I broke the last rule I put into place for our one-night stand, not to fall in love. It completely flew out the window the moment he opened up to me and showed me a side of him I never expected, but that’s okay. Life sometimes works out in ways that’s not expected.
The one thing I really thought I wanted was my job, but when forced to pick between my heart and my career, it was no contest. Nothing matters but being with Zach and I know somehow, some way, things will work out as long as we believe in on another and our love. Zach is my forever.
RIFF
I have to hand it to Noel. This reception by the lake is stunning. The white tent under the stars is perfect for their union. The stiffly dressed wait staff scurries about handing out drinks and appetizers while the live band keeps the party jumping.
I’m not one that gets caught up in wedding sappiness usually, but knowing what Noel and Lanie have been through to make it to this moment gets to me. It reminds me that no real love comes easy and I’m going to have to work at this everyday with Aubrey to make this love last forever.
I spin Kitten in my arms as we press close together during a slow dance. “Having fun?”
She grins up and me and trails her fingers at the nape of my neck. “A great time. I’m glad I’m here with you.”
I squeeze her tighter against my chest. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with.”
She raises her eyebrow. “Not even the two women you were with after me.”
I sigh. It’s time to come clean with that lie. “I was never with anyone else.”
There’s a puzzled look on her face. “You weren’t? So, you lied to me?”
I nod as we continue dancing. “I was trying to get you to see I was no good. I said it to make you angry with me, so you’d move on before I got the chance to hurt you.”
She bites her bottom lip. “I never slept with Isaac, either. I only wanted you to think that because I was hurt.” She pauses for a moment. “I understand where all that angst is coming from. What happened to your family was a terrible tragedy, but you can’t let that rule your life. You deserve to be happy.”
“I’m trying to get there. When I found you, I found my heart, Kitten. You’re the one putting me back together. You make me feel alive. You’re helping me find my soul again, which is something I thought died years ago. It’s because of you I want to be a better man. I want to be there for you. I won’t ever be able to give you a family, because the accident left me sterile, but I’ll be there to love you forever if you let me.”
She strokes my cheek with her fingers. “I want to be with you, Zach. It’s you I love, not what you can or can’t give me. I just want you.”
“I love you,” I tell her before I kiss her lips and we start down the path to our forever. The instant the words leave my mouth something comes over me and I feel a mad rush to not only tell her, but the rest of the world, that I’ll do anything to keep her in my life. I pull away from her and hold up a finger. “Wait right here.”
The small platform the wedding band plays on is a far cry from the stages I’m used to, but I can’t think of a more appropriate place to express to Aubrey what she means to me. I gave Noel so much shit for doing this when Lanie came back to him, but I totally get it now. When you love someone, really love someone, you’ll do anything to show them how much they mean to you. I want Aubrey to know my words aren’t promises that I have no intention on keeping. I want her for the long haul.
I motion the tall, scarecrow looking lead singer with slicked-back black hair to the side of the stage. He bends down to me. “Hey, man. I hate to steal your show, but I need to sing something.”
The man shrugs. “Sure. Do you want us to back you?”
It’s been a long time since I fronted a band. The last time was before Noel joined Trip, Tyke and I. Adding the touch of the band may be perfect to bring the song together versus me alone with a guitar. I take a quick glance at Aubrey waiting on me in the middle of the dance floor under the soft lighting hanging in the tent and a song I secretly have on my iPod playlist that reminds me of how I feel about her pops in my head. “Sure. Do you know I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz?”
He nods. “We do. We play that a lot at weddings. Hop on up.”
Once I’m up on the stage, the front man hands me the mic before turning to fill in the band. I stare out into the crowd and even though there’s a ton of people surrounding me, Aubrey is the only person I see.
I pull the mic up to my lips. “This song goes out to a very special lady who needs to know how I feel about her.” I give the guitarist a quick nod and he plucks out the signature chords to intro the song acoustically.
When it’s time for me to sing, I lock eyes with Aubrey because I want her to know that what I feel for her is real and I don’t care who knows I’m totally whipped. The words are perfect as I tell her in song that I won’t give up no matter what and I finally know what it’s like to be loved and I’m never going to walk away from that.
It’s everything I’ve been missing in my life, and she’s given it back to me.
Aubrey wipes tears from her eyes and I step off the platform—the sea of people part before me, clearing my path to her.
I take her hand in mine and tears stream down her face. I fight back the emotion I feel building up inside me, so I can finish the song. The words that I’m still looking up and we have a lot to learn fit us perfectly, but I know together we can get through anything. With her by my side, I’m a better man.