Page 98 of Tempting the Heart

“Fate’s determination makes even the strongest person’s will surrender.” I shook my head.

“Things always circled back to you, Mayflower. Even when I didn’t want to believe they could.”

“And once again, my stubbornness and determination paid off.” I chuckled nervously.

Tyler grinned. “Or we can say persistence and perseverance.”

“Tomato, tomahto.” I smiled, resting my head on his chest.

“I’m sorry for always thinking the world around me was perfect,” I said softly. “I wish I had paid more attention when you were a kid. I hate thinking that you hurt so much.”

“Mae, I mean this when I say it. Spending time with you and your family made all the pain go away. You were my home before I even knew it.”

Tears filled my eyes as I felt the man Tyler had become opening up to me in a way I never knew possible. We might not have spent the last two decades together, but our hearts were never far apart.

Tyler pulled away and smoothed his thumb over my cheek, wiping away the tears as I did the same with my hand.

“Mae, I know this has all happened quickly, but it doesn’t feel that way for me.”

I nodded. “It doesn’t feel that way to me, either. It’s like we’ve spent a lifetime falling in love in slow motion, only to have it all come rushing into our lives all at once. There’s like this restlessness inside me, and I don’t know why.”

“I think it’s because we’re both tired of waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

He smiled, brushing a kiss across my head. “The inevitable. We’re meant to be together forever.”

“And I’m exhausted from the wait.”

His eyes stayed on mine as a smile crept along his lips. “So, what are we really waiting for, Mayflower?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have the slightest idea.”

Tyler nodded knowingly, and I closed the distance between us. He kissed me tenderly, and I knew I wasn’t falling in love. I’d been in love since the day he first kissed me.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Four Months Later

Tyler

The only thing that kept us from going to the courthouse the night after the pier was that Mae had always wanted a Christmas wedding.

So, here we stood with her sisters standing behind her, holding their rose bouquets, while the most beautiful bride stood before me as the pastor looked at Mae and then me.

“Do you take Mae Evans to be your lawfully wedded wife?” he began. “To have and to hold until death do you part?”

I held Mae’s hands in mine and nodded. “I do.”

“And Mae Evans, do you take Tyler Grant to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold until death do you part?”

Mae flashed a wicked grin. “I do, and forever after, too. There’s no getting away from me.”

I laughed and shook my head as the guests chuckled and Mae squeezed my hands.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the groom.”

Mae’s eyes lit up, and her hands cupped my face while my hands slid around her waist. Her mouth pressed to mine as I kissed her tenderly, my hand falling to her belly.

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