Page 102 of One More Kiss

Chapter5

"Mama,"Corbin yells as he runs into the small dressing room. "You look like an angel."

I smile at him and then look up at the celling, trying like hell to keep the tears in so they don't screw up my makeup. The last thing I need is mascara running down my face right now.

"Thank you, baby," I say as I lean down and kiss his cheek before he runs back to the door. He looks absolutely adorable in his little blue suit. The bow-tie and suspenders were a good call. They look even better than I expected.

I glance down at the gorgeous gown I'm wearing and take a deep breath to relax my nerves. I know I don't look like the women in the catalogs always do, with their flat stomachs and curves in all the right places, but the dress fits my curves nicely and I'm feeling ridiculously beautiful right now. It's hard not to when you've paid a small fortune for hair, make-up, and nails on top of a way too expensive dress.

But, then again, maybe all the classes I've been taking for my counseling degree have helped my own self-esteem. Maybe, between the classes and the self-help books. something is finally clicking in my brain. Maybe it's not the fake lashes and extensions making me feel good about myself. One can only hope it's not a fleeting burst of confidence and that it sticks around for a while.

When I walk out of the dressing room, I'm stopped dead in my tracks. It's not just that David is drop-dead handsome in a three-piece suit or that he's carrying a bouquet of white lilies, my favorite flower. It's the look on his face that grips me and squeezes my heart. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop the tears that fill my eyes and roll down my cheeks. When I wipe them away with my hand, he walks over and pulls me into his arms.

"What are you doing to me?" he whispers. "You look absolutely breathtaking."

My heart is racing and my stomach feels like it's going to explode. I want to tell him that it's not just the dress. It's everything. It's my new life. It's him. It's our son. Yes, ours. He's already filled out the paperwork to start the adoption process.

Everything is so far away from where I started. This life we've built amazes me. It's a life filled with kindness and wonder. A life Corbin will thrive in because he's surrounded by people who truly love him. It's a life I'd never let myself even dream about. Better than anything I could have imagined.

But before I can say anything, he's kissing me. And I'm kissing him back. Our tongues are intermingling and I'm melting as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer.

"I love you," I whisper as I kiss him again.

"I love you, too, baby," he says as he leans back and looks me up and down. "I can't wait to marry you."

"I can't wait either."

As we walk out the door hand-in-hand, I can't believe everything that's happening right now.

The space near the bottom of the waterfall has been completely transformed into a ceremony space. The space is lit with white and pink paper lanterns, hanging from the trees. The firelight glows softly through the lanterns and filters into the area, illuminating the flowers and wooden chairs on the grass, with their bright pink cushions. The sound of water rushing over the falls, surrounded by a chorus of chirping insects, is like a lullaby. A gentle scent of flowers fills the air, offset by the warm, burning candles.

The ceremony is so simple. And pure. And perfect. It's everything I needed it to be. I'm a blubbering mess when we exchange our vows, but David doesn't even seem to notice. He's too busy looking at me like he's going to devour me with his eyes. He looks so in love. And so happy. The love he has for me and our son, it's palpable.

Can this really be my life? Can I really have this? It's still so hard to believe. As we kiss, I can't believe the softness of his lips. The way they feel against my skin. The way they linger against my mouth. I could kiss him forever.

We break apart and he looks into my eyes. A shiver runs through me when he slides his hand down my arm.

* * *

"I wantto carry you over the threshold," he says.

I look up at the small cabin. It's been a while since he actually lived here, but we'd never sold it or given it back to the park. Our relationship was slow at first, but once I gave in to the gravity of his love, things happened faster and faster. Still, a little voice in my head told me that he needed to keep this place. Just in case. As much as he wanted to move in with me and Corbin, as much as he did silly stuff like leave his toothbrush or phone charger just to have an excuse to come back as soon as possible, I just knew that one day he'd choose to leave and never come back.

It took a long time to accept that he wasn't the kind of guy who would do that. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, to find out something dark and terrible about him that would change things, for him to wake up and realize how unworthy of him I was. But that day never came.

The more time I spent with him, the more I realized how alike we were. We wanted the same things out of life: peace, adventure, and lots and lots of laugher. We appreciated the same dry, British humor, which led to binging the UK version of The Office more than once. We even ended up having the same favorite restaurant. Which David took as a sign that even if we hadn't met that day at the ropes course, we would have eventually.

No relationship is ever perfect all the time, but ours is pretty damn close. Even when we argued, we don't really argue. We talk about things like grown adults and come to an understanding we both can live with. Like the time when he encouraged me to enroll in college. I'd fought hard against it, swearing that I didn't have the time to do it all. Working and raising Corbin was more than enough to fill my schedule. But he said I needed something more. He promised to help me navigate it all and would even take Corbin out on little adventures when he knew I really needed some time to study.

Even the way he proposed was perfect. We were both camped out at the park one night, sitting by the campfire. Once we'd had enough to eat, he'd gone into the cabin to pack up the leftovers while I folded up our blanket. When he came out, he slipped a little box into my hand. I looked at him, not sure what this was all about. I opened the box and found a delicate gold ring with a beautiful sapphire stone.

"This is the ring my great-grandmother gave to my grandmother. She passed it down to my mom, and my mom gave it to me. I'd like to give it to you," he said.

"Oh my god," I said as I slipped it onto my finger. "It's beautiful."

"It really is," he said as he took my hand in his. "I was thinking about what my mom told me about this ring. She said it's a family heirloom and it's been in the family for a long time. She told me that someday I'd meet someone special who I'd want to give it to. Well, I want to give it to you. Now. Because I love you. Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" I said as I leapt into his arms.

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