I look back down, knowing that if I keep looking at him, all my willpower is going to go right out the window. He’s always had that superpower.
Cooper’s frame overwhelms mine, and the smell of bourbon sweeps over me. It’s sweet and masculine, and mixed with something that smells an awful lot like Old Bay. And it only brings me back to the ocean that time we got ourhands on a bottle of his grandfather’s old bourbon. I know it’s a cologne.
But it hits me that Cooper is the exact same boy I fell in love with. Everything about him. The way his eyes look at me with worry. The way his words caress my heart.
But nostalgia is a bitch and a liar. It’s a trap that I so easily fall into every single time. Weak-kneed, with no backbone.
And yet, I hear myself saying “I’ll do it.”
Cooper walks me back to the arch. My beautiful arch.
I was so excited when they asked me what flowers I wanted.
Of course, I wanted hydrangeas. They were everywhere back at home. My parents had them in their garden too. They’re my mom’s favorite to this day.
I wonder what Cooper thought when he saw them.
What he thought when he sawme.
I don’t even remember what his face looked like when he turned around. I think I blacked it all out. All I saw was him.
The only reason I agreed to keep going was for exposure for my business. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. That’s it. I can pretend to like him even just a little for a while. It won’t kill me. I’ve been doing it to some extent for the last few years.
I just have to remind myself not to fall in love with him.
Undernocircumstances will I let Cooper Henry into my heart, or my pants.
Especiallynot my pants.
Heavens, why am I even thinking about that right now? I’m so fucked.
The man behind us clears his throat. “Amara and Cooper will exchange promises. Amara,” he gestures to me.
I take a deep breath. I don’t have to think aboutwhoI’m reading to. I wrote these before I knew it was Cooper waiting here for me.
I take my vow book from the officiant.
“Cooper,” I start, my voice shaking. “I promise to wake up every single day with a pure heart, with every intention of letting your love in. I promise to make you my home, and to remind you of how much love you deserve every single day. I vow to never stop holding your hand as we start this journey together, and I vow to never forget this moment, standing here in front of you.” I take a deep breath. “And how excited I am to marry you.”
Cooper’s bright eyes bore into mine. I lick my lips, looking around, only to find Natalia’s face in the crowd.
She holds my eyes, wiping away a tear.
And she smiles, offering me a simple nod.
I haven’t seen her in so long. Not since I reached out about their grandpa.
My heart grows heavy.
“Amara Flores,” he starts, holding his vow book at his waist.
It’s closed.
His eyes are only on me.
“I vow to make sure that you wake up feeling loved, whole, and happy every single day. I could stand here and tell you how much I love you already, but those words mean nothing without action.” He looks out into the crowd. “I promise to show you. Through small acts of utter devotion, I promise to show you that I love you every single day. Through the good and the bad.”
I close my eyes, squeezing them shut.
