Page 65 of More With You

My heart leaps into my throat. “Ben…”

“I know, it’s cheesy.” He chuckles. “But that doesn’t make it untrue.”

I shake my head. “It’s not cheesy. It’s as perfect as everything else tonight. If I could get away with saying something like that, I would.” I pause. “But there are only two things that I have to say to you, my husband: I love you with all my heart, and… thank you.”

“Thank you?”

I nod. “Thank you for trusting in my mad idea about fate. Thank you for taking our situation and making it into something beautiful. Thank you for caring about me and thank you for not giving up.”

“I couldn’t. You don’t seem to realize it, but you’re special, Summer,” he says throatily. “You turned your situation into something beautiful. I’m just glad that I’m going to be around to see the rest of your metamorphosis. I think you’re going to make one hell of a butterfly.”

I arch an eyebrow at him. “Does that mean I’m a caterpillar, right now?”

“Not a caterpillar. A very beautiful, very sexy, irresistible cocoon.” He laughs, clearly knowing how silly he sounds.

I beam up at him, utterly besotted. “You should’ve stuck with the Summer metaphor.”

“I know.” He catches my mouth with his, and we’re dancing again, swaying to a slower song that drifts across the dusty parking lot, across the car where Grace sleeps, and ripples the water beyond.

Hearing his laugh, kissing him, feeling his arm tighten around me, thinking of all the memories we’ve shared and all the memories we’re going to share, there’s not a single doubt in my mind that I’ve made the right choice. We haven’t rushed into this, we’ve just welcomed the inevitable without spending months or years in that hamster wheel of relationship milestones. Now, we can start our life together, without either of us worrying about where we stand.

Tomorrow, however, there’ll be one more obstacle to stumble over. It won’t change anything, but still… I should start bracing myself now for the fallout that’s going to come. Tonight is for us and for happiness and for the future. Tomorrow is for his parents, who are going to find out that their son has gone and gotten himself a wife.

Mark my words, people will hear the screams all the way to Wisconsin.

BEN

I’m married. I’m in love. I’ve got a plan for all of Summer’s troubles. I’ve got a beautiful daughter who loves my beautiful wife as much as I do. Honestly, I’m in heaven, right now. If the world could be one color, it would be gold, because I’ve won at life. Nothing can bring me down, after this.

When there’s time, I’m going to paint the greens and the browns of the bayou, dotted with the sandstone beige and grays of the cemetery, and the bright white of Summer’s dress, of our wedding day, peppered with the yellow of Grace’s dress and the flowers in Summer’s hair. Grace’s gift. There’ll be a touch of bright red for the fascinator in Ms. T’s hair, and for the love bursting out of my heart. I’m going to immortalize that moment and put it in my gallery, as a reminder of the new promise I’ve made—to love that incredible woman until the end of my days. It’s going to be there, never to be sold, for all the world to see, so they’ll know just how much Summer means to me.

Now, I’ve got to go. My daughter is asleep, my wife is making coffee (my wife! I can’t believe this is real! I could say that forever: my wife, my wife, my wife.), and she and I are going to take a midnight dip in the water, while we’ve still got the chance to enjoy her corner of paradise. If I can persuade her, that is. That’s all I’ve got to say. I’m the happiest man on the planet, right now.

21

SUMMER

“Are you coming in?” Ben calls to me from the sun-warmed water: his body slicked, tanned, and devastatingly hot. He skims his hand over the surface, sending up a spray of glistening droplets that manage to catch my bare legs.

I sit bolt upright, startled by the splash. This is supposed to be our mini-moon, and I’m quite happy on the dark sand of the inlet, sunbathing in the fierce heat of the day. But the humidity keeps rolling in on sticky waves, molasses thick, and even I have to admit that the water looks tempting.

“I told you no last night. What makes you think I’ll change my mind?” I cast him a pointed look, though my feverish skin is begging for a quick dip.

He chuckles. “It’s daylight. You can see what’s going on, now.” He grins at me in that way that sets a whole net of butterflies loose in my stomach. “Don’t make me come up there. I swear, you’re coming in this water, one way or another.”

“There are… sharks!” I jab a finger down at the water. It’s clear in places, murky in others, and I’m not taking any chances.

He laughs, opening out his arms. “I’ve told you a thousand times—there are no sharks here! And, I swear I won’t sneak up on you, though I might take a little bite.” He chomps his teeth together and I can’t resist. It’s too hot, and you’re supposed to get out of your comfort zone on a honeymoon. At least we’re not skydiving.

I relent and get to my feet, shedding the gaudy towel I’ve got wrapped around me. It’s one of Grace’s, with a cartoon character printed on it. She let me borrow it, so it’s fine. In fact, she’d be the first to join her dad in the water, but she’s taking a nap so we can have some husband-and-wife time.

My toes scrunch the hot sand underfoot as I race down to the edge of the water, not wanting to get blisters on my soles. There’s no point making it a sexy fashion parade, so he can fully appreciate my newly bought two-piece, when there’s a risk of third-degree burns. It’s worth running when the cooler water embraces my feet, bringing a sigh from my lips.

“Come here.” Ben holds his hands out to me, pulsing his fingers like he’s got two of those forearm trainers in his grip. I laugh and wade out further, reaching for him.

Grasping tight to his hands, I let him pull me into his arms. Beneath the surface, his body submerged to the chest, my legs come up to wrap around his waist. I’m cooler, I’m refreshed, and he’s taking my weight. What more could a girl want? I cling onto him as if he’s a life raft in a terrible storm, still a little afraid of what might be in the water around us.

“See, it’s not so bad, is it?” He smiles and I’m forced to roll my eyes in reluctant agreement.

---