by Zoe York
Chelsea wiped happy tears from her eyes. “Okay, well, I’m telling you they are not expensive. But I think it’s very sweet you were worried there for a second.”
“I’m not worried.” His expression shifted from amused to serious. “But now when I want to really impress you, I’ll have to work that much harder. Which is fine. Great. Amazing. I want to spend the rest of my life impressing you.”
“What?” Now they were both staring at each other, completely serious.
Ben’s eyes shifted back and forth for a second. Replaying what he’d just said, maybe. Then they widened as he heard himself. “Shit, did I just slip and admit…” He grinned. Big, wide, confident. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Ben—”
“Marry me.”
“No.”
“Okay.”
“Are you serious? We’ve known each other for a week.”
“And for at least half of that time, I’ve known you’re the one for me. Three-quarters of the time. Maybe the entire time. I was buck-ass naked and all I could think about was your mouth, and how I couldn’t get hard, and there was this strange, wild feeling inside me that I didn’t recognize. One look, Chels. That’s all it took.”
“Love at first sight.” She blinked at him in disbelief. But it didn’t sound wrong.
The more she thought about it, the more right it felt.
“We should be practical about this,” she whispered, her heart galloping in her chest. “Talk about what the future might look like.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck. Yeah. No, this was a terrible idea. I’m going to go away a lot, and you aren’t signing up for that life.”
“Maybe I am.” Her fingers were shaking. “Maybe we know more than we think.”
“We both want kids.”
She burst out laughing again. That was true. “I think it’s more complicated than that?”
He caught her hand, exactly as he had in the restaurant, and he traced her fingers, one by one. This time, when he stopped on her ring finger, he kissed the spot where he might one day put a gold band. “Is it?”
“We should sleep on it.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
fifteen
For the first time since coming home, Ben slept in.
It was almost eight when he bolted straight up in bed. Beside him, Chelsea set aside her book and gave him a bright smile.
The first thing he said was, “We’re late for breakfast.” Then he swore under his breath, shook his head, and asked her to forget he said that.
“Why?”
“Because the first thing I should have said is, marry me.”
“Oh, that.” She smiled.
“I’m going to keep asking.”
“Daily?”
“Maybe weekly? Would monthly be more appropriate? I don’t want to wear out my welcome but I do want to make it clear that it wasn’t the booze speaking last night.”
“We didn’t have that much to drink.” She was still smiling.
This couldn’t be going that badly if she was amused by him. “I slept in,” he pointed out.
She nodded.
Maybe it wasn’t that profound for her.
“I’m not a great sleeper.”
“I’m aware.”
“But with you—” He cut himself off. This was secondary to the larger point. “Chelsea, I’ve been thinking about what we talked about yesterday. Where is my home? Why did I bristle at that, when my dad wanted it to be his home? And for a long time I thought it was about a sense of loyalty to my mom, because we didn’t have one single home here in Nevada, she would move all over the place, but it’s not that at all.”
Chelsea leaned into his side. “I get it. There’s no place that is home, but she was always home. Home is the people we love, not the places we’ve lived.”
As she snuggled closer, he wound his arm around her shoulders, then slid it lower, wanting to seal her to him. He pressed his lips into her soft, sweet-smelling hair. She was exactly right. But it wasn’t just that his mother had once felt like home to him. It was also that in the last few days, Chelsea had started to feel like home.
“When you’re ready, I want to be your home.” He said it quietly. As softly as he could, when he really wanted to yell it from the rooftop, a promise to her and everyone within hearing range, too.
But he didn’t want to rush her or overwhelm her with his feelings.
“This is not how I expected Christmas to go,” she whispered. “And you know I love you.”
He waited for the but. But it’s too soon, but she wanted a big wedding, but she wasn’t sure he was the one, and how could she be sure of that? They had only just met.
Instead, she turned into him, pressing all of her body against all of his.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in as tight as he possibly could.
“It’s scary,” she finally said. “Wanting to dive into something like this. Wanting to make a promise to figure everything out together, instead of waiting for all the pieces to be in the right place and then hoping someone else has all of their pieces in the right place, too.”
His pulse jacked up and his chest tightened. Was she considering it?
“If we did this,” she breathed, the words warm against his skin. “The logistics of it could be complicated. My schedule and your schedule, our families, trying to get a date that works for everyone.”
“I hadn’t thought about the nitty gritty of it. But whatever you want.”
“I don’t want a circus.” She was shaking now, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Oh, Ben.”
He made a soothing sound. What had he done? She’d been so happy and calm when he woke up.
But when she pulled back, she wasn’t crying, she was almost laughing. She was definitely beaming, and she looked full of mischief. “You know what we should do?”
“What?”
“Get married today. Here. In Reno.”
“You went from uncertain to let’s do it today? I mean, yes! If you want to, let’s do it. But are you sure?”
“I woke up sure,” she murmured, her eyes sparkling. “I was going to tell you, but then you were doing this whole thing and it was really cute, so I wanted to see where you were going with it.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Are you going to be a good partner to me for the rest of your life?”
