Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
With a shaky lower lip and several tiny nods, I whisper back, “Yes. I’ll be your wife … again.”
He grins just as he kisses me.
Just as the restaurant erupts into applause and whistling.
Just as Leah snaps a slew of shots of this moment to capture the exact one where I hand him the rest of my heart.
At this moment, I hear Suzie so clearly. “You are courageous. You found your soulmate. Humans are interchangeable puzzle pieces. We fit into more than one space. You fit with Zach. I always knew you would. Be happy, my dear friend.”
EPILOGUE
Some people aren’t meant to live traditional lives. As much as I thought I longed for the simplicity of tradition, it’s not in my blood.
“You may kiss the bride.”
As Zach leans down to kiss me, I say, “I think it’s just permission. Not a requirement. Like you may kiss the bride. Doesn’t mean we have to kiss.”
He grins and shrugs. “Have it your way.”
My jaw drops in disbelief as he takes my hand and starts to lead me back down the aisle—the narrow path of sand dividing the small gathering of family and close friends. Leah catches everything with her camera and her new assistant captures it on video.
“Zachary Kendrick Hays.” I tug his hand to stop him.
He turns, wearing a victorious grin. “Emersyn Jane Hays.”
“Kiss Mommy!” Clara Suzanne Hays yells. Yeah, we may have conceived her the same night he proposed to me. Life hasn’t followed the dreams of all the things I thought I was missing in my life. Turns out … I wasn’t missing anything. We’ve made our own traditions. Our own rules. We’ve forged our own path. The unexpected has felt real. The unpredictable has given greater meaning to each day. Every day with Zach is the life I never dared to dream.
It’s taken us three years to squeeze a wedding into our busy lives. Once I had his love, his arms, his declaration to the world that he loved me, and his baby … the marriage seemed a little less important.
We chose lazy mornings with just the three of us in bed.
We chose trips to Italy and quick hops across the pond to visit Zach's family.
We’ve made London our home base, and the world has been a playground, a canvas on which we’ve drawn the most beautiful adventures of our life thus far.
I grin at Clara in her light pink flower girl dress before returning my attention to Zach.
“Are you and our daughter done bossing me around?” he asks.
The small gathering laughs.
I nod, biting my lower lip as he slides his hand behind my neck and pulls me to him for the kiss of all kisses while his other hand rests against the side of my six-month-pregnant belly. Barefoot and pregnant with our second child on our wedding day. Nothing traditional about us.
“I love you, my beautiful wife.”
I thought he was the right person at the wrong time in my life. I was wrong. Zach taught me patience. Patience with my life, with him, and with myself.
There’s rarely a day that I don’t think about Suzanne. She’s the reason I have Zach and our precious family. I know she’s watching us, and she’s smiling. She knows Zach doesn’t love me more, just differently.
Different. I think every part of life is fluid, ever-changing. Suzie taught me that. Love is inclusive and something humans share in many ways. It doesn’t define us, it refines us—makes us better for having taken a chance on it. We are different people at different times in our lives. Today, I’m basking in that sweet spot—artist, friend, mother, and wife.