“No. We’ll sell it. I don’t even care how much I get for it. There’s not another house in the world that could mean as much as this one does to me. I don’t even know what to say right now.” I followed behind Kat as she made her way into her parent’s old bedroom. For several minutes she stood there as if she were reminiscing about them. I finally wrapped my arms around her. “I think they’re happy we’re here, Kat. They’re watching us, you know. I think they always have been.” I spun her around to be facing me. “I never told anyone this, but there were so many times that I could have died, that I should have died. I swear someone was keeping me safe while I was out there. Now I know for sure, that it was them. I think they brought us back together.”
“Thank you for waiting your whole life for me.”
I wiped her tears away with my thumbs. “Maybe in our next life you won’t make me wait so long,” I joked.
“Let’s enjoy this one first.”
I waited until the bedroom filled with people to get down on one knee. It was important that everyone was around for this. “There’s just one more thing, Kat.” I popped open the old velvet box and watched her eyes light up. As we stood in her parent’s room, I was proposing with the same ring her father had given to her mother.
“I’d very much like it if you had my name. What do you say, Kat? You think you might want to be my wife?”
She dropped to her knees and let me put the ring on her finger. She kept kissing me, all over my face. “Yes, of course.”
I could count on my hand the moments in my life that mattered to me. This was one of my top events. I’d never forget the way it felt to have her accept my proposal, or to hold my daughter while we celebrated it.
A little later, downstairs in the kitchen, we popped open a bottle of wine and each held up glasses. “Here’s to coming home.”
In unison the rest of the family announced, “cheers.”
Chapter 60
February 14th 2014
I’d already been up for hours, pacing around my parent’s kitchen when my phone rang. She knew we couldn’t see each other until she walked down the aisle, and I wasn’t going to let her persuade me to sneak a peek. “Hey, babe. Don’t you dare beg me to come over there. You know the rules.”
“I’m calling on behalf of your daughter. She’s up and insisting on being with you.”
“I’m in the kitchen. If you promise to stay in bed, I’ll come get her.”
“I hate that you wake up before the sun rises.”
I laughed as I walked out the door and followed the path to our kitchen entrance. “Do you miss me yet?”
I could hear her talking to our daughter, who had become quite impatient. “He’s coming.”
Little patters of feet could be heard as soon as I got inside.
“She’s on her way down to you.”
“Stay put until you hear me leave,” I added.
“The answer is yes.”
“To which question?” I’d forgotten already. My mind was in a million places. It hadn’t helped that I’d stayed up late writing a message in a special card for her.
“Both. I will stay put, but also that I missed you. I hate knowing you’re that close and I can’t see you. How much harm can one kiss do?”
“I don’t want to find out. In a few hours you’ll be my wife, and then you can spend forever kissing me. Just so you know, I’ll expect morning breath kisses, coffee kisses, and every other kind of kiss that you find gross. Now’s the time to back out, Kat. When you say forever today, you better mean it.”
“I’m ready to take the plunge. How about we just call the official right now, get him over here, and have them marry us so we can go back to bed for the rest of the day?”
“You didn’t sleep either?”
I started walking up the stairs even though I knew I wasn’t going to open the door. The last thing we needed was bad luck. “I couldn’t get comfortable.”
“Me either. Listen, its a couple more hours. Get all dolled up for me and meet me out back. I can’t wait to see you, Kat. You’re going to look so perfect.”
“I’m going to look fat. You better say a prayer that this dress still fits me. I haven’t tried it on for two weeks, and I swear I’ve gained ten more pounds.”
“Being four months pregnant will do that, but just to be clear, you’re not fat. You’re beautiful.” She was. I loved her little bump. “Imagine if you would have gotten pregnant over the summer. Then you’d be huge,” I teased.
“Are you just going to stand at the door all morning torturing me?”
I tapped it twice before I replied. “I came up to tell you that I love you. I’ll see you in bit.”
Cold feet.
It was something I’d never have with Kat. She was mine and the piece of paper making it legal wasn’t going to change anything.
I’d been wondering how I was going to sneak into our house without seeing her, but B made it the perfect excuse. Before we headed back to my parents, I tucked a card underneath of the package of peanut butter cups on the countertop.
She’d get a kick out of the card considering it was sentimental. Being that it was both our wedding day and Valentine’s Day, a particular special day for someone that carried the name, I was more than excited to give it to her.
When Katy opened my card, she’d probably cry. The poor woman had been a babbling mess with her pregnancy hormones.
I smiled thinking back to the day we found out. On the first day of her missed period, I drove to the store and bought the test while she and B waited at home for me. I always got a kick out of seeing my daughter standing at the window, watching for me to pull in the driveway, especially since we’d moved into Kat’s family home.
They’d met me at the door and the three of us rushed into the bathroom as if there were a tornado headed for the house.
Three minutes later we celebrated.
Our lives had changed for the better, especially since we’d moved. Kat smiled every day, making me feel like I was doing my job, keeping her happy and safe.
