Page 116 of One Little Mistake
“Locket?”
She turns to face me.
“I’ve been planning this day since Summerfest. I want this for us.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the small box I’ve been carrying around for two weeks. When she doesn’t move, I open her palm and set it down.
“Open it.”
Lexi’s eyes well with tears. They’ve been doing that a lot more easily these days. With a resigned sigh, she opens the box and pulls out a small locket, and freezes.
Moving so I can kneel in front of her, I open the small charm, hoping I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life.
“Oh. Oh my God,” she cries. “East. H-How?”
“Well, GG helped with the picture of your mom.”
Lexi whimpers, and I move quickly. Sitting in a chair, I drag her down onto my lap. “The other side took a little research.”
“Pink diamonds,” she whispers.
“She would have been born in April. The birthstone for April is a diamond. I went with pink to represent her.” Undoing the clasp, I reach around her neck and help her fasten it. “Now, you can keep them both with you always. I never got to meet them, but I love them just the same because they’re a part of you. I will love you forever, Lexi. I will love our family no matter the size.”
She cries against my shoulder while I hold her. We do this sometimes, and I’ll always be her strength.
I’m shocked when she pulls back suddenly, though.
“Okay. Let’s do this,” she says, rising to her feet with determination written in her beautiful features. “I saw that big, stinking princess dress you have in there. People are probably waiting. Let’s get it over with.”
“At least you make me laugh.”
“Yeah, real comedian. But I just realized the sooner we get this wedding over with, the sooner we can get to the honeymoon sex. Er, we are having a honeymoon, right?”
And now I’m painfully hard.
“Yes, sweetheart. We’re going on a honeymoon.”
“All right, give me ten minutes.”
I raise my eyebrows as she scurries out of the room, but true to her word, she’s standing before me ten minutes later, and I’m having trouble breathing.
“You’re perfect.”
Clasping the locket around her neck, she uses her other hand to fan her face.
“I-I used to think, always be a bitch and find someone who can deal with it. It was easier to protect myself that way. B-But you make me not want to be a bitch, and I don’t know how to protect myself when I’m vulnerable.”
“That night in Vegas, I also told you that you didn’t understand how marriage works. You do what you can, and I pick up the slack, remember? We’re a team. I’ll always have your back, and I’ll protect you when you can’t.”
“Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“It was never an option, Locket. You have the key to my soul.”
We’re interrupted by Julia’s craziness. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I did it. I fucking did it. I did it, Lex! Here.”
She hands Lexi a carton of eggs. “What the hell, Jules?”
One by one, the rest of my family follows the sounds of crazy until we’re surrounded by everyone we love.
