Lust in Translation (Harbour Point SEAL Series Book 1) Page 20

  Mom lays a hand on my bare shoulder. “I know I’ve told you before, but everything happens for a reason. Especially the bad stuff. This probably isn’t the time, but tell me where would you be right now if Noel would have been born?”

  I’m not sad at the memory of her any longer. I welcome it. It’s the real thing from my failed marriage. I think about what she’s asking me. Truly consider all of the possibilities. “I’d probably have a flower girl today, Mom.” It was never Adam. I know that clear as day now. I would have come to the same conclusion eventually.

  My mom smiles sadly. “I knew it. You’re doing the right thing. Following your heart. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, okay? This is about you finding your happiness, because God knows you deserve it.”

  I drop a kiss on Weston’s head and give his hair a sniff. “I love the way he smells,” I admit, handing him back to my mom. “I might want one of these little guys one day, after all.”

  “It’s funny how the right guy in your world will turn everything you thought you wanted or believed on its head. Just don’t wait until you’re as old as me. Everything hurts. I’m always tired.” She laughs, hugging my brother to her chest. He goes willingly as Aidan looks on fondly. “I wouldn’t change a thing about my life. You and your brother are my greatest gifts.”

  “I love you guys so much. Thank you for being here with me today.”

  Aidan hugs me. “It’s time to get you down that aisle. Don’t be nervous. I’m nervous enough for both of us.”

  Mom laughs. “Come on, honey. A wedding surely can’t make you nervous.”

  “No one looks at me when I’m on missions. Everyone in that room will be looking at me.”

  I chuckle. “No, Dad. They’ll be looking at me.” I wave my hands down my body to the intricate gown. “Or they better be for how much this thing costs.”

  He nods. “You’re right. You look so beautiful.”

  “It’s a shame your father couldn’t make it,” Mom says, voice caustic. The man who cheated on her and made her life hell is absent today. Not because I didn’t invite him. Because he found out I’d asked Aidan to walk me down the aisle and he didn’t want to be embarrassed in that way. It’s his loss. He’s never made an effort to keep in touch with me after the divorce. He’s an irritable, unhappy man, and honestly, I never needed that kind of energy in my world.

  “Don’t even mention him. I have everyone here who means the most,” I say, clearing my throat. Mom kisses my cheek, wishes me good luck, and takes Weston into the church to take her seat. Juliet bounces in the room to yell “It’s time.” She is my maid of honor, but she is also organizing everything, so she wasn’t much help while I was getting ready. It’s why I had my mom here.

  “We’re on our way,” I tell my friend.

  Her smile is big, it’s an I told you so grin. I don’t hate she was right. I hate she didn’t shove Leo in my face earlier. I take Aidan’s arm, and we open one side of the creaky wooden French doors. It’s only several steps away to the entrance to the quaint chapel room, so we take it slow. “Halfway down the aisle,” I remind Aidan.

  “Got it, sweetie,” he says, squeezing my hand as we take the final step to the entrance, and into view. Juliet walks down first, and all the guests remain sitting. Which was requested of them when they were given the wedding program as they entered. There’s a surprise I have for Leo, and it’s what has my whole body shaking with unease. I can do this. It’s for him. I’m not good at public speaking, and this is on the same level. I see Leo waiting for me, his hands clasped in front of him. His happiness is so evident even his eyes are smiling. That gorgeous man is all the reassurance I need.

  The music starts, a symphony of music that isn’t the standard Here Comes the Bride. In fact, it’s nothing like what anyone expects, and I can see a few people lean in to whisper something to the person next to them. Juliet controlled the guest list, so there are a ton of people here. A lot of guests on Leo’s side are wearing uniforms. The small chapel is lit from a huge stained-glass window above the pulpit, and as Aidan walks me to the halfway point, I’m confident my decision is perfect. This couldn’t happen any other way. Traditionally, Aidan would hand me off to Leo, but he leans over to peck my cheek, moves the rest of the way to shake Leo’s hand, and takes his seat next to my mother. I stand alone, in the center of the aisle, all eyes on me. Leo looks around, a bit confused, but then I start signing so he can hear the wedding song I chose.

