For me, though, half of me is a walking cliché straight out of a cheesy romcom, buying flowers and secretly shopping for wildly expensive diamond rings, and the other half might as well be a digitally-enhanced Spartan with only one thing on his mind: protecting his woman to the death.
I take her to Nashville and they laugh at me. My new nickname is Caveman. Because if any of my cousins so much as glance in Luna’s direction I eyeball them with murder in my eyes.
We have a good time, other than that. Both my brothers’ girlfriends are beautiful people. Millie is quiet and sort of ethereal and Bo, hopeless romantic that he is, finally seems comfortable in his own skin. And no wonder. That promise he made to our mother was something I never could have done. I thought he was a sucker for having that much integrity. But now I think differently. Now I think of everything differently, like I’m seeing the world and all the people in it from a fresh perspective. The Luna effect, I call it.
The outcome of which is that instead of being a total prick all the time, I’m a much better person. I have to say, it feels good.
Caleb’s girlfriend Violet is perfect for him. He’s a lot calmer than he was last time I saw him. His eyes don’t look quite so spooked and he even laughs again. She’s easing him out of his dark place, healing him right before our eyes.
I guess that’s what love is, and what it does. As the saying goes, it’s the cracks that let the light in.
Snow has started lightly falling outside the wall of windows. It’s after dinner and we’re all sitting around the large game room in Travis’s house, with its leather furniture and bar and pool table. There’s a fire in the fireplace and the music is turned up. Kade and Violet are playing pool against Millie and Vaughn. Roxie and Luna are standing by the old-style juke box, picking out songs.
I walk over to where Caleb and Bo are sitting in leather chairs by the fire.
We clink glasses.
“She’s good for you, Gage,” says Bo.
I glance over at her. She’s the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen. Every time I look at her she takes my breath away. “Yeah. She is.”
Caleb actually grins. “Who would have thought it would happen to all three of us? Just like it happened to them.”
We raise our glasses and toast to our parents’ memory.
“I just want to know when it’s going to happen to me,” Travis says, joining our circle. He elbows me.
The song ends and I pull the small blue box out of my pocket.
“I have a question I need to ask a certain someone,” I say, to the room.
They all turn and look at me.
I walk over to where Luna is standing there in her jeans and her yellow sweater with her eyes that look gold in the warm light and her face like a dream. Better than a dream. Because she’s real and she’s mine. “It’s Christmas Eve so I thought it might be a good time to do this even though I’ve been wanting to do it for a while now but I wasn’t sure if she was ready. And I sure as hell hope she’s ready now.”
Everyone gets very quiet.
Luna stares at me with wide eyes as I get down onto one knee and open the small box I’m holding.
I take a deep breath. “Luna. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you because when you know for sure that something is real and too good to be true you want to hold onto it as hard as you can. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of. I love you so much. Luna, will you marry me? Please say yes.”
There’s a glint of something that might be light but exuberant exasperation. I’m putting her on the spot in front of all these people. I’m forcing her hand, almost, like I’ve done before. And for a fleeting second, my heart skips a beat because what if she says no?
I’ll die. I’ll chase after her. I’ll—
“Yes.” She’s smiling at me and I am so in love with her.
I take her hand and slide the ring onto her finger. Then I stand and pick her up and twirl her around slowly as she kisses me.
Everyone cheers.
A champagne bottle pops.
But the only thing I’m aware of is the taste of her lips and the beauty of this moment and this stunning, perfect girl.
She said yes.
The grand opening of Luna’s was a magical night. Gage hired an army of security and the Tucker Brothers Band played under a full moon on New Year’s Eve. We danced and laughed and sang along.
Since then, the businesses have been going exceptionally well. The hotel and spa are booked months in advance and the restaurant is packed every night. We have a full events calendar and the yacht has been a popular party venue.
The house is more than I could have dreamed of. It has huge double-glazed windows rimmed with steel, Dade pine ceilings and lots of open, light-filled, airy spaces. It’s decorated with colorful art and leafy, tropical plants. I absolutely adore it.
Gage and I got married at his summer “cottage” on the beach on Lake Michigan. It’s a beautiful place and I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s a rambling old house with modern updates. It has views from every window, a dock and we even have a fishing boat. We spend weeks at a time there and it has become our second home.
We’ve started a tradition with Bo and Millie and Caleb and Violet to spend Christmases there with our growing families. Even Gage, who hates the holidays, is starting to get into the spirit of our festive get-togethers.
Josie and Noah and their children come out and stay with us for long weekends, either at the lake or in Key West. Their one night stand ended up creating a beautiful, thriving family. They’ve had two more babies, girls this time. Also twins. They live in Big Sur, in the house Noah designed, with views of the ocean. Funny how things work out sometimes.
For our honeymoon, Gage took me to Europe for a month. We went to London, Paris, Rome, Venice and spent a week at a villa in Tuscany. We ate good food, visited the sights and museums, and spent lazy afternoons in bed. Our lovemaking has a beauty and a bond that awes me. I can no longer imagine a life without my husband. I love him more than I knew I could love. He’s a part of me that feels as real and as important as my own body and soul.
It’s a beautiful thing, to love like we do. We don’t take it for granted. We treat it like the treasure it is.
I went off the pill just before our honeymoon and I was pregnant by the time we got home.
I cried, for all the right reasons. For the past and most of all for the future.
Gage has stayed true to his word. He’s careful with me when I need him to be. His love for me takes away my fears and doesn’t leave room for sadness. With him, I’m too happy for sadness. Just like he promised.
Our baby girl’s name is Isla. She has dark blond hair and turquoise eyes, exactly the same color as her daddy’s. Her hair has a jaunty curl to it that won’t straighten no matter what we do to it, just like mine.
Two years later we had our son, Elias. He has black hair and eyes that change color with his moods, from green to aqua, even to gold. He’s a gorgeous little boy with the same innate self-assurance as his father, who he follows around like an adoring puppy. But when he’s tired, he only wants me.