to cheer her on along the way, already knowing how successful she’d be one day. She was passing her courses with flying colors and already had requests from people in town to plan their weddings. She’d only accepted one, though—Alex and Cole. They were getting married in the fall, right in the middle of their campgrounds. It would be small, but Calla was already burying our apartment in samples and centerpiece options. It was chaos compared to what my apartment looked like when I was single, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I followed as Calla pulled me inside the hotel, stopping to look around the place. I’d never taken the time to appreciate the building before, too buried in my job to take a minute to look at the world surrounding me. But now, I noticed everything, all the pieces that helped form the wonderful woman at my side. This place was a part of her, so I didn’t want to miss a thing .
She kept tugging me until we hit the restaurant at the side of the lobby. My breath loosened as I looked around the room, the white walls covered with wide windows that showcased the lake outside. Calla’s hand gripped mine harder when she spotted her family sitting in the corner.
I held her hand a little tighter. “You say the word, and we go home.”
She nodded, lifting her gaze to meet my eyes. She pressed a kiss to my cheek before walking over, hugging her mother and sisters before taking a seat. I followed her lead, holding out my hand to her mother. “Diane.”
“Theo.” She smiled at me. “Good to see you again.”
While this woman would never be my favorite person, even I had to admit she was trying to do better for her daughters. She finally served her asshole husband with divorce papers. She moved into the hotel full-time, devoted to bringing her family’s vision back to life. The overall morale at the hotel seemed to be getting better, but there was still a long way to go before she could fully be cleansed of her sins.
But Calla was willing to take slow steps toward repairing their relationship, and I’d support her if that was what she wanted. However, I’d also be at her side, making sure her mother didn’t step out of line. Never again would Calla have to question her worth, not while I was around.
I nodded to her eldest sister, Laurel. She was the one who was the most removed. Part of me wondered if it hurt her, watching the bond between Devyn and Calla, but she never reached out to Calla and never stood up for her before, so I wasn’t going to push for a relationship.
Devyn wrapped me in a tight hug. “How’s it going with the new gig?”
“It’s going,” I chuckled. “Never thought I’d want to be a one-man operation, but it works for me. How about you? Any headway on that joint project we spoke about?”
A sly smile filled her face. Calla was right- Devyn could be terrifying when she wanted. “It’s getting there.”
I chuckled, changing the subject before we incriminated ourselves further. “And work? Any news on the partnership?”
She scoffed. “They gave it to some asshole with less time than me. Pretty sure it’s never going to happen, but I also can’t bring myself to leave.”
“If you ever decide you want to change gears, I could use you on my team.”
“And stick around here more than necessary?” She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m good where I am for now.” She tilted her head to the side. “But if that changes, I’ll keep you in mind.”
With greetings out of the way, we all took our seats, perusing the brunch options. Calla found my thigh under the table and squeezed it. She wasn’t wasting any time. As the waiter took our drink orders, she inhaled slowly. “We have something to tell you.”
All three sets of eyes turned to her, Devyn speaking first. “Shit, are you pregnant?”
“Absolutely not!” Calla chuckled. “That’s going to be way, way down the line, after we’ve got our businesses running smoothly for a while.”
“I don’t know if I’d say way down the line, beautiful,” I teased in her ear.
“Don’t even think about it.” She shook her head and turned back to her family. She sighed, reaching into her purse, and pulled out two silver rings, handing me mine before slipping hers back on, then intertwining our fingers once again. My finger instantly found the slender band on hers as I sighed with relief. It had only been off for a few minutes, and that was already too long for me. Now that I had gotten it on her, it was not coming off again.
Calla held our hands up. “Theo and I… We got married.”
As her family stared at her with wide-eyed expressions, we just smiled at each other, reliving the night we’d made things official. It wasn’t something we planned, but just like every other choice we’d made, it felt right. When we were in the city last week, I’d spontaneously popped the question at breakfast, wanting to make Calla my wife as soon as possible. We went down to the city clerk’s office an hour later and got our marriage license, only to return the next day to the same office to exchange our vows. It was simple, spontaneous, and perfectly us.
And the best part? I got to call Calla my wife. Nothing had ever seemed so right as the first time those words slipped from my lips.
As if the spell broke at the same time, all three Winters women started to ask rapid-fire questions. I was about to snap when my wife held up her hand, silencing all of them. “Before you start, you should know that we’re planning on doing a ceremony next spring with everyone in attendance. I wanted to wait until my courses are done before I try to plan anything.” She turned and stared up at me with adoration in her eyes. “But we didn’t want to wait that long to make things official.” She turned back to her family. “This is what we wanted to do, and if you have anything to say that is less than supportive, we don’t want to hear it.”
Her mother got up, and for a moment, I thought she was going to walk out of the room. But she kneeled in front of Calla, placing her hands on her daughter’s cheeks. “I’m so happy for you.” She smiled at me. “Both of you. All I ever wanted was for you to find what makes you happy, Calla, and you’ve done that and more. I’m so proud of you.”
Tears filled my wife’s eyes as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck in a tight hug. By the time they parted, almost everyone at the table had misty eyes, but Calla waved them away. “Now it’s someone else’s turn. I’ve been on edge all day, waiting to tell you guys the news.”
Devyn took over, discussing the latest ridiculous client that was making her life hell. But I didn’t listen, too distracted by the beautiful woman at my side. I placed my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side.
For so long, life felt like a game I was doomed to lose, too wrapped up in my career to see the light on the other side. But with this woman, my wife , in my arms, it was all worth it. This life might be a far cry from what I’d planned, but it was better than I could have ever dreamed.