As far as our daughter, well let’s just say that she was spoiled beyond belief and had become both of my parent’s reasons for breathing.
Brooklyn wasn’t just my daughter. Seeing what Kat and I brought into the world, and knowing that she helped bring us back together, made me the happiest man on the planet.
My brother was in the kitchen when we both walked inside. B spotted him and ran up to him, smacking into his legs. “Good morning, pretty girl. Uncle Branch has something for you.”
He leaned down and handed her a stuffed bear holding a heart. When he squeezed it, it said ‘I love you’.
B hugged it and brought it to show me. “Daddy, look.”
“I see it. Go say thank you.”
She hugged Branch and ran into the living room before we could tell her that nobody else was awake, and being that it was such a special day, I didn’t care if she woke up the whole house.
While waiting for her to come back, Branch cleared his throat and got my attention. “I guess it’s not necessary to ask if you’re ready for today.”
I raised my eyebrows and let out and air-filled laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been ready for this my whole life.”
My brother looked down at his cup of coffee as he replied. “I shouldn’t have been such a dick to you when we were kids.”
I leaned across the counter and looked my brother in the eyes. “None of that matters anymore. She’s mine forever, man.”
Branch shook his head and laughed. “She always was.”
I don’t know why hearing him saying that got to me the way it did, but I felt myself getting choked up about it. Far be it from me to show my brother that he’d affected me, I quickly turned and refilled my cup. “You got that right.” Inside though, I felt like Branch was finally able to accept that nothing could keep her from me, not time, not distance, and certainly not him.
The room filled with voices, and for the next couple of hours
things were chaotic. Melissa and my mother headed next door to be with Kat, while I got everything ready, including myself.
Just like I’d promised her, I was standing there at the arbor waiting. Since it was winter, and the weather was unpredictable in D.C., we took precautions and rented a tent with heaters. One giant tent filled our two yards, and I had to admit that it was quite toasty when the plastic doors were closed.
The moment I saw her walking out of our back door, my knees started to get weak. She took a few steps and wrapped her arm inside of my father’s. Even with her face covered by a tiny sheer veil, I could already tell she was stunning. Bug came running up the aisle, instead of walking. When she realized that she’d forgotten to throw out the flowers, she went back and tossed them going in both directions. The tiny crowd of neighbors and friends laughed, but then gave all of their attention to Kat.
When she was halfway to me, my lips began to quiver and my palms were getting sweaty. I wiped them on the side of my pants and hoped that nobody noticed.
The moment she was within reach, I had her hands in mine. The officiator knew us, and as the guests laughed, he shooed my dad to sit down and not to worry about the whole giving her away speech. I felt it necessary to address it, so I turned to the standing people. “She doesn’t need to be given away since she’s always been mine.” I winked at them before turning my attention back to my beautiful bride.
She pulled one hand away and lifted the veil. That’s when I saw her crying. Her hands were shaking as much as mine, but I didn’t move my eyes away from hers. I mouthed the words, ‘I love you’, while the official started speaking.
Honestly, I don’t even know what he was saying, because I was completely captivated by her beauty. We stood there, in some sort of trance as if nobody else existed.
Finally, I felt someone touch my arm. “Are you ready to exchange your vows?” Neither of us had noticed the person trying to get our attention.
I smiled and answered, “Yes. Yes, we are.”
We’d discussed me going first, but Kat spoke before I could say anything. “This morning I woke up to a Valentine, from my Valentine.”
Everyone attending laughed, and she waited for them to finish. “I had written down my vows and polished them a dozen times, but after I read what Brooks wrote to me in this card, I knew my vows could never come close. So, I’m going to read it to everyone and let you all see the real man I’m marrying today.”
She waved to Melissa, and I watched as she approached us with the card in her hand.
Since I’d poured out my heart to her, I felt a little overwhelmed.
Kat opened it up and looked down, clearing her voice before she began.
“The outside says, ‘To my wife on our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.’ Then Brooks wrote his message on the inside.”
“Dear Mrs. Valentine, my beautiful bride, mother of my children, my soul-mate and my very best friend,
I’ve loved you my whole life and perhaps even in lives before this one. There was no amount of time, distance, or even people that could ever change the way I feel about you. I’ve literally waited my entire life for this day. It’s easy to say that I’ve never felt more complete than when you’re in my arms. Every time I look at our little girl, or feel our baby moving around in your belly my heart melts, because it’s just another anchor of our love for each other. You’re mine forever, Kat. You don’t need a ceremony to know that. No matter where life takes us, I’ll be by your side, and when the good Lord comes at our last breath, I know we’ll find each other again, because you are who I will always choose for that other peanut butter cup. I hope now you can finally know without a single doubt that I will hold you when you’re sad, love you when you feel lonely, and protect you when you feel scared. I guess I don’t have to ask you to be my Mrs. Valentine, because you already are and will be for every single moment of every single day, for as long as we both are breathing. Love, your husband, Mr. Valentine.”
