Deciding Tomorrow (33 page)

There’s so much exposed vulnerability in his face that my heart melts, and I forget everything.

“I knew you would find me,” he says, soft and even, still holding my hand. There’s so much control in his voice, a pure dichotomy to his expression. “Because you know me better than anyone. This is me, plain and simple, coming to you and asking a question I’ve asked once before. Life seemed to get in the way back then, but my love for you never faded away.” He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small black velvet box, and holds it upward. “I would give you the world if you would let me because I want you to have it. I want you in my life forever—to be by my side and to let me be the person you lean on for everything.”

He drops my hand and opens the box, revealing a delicate antique ring I haven’t seen in years. I thought it was lost when my father had gone to prison. My breath catches, and I choke on the tears streaming down my face. I sneak a peek toward Cody, and he nods, confirming that the ring in Brent’s hand was indeed my mother’s.

“Family is important,” Brent continues. “They’re what makes us who we are. Even though not every family is perfect, there’s beauty in all of them.” He takes out the ring. “I promised your father some time ago that if and when I asked you to be my wife, I would come to him first. This is why.” He nudges the ring closer to me. “He wanted you to know that this was his way of telling you he was giving his blessing to us. He said this ring, worn by your great grandmother and your mother, represents a foundation of love, and that you are always loved. And now, it’s my turn to be a part of that, too.”

He takes my left hand in his, kisses the empty space on the finger vying for that ring, and then bores straight through me. “Ruby,” he utters with sincerity, “you’re the reason I breathe, the reason I live, and everything I need. I’m on my knee, asking you to spend the rest of your life with me as my wife.” He inhales sharply. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I say without any thought at all, buckling slightly on my unstable legs. “Yes! Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Brent slips the ring onto my shaky finger and then rises. Taking me in his arms, he kisses me passionately through my sobs of pure bliss. My mind barely registers the applause from the crowd as we continue to seal our promise of eternity to one another with our joined lips. We share one more chaste kiss.

“This is just the beginning,” he says, “the real one.”

OUR DAY

~Ruby~

With a blue sky and a light smattering of clouds, the weather is perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

“It’s almost time,” Mara says, adjusting the train on my white strapless gown. “Are you nervous?”

“Very,” I respond with my heart pounding heavily in my chest.

She finishes arranging my dress and comes to stand before me in the cobalt blue gown that perfectly complements her skin tone. Mara is absolutely gorgeous today.

“Don’t worry,” she says. “If you trip, someone will catch you.”

“Ah, shit. I didn’t even think about falling.”

“Really? Not even one thought about catching your dress on your foot and plummeting headfirst into the aisle? Causing a bloody nose and messing up your hair?”

“Well, I am now.” I lift the front of my dress and peek at my white satin shoes. “Does that really happen?”

“Nah, I just wanted to give you something else to think about.”

My hands release the fine fabric, and I swat at Mara but miss her completely. “Well, it worked.”

“Then, my job here is done.”

“Knock, knock,” Cody says, rapping just outside the door.

“Come in,” Mara calls.

Cody, dressed in a navy suit with his face and hair neatly groomed, enters the small dressing area assigned to us in the pavilion.

“Oh, wow,” he says, his eyes wide. “You look really beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I reply. Nervously, I smooth my dark hair cascading over my shoulder. “You look good, too.”

“You clean up well,” Mara comments.

“Thanks, but I don’t think anyone will notice.” He takes a step forward and kisses me on the cheek. “Brent’s a lucky man.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I have.” He releases an affectionate smile. “He’s nervous.”

“I am, too.”

“Just make it down the aisle, and the rest will be a cakewalk,” Mara chimes in. “Then, all you have to do is stand and repeat.”

“Aisle, stand, repeat. Got it.”

“I can still walk with you, if you like,” Cody says, buttoning up his jacket. “You know, to make sure you don’t trip and ruin your dress.”

“What the hell? Why does everyone think I’m going to trip?”

Cody and Mara both laugh.

“It would make for a memorable day,” Mara says.

“She’s right,” Cody adds. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t forget it. Actually, it’d probably be very entertaining.”

“This is my wedding day,” I huff.

“So, that excludes you from our jokes?” Mara asks.

“Yes, I think it does.” Turning to Cody, I say, “Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll be fine. Plus, I want to honor my father.”

“Okay,” Cody says with his hand on my shoulder, completely understanding my request. He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a white letter envelope. “Here. Brent asked me to give this to you.”

“Thanks,” I say, taking it from his hand.

“Well, I’d better get out there,” he says, heading for the door. “See you in a few.”

“Yeah,” I breathe, turning over the envelope and fingering the closure. “I’ll be the one wearing white.”

“Good luck,” he says before closing the door behind him.

I wander to the window for better light, and I open the envelope, curious about its contents.

“Do you want me to give you a minute?” Mara asks.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” I reply over my bare shoulder.

“No problem,” she says at the door. “I’ll just come and get you when it’s time.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.”

She exits and leaves me alone with Brent’s words.

Retrieving the folded paper from the envelope, I discover a tiny note taped to the top.

See you soon. I love you. —Brent

Interested, I unfold the larger piece of paper to find a few paragraphs scrawled in my father’s handwriting.

My daughter,

I don’t have to be there to know how beautiful you are on this day. There’s no doubt in my mind that you are a vision to every person who lays eyes on you.

