Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“It might take some time,” I hedged.
“I’ve waited years to love you the way I’m supposed to, Maddie. I can be patient.” He brushed my hair off my face. “I want forever with you.”
“It’s yours, Beckett.” My heart beat hard against his. “I think it’s always been yours.”
Twenty-Three
Maddie
One Year Later
“Maddie?” Amy opened the guest room door and poked her head in, a huge grin on her face. “It’s about that time.”
I met her eyes in the full-length mirror I stood in front of. “I’m ready. You can come in.”
Her smile grew even brighter as she entered the room. “Oh,” she breathed, her eyes tearing up. “You look so beautiful!”
“Doesn’t she?” Cheyenne moved one of my curls from behind my shoulder to the front.
“The dress was exactly the right choice,” said Blair from where she sat on the bed, leaning back on one arm, the other hand on her hugely pregnant belly. She was due any day now with a little boy, and she and Griffin had just moved into their brand new home, built on the parcel of land Beckett had sold them by the pond. Every time I thought about our kids growing up together, it made me happy.
Glancing in the mirror, I touched my stomach and hid the smile that attempted to give away my secret. I hadn’t even told Beckett yet. I’d only confirmed it myself two days earlier.
I looked down at the lace bodice of my dress, with its V neckline and spaghetti straps. The soft chiffon skirt fell in gentle ripples to the floor—a bit much for a tiny backyard wedding, maybe, but I didn’t care. Everything about today was perfect.
Beckett and I would tie the knot right beneath the maple tree where he’d first kissed me. Where almost a year ago he’d caught me in his arms and told me he didn’t want to let go. Where two months ago, on my thirty-fourth birthday, he’d brought me out to the swing and dropped down on one knee.
“Maddie Blake,” he’d said, opening up a ring box to reveal a stunning pink stone surrounded by tiny diamonds and set in rose gold, “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my vision blurring with tears.
“You’ve made me believe in so many things,” he said. “Love and commitment and trust. You’ve made me want things I never thought I’d want, like a house full of kids. You make my life better every single day—you make me better.” He took the ring from its velvet and slipped it on my finger.
“Did you do it yet?” a familiar little voice shouted from above.
Confused, I looked up and saw Elliott hanging from a branch high up in the tree.
“Not yet,” Beckett called back. “I’m about to!” He met my eyes. “What do you say? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing through tears. “Yes!” I hollered into the tree.
“Yay!” Elliott shouted above us.
Rising to my feet, I threw my arms around Beckett and he lifted me off the ground.
Now it was our wedding day, and I still felt like I was in the clouds.
“The flowers in your hair are perfect,” said Bianca from her place next to Cheyenne. “God, I’m going to cry just looking at you.”
“You’ve cried like ten times today already,” I said, laughing.
“It’s not my fault. It’s the babies.” She put a hand on her belly, which was also delightfully big and round—her twins, a boy and a girl, who were due in eight weeks. “I cry at everything ten times a day.”
“Same,” Blair said with a sigh. “Ooh.” She shifted positions. “This baby is not happy today. And I swear to God he’s sitting right on my bladder.”
I went over and spoke to their stomachs. “Hey, give your moms a break today, okay? Stop making them cry.”
“It’s no use,” Cheyenne said. “I’m pretty sure we’ll all be in tears during those vows.”
Blair grimaced. “At this point, I just hope I don’t wet my pants.”
I laughed. “I remember that feeling. And speaking of my kiddo . . .” I walked over to the bathroom, where Elliott and Daisy were primping, and knocked on the door. “You guys ready?”
“They sure are,” called Mallory, who was helping the kids get ready.
A moment later, Elliott and Daisy stepped into the room in matching pink dresses they’d chosen themselves, gigantic grins on their faces. Daisy wore her dress with sandals, but Elliott wore his with a new pair of boots—brown this time, to match Beckett’s.
“Wow!” said Blair. “You guys look great.”
Elliott came over and wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me tight. Then he tipped his head back. “You look so pretty.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled down into his brown eyes, thinking how lucky I was. Elliott had jumped at the idea of moving up to Beckett’s ranch. Sam had balked at first, but eventually he agreed to the move. Elliott and I were spending almost every weekend up here anyway. No doubt he was also persuaded by the fact that he and his girlfriend could move into the house once I vacated it. Elliott was able to keep his room there, and he visited his father once every six weeks, with Sam and I meeting at a point halfway between Cincinnati and Bellamy Creek for the handover.