Page 74 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“Surprise,” Margret says, lifting her arms into the air.
“Surprise what?” I ask, and she pulls out a piece of paper from her bra and hands it over to me. After taking it from her, I unfold it, feeling my heart pound, then start to read the scribble writing that I know is Maverick’s.
Jade,
I imagine you’re wondering what is going on right now, so I’ll tell you first that I’m waiting for you at the end of the aisle, where I hope to make you my wife. The truth is, I can’t wait any longer to marry you, and this is the only way I could think to make that happen. Since we got engaged, you’ve avoided any talk of our wedding or babies, and I know that you’ve done it thinking that you’re giving me the time I need, when the truth is there is nothing that would make me happier than marrying you.
Over the last year and a half you’ve brought so much joy to my life. I wake up every day grateful that you’re at my side, and thankful for every moment I have with you. But more than anything I’m excited about our future, so I hope that you’ll let your father walk you down and do me the honor of becoming my wife.
All my love,
Maverick
“I knew the note was too much. Now she’s crying and her makeup is going to be a mess,” I hear Margret grumble as I look between my dad and mom.
“I’m getting married.”
“You are.” Mom wraps her arms around me for a long moment before she transfers me to my father.
Closing my eyes, I rest the side of my head against his chest. Months ago, when Maverick drove me up the mountain to where our house was in the process of being built, I thought we were just going to check on the progress, so I was shocked when he took me to the bathroom where my claw-foot tub was, helped me inside, got in behind me in the empty tub, then slid a ring on my finger. When he asked me to marry him, I of course said yes.
Still, that didn’t stop the little voice in the back of my head from warning me that it was too good to be true. I never doubted that he loved me or thought he was lying about wanting to marry me, but I did worry that he was rushing himself and asking me then only to make me happy. I wanted to give him time; I wanted to make sure that he was ready. That’s why I’ve avoided the conversation anytime he’s brought up starting to plan for our wedding or talk about babies. And I guess my guy is done waiting for me to figure out that, ever since we got back together, he’s never been anything but honest about his wants and needs and is tired of waiting for me to get with the program.
“You tell me that this isn’t something you want, and I’ll get you out of here,” my dad whispers close to my ear, then cups my jaw and forces me to meet his gaze. “That said, it would be a mistake. That man who is waiting out there for you loves you the way I know you deserve to be loved.”
“I’m not going to run.” I lean up on my toes so I can kiss his cheek, then look around for Cybil. When her eyes meet mine, I can see that she’s a little unsure. “But I think I might need to fix my makeup.”
“It’s not that bad,” she reassures me with a soft smile, and then I watch tears fill her eyes. “I’m so happy for you, and this secret has been so hard to keep.”
“We’ll talk about that later.” I wrap my arms around her. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She leans back to look at me, then transfers her gaze to Margret when she grabs my arm.
“As much as I love this moment, we don’t have time. We need to get you fixed up so that you can get out there and marry your guy before he comes back here and drags you down the aisle.”
“Right.” I laugh as she leads me to a chair and forces me to sit.
As she fixes my makeup, my mind is spinning. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by Maverick setting this all up. And as I search deep, I realize that I’m not even a little upset that he did. I love him, and he loves me; he’s proved that over and over again. He said that I’ve brought joy to his life, but the truth is he’s given that to me and so much more. With him I feel secure, loved, accepted, and appreciated. I don’t know what I would do without him, or I do know, but it wouldn’t be good. I know that I promised myself that I would be more cautious in my life after living so recklessly before him, but I now know that it’s okay to jump without looking, because I know that he will be there to catch me. No matter what happens, he’s got my back and I’ve got his. For better or for worse, he’s mine and I’m his.
