I thought of our little moments, doing dishes in the sink, watching her teach me how to do the laundry, the smile in her eyes when she woke up and saw me next to her. It was a life I should’ve had in the first place. I should’ve grown up with my family, went to university, settled down with someone special, and had a great life. “Yes.”
He gave a slight nod, like that was all he wanted to hear. He raised his glass to me.
I lifted mine and tapped it against his.
We both took a drink.
Fender turned to look across the house to the staircase. “What’s taking her so long to get ready to marry me?”
“Maybe she’s come to her senses.”
He turned back to me, his eyes narrowed. “She knows there’s no other man who’s man enough for her.”
“I don’t know…” I liked to tease my brother. It was easy to get a rise out of him.
“I’m sure she just wants to—”
Melanie reached the bottom of the stairs and came into view, Raven behind her and helping with the train of the dress. “Be careful. Don’t step on it.”
“I am being careful,” Raven said.
Melanie turned around and faced her sister, her hands moving down and smoothing out her dress. “That took forever. Do I look okay?”
Raven came close and fixed her sister’s hair before bending down to adjust her dress. When she came back up, she grabbed both of her arms and gave her an affectionate look. “You look perfect, Melanie.”
I knew Raven would never truly be happy with her sister’s decision to marry Fender, but she put on a smile and was there for her. There was nothing she could say to make her sister feel differently, so she let it go.
Fender stared at Melanie the whole time, ignoring both me and the scotch like we didn’t exist. His eyes were laser-focused, like he’d never seen anything so magnetic in his life. “Yes, she does.” He got to his feet and stepped away from the sitting area to get closer.
Melanie turned to look at him, and the sincerity of her gaze was unmistakable. Fender was truly the man she wanted to spend her life with, and her love was stronger than his sins. She gathered the front of her dress and lifted it slightly as she walked to him, her eyes taking him in like there was music playing and she was walking down the aisle. When she reached him, her arms circled his neck and she hugged him.
His powerful arms wrapped around her body, and he held her close so he could embrace her, so he could stick his hand into her hair and kiss her deeply, even when the woman wasn’t even his wife yet.
Raven emerged from behind them, wearing a pink dress the color of rose gold, with flowers in her hair. She watched them together for a moment before her eyes shifted to me. She wore a slight smile, like she’d somehow missed me in the few hours we’d been apart.
I knew I’d missed her.
The four of us stood with the priest on the grounds as the ceremony took place. Fender and Melanie looked at each other like no one else was there, and with their hands held together, they pledged their love and loyalty for a lifetime.
Melanie was facing me, but instead of looking at her, I looked at Raven. I could see the conflict on her face, see how happy she was for her sister, but also upset by the man she’d chose to be her husband.
Her brown hair was in curls up and over one shoulder with a row of flowers in her hair. Her makeup was heavier than usual, accentuating her features and making her lips look so plump. The tight dress was beautiful on her, and I wondered how my brother could be so fascinated with Melanie when Raven was so much more than her sister could ever be.
The priest ended the ceremony, and the two of them kissed—again.
Raven and I clapped.
Fender took Melanie’s hand and pulled her away, walking with her across the large estate where they would live for the rest of their lives. Her white dress trailed behind her, and she walked close to him as if normal proximity wasn’t quite enough.
The priest followed them.
They left the two of us to stare at each other.
I stepped closer to her until my face was just inches away. “Beautiful.”
She smiled in a special way, the tenderness in her eyes more than her lips, but the compliment meant the world to her. Her sister’s beauty could never outshine her own, at least not when it came to me.
“Doing okay?”
She released a sigh and gave a subtle nod. “He’s the man she wants. Nothing I say will change the way she feels. We can’t always choose who we love. Sometimes, love chooses you.” Her hands moved to mine, and she interlocked our fingers. “Just trying to move on and leave the past in the past. We’ve done everything we can to make it right. Fender has done everything he can to make it right. Suffering and guilt won’t change what’s been done. So, I know we need to find happiness when we can.”
I loved her pure heart, her integrity, and her morality. I loved that she stood up for what she believed in, no matter the adversity. She was strong, brave, fierce. This was the woman I wanted to raise my daughters to be the same way, to raise my sons to look for a woman who didn’t need a man at all, but wanted one all the same. I’d had no idea what I was really looking for in a partner until I found it. “You make me happy.”
Her eyes softened.
“I didn’t just give away my money. I gave away my rage, my vengeance. I gave away my broken heart because a whole one took its place. I didn’t just find happiness with you, but also peace. You gave me peace.”
Epilogue
Raven
I unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment. My bag was over my shoulder, full of textbooks and my notebook. I locked the door behind me and set the bag on the counter. The dishes were done, the apartment was clean, and there was dinner cooking on the stove. “I’m home!”
His voice came from upstairs. “Just got out of the shower.”
I took a peek at dinner and even stuck my fork inside to get a few bites before I grabbed a couple plates and set them at the small dining table near the window. It was a cold night, Christmas just a few weeks away. Our tree was in the corner, decorated with white lights and shiny ornaments.
He came downstairs a few minutes later, in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
“Thanks for making dinner. Smells great.”
“And tastes great, right?” He gave me a playful stare, like he knew I’d snuck a bite.
“I mean…I was just checking to see if it was done.”
He chuckled and came in close to wrap his arms around me before he gave me a kiss.
My arms wrapped around his neck, and I held him tightly, feeling those lips convey all his love.
He pulled away and turned to the stove.
I knew how happy he was every day. He didn’t explicitly say it, but it was obvious in his features, in his lovely smile. It was a side to him I never knew at the camp, never knew outside this apartment.
He served dinner, and together we set the table and ate. We shared the events of our day, his time at the ranch taking care of the horses, me discussing my classes in my graduate program. I was trying to learn French since I intended to become a citizen here at some point, but it was difficult. Sometimes I had Magnus speak to me in French to speed up the process, but it was frustrating most of the time.