“Didn’t you hear everything I said?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. We’ll get through this together,” he vows. “We’ll go to Vegas and find a chapel and get married. I’ll rent us a room and spend the next forty-eight hours making love to you. And then, when we get back, we’ll go to your doctor together and schedule that damn surgery, so they can get that fucking tumor out of your head and everything will be fine.”
I can’t help but smile at everything he’s saying. Ethan is a take charge kind of guy. It’s why his businesses are so successful. When he sees a problem, he focuses on how to fix it.
“What about my list?”
“What about it?” His brows furrow in annoyance. “You can finish the list after your head is fixed. Hell, after it’s fixed, I’ll help you make another list. We can spend the rest of our fucking lives checking off items on your lists.”
I snort-sob and he smiles softly. “Seriously, Nevaeh. I get it. You’re afraid you’ll die before you do all those items on your list, but if you don’t have the surgery you won’t be alive to do all the items that aren’t on the list. I need you, baby. Please.”
“Okay.” I nod, my vision blurry from my tears, and my heart full from his words. “I’ll marry you.”
After booking our flight, and Ethan explaining to his mom—without telling her about my tumor—why he wants it to be just the two of us, promising she can help me plan a wedding and reception later—we pack our luggage and take off to the airport with Roscodriving us in his SUV. It’s a two-hour drive to the airport in Newark, and once we arrive we’re boarded almost immediately. A five-hour flight and a cab ride later and we’re standing in the most charming little chapel on the Strip, saying our ‘I dos’ in front of the most adorable man and his wife.
When he tells Ethan to place the ring on my finger, I’m about to explain we don’t have any, but before I can, Ethan plucks a gorgeous diamond ring from his pocket and slides it onto my finger.
“When my mom left my dad, she left this ring. He didn’t want it, so I took it and put it away. I think a part of me always hoped one day she would return and I would be able to give it back to her. It also felt like she left a piece of her with me.” He smiles sadly.
“When she returned, I tried to give it back…” When I give him a confused look, he says, “Sometimes when I get home, before I come up to bed, we hang out downstairs and talk.” He shrugs sheepishly, and I smile, happy he’s giving his mom a real chance. “She raised her left hand, showing off the new ring my dad bought her while they were in the Dominican Republic. She told me to hold onto it, and that she would love it if I would give it to the woman I want to marry. The ring was bought for her by my dad before he started making any money. He busted his ass, working two jobs, to save up the money so he could buy her a ring that conveyed how much he loved her.”
He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses my finger with the ring. “Their love back then was untainted and pure. The day he gave it to her they had their whole lives ahead of them, and that’s what this ring symbolizes. We have our whole lives ahead of us, Angel.”
Tears leak from the corners of my lids as I absorb what he’s trying to tell me. I’m going to get through this. No,we’regoing to get through this, and we’re going to have our entire lives to love each other and be together.
“I don’t have a ring for you,” I choke out.
“Actually, you do,” he says, pulling another ring out of his pocket like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. “My dad’s ring.” He hands it to me, and I look down at it. It’s a simple silver—or maybe titanium—band, and inside is an inscription:un alma.
“It means one soul,” Ethan explains. “Yours has one as well.”
I take it off and say the words out loud, “Dos corazónes.”
“Two hearts.”
“Two hearts. One soul.”
Ethan nods. “I was shocked to learn my dad kept his ring, after all these years. Before we left, he pulled me aside and gave it to me since he also got a new one in the Dominican Republic.”
“They’re beautiful,” I tell him. “And I would be honored to wear their rings. They might’ve been apart for years, but they made their way back to each other, and I’d like to think no matter what happens in the future, I’ll always make my way back to you.”
“I’m never leaving your side, baby.” Ethan steps forward and kisses me, causing the officiant and his wife to laugh. Once we pull apart, we finish saying our vows and then once again Ethan kisses me, this time officially as my husband.
“Nevaeh, baby, you here with me?”Ethan asks, bringing me back to the present. We’ve just entered the hotel roomEthan’s booked for us and are standing in the bedroom. Of course Ethan insisted on the honeymoon suite, explaining we had to have the full experience. The largest bed I’ve ever seen in my life is in the center of the room, and covering the comforter are bright red rose petals. Faux candles are lit and placed on the nightstands and dressers, and adjacent to the bed is a gorgeous electric fireplace.
“I’m right here,” I tell him, softly kissing him. He’s dressed in a dashing black suit, and I’m wearing a pretty white dress Raquel lent me for the occasion.
Running his fingers along the straps of the dress, Ethan pulls them down, exposing my white, satin, lacy bra. His eyes light up knowingly. It’s the same set he found in my drawer and brought with him when he packed my stuff.
My dress drops to the floor, and Ethan lifts each of my feet, removing the dress and setting it on the back of the chair. Then he takes a step back, taking me completely in. To go with my white, satin, lacy bra, I’m wearing a matching thong. I’m also still standing in my white heels.
“You look so damn stunning,” Ethan murmurs. “My very own angel.”
He steps forward, like a man on a mission, about to devour me whole, but I shake my head, stopping him in his place. “You’ve stripped me down to my underwear, so it’s only fair I get to do the same.”
He laughs softly. “Have at it.” He spreads his arms out wide, and I step forward to undo his tie. I take my time removing it, then unbuttoning his shirt. I know Ethan is getting impatient, but now he knows a little bit how I felt every time I wanted to be with himand he refused. Although, I shouldn’t be too hard on him. Knowing I’m going to make love to my husband makes me extremely happy we waited. He was right to refuse me… But I won’t admit that to him, at least not yet.
After I remove his jacket, shoes, and socks, Ethan’s had enough, and with a growl, he lifts me into his arms and carries me to our bed, laying me in the center. He takes a moment to admire me, before he removes his pants, leaving himself in only his black boxer-briefs.
