Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Afterward, I collapsed back on the pillow, breathing hard. Finn took my left hand in his, curling my fingers so the ring he’d given me caught the light. “How do you feel about short engagements?” he asked.
I turned my head to look at him and smiled. “I think a short engagement sounds perfect.”
Epilogue
SAVANNAH
We had intended to start wedding planning right away. Once I said yes, I found myself eager to skip from the engagement to the married part of things. Neither of us wanted to wait, but we had Scarlett and Tenn’s Christmas Eve wedding only a week after I finally accepted Finn’s proposal and a house full of guests to contend with.
So we waited.
Finn and I were run ragged over the next week, Finn preparing to feed a temporarily enlarged household on top of planning the wedding dinner and me working with Parker and Scarlett to put the finishing touches on the wedding while I prepared Heartstone for out-of-town guests.
Hawk stormed around, looking aggravated that we’d allowed outsiders on the property. He grudgingly acknowledged that Scarlett’s family should be allowed to attend her wedding, but only grudgingly. It helped that both her parents and the boys’ other grandparents had visited over the summer and thus already passed the security checks. Hawk couldn’t really argue, but he didn’t like it.
On Christmas Eve, we all stood in the library, a roaring fire casting a flickering golden light that turned the palatial room almost cozy. Parker and I had decorated the towering Christmas tree, adding twinkling lights strategically throughout the room, along with fragrant holly and pine boughs. It was beautiful, but not as beautiful as Scarlett floating up the aisle we’d formed with a white satin runner, her champagne silk gown skimming her body to fall in a glowing pool at her feet. She’d left her vibrant red hair loose, falling down her back in curls and waves, her smile the brightest light in the room. August and Thatcher, one on each side, escorted her to Tenn, who stood at the altar we’d arranged in front of the fireplace, beside Griffen, who’d gotten ordained online at Tenn’s request so he could perform the ceremony.
Scarlett and Tenn spoke their vows with quiet conviction, the kiss he gave her at the end sweet and just over the edge of appropriate for a family wedding. They glowed with love. I was happy for them, so happy, and also just a touch envious.
Finn read my mind.
“Have you thought about what you want?” he asked quietly as we watched Tenn and Scarlett turn to walk out of the library, the kids following.
I shook my head, then nodded, then shook my head again, and settled for a shrug. I didn’t have a clear answer, just ideas and images swirling in my head. It was almost time for us to jump into gear for the rest of Scarlett and Tenn’s celebration, me organizing pictures and Finn racing to have appetizers and dinner ready according to our schedule for the evening. But we had a second or two. The new family would want a moment alone before the wedding festivities got going.
“What kind of wedding do you want?” I asked.
“Honestly,” Finn said, his voice low, his mouth at my ear. “I want to be your husband. I want you to be my wife. I want to be Nicky’s dad. I could not give less of a fuck about a wedding. I’ll do whatever you want to do, as long as I don’t have to wait too long.”
I snorted at his profanity and nodded. I’d had the big wedding of my dreams, which had been wonderful at the time. This was Finn’s first wedding. His only wedding, if I had anything to say about it. If he wanted to go all the way, I would have done it happily. But in the end, we were on the same page. I didn’t want the big production. I just wanted Finn.
“I want this,” I said, gesturing at the library around us, the picture of the wedding I wanted coming into focus. “I want to get married here in the library. On Valentine’s Day. I want red roses, Griffen to officiate, and Nicky to be part of the wedding. And I want to go on a honeymoon for at least a week, just you and me. You can plan that part.”
“Done,” Finn said.
And it was just that easy.
As the day drew closer, it got easier, which surprised me. Finn insisted on making our wedding dinner, which I thought was insane, but on the other hand, his wedding wouldn’t be any fun if he was scowling over the food. And I had to admit, there was something adorable about Finn poring over videos and cookbooks, checking his notes, planning the perfect feast to celebrate our marriage. Aside from me, his life was food, and the time he put into our wedding dinner told me exactly how important the wedding was to him, despite his saying he didn’t care.