Page 54 of Complete Me

She bit her lip and nodded. “I came out to tell you, but I think the words got frozen along with my toes. Happy Anniversary.”

“Are your toes okay?” He dropped the test on the bed and reached for her feet. “Do you need me to rub them? Are you hungry? Maybe you should lie down?”

“I don’t think we can do the whole nine months in one day,” she said with a laugh. Her hands reached out to beckon him to her. Smith climbed into the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Smith laid down, placing his head in her lap. Turning to her belly, he places a soft kiss where his child grew. Then he slowly began to sing. Tears prickled Belle’s eyes as she recognized it. It was as bittersweet as their story, but as filled with promises, too. When he finished, they stayed like that, dreaming of the future.

26

With no bride present, the grooms decided to eschew tradition and escort themselves to the altar. Clara led the party with Elizabeth in her arms. Unfortunately, the flower girl was more interested in eating the rose petals than dropping them. I couldn’t help but stare at my wife as she made her way across the room. There was none of the pomp and circumstance of our wedding, and somehow the intimacy of the event seemed to erase that fateful day.

When Edward had first shared his plans to marry David, my only concern had been regarding his security. Now I knew that my family was safe, which left me free to focus on the happiness that I’d been robbed of on my own wedding day.

Edward and David entered through doors on the opposite side of the room and walked slowly toward one another, stopping when they reached me. We’d chosen the parlor because the Christmas tree provided a beautiful backdrop. Someone had snuck in earlier in the day and removed most of the ornaments in favor of dozens of white roses tucked into the evergreen branches.

“Please join hands,” I instructed the two, shooting Edward a wink. He wanted a traditional wedding, and I would do my best to give it to him. “I was told to keep this short, because Mrs. Watson made a cake.”

Edward rolled his eyes, but everyone else laughed. If my little brother thought he was going to get away without being embarrassed, he was mistaken. I considered it part of my official role. My brother looked dashing in his classic tuxedo while David had opted for a more modern cut. Somehow the contrast seemed to fit them as perfectly as they fit one another.

“Over the last few days I’ve shared some thoughts about marriage with Edward, and he told me I wasn’t very helpful. I think Clara might agree with that assessment.” She nodded vigorously but she couldn’t keep a smile off her face. “So, I decided I wouldn’t talk about marriage, I would talk about love. But only for a few minutes, so we can all have cake.”

“Thank God,” Edward interjected.

“I used to believe that love was a fairytale,” I began, “and maybe I was right, because one day, a princess walked into my life. She made me believe in love. She brought so many of us together. Edward once thanked me for showing the courage to choose love over duty or tradition. But she was the one who was strong enough to break away from the expectations and the fear. Before I met her, I felt alone. Now she will always be with me. That’s what love is: a constant companion, a best friend who sticks beside you, a soft place to call home. She showed me that. That’s why love is so powerful: it can never be broken, even when one of you breaks. Love never loses faith, even when there is nothing left to believe in. Love shines a light, even in the darkest hours. All of us are searching for our happily ever after, but the luckiest of us know that it isn’t a place or a destiny. Happily ever after is a person.

“I know my brother has found his, which is why I couldn’t be more proud to stand by him today.”

Edward dropped David’s hands and hugged me. Pulling back, there were tears in his eyes. “Thank you.”

When he had stepped back into place, I couldn’t help myself. “I think I’m supposed to ask if anyone objects.”

“On with it!” Edward demanded with a laugh.

I led them through their vows, and when the time came, I happily looked to my brother and told him, “You may kiss your husband.”

Cheers erupted from everyone, and when Edward and David finally released one another, love shining in their eyes, the crowd gathered for a hug. Clara broke away from the group and came to my side.

“How did I do?” I asked, sweeping her into my arms.

“You made me want to marry you all over again.” She pressed up onto her toes and gave me a quick kiss.

“I could do without another wedding,” I told her. “Would you settle for a lifetime, poppet?”

“How about a happily ever after?” she whispered.

“Do you think they’ll miss us?”

Clara glanced at our loved ones and shook her head. I swept her into my arms and carried her from the room. Pausing at the base of the stairs, I brought my mouth to hers. It was the kiss we should have shared on our own wedding day. Our lips sealed to one another, her breath becoming my own and my life becoming hers.

When we broke apart, I took the stairs slowly, unable to look away from her. In her eyes, I found all the answers I had ever sought. I had been broken until the day she stumbled into my life, and her love fused my shattered pieces. She gave me faith when I deserved none. In all the darkness of my past I found an angel, and she guided me home. When I least expected it, she completed me.