Page 14 of Swipe for a Cosmo
Charity laughs and hands me the bouquet. “You, my dear, spontaneous friend, have read far too much paranormal romance. That stuffdoes nothappen in real life.”
“Then how do you explain what happened between Kellen and me?”
“Luck,” she says, placing her hands on my upper arms as she smiles up at me. “Sometimes, two people just get really lucky, and when they find each other, they know it’s right straight away.”
“Yeah,” I say with a chuckle. “Because our souls winked at each other.”
“OK,” she says, obviously dismissing me as she steers me toward the door. “Well, if that’s what happened to you, I think it’s beautiful. But that’s not a thing that’s gonna happen to me. In fact, now that you’re getting married, I’m probably gonna start collecting cats for company.”
“You won’t need cats,” I say as we reach the front door. “You’ll have Vaughn.”
Charity rolls her eyes. “How about we get you married first? Then we can worry about me later.”
“Deal,” I say with a giggle before we head downstairs to where my dad is waiting to walk me down the makeshift aisle.
And as I look around at the transformed bar filled with a small collection of Kellen’s and my friends and family, I can’t help but mist up. This really does feel like a dream, except it’s not. It’s real. And for once in my life, I’m living it.
“Ready, Jadey?” Dad asks as I slip my hand into the crook of his arm and take a deep breath.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m ready,” I whisper, just as he kisses my cheek and nods toward Kellen’s brother Otis, who hits a button on the jukebox andYou Had Me From Hellostarts playing.
“I can’t believe my little girl is getting married,” Dad says with a tear in his eyes. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Dad. And thank you so much for dropping everything to come out here last minute. I know it’s nuts but—”
“No. Don’t explain yourself, sweet girl. You’re following your heart. Sometimes, our hearts are in a rush, and that’s OK.”
I lean in and press a kiss against his jowly cheek. “I love you, Dad.”
“Right back at ‘cha, Jadey.”
As the intro to the song finishes, Dad and I walk arm-in-arm around the bar, getting my first look at my tall and handsome groom, who’s waiting between a row of chairs at the end of the dancefloor with Vaughn standing in as best man across from Charity who is of course, my maid of honor.
The moment Kellen sees me, it’s as if he completely lights up. His shoulders straighten and his lips curve while his eyes drink in every part of me. There’s a special something in his gaze that makes me feel so damn beautiful. It’s addictive, and something I hope continues throughout what I feel sure will be a long and happy marriage.
“Hey there, handsome,” I say as Dad shakes his hand and transfers my hand to Kellen’s.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more stunning sight than you walkin’ toward me in a white dress, sweetheart.”
My chest fills with emotion as I look up into his eyes. “I love you, Kellen.”
He lifts his free hand and touches my cheeks. “Feelin’s mutual.”
“If we can begin,” the minister says, his voice clear as it rings out around the room, taking us through our marriage vows as we promise to love each other with everything we have, in sickness and in health, till death do us part, forever and ever.
“I do,” we both say, embracing and kissing to seal our words with actions as our friends and family cheer around us, showing us just how blessed we both truly are. Because, not only did we find each other, but we also managed to bring together a room full of people who love us both enough to rearrange their days and bear witness to our perfect, spontaneous andbeautifulunion.
“I’m gonna spend the rest of my life loving on you, Mrs. Valentine,” Kellen whispers against my lips as he holds me close.
“And I you, Mr. Valentine. You will be the happiest man on the planet.”
His grip around me tightens. “I already am,” he says, kissing me again.
Epilogue – Kellen
Two Years Later
When I first met Jade, I was jealous. Not of her, but of the guy she was there to meet. And when he didn’t show, I was pissed. Odds were, that if he’d actually shown up, I’d have chased him off anyway—she was mine the moment I saw her, after all—but that wasn’t the point. He’d hurt Jade’s feelings, and I was determined to make him pay for doing so. Something I managed to do within a few days of returning from Jade’s and my month-long honeymoon.