“The best I can be, I swear.”
“That’s how I feel about you. I want to be your home, too.”
“You already are.” He shoved the blankets aside and caught her by the ankle, tumbling her onto her back. “Come here. Fuck, yes. I love you so much, more with every minute. Let’s get married today. And let’s start the day right.”
She planted her hand in the center of his chest. “We have breakfast with your mom.”
He stopped, closed his eyes for a second as his whole body flexed with need that had to wait, then nodded. “Right. That’s what I meant. Not sex. That will come later.”
“We can spend our wedding night in that big brass bed in the cabin.” Her eyes were puddles of lust as she gazed up at him. “I can’t wait.”
Breakfast turned into a plan a wedding in an hour meeting. It also doubled as the rehearsal meal where the parents got to meet each other, because Chelsea got her whole family on video call. Hannah and Travis were in his car, heading toward Reno so Chelsea’s little sister could be maid of honor.
The whole time, Chelsea was keenly aware of Leanne watching her. When Ben excused himself to pay the bill at the counter, his mother busied herself with checking her phone.
“I know this is all very whirlwind,” Chelsea offered. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Leanne looked up. “Many, if I’m being honest. But it’s not my place.”
“You have been the center of his world for his entire life. It is your place.”
The older woman blinked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. “He told you that?”
“Yes.”<
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“Did he tell you about his father?”
Chelsea nodded. “There’s a lot we still have to learn about each other, but we haven’t shied away from the heavy stuff.”
“For all of his strength and fearlessness, he’s still a hurt little boy inside.”
“I won’t leave him.”
“Will you cheat on him?”
She sucked in a quick breath. “Never.”
“He brushed off what happened before he went overseas, but it hurt him.” His mother’s mouth tightened up.
“I don’t think I’m just a rebound, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Chelsea swallowed hard. “I have faith in him that he wouldn’t do that to me, either. He’s not the only one with a soft underbelly.”
Leanne’s eyes softened. “Right. Of course.”
“We will be kind to each other. And loving. I can promise you that.”
The restaurant door swung open, and Hannah blew in, Travis following behind.
Leanne reached across the table and squeezed Chelsea’s hand for a second before the sister whirlwind stopped beside them.
“How much time do we have? Can we go dress shopping? Have you booked a wedding time slot?”
Ben returned, shook Travis’s hand, and then slung his other arm around Hannah’s shoulders. “You haven’t missed anything. We have a list of a few chapels that have availability today, and we were waiting for you to show up.”
Chelsea gave her sister a calm down look. “What he said. But I have a nice dress, I wore it out to dinner last night.”
“You need a wedding dress. Something that is uniquely for today,” Hannah insisted. “And flowers.”
Ben caught Chelsea’s gaze and lifted his eyebrows in a question. Do you want this?
She did like the idea of going dress shopping. “Leanne, would you like to come with Hannah and me?”
“I’d be honored,” Ben’s mom said.
“All right. We need a few hours, so let’s say we meet at a chapel that can marry us at two or three.”
Ben moved around the newcomers and set his hands on Chelsea’s shoulders. “And Travis and I can go get flowers.”
She set her hand on his, savoring that connection for a moment. The next time they saw each other, they’d be a few steps away from getting married. “Sounds like a plan.”
They headed outside. Chelsea and Leanne went with Hannah, and Travis went with Ben.
As Hannah drove, Leanne gave her directions to a shopping mall south of downtown. Chelsea told herself it didn’t matter if they didn’t find something perfect, any pretty dress would do, but it was easy to get lost in the fantasy of finding something magical.
And it also had to be a little practical. It was cold today, and they would be heading back to the cabin after the wedding.
But as soon as they walked into Nordstrom Rack, she saw it. A white velvet mini dress that had tiny sequins scattered across the bodice and down the arms.
“Could that work?”
Leanne pointed to the dressing room. “Try it on.”
It wasn’t her usual style. It had a high neck and a lot of swish in the skirt, almost retro in styling, but it definitely hit the magical note she’d wanted.
And her legs looked amazing.
“I’ll need tights,” she called out.
“Show us,” her sister demanded.
She opened the dressing room door, and Leanne burst into tears. Ben had told Chelsea in a bunch of different ways that his mom wasn’t sentimental, but in that moment, Chelsea didn’t believe him at all. “Nooo,” she said, holding out her arms. “Please don’t cry.”
“You’re just so pretty,” Leanne said, sniffling as she wrapped her arms around Chelsea. “And I love a good bargain, too.”
Chelsea shook with laughter. “Yeah, me, too.”
“This is perfect.” Her soon-to-be mother-in-law leaned back. “I think you need boots.”
“Oh, I love that idea.” She scurried back into the change room to get back into her regular clothes, then they went to the shoe section and found a pair of blue boots that had sequins that matched the dress perfectly.
“What about you two?” Chelsea glanced between Hannah and Leanne. “What are you going to wear?”