I wish I could be there. Even more so, I wish I could have been there when you needed me the most. I failed you in that respect, but I have always loved you. I love you still, and I will forever. You will always be my daughter, and no one could be prouder than me of the woman you have become. You have grown into someone who is strong and independent, a fighter to the end.

I wish you all the happiness in the world, and I know you will find it with Brent. Never have I seen you smile as much as when you’re with him. He’s a good man. He will take care of you and never let you down.

You deserve the world, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will give it to you.

I love you and wish you and Brent so much happiness, and a bright future.

Congratulations on this wonderful day.

With love,

Dad

My hand falls heavily to the side with the note held loosely between my fingertips. I gaze out the window at the songbirds perched on the tree, flirting and flapping against one another on a branch.

There have been two men of significance in my life—the one who raised me the best he could despite all his demons, and the one who is waiting for me now, willing to hold my hand forever. The product of one man is now the responsibility of another.

Some days are meant to be reminders of your life for the rest of your life. Today is one of those days.

This is our day.

On this day, I will say, “I do,” to the man who found me when all I was searching for was a way out. I should have known then that what I was looking for was standing right in front of me.

Over the years, I have thought many things about who I was, what I was trying to be, and what I wanted out of life, only to learn that I knew nothing. Brent saw through my facade, the one I had no idea I was carrying, and dug deep to find the woman inside. Our story is nothing like those in fairy tales, but our love is, and it’s the foundation of our forever.

This day is also an ending to part of my life. My father is surrendering part of his care to another, saying good-bye to a chapter in both of our lives. He is the first man I ever loved and the first man to love me unconditionally despite all the hardships we have faced together. He is not here in body, but he is in spirit.

Today is a day of beginnings and endings, but it is connected through love.

I fold up the piece of paper and wrap it around the stem of my bouquet so that in spirit he can walk me down the aisle in some way. Checking my hair and face in the mirror, I wait until it’s officially time, focusing on the first moment I ever met Brent. That memory is one that will live with me forever. I first interpreted the look on his face as confusion, but it wasn’t. It was realization. He knew we were meant to be before either of us would admit to such a thought. It just took me a little longer to catch up.

“It’s time,” Mara gently says as she peeks through the door. “You ready?”

“I am.”

She extends her hand and leads me outside to wait for the procession. Mara peers around the corner, gets her signal, and then quickly kisses me on the cheek.

“See you down there,” she says.

“Save a space for me.”

“You bet.”

She steps around the foliage, out of sight, and I begin to count to thirty as instructed during our rehearsal. Preparing to walk down that aisle alone in honor of my father, I’m ready to meet the man I’ll be spending the rest of my life with.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine.

Thirty.

I inhale a nervous breath.

And I exhale a slow breath.

I step out toward eternity. Around the maze of green bushes, I pause under the arbor adorned with seasonal multicolored flowers. The music changes, the guests rise from their chairs, and my gaze finds my heart in the sea of people.

Resplendent in a black tux with his hair groomed perfectly, he claims me with a single look.

I am home.

~Brent~

Pure beauty stands before me. That’s all she is and all she’ll ever be. She’s the woman who captured my soul so many years ago and never gave it back.

She’s a vision.

Timid yet brave, she stands in pure white under the arbor. Her dark hair frames her heart-shaped face, one too perfect to be conjured by man. She’s a gift from the heavens.

She beams.

I smile.

She’s about to take those steps, the final steps in joining me in our life together. We’ll be making our future as one, so she’ll never have to feel or be alone ever again. I’m going to be that person by her side—the one she leans and counts on, the person she can depend on for anything and never let her down, the man to carry her on through every journey in life.

It’s a promise I made to myself and her father as well. It’s a promise I’m making to her, too.

Seeing her silhouette at the end of the aisle, a realization takes hold. She takes one step and then another. She’s nervous. She’s by herself. She needs someone now.

I’m not upholding that promise.

Without another thought, I step around Cohen, off the podium, and down the aisle. In slow motion, I walk steadily toward my only person in the world. She halts midstep, and so does the music. I’ve scared her, and worry smothers her features.

A few feet away from one another, it’s astoundingly evident how truly beautiful she is. She’s even more stunning up close. I try not to stare, but it’s not to be helped. My eyes love to caress her.

I offer my hand, and she hesitantly takes it as I sidle up to her delicious form.

“What are you doing?” Ruby whispers and then bites her bottom lip.

She always does that when she’s overthinking, and it drives me wild.

“I made a promise that I’m keeping,” I softly say in her ear. “One to myself and to your dad.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I promised that I would always be by your side, and that’s starting now. Let’s start our future together right here, and let me be the one to walk you down the aisle.”

She gives me a dumbfounded look I’ve come to adore. She thinks I’m crazy, but I know her.

“It’s not very traditional,” she says with the face of an angel.

“Maybe not, but who cares?”

“Not me.”

I squeeze her hand, reminding her that I’m here and will always be here.

Facing the reverend with her by my side and her arm looped through my own, we take our first steps as one toward the podium. The music commences again as our small gathering of guests watch us, together, come to the place where we shall be joined as husband and wife.

At the end of the aisle, I lift her veil, exposing those devilishly engaging, warm brown eyes with flecks of amber that enrapture my entire being. I resist kissing her. It’s so damn hard, but I’m waiting for that moment—our first kiss as a married couple. I’ve been waiting for what feels like a lifetime to get her here, and I won’t deny us that sacred gesture.