Page 133 of Honeymoon Phase
Addison turns to face me and it’s the first time I realize that she’s crying too. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and a tear streak is frozen on her cheek. She licks her lips and exhales a trembling breath, reaching out to grip my hands firmly.
“Fact or fiction. I’m a fool.”
My head jerks back as I frown and force out a laugh I don’t feel as I look out at the guests who are all sort of laughing but sort of not. They’re just as confused as I am, so I quickly shake my head and answer, “Fiction.”
Addison cocks her head and glares at me. “Don’t do that. Answer it honestly. You know we only ever ask each other questions we know are fact.”
I rub my lips together, trying to figure out how the hell toget out of this weird line of questioning she’s forcing on me. “You’re not a fool, Addison.”
“I’m going to ask again, and I need you to be honest, Luke. Come on now.”
I shake my head adamantly refusing to be set up to fail like this. “No, don’t ask me—”
“Fact or fiction. I love you.”
Chills erupt over my shoulders, my chest, my arms, legs, and toes. I feel them all over as my body language transforms from tense and defensiveness to pure, undiluted longing.
I circuit her face, taking in every inch of her expression and I see something there that I didn’t see before.
Hope.
I swallow the knot in my throat. “Please let it be a fact.”
She expels a noise and shrugs. “You know it is. It’s a fact. I love you. I don’t know when it happened, Luke, but somewhere along the way, I stopped being able to exist without you and that is utterly terrifying because you are the only person I’ve let in since... since...” Her voice cuts off as she shakes violently.
“Aaron,” I finish her sentence, letting his name exist in the space between us. He’s an important part of her life and I want her to know I see that. I’ve always seen that.
Her face bends with emotion as her chin quivers. She nods as fresh tears fall down her cheeks. “I love you so much, and I’m sorry for not letting that be enough last night. But I love you, Luke. I don’t want to be afraid. I want to be brave. You’re my home and I want to build a life with you.”
I close my eyes and feel her words wrap around me like a heated blanket in this snowy wonderland we’re standing in. “My turn?”
“For what?” she asks, frowning at me.
“For my vows.”
“Oh...” She looks to Sharon, who nods, seeming enraptured by our little change in format.
I blow out a breath, trying to pull myself together. “Fact or fiction, I love you, babe.”
She smiles wobbly back at me. “Fact.”
“It is a fact. And it’s a fact that I want to take care of you. I want to wipe your tears after a hard day and eat your bread until I’m fat. I want to lie on the couch with you until you fall asleep. And if the weight of my arm is what you need to stay asleep, it’s yours. Forever my arms are yours, Addison, because I will love you forever. You’re my home and I want to build a life with you too.”
“I love you so much,” she says and falls into my arms, her hands wrapping around my neck as she kisses me with abandon. Kisses me with every single part of her soul. And I give her mine in return.
“Um... guys...” Sharon’s voice cuts into our moment. “We have some other things to do before that part.”
“Oh.” Addison laughs and pulls away. Her cheeks are flush, and her smile lights up her whole face as it heals the hurt inside of me.
She loves me.
She fucking loves me.
“Rings?” Sharon asks and Addison turns her attention to her dad, who stands up and pulls a ring box out of his pocket.
He gives me a half smile that feels important as he opens the box and sets the band on the officiant’s open book. Calder steps forward and adds the ring I got, and Addison and I both look at what we bought and smile.
They’re the matching Cartier love wedding bands. They’re both white gold and feature a flat head screw design motif on them, but the one I selected for Addison also has three roundbrilliant-cut diamonds evenly spaced around the band between the screwhead cuts.