I wasn’t really sure how much the crowd could understand through Kat’s sobbing, but as I turned to look at them, most were shoving tissues into their faces. To avoid losing it completely, I looked back to Kat. Even as a babbling mess, she was still gorgeous. “There’s nothing that I can say to you that you don’t already know, Brooks. I’ve already given myself to you in every way. You give me comfort and support and your love is more than I could ever deserve. I’m in awe of you, and I thank God every day for giving us this life. I love you so much.”
She couldn’t say anymore, and she didn’t need to. We could have stood there staring at each other all day. We were already married in my eyes.
I glanced at the guests and flashed a half-smile. “How about we make this official and get to the celebrating?”
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Valentine.” The officiator leaned in for only us to hear. “Go ahead and kiss her now, Brooks.”
My lips were on Kat’s before he finished his sentence. She was mine in the eyes of the whole world and I let her know exactly how happy I was about it in our embrace. At first people clapped. Then some whistled. Then my brother started making perverted remarks. When our kiss ended, half of the guests had gotten up and were already in line on the other side of the heated tent.
I wiped away her tears. “You’re my wife.”
She smiled and leaned her cheek against mine. “I know.”
Bug came up and wrapped her arms around my legs. I acknowledged her by rubbing her head.
We couldn’t stand there for the whole day, so I grabbed Kat’s hand as we turned to face everyone, knowing that after they’d all gone home and went about their lives, we’d have forever to spend together. Knowing that made me the happiest man in the world.
Epilogue
July 17th 2014
“Promise me that you’ll keep your phone turned on all day?” Kat asked while still sitting in our bed. I was busy trying to adjust my tie in the mirror, focused on a presentation I was giving in a few hours.
“I told you I won’t turn it off.” I spun around to face her. She had her hands sitting on top of her huge belly as if it was a snack tray. “Do you want me to reschedule the meeting?”
“No. It’s fine. I just don’t want you to miss anything.”
“I won’t. I promise. I’m ten minutes from the hospital. As soon as your contractions get within five minutes of each other I want you to call me.” We’d been up half the night counting the time between each one, hoping they wouldn’t last much longer. Kat was miserable. She’d organized the house three times since we moved in, and for the past week she’d been crying about everything. Just the night before she cried because B didn’t want to eat her vegetables. It was insane.
“My bag is still in your car, right?”
I leaned over and kissed her. “Kat, calm down. We’ve got this. I have a nine o’clock presentation and then I’m coming home. I’m using my two weeks vacation as soon as you give me the order to report to the hospital.”
“I don’t want you to miss anything.”
“I won’t. I promise. Our son or daughter is going to see my face first. Stop worrying. Stay in bed and wait for me to get home.”
Kat agreed and told me goodbye before I walked back downstairs. It was a good thing B was still asleep, otherwise I’d have to go through a whole ordeal with her before getting out the door. What my girls didn’t understand was that the sooner I got to work, the earlier I could get back home. I wouldn’t miss this delivery for the world.
Two blocks was as far as I got before I stopped the car and pulled over to the side of the road. The phone rang twice before she answered. “Did you forget something?”
I clenched my jaw and considered what I wanted to say. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“What? Is your mom asking?”
“No, I am. Do you want pancakes?”
“Brooks, why do you want to know? I thought you left.”
While
she spoke I turned the car around and started driving home. “I did. Now I’m coming back.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Kat, I’m not missing a single second of this. I want to be there for every contraction, every scream, and all of the pushing. Nothing is more important than that.”
“What about the security presentation?”
“I’ll email it to my boss and let him give it. We’ve already gone over the software several times. It’s not a big deal.”
I was already home before we ended our call. After kicking off my shoes, and changing into something more comfortable, I called work and let them know my wife was starting to go into labor. I forwarded my calls to my boss and emailed him the information he needed. My last stop was crawling into my warm bed with my beautiful, expecting wife. “I’m back.”
“I can see that.” She leaned over and closed her eyes. “How comfortable are you right now?” she asked.
“Why?”
“I have to pee and I need help getting out of this bed.”
I’d never been so happy of a choice I’d made before, because when Kat stood up and soaked the floor I realized that coming home was the best decision I’d ever made. We both looked at each other in shock. “Tell me you peed yourself.”
“I don’t think that was pee, Brooks. My water just broke.”
I smiled. “So the baby’s coming today?”
“I guess so.”
Standing in the door way was a very ornery toddler. She had a doll shoved up in her shirt. “I have a baby too.”
I rolled my eyes and started undressing my wife from the waist down. “Go put your baby back to bed, B.”
I couldn’t let Kat go out soaked. After I helped put dry shorts on her, we sent B over to stay with my parents. She cried that she couldn’t go with us, but that would have been a catastrophe.
While in the car, Kat started having heavier contractions. I tried to keep her focused on breathing, but apparently it hurt too much for her to concentrate. In all honesty I was scared for her. I had no idea what to expect even though I’d been reading books on childbirth since we discovered we were having another child.
Love Survives (Love Suicide #2) Page 37