Page 59 of Fighting For Light
My heart thuds in my chest painfully, and I release one of her hands and put it on her belly. “Cordelia Quinn, I love you. Love isn’t always enough, but for us it is. Every bit of me is committed to you, blood and soul. You are my light in my tunnel of darkness. You are a blessing that I have done nothing to deserve. You are my reason to fight for light. I can’t wait to be your husband and… a father. You have made me a better man, and I hope to make you proud.”
Cordelia lifts her hand, dabbing at her eyes again, and takes a deep breath. “Kai, my daredevil, my best friend. I knew you were the one when we met as kids. I had hoped and prayed thatGod would bless me with you, and He did. It wasn’t at all how I thought it would be, but isn’t that how it always goes?” I nod and blink away the tears. “You make me feel safe, loved, and cherished. You make me feel like the sky is the limit, and you’ll take me up there just to see if it’s true. You give me a reason to face my fears and be stronger than them. You give me a reason every day to keep trying, even when I fail. I will always be there no matter what happens, no matter the outcome, because you are mine, and I am yours. Together, fear has no place between us. I will be fearless with you in the face of life. I love you so much. I can’t wait to be your wife, and I hope that I can make you proud of me. You make me a better woman, and there is no question in my mind that you are the one my soul has been waiting for.” A tear slips past my eyes, and I quickly brush it away.
The justice calls for the rings, and Emerson presents them. As we recite our commitment, I slip her wedding band next to her engagement ring. As she slides mine over my finger, it’s like a piece of me clicks into place, my other half finally home.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” he says, a little choked up himself. He takes a step back, and I grab Cordelia, spreading my hand on her lower back and the other to the back of her neck. I tip her slightly before slamming my lips on hers. She grabs onto my shoulders for balance. Our tongues push past each other’s, and I lose myself in her for a moment before the world comes back into color and sound. Everyone is clapping and whooping. Reluctantly parting, I stand her back up, still keeping my hands on her.
“Ow, ow!” Liam yells, and Cordelia giggles, lifting her chin to kiss me again. I hug her tightly, then drop down onto my knee to press a kiss on her stomach.
“How?” I ask her. Her eyes search mine, and she kisses me again.
“Because it was meant to be,” she whispers so only I can hear. There is no other way to put it because people like me don’t deserve people like her.
Mom hired a photographer, so we take a few photos and then head to dinner. I can’t take my hands off of her. I have to force my eyes away so I don’t trip and eat it. The way it felt to have her slide that ring on my finger felt momentous. My life will never be the same. It felt better than any jump, and it feelsrighton my finger.
Emerson holds the door for the family as we walk into Le Luke. Mom gives them her name, and they lead us to a private room they had reserved on the second floor. We walk past the massive wine cellar and up a white and light brown staircase with gold accents while a large chandelier hangs in the middle of the ceiling.
The private room is huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows showing off the sunset, which casts a pinkish hue. Centerpieces are lit, and flowers run down the center.
“This is beautiful,” Cordelia gasps, and I squeeze her hip and take her to her seat.
The table isn’t large since there’s only six of us. Once she’s seated, I order a round of bourbon for my brothers and me, then make myself comfortable next to her with my arm around her shoulders and her hand on my thigh.
“You are stunning,wife,“ I murmur in her ear, making her shudder. I smirk because I love calling her wife.A word I never thought I would be saying to any woman.
“Thank you,husband,“ she whispers back. I can’t help myself and grab her chin, laying one on her. A throat clears, and we pull apart as Mom rises for a toast.
“To Kai and Cordelia, may their love be strong, committed, and passionate. Welcome to the family, Cordelia. Cheers,” she says, and everyone clinks their glasses.
Reece clears his throat and stands. “I wanted to say something.” We all turn and look at the other end of the table. “Kai, I forbade you from even looking at my daughter. Now you’re married, and she’s pregnant, so that clearly got through to both of you.” I grin at him, and Cordelia puts her face in her hands, groaning. “In all seriousness, I can see the love you have for each other is very much real. If I had the choice to make anyone my son-in-law, I’m damn glad it’s you. So here’s to a long, happy marriage and to breaking the rules.”
Liam yells, “Hell yeah!” and we raise our glasses again. Then Liam stands and says, “Well if we’re going around the table, then—“
Emerson grabs his arm, forcing him to sit back down, and I give him a flat “No.”
He grins widely at both of us instead. “Welcome to the family, little sister,” he says, winking at her. I growl, and Liam throws his head back in laughter.
“Thank you, Liam,” Cordelia says, raising her mocktail to him.
The waiter comes in and hands Kai and me each a menu.
“I know this is a fancy place, but garlic cheesy bread sounds so good right now. But the short rib looks good, too,” Cordelia sighs.
“Is that what you want, baby?”
She shrugs and looks up at the waiter. “For dinner, can we do either the chicken or the short rib?” she asks the waiter, and he smiles professionally.
“Gem, do you want cheesy garlic bread?” I ask her again.
“I’m sorry, sir, we don’t—“
I cut him off with a look and glance at my wife.
“They don’t have it,” she says.
“But do you want it?” I ask her.
She nods and bites her lip. “If they don’t have it, they don’t have it, Kai.”
