She laid a hand on his shoulder, stood as close as she could without jumping into bed with him, then plunged in. "I had to see you in person. I had to tell you before you went into surgery."
"What? Did something happen to Sophie or Grace?" The lines on his forehead cutting deep, his expression showed his extreme worry.
"They"re fine. Ellie and Angie are taking good care of them."
Now he just looked totally perplexed.
She took his hand, stroked the scars on his arm and gazed deeply into his eyes. "I love you, Mitch. I couldn"t let you go into surgery not knowing that. You"ve been so patient and I don"t know if that patience has run out or not. But I do love you. I want to be with you. I want a future with you."
He didn"t look as ecstatic as she thought he might, as she"d hoped he might. Instead, he looked troubled. "What happened, Lily?"
He didn"t believe her! In fact, he seemed to consider her appearance as impulsive, that she might change her mind tomorrow. She stayed close to him, her hand still on his arm. Somehow she"d make him understand. "I went to the storage compartment where I kept everything I didn"t move into the Victorian. Troy"s tools are there, and the plant stand he made for me before he was deployed."
Mitch began to say something but she didn"t give him the chance. She rushed on. "The stand isn"t finished and I"d like to finish it. And then I want to put it in your sunroom where it can hold plants or flowers and remind me of the love Troy gave me. It"s part of my past, Mitch. Troy is part of my past. And I"ll always hold his memory dear in my heart. I don"t think it was a coincidence he chose you to look after me. He used to say, "There are no coincidences," and I believe he was right. When I was standing there looking at the moon and spotting a shooting star-I"d never seen one before in my life-I remembered standing by the fire pit with you and singing "Silent Night." My whole being just understood I should finally admit what I"ve been feeling. I do love you, Mitch Cortega. I"m ready to commit to you for the rest of my life. If you aren"t ready, that"s okay. We"ll figure things out as we go. Together."
She could see that what she was saying and feeling and meaning took a few moments for Mitch to absorb. But then he opened his arms to her. "Come here."
She didn"t hesitate. If someone came in to take him to surgery, they could just take her along, too!
On his lap, with his arms around her the best he could manage it, he kissed her with such soul-stirring pa.s.sion she thought she"d melt right into him.
But then he broke the kiss and lifted his head. "When we made love Sat.u.r.day night, I was forced to admit to myself I was doing a h.e.l.l of a lot more than watching over you. I hadn"t tried the word love on what I felt. But on Sunday, I did. I guess I was embarra.s.sed after the bad dream. I woke up thinking I had to do something. If you weren"t ready, then I had to prepare myself for whatever life dealt. The best way to do that was to see if I could have my hand repaired."
"I was hurt you didn"t talk about it with me," she admitted, knowing she had to be honest with him about everything.
"I"m sorry. I guess I thought I"d given you too many pieces of myself and this was one I had to take control of."
Stroking his face, she said, "I want all of you, Mitch. Not just the strong parts or the perfect parts. I"ll support you no matter what happens, whether we return to our practice or whether you want to go back to trauma surgery. And I have no intention of moving to Oklahoma. I"m staying in Sagebrush with you."
Taking Lily"s hand, Mitch smiled. "This isn"t the place I"d imagined we"d be talking about this. I want to give you romance and flowers and music to remember the day by, not the clanging of hospital trays. But it seems like I"ve waited for you for so long, and I don"t want to wait a second longer. Will you marry me?"
"When?" She"d be ready today if that"s what he wanted.
"Soon. As soon as we can fly back to Sagebrush and arrange it. I don"t want to wait a minute more than I have to to be your husband. And," he hesitated, then continued, "a stepfather to Sophie and Grace."
"You"re not going to be a stepfather. You"re going to be their dad. Troy would want that. I know he would."
Mitch kissed her again, just as the nurse swung back the curtain.
They were oblivious, lost in pa.s.sion and promises they yearned to share.
Epilogue.
"This is as unconventional as it gets," Mitch murmured to Lily, folding his arm around her in her cream wool cape. As long as she was in his arms, the world was good and he slept peacefully during the deep night hours. Marriage would gift them with the future they both wanted and needed.
