She wiped her eyes and lifted her head to drape her arms around his neck, and then kissed him like there was no tomorrow.
“I do,” she said after releasing his lips and pressing her forehead against his, “I mean…I am. I mean, I love you.” She shook her head slightly in exasperation. “I choose you. I’ll come back when I’m finished, and I’ll marry you.”
“You’re sure?”
“One-hundred-percent and then some.”
“Good.” He pressed another kiss to her mouth. “You’re one-hundred-percent and then some worth waiting for, Skye. I’ll call you every day and come visit. If you want, I can come with you today and help you get settled in.”
“You don’t need to do that. I have to be able to do this on my own. But I’ll call you, too. I’ll even write you letters like it’s the olden days or something.”
He chuckled quietly and offered a warm, yet teary smile. “I’d love that.” He lifted his index finger, displaying the ring again. “So, do you want this now or when you come back?”
Skye sucked in a deep breath as she stared at the extravagant diamond. “I absolutely love that ring, Brennan. And it’s an honor to have something of your grandmother’s, but I feel like I shouldn’t wear it to a place like where I’m going.” She paused as she eyed his face, hoping he didn’t take it as her not being sure about her decision. “I just mean that the other women there are from some really fucked-up shit like I am. Maybe even worse. And they’re probably all poor. I’d just hate to make them feel—”
“No, no, I understand.” Brennan pocketed the diamond and fished around for a moment before pulling out a second ring. This one was a simple, smooth, shiny platinum band. “I considered that, too, so I bought you this one.” He picked up her hand and slipped the ring on her finger, then kissed her knuckles. “You have a lot of class, sweetheart.”
Skye looked at the ring and his hand holding hers. The appearance of it made her feel like they were already married, and her heart could have burst. “I love them both.” She looked up at him. “And I love you more.”
Brennan squeezed his arm around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground as he buried his face in her neck, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’ve made me the happiest I ever could’ve hoped to be, Skye. I’m going to miss you like crazy, but we have so much to look forward to.”
“I’m going to miss you like crazy, too, but you’re right. Thank you for everything. You really did save me, Brennan.”
He set her down, but still held her waist as he kissed her long and deep. “I did not. Are we going to keep having this same debate over and over again?”
She smiled against his lips. “I guess so. For the rest of our lives apparently.”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Forever.”
She pressed their foreheads together one last time before she had to leave. There was a time in her life when Skye regardedforeveras a veritable death sentence. But right then,foreversounded pretty damn great.
38
ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL, NEW ORLEANS
A year and a half later.
Brennan stood in front of a mirror tying his black bowtie while Carson stood close by and poured the first round of drinks of the evening. Connor was hanging back, leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were intensely focused on Brennan’s hands in the reflection as he tied his bowtie. He’d had no idea how to tie his own earlier, and Brennan had to help him out. It was obvious Connor still didn’t quite understand the process, so Brennan untied it and started over, going slower and playing it off like he’d simply made a mistake.
Luke was sitting in a stiff-backed chair in one corner of the groom’s quarters of the iconic cathedral in Jackson Square, absently tugging at the sleeve of his tux jacket. Luke’s older brother, Gabe was seated in a matching chair nearby with Gunner, his stocky, yellow lab and service dog, slowly, methodically rubbing the old dog’s ear. Orson and Samuel McDermott, Carson’s father, were quietly conversing over glasses of bourbon in a separate sitting area on the opposite side of the room.
“I don’t get you, bruh,” Luke piped up as Carson crossed the room to bring him and Gabe crystal tumblers of scotch.
Carson arched an eyebrow as he passed off the glasses. “Which of yourbruhsare you addressing right now, Corporal?”
“Hey, Navy boy, you’re not allowed call me that.” Luke hovered the glass at the level of his face. “We ain’t in the same family, buttshark.”
Carson smiled cavalierly, pivoting and returning to the scotch bottle to pour three more glasses. “Oh yes we are.” He poured one glass and then saluted Luke with the bottle. “Lest you forget that the Department of the Navy is the Marine Corps’daddy.” He paused, squaring his shoulders. “Corporal.”
“Ohhhh…” Luke flashed a wide, shit-eating grin. “You want me to call youdaddy?” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and then waved his drink in a wide arc at the other three veterans in the room. “You know, you can take the Marine out of the Corps, but you can’t take the Corps out of the Marine.” He paused dramatically as he crossed his ankle over his knee. “You can take a sailor out of the Navy, but you’ll never get the seamen out of him.”
Gabe quietly groaned and swallowed a sip of scotch.
Carson offered a theatrical, sarcastic laugh. “Wow, I have literallyneverheard anyone make that joke before.”
“The Navy,” Gabe mumbled, lifting his drink to his lips. “It’s like Uber for the Marine Corps.”
Luke snorted, Connor tore his attention from Brennan’s hands in the reflection to laugh loudly and slap his knee, and Brennan chuckled heartily he as finished adjusting the second bowtie and turned away from the mirror.
