In the space of an hour, my night has gone from wondering what to have for dinner, to having my not-so-fake husband arrive on my doorstep. That’s after he braved my brothers to get my address, drove hundreds of miles to see me, found out my favorite takeout and delivered it to me. All of that effort to tell me in person that our symbolic wedding ceremony was more real and legal than either of us bargained for.
I’m stuck on one part of that. After finding this out, he drove straight here to tell me.
“Don’t discount today and what it means. You’re givin’ Dad his dyin’ wish, and that’s somethin’ only you, and Jude, can do. It’s selfless, and I hope you and Jude know just how much it means to the rest of us,”Dare had told me.
Then there’s Jude’s note from our wedding day.
From the moment you pledge your life to mine, I will be your person and you’ll be mine. My vows will become my truth, my oath, and my life mission from the moment we’re declared husband and wife.
There is still a lot—OK, everything—to learn about each other, and this is somewhat of an unconventional way to meet your partner, but I want to start it as I mean to finish… honestly and committed in every possible way.
Please trust that I’m going into this with an open heart and open mind. All I ask is for you to be open to doing the same.
Did he know back then that this would happen? That this—us—was inevitable?
Thump. Thump. Thump.My heart answers for me.
Suddenly it seems clear. Everything that’s happened, everything that brought us to this moment, right now. Dad, my brothers, even Pete and the inadvertent role he’s played.
Isthiswhat Dad always hoped for?
“There’s more…” he says, looking down at me.
I’d forgotten I was still lying in his lap. Then again, he’s comfortable and something about being close is probably helping me stay calm.That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
“I know,” I say. My words are barely audible but since Jude’s looking like he wants to kiss me,that’staking all of my focus right now. The thing is, if he wanted to, I’d totally let him.
The moment’s broken when he freezes, his eyes widening. “Youknow?”
I hold my hand up toward his. Thankfully, he takes the hint and lifts his palm, pressing it to mine. As soon as he does, my whole body lights from head to toe, the buzzing under my skin and the goosebumps following in its wake impossible to ignore.
“You feel that, right?”
“Felt it before,” he whispers.
I think back to when I brushed his arm before the wedding. Then there was the way my whole body, mind, and soul felt centered the moment we first kissed. And now, how I haven’t felt normal since I left the mountain… not until Jude arrived tonight.
“When you put your hand on my back at Dad’s bedside.” It’s a statement not a question because I felt it then too.
“What do we do now?” he asks at the same time I mutter, “this is so surreal.”
He smiles at the same time I snicker.
“Guess we’ve got some talkin’ to do, hubby” I say.
“And now you know why I’m here.”
Chapter 10
Jude
After Em extricates herself from my lap and reclaims her corner of the couch again, we finish dinner while I tell her all about the events of my day starting with Pete’s confession and my conversation with her brothers.
Once we’ve both finished eating, I take out the dishes to the kitchen and clean up, grabbing two cans ofrealbeer out of Em’s fridge at her request before returning to the couch.
Her phone is in her hand when I walk in but she doesn’t hide the fact she’s on it this time.
She looks up and smiles as I hand over her drink. “I was messagin’ Dare back. He’s a bit of a worry wart when it comes to me. I wanted to make sure he knew thatIknew.”