  “Take my hand. Own my heart.”

  I take a step toward him, only keeping my gaze on him as I sign the words being sung in a sweet harmony he is incapable of hearing. I will the music into his soul by other means.

  “It’s been yours from the start.”

  “I didn’t fall in a rush.”

  Another step. Leo wipes at his eyes as he stands taller, trying to keep his emotions in check. His smile stays put, and it warms me completely. I continue signing.

  “It was a glance. Spoken truths. A whispered hush.”

  Another step. A lump of emotion swells as the enormity of today washes over me. This moment means everything to me. To us.

  “Magic sparks stretched over time. I knew it then and now we climb.”

  “Give me all, you feed my soul.”

  Another step. My dress swishes around my calves. I can see Leo’s face. An evident show of gratitude.

  “Take my hand. Own my heart.”

  “You see me whole when apart, and save me true on repeating starts.”

  There is a lull in the beautiful voice of the singer, so I take a few more steps until I’m standing in front of Leo. I hear sniffles resounding the room and know that everyone understands the odd beginning of the ceremony and what I’m doing for Leo.

  The singing begins again so I continue signing.

  “Cherished breaths mixed in with stolen time. You’re good for me, baby. Forever mine.”

  Leo presses his lips together, trying to stifle emotion.

  “Take my hand. Own my heart.”

  “A million years won’t be enough.”

  Tears stream down my face as I brave the perfect sentiment.

  “We’ll beat back the clock and take what’s ours.”

  The music fades, then I sign the chorus one more time.

  “Own my heart. Take my hand. Together inside eternity we’ll stand.”

  The song ends and Leo takes my hands, pulling me into a hug. His tears slide against the skin on my shoulder and he sniffles.

  He leans away and addresses our guests, in a big baritone voice that suits the situation perfectly, “How am I supposed to follow that? Party’s over! Go home!’

  Chuckles echo the chapel and surround us with…happiness. Leo looks at me like he might break down any second, but he just doesn’t care.

  “Did you like the song?” I mouth.

  “I liked you singing it,” he replies.

  I clear my throat, and rub my thumbs against his hand as I gaze into his eyes. The glass casts colorful shadows over us and I can see it dancing on my face as his eyes track the movement. We stay lost in the moment as the pastor begins the ceremony. He signs, as well. We give each other rings, finalize our vows, and he pronounces us husband and wife, finally we kiss. A long, deep sealing of fates. Lives. Love. Lust. All of it is now officially ours forever.

  It’s not over there, though. Leo, still holding my hand steps down in between the pews. I go with him, and he lets go.

  “Thank you all for being here today,” Leo says, looking over the crowd. The clapping stops as Leo’s voice rings out. “I wanted to take this opportunity now that I’ve finally captured the one target that’s evaded me more times than any enemy, to tell you all how lucky I am. I don’t want to bring the mood down, but I need to say something.” Leo clears his throat, and I know he’s choking up. “So many of my brothers have died over the years. Some of them never got to experience what I have with Kendall. I feel bad for that.” He squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. I
can’t take my eyes away from his face. He resembles a beautiful angel.

  “I want to remember them today, for just a moment. And maybe someone you once knew left us before finding true love. Maybe you yourself are still fighting for it. Or it’s the wrong timing and you doubt it will ever work out. I think I fought so hard for Kendall because I had something to prove to them. Something to embrace because they couldn’t.”

  Leo looks down and pecks me on my lips. Looking into my eyes he says, “I can’t hear her anymore, but no one has ever seen her like I see her. No one ever will.” He shakes his head, and emotion clogs my chest. “This is what my forever looks like, and I’d lose more than my hearing if it meant I’d be standing here, next to her, in that dress, looking like an ethereal dream.”

  I sign up to him, a quick thank you and tell him I love him. I don’t use words, just my hands. He raises our joined hands over our heads, and says, “An epic love deserves an epic fight.”

