The next day comes fast and I couldn’t be happier because I’m about to marry the woman I love. We planned on holding the tiny ceremony with just us and Roberto.
But my nosy sister found out when she burst into my house looking for Trish. When she saw me and Roberto standing there wearing suits and the priest nearby, she demanded to know what was going on.
And when Finley wants an answer, you better deliver because that girl won’t back down.
Roberto and I exchange a look and then I say, “I’m marrying Trish.”
“Now?” she exclaims in disbelief.
“Now,” I confirm.
“And you weren’t going to invite me?”
When I hear the hurt in her voice, I hesitate.
“And what about mom and Ry? They’d want to be here.”
Maybe my little sister has a point. I don’t want any hurt feelings, but I don’t want them to be uncomfortable, either. “What do you think?” I ask Roberto.
“Well, I think Fin has a point,” Roberto says, echoing my thoughts. “And, let’s face it, you both can use as much support right now as you can get. I say the more the merrier.”
I nod, knowing he’s right.
Turning back to my sister, I give her the go-ahead. “Round up the troops, Finley. Let’s all meet in the garden in 20 minutes.”
“That doesn’t give me any time to get ready!” she cries.
“Then better get a move on,” I tell her with a grin. With a yelp, she races for the door and I chuckle.
“I’ll go tell the bride-to-be since you aren’t allowed to see her yet,” Roberto says.
Now that this is getting a little more formal, I reach for my brother’s arm. “Will you walk her over and down the aisle?” I ask.
“I know we didn’t want to make a big deal over this or anything but I’d be honored,” my twin says.
“Thanks, Rob. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I admit.
“You’d be lost,” he agrees and we both laugh. Then he slaps me on the back. “Good luck, bro. Well see you soon.”
I watch my brother head up the steps to retrieve Trish.
It’s almost time, I think. Time to marry the woman I love. Exactly 20 minutes later, I’m looking from my mom to Finley to Rylan and my heart swells.
“Thank you for coming,” I say and my voice cracks with emotion.
“Sweetheart,” my mom says, pulling me into a hug. “If you married her without us, I would’ve had Roberto kick your butt for me.”
A choked laugh erupts from my throat and I send Finley a grateful smile. She may be young. but I have a funny feeling that she’s wiser than the rest of us put together. Finley leads with her heart and I think we can all learn a thing or two from her.
“You never would’ve heard the end of it,” Rylan adds.
“I’m just really glad you’re all here,” I tell them.
“Looks like we’re ready to begin,” my mom says, her attention moving behind me.
I glance over my shoulder and see Roberto who lifts a brow. Yes, I’m ready. I want to shout it from the rooftops but, instead, I give him a thumbs-up, kiss my mother’s cheek and move over next to the priest.
My mom, Finley and Rafferty sit down in chairs, and I wait patiently as birds sing and a light breeze rustles my hair. It’s a beautiful day and the weather couldn’t have cooperated more.
Dappled sunshine filters through the slats above us and the fragrant smell of flowers fills the air.
It’s perfect.
But even more perfect is Trish. My breath catches when I see her, arm looped through Roberto’s, and looking utterly divine. Her dark hair is artfully pulled back and gathered low at her nape and the white sundress she’s wearing makes my pulse speed up. It’s simple and short, putting her legs on display.
Finley cut a bouquet of flowers and Trish holds them close as she and Roberto make their way up the stone pathway. When they reach me, Roberto places her hand in mine and grins from ear to ear.
He wishes us the best, saying something about a lifetime of love, but I’m not really paying much attention to him. I’m far too fixated on Trish who looks absolutely stunning.
“You look so beautiful,” I murmur and draw her to me.
“Thank you. So do you.”
Behind us, the priest clears his throat. Shall we begin?”
We both nod and turn to face him. He rattles off some stuff but, again, I’m far too captivated with the woman standing in front of me to absorb much of anything else. All I can see is her. It doesn’t take long to get to the vows and the priest encourages us to face each other, hold hands and speak from the heart.
I lift Trish’s hands up, holding them in mine, and gaze deeply into her chocolate brown eyes. And the rest of the world melts away.
“Trish, I never imagined that I would be lucky enough to meet someone like you. When I first laid eyes on you that night at the pub, I was smitten. An absolute goner. I knew there was something extremely special about you and I immediately started making plans for the future. Of course, they didn’t include you disappearing on me in the middle of the night, but we found each other again.”
My brother chuckles and Trish blushes. I lift her hand and place a kiss on her knuckles, continuing, “We will always find each other because our hearts and souls are connected. And nothing can break that up. I love you, Trisha Volkanov. You are my light, my bright shining beauty, who pulled me out of the shadows and I will always be grateful to you for that. Thank you, cara mio.”
Trish’s eyes fill with tears, and she squeezes my hands. “Connor, my love. The night we met, I had no idea I was going to find you. I’d been looking for temporary and I found forever.”
She sniffs and I pull a handkerchief from my pocket and hand it to her.
“Thank you,” she says, smiling through her tears and dabbing at her nose. “What we found was so much more powerful than I even realized. We created a life. And every day that passed, I missed you more and more. Thank goodness, Fate gave us a second chance meeting because now I realize that I can’t do this life without you, Connor Mennetti. I won’t. You’re my everything, the love of my life, and no one will ever change that.”
My heart expands with her words, and I swallow down the knot of emotion in my throat. I glance over at the priest and growl, “Hurry up and finish so I can kiss my bride.”
Everyone laughs and the priest says a closing blessing. Before he can even finish uttering his line about kissing the bride, I pull Trish into my arms and kiss her thoroughly. Roberto whistles and everyone else claps. After the kiss, I pull Trish against my side, ignoring the sting from my wound and, I swear, I’m never letting her go.