Twinkle lights were strung around the border of Mitch"s patio. The fire pit was lit, giving off warmth. The minister from Lily"s church had agreed to perform the service. He"d told her early evening was fine. Afterward, he could return to his congregation for Christmas Eve midnight service.
Fortunately, the weather had cooperated and even Mitch had to admit his patio looked wedding-ready. The stars were crystal clear and the slice of moon glowed with silver-white light. An arbor, also decorated in evergreens and twinkle lights, housed the minister as Lily and Mitch stood before him, ready to say their vows.
Lily cast a glance at Ellie, who was holding Grace, and at Angie, who was carrying Sophie. The twins were bundled up in their pink snowsuits and mittens, their noses barely peeking out from their hoods. Gina had dressed Daniel similarly in blue, and Logan held his son so he could see what was going on, too, as Eva stood with Hannah ready to help with the kids. Shep and Raina had brought along Joey, Roy and Manuel. Tessa and her husband, Vince, held their children"s hands, while Francesca and Grady as well as Emily and Jared stood by with their children. Within driving distance, Tony and Jimmy had brought their wives, children and Christmas along with them. Beside them, Lily and Mitch"s colleagues watched from along one stone wall where the twinkle lights flickered high above them.
Lily had wanted them all here to witness this joyous celebration. She loved Mitch so much she wanted everyone who could to share their joy. They"d only be outside for about ten minutes and then they"d go inside for their reception, which would be homey and all theirs.
In a low voice beside Mitch, Matt said, "You two couldn"t wait until spring, could you?"
Mitch shook his head. "Not a chance. You and I both know each day is a precious gift, and I want to spend them all with Lily."
Lily cuddled closer to Mitch, not at all cold, just wanting to feel him near. He was wearing a black, Western-cut leather jacket. His hand and wrist were still bandaged. After Christmas they would fly back to Houston for an exam by the doctor and decide whether Mitch was ready for physical therapy. The surgery had gone well, but it might take time for him to have use of those fingers again.
Reverend Allbright made some opening remarks and then said, "I understand the two of you have vows to make to each other."
"We do," they said in unison.
"Whoever wants to go first," the kindly older man invited.
Lily took Mitch"s hands, one bandaged and one not, in both of hers. "I know how important vows and promises are to you. I promise to love you from morning till night and every minute in between. I vow to be your partner, lover and friend and I will always respect your opinion in raising our girls. Each and every day, I will try to bring happiness into your life and will be proud to call you my husband."
Mitch cleared his throat and held on to her as tightly as she was holding on to him. "I was broken when I met you, in ways I didn"t even understand. Your acceptance, pa.s.sion and caring have changed that. Having you and Sophie and Grace in my life has healed past wounds. I want nothing more than to be your husband and their dad. You are everything I"ve ever wanted, the woman I didn"t even know I hoped to find. I love you, Lily, and I will cherish you, protect you, honor and respect you every day of our lives."
The minister opened his hand to Lily. Raina handed her a wide gold band and Lily placed it in the minister"s hand. Matt handed Mitch a circle of diamonds and Mitch placed that in the minister"s palm, also.
Reverend Allbright said, "These rings embody the circle of love that you have promised each other. I give them to you now to slide onto each other"s fingers in memory of this night, the vows you have made and the love you will share."
Lily took the ring again and slid it onto Mitch"s finger. "I thee wed," she said solemnly.
Mitch took the ring from the minister"s hand and slid it onto Lily"s finger. "I thee wed," he echoed, just as solemnly.
They held hands and faced forward again.
Reverend Allbright smiled. "I now p.r.o.nounce you husband and wife."
Mitch took Lily into his arms and she lifted her face to his. Their kiss was an embodiment of everything their ceremony had entailed.
When Mitch raised his head, he said loud and clear, "I love you."
She kissed him again and buried her nose by his ear. "I love you, too."
Everyone around them was applauding and they realized they weren"t alone in the universe. With her husband beside her, Lily went to Grace and lifted her into her arms. Mitch did the same with Sophie and they came together for a group hug.
"Can we cut the cake now?" Joey asked.
"We can cut the cake," Mitch announced happily, tickling Sophie.
After more hugs all around, they headed into Mitch"s house, ready to begin their lives and the future they would build together.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7606-6.
Books by Karen Rose Smith.
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