  The chapel erupts in a roar of applause and shouts of utter glee. Everyone stands and it’s a riot of cheering, the voices so loud I wince. I can tell Leo can hear them. At least a bit, because his gaze is scanning around our friends and family and his smile is wide. We rush down the center. High-fiving our guests as we pass by. It’s the single happiest moment of my entire life. It’s when I got it right. Humans make mistakes constantly. It’s our nature to fail and flounder and curse our existence.

  Every once in a while, maybe with a little help or support from our friends, we succeed in unwitting ways. The glass case we surround ourselves with as protection cracks, and we truly begin living. Either for the first time ever, or again, a second chance. Or a third. Or a fourth. Because there is no limit on joy except for the stipulations and limitations we create.

  We walk back into the choir room. He closes the door and spins on me. There is another enormous window above us colored in golden hues. The sunshine is beaming so bright the whole room feels like a realm of heaven. “Leo, this is the best day of my life.”

  He shrugs out of his jacket and tosses it on a piano. “Mine, too,” he says.

  “Everything you said in there was beautiful. So perfect. I can’t imagine this day being any better.”

  “That’s a bold statement, Mrs. Callaway. What are you wearing under that dress? We can make this official, official right here.”

  I laugh. “Not in a church. I’d like to keep my spot in heaven.”

  “Even if I go to hell?” Leo claps back.

  I roll my eyes. “You are not going to hell.”

  He surrounds me with arms and presses his forehead against mine. “I would have raided hell wearing a thong if it meant I got to marry my best girl.”

  “This is sort of heaven right here and now. Isn’t it?” I say slowly.

  He nods against me. “You’re everything, you know? And now you’re mine.”

  “Leo,” I say, batting my lashes. “I’ve waited to hear you say that for so long. You’ve been my everything for a long time. You’ve changed my entire life. Saving you, saved me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  “Well, you could, but you don’t want to do that in a church.”

  Laughing, I grab the collar of his white dress shirt. “Mr. Callaway, you drive a compelling argument.” I step out of his embrace and lean over to grab the train of my dress. “How about a peek of what you get later?”

  “Yes. Yes. Yes,” Leo says it and signs it, furiously.

  Hiking up the dress to expose my cranberry red garter, I shake my leg at him. “Go ahead,” I say. “Check it out.”

  “I want to see higher up,” Leo growls, narrowing his eyes, a chuckle on his lips.

  Shaking my head, I say, “That’s way later. Check out the garter.” My heart pounds and pounds against my rib cage. I wanted to show him this here, while we were by ourselves. Kneeling in front of me, Leo grabs the garter on my high thigh and slides it down.

  “What is this, Sunshine?” he asks, rubbing the tiny tattoo I had inked a few days ago. Keeping him away from me was easy as he was with his friends the week before the wedding, so he hasn’t seen it yet. It was the only opportunity I had to get the tattoo done.

  “Read it,” I encourage, signing, so hopefully he can see me in his peripheral vision.

  Leo says the words, written in small script out loud, “Only love to embrace.”

  “Happy wedding day,” I say, hoping he likes it. We’d talked about tattoos before, so I know he likes them. I’m not sure if he likes them on me.

  He looks up at me. “Natalia’s quote.”

  I nod. “Do you like it? I figured it was worth reminding ourselves about. Every day.”

  “It’s perfect. Thank you.” Leo stands, and captures my face in his hands. He presses his lips against mine, and my body warms immediately. He tells me thank you several times in breaks of our mouths. I end the kiss, and wrap my arms around his neck to hold him close.

  The way it was always supposed to be. This is the day all of the pain makes sense.

  EPILOGUE

  KENDALL

  THE SKY IS BLUE and the air is crisp. Nantucket is beautiful this time of year. Sometimes it feels like one of the only unspoiled places on Earth. This sleepy little town that seems segregated from the rest of the world. An ideal day would involve grabbing lunch while taking in the quaint scenery and watching all the bicycles ride by. We’re doing that right now, even if the mood is a little less than ideal.

