I turned and saw Declan standing in the doorway, holding the biggest bouquet of red roses I'd ever seen. Next to him was Connor, holding a smaller version of the same bouquet.
"Connor! I thought we weren't going to see you until Saturday!"
"I needed him to help me with a small favor," Declan said, closing the door and walking into the room with a slow swagger.
He had changed somewhere along the way during his errands. He was now dressed in dark jeans and a green button-up that brought out the green in his eyes.
"I should put these in water," I said, reaching out to grab the flowers.
He just set them down on the coffee table. "They can wait."
My heart kicked up a notch, and I looked from Declan to Connor, who had a huge smile on his face.
Declan bent down, and he kissed me slow and with purpose. "Do you remember asking me a long time ago about the tattoo on my chest?"
I nodded.
"And what did I tell you?"
I remembered that day in bed so long ago when I'd first run my fingers over the circular design on his chest. "You said people were essentially selfish, and when it came down to it, we would always choose ourselves because we loved ourselves first," I answered.
"God, hearing you say it makes me feel like even more of a moron," he said, shaking his head. "I got that tattoo when I was in a dark place. I thought I'd experienced love and loss, but I hadn't even scratched the surface. When I met you, I couldn't keep my eyes off you. I tried to tell myself it was because you were beautiful, attractive, and alluring. But it wasn't one particular thing that drew me in. It was you as a whole that I couldn't walk away from."
I was dumbstruck. I looked briefly down at Connor and he was just staring up at his father beaming. My eyes met Declan's again and he continued.
"You are my other half, Leah, my soul mate, my missing piece. You showed me that there are still selfless people in this world who are worth all the risk that we go through to love another."
He reached up and wiped away my tears before turning to Connor.
He gave him a wink. "You ready?" he asked.
Connor gave an enthusiastic nod. Declan started undoing the buttons to his shirt, and Connor mimicked his father. When the two undid the last button and parted their shirts together, I gasped.
Where Declan's tattoo had been empty in the middle, it was now filled with an intricate L. I looked over at Connor, and he proudly displayed a smaller matching version of his father's tattoo.
"Oh my God, that better not be permanent!" I said quickly, pointing at Connor.
They both laughed.
"It's henna, Leah!" Connor said.
I blew out a short breath before turning my attention back to Declan.
"But mine is not," he said. "Like you, mine is permanent."
He dropped to one knee and pulled out a box. He slowly opened it, displaying an engagement ring that made my heart stop. On a platinum band, a diamond was flanked by two emeralds to match his eyes. It was perfect.
"I've been doing some thinking, and I think I've come up with the best pet name for you."
I meant to say something like, "Oh?" or "What is it?" But in the presence of Declan with his shirt open, displaying that new L on his chest, while he held out a ring, all I managed was a garbled mumble.
"Wife."
More tears slid down my face as I cried
"Marry me, Leah. Make me the happiest man alive. Take my name, be a mother for my children, and grow old with me."
I sobbed out a yes, and he jumped up. He twirled me around as Connor jumped up and down until we pulled him into a group hug.
Declan slipped the ring onto my finger, and we all gazed down at it, watching it sparkle and flash under the bright lights.
It was the beginning of a future —our future, completely unscripted, unwritten, and ready to be lived.
Epilogue
Six Months Later...
~Leah~
"Have I mentioned how much I hate you for getting married less than a month after I gave birth?" Clare whined as she wiggled her perfectly fine-looking ass into her gown.
"Yes, you've mentioned it a time or two." I laughed. "But as I've said a hundred times, you look gorgeous, and seriously, take a gander at those tits. You need to show those off while you can. You should be the poster child for the many reasons women should breast-feed. Wowza!" I said, pointing to Clare's very enlarged br**sts.
There was a knock on the bridal suite door, and Clare ran to open it. She poked her head out to make sure it wasn't Declan trying to get a peek before the ceremony.
Declan and I had chosen to have a small, intimate day with only family and a few friends in attendance. Even though Declan hadn't done an acting gig for a year, he was still in the tabloids. It had been only three months since his last movie premiere, and he still had one left, so it would be some time before our lives moved out of the limelight.
His life behind the camera had been going well. He was slowly making progress and working with the right people. He wasn't in a hurry, and he knew that it would take time. He wanted to do things right and earn his keep. It was paying off because last week, he'd received a call to work as an assistant director on a highly anticipated upcoming film. He would be gone during the week, and then he'd fly home on the weekends, but I was so happy to see him finally doing what he loved.
Putting the finishing touches on my makeup, I saw Connor appear in the reflection of the mirror. He looked around the room and made a sour face at the sight of all the girlie stuff.
"Hi, Connor," Maddie said as she twirled around in her flower girl dress in the corner.
"Hi, Maddie," he said before turning to me. "I was supposed to give you this. You look really pretty." He handed me a small box and then made his exit, fleeing the room as quickly as possible.
I gave a quick laugh, feeling bad that Declan had sent his poor son in here. There was makeup, curling irons, and dresses as far as the eye could see. It was a male's worst nightmare.
I looked down at the tiny box, running my hands along its edge, before cracking the lid. Inside was a small white gold necklace with three stones fitted together in a straight line.
Underneath, a note caught my attention. In Declan's handwriting, I read,
In the box I recovered from your parents' home, there was one item I didn't tell you about —a necklace. It was badly damaged, but I was able to recover a topaz stone. I've held on to it for months until this day when I could give you this necklace. These three stones together represent our family. Our birthstones —topaz for you, amethyst for me, and opal for Connor —are bonded together as we will be bonded together today. You are my forever, and today, you will become my wife. I love you. – Declan