I dropped her hand and wrapped my arms around her, speaking into the top of her head when I said, “Baby, I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Now let’s go make my dreams come true.”
I put my arm around her shoulders, and I brought her out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
She halted about halfway to the entrance, her hand going over her mouth as she saw the sign above the door and whispered, “This is happily ever after. This isn’t a happy for now.” She searched the space until she found Lex, who was in the corner, nursing a glass of wine. “Lex, did you have that made?”
Lex smiled. “I sure did.”
“I … know those words,” Alivia voiced. “I said them to you. Or I should say, I typed them to you in a text when I was in my hotel room after hooking up with Walker.”
Lex came over to us. “You’re right, but those aren’t the exact words you said that night. What you typed instead was that thiswasn’ta happily ever after. But, babe, you were so wrong. Because look at you guys. You’re going to be a wife.”
Alivia threw her arms around Lex. “I can’t believe you remembered that conversation.”
“How could I forget it? My girl was making a bold statement, and I had a feeling you were way off, but I didn’t tell you that then. Telling you now is so much better. And maybe all the people who come in will see those words and know their happily ever after—whatever that looks like—will happen too.”
“I want that.” Alivia hugged her even tighter. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Lex replied.
“Not to break up all the love”—I semi-coughed—“but we have about twenty seconds before everyone comes in.”
The women parted, their arms hanging in the air as if they were still reaching for each other before their hands fell to their sides.
Alivia shook her head and cleared her throat and tried to wipe the emotion from her face. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Let’s do this, baby.” I escorted her to the entrance andwhispered in her ear, “I love you,” before I positioned myself to the side.
I wanted her to welcome everyone in, and just like our upcoming wedding day, when she would be walking down the aisle toward me, I only wanted to look at her.
So, when she turned the knob and cracked the door, my eyes were on her.
I could only see her profile. Her smile. The layers of happiness that filled her face.
Many moments before this one had confirmed what I already knew. I was madly in love with Alivia Todd. But this moment revalidated how badly I wanted her to be my wife.
“Welcome to Alivia’s,” she said, her smile more beautiful than I’d ever seen it. “Your home away from home.”
That was the calm before the storm.
As soon as the door opened wider, the crowd began to fill, and I was shaking hands or hugging everyone who came in. The first group who pulled me aside was my family, and Beck gave Alivia a giant hug, lifting her feet off the ground.
“Girl, this place is fucking awesome,” my youngest brother said.
Alivia was still laughing when he set her down. “Thank you, and thank you for coming. You guys are the best for being here.”
While Hart hugged her and filled her with more compliments, I picked up Ellie, Colson’s four-year-old daughter, and held her in my arms. “How’s my girl doing?” I kissed her cheek.
“I’m the bestest. Hehe.” There was nothing cuter than her smile. “Uncle Walk, I haven’t seen you insooolong.”
“I just saw you last weekend at my house for family dinner.” One of her pigtails got Velcroed to my beard, and I pulled itoff.
She pouted. “That feels like a hundred thousand million years ago.”
“Well then, Alivia and I will just have to pick you up from school one day very soon and take you to our house and make you all the cookies. How does that sound?”
She jumped in my arms. “Daddy! I’m going to Uncle Walk’s house, and he’s making me cookies! And his cookies are the bestest!”
