Page 151 of Road Trip to Forever
“Yeah.” I pull Lola close. “But only because I want to marry this woman right this second.”
“Wait. I don’t have a ring for you.” She frowns. “How can we get married without a ring?”
“We can figure it out later. If you want me to wear a ring, I will, but I think my new tattoo is a little more permanent than a piece of metal.”
I carefully wiggle my left ring finger where I had an L inked on my skin this morning.
“You cannot keep getting these tattoos and hiding them from me,” Lola says. She grabs my hand and studies the cursive, the letter matching her handwriting.
“Yeah? What are you going to do about it, wife?”
Lola kisses my palm and settles it over her heart. Thatthump, thump, thumpcalms me, brings me peace, and the rest of the world quiets. “I guess I have the rest of my life to be mad at you.”
“Until we’re stardust,” I say. I brush a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Ready to do this?”
“I am. From now until forever, Pattycakes.”
Jack goes through the cursory words. TheI dopart. Theto have and to holdpart. Our vows are quick, no different from what I tell Lola late at night in our bed when we’re together, talking about our days.
It’s a promise to her, to always strive to be a better man. To support her dreams and her goals in any way I can. To treat her with gentle kindness. To love her simply and simply love her through all the challenges of life, just like I’ve done for the last twenty-seven years. She says something similar, promising to keep working on herself and to keep filling my office with balloons. To always come home, never gone for too long.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts and the website I used six months ago to get ordained, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Jack says. “You may kiss the bride.”
I grin and tug Lola toward me, a thread around my heart pulling me to her. I put a hand on her lower back and dip her toward the ground. My lips brush against hers. “I should have made you my wife years ago.”
“Wife. I like how that sounds.” She tips her mouth toward mine and kisses me with delicate care. When I put her back on her feet, Jack’s disappeared and we’re all alone. “Where to now?”
“Don’t care,” I say. “Anywhere with you is my favorite place.”
“Take me to the treehouse, Patrick,” she whispers. “I think we should go back to the place where it all began.”
