Page 126 of Paper Roses

I gesture for him to go in and then pause, holding my breath. There’s silence for a second, and then he says, “Oh,Jed.”

In his voice is a world of love, and I feel the same emotion rise in me to join his.

I follow him in and he gazes at me with tears in his pretty eyes. “Oh, they’re sobeautiful,” he whispers. “Did you do this?”

He’s standing in a sea of paper flowers. They cover every surface and hang in garlands around the room and over the window in an explosion of bright colours.

“I did.” I drop the bags as he reaches me in two quick steps, flinging himself into my arms. “It’s a good job I’ve been planningthis for a while because it’s taken that long to make them. Joe came over and arranged them while we were in the barn.”

My words fade as he kisses me fiercely, winding his arms around me. When he pulls back, I chase his mouth, but he puts his hand over my lips.

His eyes are shiny and filled with love and humour. “You must beverypopular with the English origami industry.”

“I might try for chairman,” I say modestly, and he starts to laugh.

“I doubt you’re as popular with the trees.”

I snort, and then we both break into gales of laughter. I tuck his smaller body against mine, loving the feel of him. He may be a quiet man to everyone else, but to me, he’s larger than life. He seems the stronger of us, because he holds our relationship so easily in the palms of his hands. He’s intuitive, passionate, kind, and clever, and I respect him immensely. I also love him more than I have ever loved anyone, and my love gets stronger every day I spend with him.

My wedding vows are nothing compared to the quiet resolution I have inside to keep cherishing him. It’s thanks to him that I have all this—life, love, and my best friend.

“Let’s say our vows now,” he says.

I go still. “Not in our suits?”

He pulls a funny face. “That’s not us. Let’s do it on the hop. We make our best decisions like that.”

“Really?”

He winks. “I seem to remember a wedding proposal happening like that.”

“I seem to recall you spitting your drink in my face.”

He laughs, and the light in his expression makes me catch my breath because of how beautiful he is.

“Okay, I’ll go first.”

I grin. “I might have known.” I catch his hand, kissing the long fingers that hold my heart so easily. “That’s because you’re braver than me.”

He looks startled. “I am not.”

“Yes, you are. You have more courage than anyone I know.” I step back. “Like this?” I ask, and he immediately shakes his head and steps back into my arms.

“Like this. I might be brave, but right here is where my courage comes from.”

I kiss his nose. “Go on then.”

He takes in a breath, and the room seems to go still. It’s very quiet, and all I can hear is the wind in the trees, and the sound of my heartbeat.

“Jed, I love you.” He pauses and chuckles. “That’s it really. I love you. I willalwayslove you. I promise to guard your soft spot and keep it safe like I do your heart, because you’re the whole world to me.”

I swallow hard. “I promise to love you until the end of my life. I will look after you, and I will let you look after me, too. I want to keep laughing loudly with you and then talking in whispers in our bed at midnight. I promise to take your advice on wallpaper after the one I picked seared our retinas.”

“It gave me nightmares about it coming alive.”

“Ahem. Are these my vows or a chat about poor decision-making?”

“Can’t it be both?”

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