“This is your day,” Hannah said. “But I also brought two dresses with me, I’m fine.”
“I have options at home,” Leanne added. “Perk of living in the same city as the spontaneous elopement.”
Chelsea took a deep breath. “In that case, what are we going to do for the next three hours?”
It turned out that Hannah’s boyfriend was a very good errand buddy. They had a short list, but some of the items on it were going to be hard to source, so while Ben went into the flower shop to place their order, Travis was making calls to different places, and when Ben was ready to drive on to the next stop, Travis had a name for it. Rinse and repeat three times over, and then suddenly it was time to meet them at the chapel.
Or as it turned out, in the parking lot down the street from the chapel.
He pulled into a spot only to realize that his bride-to-be was sitting in the next vehicle, laughing her head off at something his mother had said. He hopped out of his truck and knocked on the passenger window.
Chelsea jumped and spun around in her seat, looking at him in horror.
That only made the occupants of the car laugh harder.
She shoved the door open, and spilled out into his arms before he could even get a good look at her, but the glimpse he got took his breath away.
Her hair was glossy, her face had a dewy glow, and under her parka, she was wearing a very soft, very touchable velvet dress.
From the quiet click sound to their left, Ben was pretty sure his new best buddy Travis was doing his job and capturing this moment with the brand-new camera they’d procured.
“Looks like you guys had a busy day,” he murmured as he hugged her close. “You’re all dolled up.”
“We went to a salon.” Chelsea dabbed at her eyes. “Waterproof mascara for the win.” She smoothed her hands down the front of his suit. “You look good. Again.”
“Let me see you.”
She shrugged out of her parka, leaving it in the car. She looked stunning. Sexy and sweet at the same time, and she sparkled every time she moved.
He took her hand and led her to the back of his truck, where the flowers were safely tucked away. The florist had recommended some flowers he couldn’t remember the names of, that just looked pretty, and he’d ordered three bouquets. One full size for Chelsea, and mini ones for her sister and his mom.
Travis moved around them, and Chelsea did a double take when she saw the gear he was holding. “Were you busy, too? Where did the camera come from?”
“The photos are going to be our wedding present,” Hannah piped in.
“Wow. Cool.”
Chelsea sounded breathless, overwhelmed, and Ben took her in his arms. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” That she sounded really clear on. Thank God. She nodded and repeated it again. “Yes. Definitely. I can’t believe it just came together like that.”
“Then let’s go get married.” Pride filled him as he spun her around, and pointed her in the direction of the chapel.
It was a pretty slick process inside. Before he knew it they were standing in front of an officiant, making some serious promises to each other.
“Do you, Ben Simmons, take Chelsea Doyle to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Chelsea Doyle, take Ben Simmons to be your lawfully wedding husband?”
“I do.”
“Do you have rings you would like to exchange?”
Ben pulled out the velvet ring case from his pocket. “We do.”
Chelsea looked at him in surprise. “We do?”
“I bought some today. I wanted to do this right.” He swallowed around a lump in his throat.
“In that case, Ben, take Chelsea’s left hand,
and if you have any other personalized vows, you can say them before sliding the ring on all the way.”
Ben had spent a lot of time over the last thirty-six hours thinking about putting a ring on her finger, and now that her hand was in his, all of what he had wanted to say disappeared from his mind.
He nestled the ring just over the tip of her finger and paused there for a minute, looking at her soft hand in his rougher one. “I promise to always remember how I feel right now, so grateful that you love me, and that you let me love you back,” he finally said. “I promise to always put loving you first. In all the myriad ways that one spouse can love another. Patiently and impatiently. I will love you when you are heavy with our babies, and long after they leave home. I promise to support your dreams and be the best friend I can possibly be, and walk beside you in every way. With this ring, I thee wed.”
His fingers shook as he finished the task of putting the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, and he loved the little gasp she made as he pulled his fingers away and she got her first look at it on her hand.
A simple gold band. They could get her something flashier later on, if she wanted. Maybe for their first anniversary.
She exhaled through pursed lips as she took the other ring he’d bought, a matching band a bit wider than hers, then gave him a shaky smile.
Ben felt seven feet tall as she took his hand in hers and slid the ring up to the first knuckle. “I promise to always love you, too, and put that love first,” she breathed, repeating his words. “I will honor and cherish the trust you put in me, every day, as much as I do right now. I will hold these vows in my heart forever, both when we are close and when our love has to stretch halfway around the world.” She pushed the ring down to the base of his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“By the power vested in me by the laws of the state of Nevada, I declare Ben and Chelsea married. You may kiss the bride.”
Ben cupped one hand around the back of Chelsea’s neck, feeling his wedding ring solid against his skin, and covered her mouth with his.
Her arms around him, and he settled his other hand on her hip, dipping her backward just a bit as he kissed his love for the first time as her husband. Her mouth was soft and sweet, and one taste wasn’t enough, he needed more, doubling down with hungry lips until it was almost too much, he knew that, but he still chased her lips for another quick connection before they broke apart.