He grabs my hand and takes me inside Mayton’s which seems to be closed down just for us.Easy?That’s bullshit. The door closes us off from the patio. It’s quiet in here. There’s a lady standing in a corner holding a folder. Luke grabs me by my shoulders.
“She’ll marry us today if you want. Everyone is here. I wanted to show you how serious I was without scaring the absolute shit out of you at the same time. If this is something you want to get done today, let’s do it. I’m game. If you want to do it another day, then that’s fine too. I’m all in, Aarabelle Dempsey. Forever, and I might have made you take an ocean swim, but it’s only because I needed to occupy your time to put this together.”
“First, the scavenger hunt was the most amazing, romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you for this.” I grab the necklace. “Second, there is nothing else I’d rather do than marry you, Hart. Honestly, I’m still so stymied by how thoughtful this is, that it feels like a wedding day anyway. It’s incredibly special.”
Luke presses his lips against my forehead to conceal a megawatt smile. He gives the lady in the corner a thumbs up and she smiles and pumps a fist in the air. I laugh. Luke’s smile fades a bit. “I do have one more question.”
“Uh-oh,” I reply. “Why does that sound like a loaded question?”
“Gilcher is here with his family. In the back-bar area. Before I release them into the party, I wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”
“How did you get Aaron here?”
He looks away sheepishly. “They were already here on a beach vacay. He said he wanted to show his kids the base. The stars aligned, honestly. I mean, I had to borrow his phone number from your cell phone a while back to make sure I had it. It was just a phone call. He wanted to be here. When I told him what my plan was, he wanted to watch you get married, even if it was from a window in the back of Mayton’s.” He swallows hard. “Don’t be mad at me.”
The lump in my throat morphs into tears pricking my eyes. “I could never be mad at you for that, Hart. Your thoughtfulness is annoyingly perfect. Do my parents know about this?” I nod to the officiant. “That your ulterior motive was to marry me today?”
“I asked for Liam’s permission, and told him about my plan B. I’m not sure if he told your mom. I’d assume she knows though. Marissa knows. Dagger has known I’ve wanted to do this for a while.”
I look down at my dress, and Luke senses my self-confidence falter. “You look beautiful, Aara. Just as beautiful as I thought you’d look in that dress. A vision of perfection.”
Blushing, I say, “Well your opinion is the only one that matters. Why don’t you go tell everyone there’s going to be a wedding, I’ll talk to Aaron.”
His smile is genuine and wide. “Sounds good. I’ll admit my heart is hammering like a machine gun. Like I’m on a mission.”
“Mission impossible?” I raise one brow.
He shakes his head and grabs his chin with his finger and thumb. “More like mission forever.”
I giggle. “I like that.”
He tells the officiant to get ready, and then I hear a racket of cheers when Luke goes outside to make the announcement. Before my parents can find me, I head toward the room at the south end of Mayton’s. The pit in my stomach blooms when the door squeaks open, and I see Aaron.
He hurries from the window where his kids are sitting, watching the patio area and the beach, their noses pressed against the glass. I hold out a hand—palm out. If I don’t say it in a rush, I might not ever say it.
“Yes. Yes, I want you to be at my wedding.”
Rochelle smiles but turns away to give us a slice of privacy. She nestles her children and continues gazing out the window.
“If only for the reason that you were right. About fighting and loving and holding on and letting go. All of it. I might not understand why you did what you did, but it’s not my place to label your reasons.” I take in a deep breath to steel my nerves. “Will you walk me halfway down the aisle. To Liam. He’ll walk me the rest of the way to Luke.” My palms are sweaty as I rub my nails against them. “You gave me life twice. I think that’s a fitting tribute. Once when I was born, and once when I became the heroine in my own legacy.” I cough to cover a sob. “Will you do that?”
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for it, Aarabelle.” His grizzled face lights up, and the circle is finally closed. Everything in my world makes sense if only for this second.
And because I feel the need to explain further. “He loved me enough to let me catch myself.”
Aaron’s eyes get teary. “And that’s the whole point to it, isn’t it?”
I hug him around his neck, closing my eyes. “It is.”