  Juliet grabs me by the hand as we pay our bill. “We’re going to be late for the boat,” she says. “I want to grab a croissant for later. I’ll get you one, too. Wait for me outside.” Nodding, I wrap my scarf around my neck and step into the saltwater air. Inhaling deeply, I think about what’s happening today and the magnitude of it. It’s been a long time coming.

  Juliet bounds out the door and the tinkling bell sounds as it slams. “Okay. I checked the map app and we need to meet them on the east dock. We should follow this sidewalk all the way down.” Linking my arm in hers, she asks, “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay. Thank you for being with me today. I know how busy your schedule is these days.”

  “You’re kidding, right? Don’t thank me for being your friend. I would be here no matter what. This is an important day.” We see each other once a month. I’ll either drive into Boston for a wild night out, or she’ll come have a slumber party at my house with movies and wine. Our friendship means so much more now that it’s evolved over time. The people who will stand next to me today are the ones who have seen me through my life’s journey.

  “I know. I know.” I lean my head on her shoulder. “I love you.”

  “Aw. I love you, too, lady.” Juliet rubs my head like she’s stroking a cat. Coal is back at our little bed and breakfast. The old lady who runs the place was more than happy to welcome a cat into her home. Coal might even like her more than he likes me. He was sitting on her lap in the parlor when we left early this morning.

  I don’t know what to expect even though I have a detailed itinerary in my email. I’ve read it dozens of times. Even a phone call didn’t help wrap my brain around how it would play out. Maybe because it’s something so personal, something that has so many different factors involved, I can’t accept a schedule for something like this.

  The water in the distance gets closer, and all the yachts from the small harbor come into view. There’s no way I’ll be able to pick out which one is our ride for today from this far. I can pick out a wide back though. “I see Leo,” I say, breathing out a huge sigh of relief. He came down here early to make sure everything would be perfect. Two years into our marriage and he’s still so thoughtful that he leaves me feeling like a gremlin for not reciprocating in the likes. He says it’s just the way he is and I shouldn’t change myself for his benefit. Gremlin, see?

  I pick up my pace, to get to him faster. He’s my safe place—my harbor in the stormy seas. The dock entrance comes into view and we step off the cobblestone sidewalk and hi
t the dark wooden dock. Leo has a navy-colored ball cap on and throws his hand in the air when he turns and sees us. I pretend I didn’t see him first. Like two-hundred steps ago. And wave both of my arms.

  “You act like you haven’t seen the man in a month,” Juliet laughs, releasing her arm from mine. “Calm down.”

  My heart pounds and my stomach flips. “I haven’t seen him since this morning. I’m really nervous, and not that you aren’t a comforting jerk, but he calms me down a little more efficiently. Especially with you know who being here.” I glance around and I don’t see him yet, and I’m glad I have this moment with Leo. He welcomes my embrace and takes me into his arms. I pull back to look at him after I give him a long kiss.

  “I like you in a hat,” I say.

  He lowers me down so my feet touch the ground. “All this love because you like me in a hat?”

  “I’m an emotional disaster today. Let me love on the hat.”

  “I’ll wear it tonight,” he says. “It might stink by then, but you will probably like that, too.”

  Playfully, I swat him on the arm. “Whatever.”

  “I’m right.” Leo’s smile falls, and he looks down at his shoes. “Everything is set. We’re on schedule. I told the captain everything. Again. They’re ready when you are.”

  My stomach knots. “He’s here?”

  Leo nods. “Already on the boat.” He hikes his thumb over his shoulder to the large white craft with the colorful flags. “Your parents and Weston, too.”

  Juliet walks up, taking my hand. “Ready, then?”

  Leo nods. “We’re set if Kendall is.”

  “Yeah,” I say, smiling. “I’m ready.” I take Leo’s hand in my free one and we finish walking the distance to where the boat is tied off. I step on, releasing their hands and grabbing Aidan’s shoulder to steady myself. Juliet gets on next and then Leo last, taking me by the waist as he ushers me to a seat on the side next to my mother. I see Adam’s head on the other side. He throws up a hand when I catch his eye.

  I sign to Leo. “I’m going to go sit next to Adam for a second, okay?”