Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“And we have to get a marriage license. I think we should wait until the Friday before,” I tell him. “Then we can bribe whoever’s working that day to keep quiet until Sunday.”
“Perfect. So, what do I need to do?”
“You have your uniform?”
“Yes. I’m all set there.”
“Invite the guys, and anyone else you want there. Tell your mom at least about the party, and the wedding if you want.”
“Kip,” he says. “He was my best friend in the Marines. We met in boot camp, and he heard me talk about you all those years. So, yeah, I want him here. I want to invite him and his wife and his daughter.”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” I tell him.
“What else?”
“I’ll talk to Alice about the food. She’ll be all over it.” I laugh. “You know how Alice is. She loves to cook, and a party, what better reason?”
“We need a cake.”
“Actually, I’ll just tell Alice to make cupcakes. I’ll pay her extra for this, obviously.”
“I’ll pay her. Just tell me how much you need,” he offers.
I smile at him, resting my palm against his cheek. “I’ll handle that.” He kisses my palm.
“Together, Ells. What’s mine is yours now.”
“We’ll need it for this one,” I say, nodding to where our hands still rest over my belly.
“Where are we going to live? Here?”
“You want to live with my sisters?”
“I don’t care if we live in a she shed, as long as we’re together.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. “Yeah, that’s a hard pass on the she shed.” I grin.
“Yeah, we can live here, at least until we decide where we want to be.”
“All things we can work out before this little peanut gets here.”
“We’re having a baby, Cope.” Tears well in my eyes. It’s still so hard to wrap my head around finally having everything I’ve ever wanted.
“Our first.” He winks.
“We always said three.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. He sits up and climbs out of bed. “We’ve got a party to spread the word about.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Not until you come with me,” he says, stepping into his shorts.
“I kind of want to grab breakfast and then go to the attic and dig out Mom’s dress. I need to make sure it fits, and if not, I’ll go to plan B.”
“What’s plan B?”
I shrug. “I buy something. I don’t need an actual wedding dress. I can find something white, even though”—I glance down at my belly—“that ship kind of sailed.”
“White, Ells. Our love is pure, and that’s all that matters.” He braces his arms on the bed and leans in for a kiss. “I’ll order us some food from the diner, and go pick it up while you get ready. What about your sisters?”
“They didn’t come home last night. They were staying in Nashville, so it will be later before they’re home.”
“Okay. Love you,” he says, kissing me and walking out of the room as he pulls his shirt on over his head.
Tossing off the covers, I climb out of bed to get ready for the day. We have a lot to do, but the thought doesn’t stress me out. Instead, it excites me, gives me a boost of adrenaline. After all these years, we found our way back to each other. We’ve pushed the past behind us, and we’re only looking forward. Forward to the life we’ve always dreamed about.
“Ready?” I ask Copeland, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I feel like a kid on Christmas. I know my mom’s dress is up there. I hope it fits. We have minimal time for alterations.
He grins. “Lead the way, baby.” He holds out his hand for me, and I take it, leading him upstairs to the hallway, where the ladder comes down out of the ceiling to access the attic.
“When I was little, I used to beg my mom to let me play in her wedding dress. She never let us, but she did let us all try it on once. There are pictures somewhere. My sisters thought it was cool, but I’m the only one who ever wanted to be married in it.”
“I hope this little attic adventure is a success, then,” he tells me, reaching up to lower the ladder. “I want our wedding to be everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“It’s not the dress, the food, the flowers, or anything else that makes the wedding, Copeland. It’s the bride and the groom. We could go to the city hall, as far as I’m concerned. I just need you to be my husband at the end of it. I don’t care how we get there, as long as we get there.”
“Up the steps, Ells, before I drag you back into your room and have my way with you.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” I tease.
“Only promises, baby.” He smacks my ass lightly. I yelp as I reach for the steps and start to climb.