“Do what at home?” I asked, even more confused, until I swiveled my head and found Landon on one knee behind me.
“Didn’t we do this already?” I said, chuckling through the tears burning my nose.
“No. Not the way I want and not the way we deserve. I know it’s backward, but—” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright pink box “—the last time I did this, I was offering you my insurance as a way to keep you healthy. Now, I’m offering you my life, every last second of it. I can’t live without you. I never could.”
A shy smile curved his lips as he popped the box open. The sparkle of a diamond was the only thing I could make out through the blur of tears.
“This is my mother’s ring. I never gave it to anyone else because I never thought to, but I want you to have it. I think she would want you to have it, too. Even she knew before us. She’d always say how we made a good pair.” He laughed and shook his head. “You’re my heart and soul, Jules. My other half. Always were and always will be. I know I asked you to marry me already, but now I’m asking you to be my wife. For real.”
“I’m already your wife.” I sank down to my knees in front of him. “It’s always been you, doll.” My voice shook as I grabbed his face.
“Back at you, darlin’,” he whispered, peeling one of my hands off his face to slip the ring on my finger. I recalled admiring this ring when I’d first spotted it on his mother’s finger, the round diamond on a plain platinum band so simple yet stunning. Everything about it said classic love, and Landon and I had one for the ages that had already stood the test of time, sickness, and health.
Life was still a fuzzy path for me, but the one thing I was certain of was who I wanted by my side—the man who was there already and had been all along.
“Is that a yes?” Landon asked, his lips twitching as he laced our fingers together.
“It’s an absolutely.” I roped my arms around his neck and slanted my mouth over his. The kiss was slow, full of love and promise and relief, with all the same passion that had blinded us after an Elvis impersonator had told us that we were husband and wife.
“I actually wouldn’t change anything about our wedding day, except for one thing,” I said, tracing my finger across Landon’s lips, still wet from our kiss.
“What’s that?” he rasped, sliding his hand over the back of my neck.
I glanced back at our bed and popped my brow when I met his gaze.
“This time, we get a wedding night.”
EPILOGUE
LANDON
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“Having trouble over there, Dad?” I teased as my father muttered to himself in the floor-length mirror.
He peered at me over his shoulder, rolling his eyes before he slid the tie he was fighting with off his collar.
“I wore a tie every day for thirty years and taught you. What the hell is wrong with me today?”
“You’re allowed to be jumpy on your wedding day.” I snatched the tie from his hands, tucking it under his collar before I made a quick knot.
“I taught you well,” he said, studying me with a smirk.
“Nah, I just have more recent practice.”
“Maybe it’s all that mountain air thinning out my brain. We didn’t want a big wedding since we’ve both been married before and thought a quaint little ceremony would be less stressful. We didn’t want to make it a big deal.” He dipped his head to tighten the knot I made.
Julie and I had flown out to Lake Tahoe to watch my father marry Darlene. We’d already signed their marriage license as witnesses, and Dad had been on edge since this morning.
“Take it from me, it’s always a big deal. Something like this, without the big party to distract you, gives the whole thing more weight.”
“You were marrying the love of your life. No matter if it was in a cathedral or by Elvis, marrying Julie would have meant everything to you, son.” He smiled, his shoulders less rigid as he adjusted his cuff links.
“I’m sure you’re right,” I said with a chuckle as I smoothed down the lapel of my suit jacket. “And that was when I was only marrying her for insurance. If we’d set out to do it for real that night, I probably would have passed out.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t anyway.”
I couldn’t do anything but nod as I followed him out of the dressing room next to the chapel.
