Page 78 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“Then let’s see if you can match me. Finish getting dressed. I see you’ve got blue on too. One might think we planned this when we didn’t.”

“No,” he said. “But I couldn’t decide what shirt to wear with this suit. Help me look.”

She moved over to his walk-in closet and looked through the shirts hanging. “This peach one. It’s a nice contrast to the blue.”

“And matches you even more since you’ve got peach flowers on your dress.”

“I do,” she said. “But if you think we’ll match too much, any of these shirts will go well.”

“Nope,” he said. “This is the one.”

Anything for people to see them together and let them know she was taken.

She was his.

If only he could say those words, but he couldn’t.

She wasn’t ready to hear them any more than he was to say them.

No, that was wrong. He was ready to speak of it.

Only he wouldn’t.

He put his shirt on. “Do you know what tie you’re wearing or aren’t you? Few do anymore.”

“I hadn’t planned on it,” he said. “But I’ve got a pocket square that goes with this shirt.”

“Perfect,” she said. “Enough to tie it in. Where is it? I know how to fold it. I used to do it for my father all the time.”

“In that drawer over there, there are a few.”

She opened it and pulled it out and folded it, then saw his jacket hanging and tucked it in for him.

She pulled his jacket off the hanger and handed it over and he put it on.

“Okay, now I understand your reaction. Look at you.”

Her hand went to her chest and started to pat it.

“You like what you see?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Turn for me,” she said, laughing, her finger spinning in the air.

He did while putting his arms out to his side. “I love this playful side of you.”

“You know what? I love it too. Earlier when I was laughing I thought to myself, I couldn’t remember ever being this happy. I’ve never thought I had an awful life. Not that. I think I always thought I was a happy person, but not like how I was feeling when I was laughing.”

He held his hand out for her. “I like hearing that,” he said. “Truly. I hope it continues too.”

“Me too,” she said softly. “What about you? Are you happy?”

“Extremely,” he said. “Like you, it’s hard to think of a time I felt like this.”

And he didn’t want to either. He wanted to only feel it with her so that he knew it was real.

He pulled her into his arms and held her for a minute and she allowed him.

Maybe they both needed this moment to see what he hoped others would tonight too.

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