“Today.”
Everyone at the table gasped before Catherine stood from her chair. I looked over at her and watched as she unfolded a sheet of paper. She slid it towards me on the table and my eyes dropped down to it, taking in the official insignia and the embossed seal at the bottom left-hand corner.
“A minister?” I asked breathlessly.
“You’ve been so busy with our family that we haven’t had time to plan a wedding,” Ryan said. “So, I planned it for us.”
“What?” I asked.
“In your room is a wedding dress. It took me a few tries to get your measurements right, but I think I’ve studied your body enough to know what they are.”
My cheeks flushed as the table beside us giggled.
“Natasha’s your maid of honor, Carter’s my best man. Catherine can now officiate and Valentina will take pictures. What do you say?”
My eyes danced between Ryan’s as a smile crossed his face.
“Will you marry me today?” he asked.
I threw my arms arou
nd him and peppered his face with kisses. Natasha pried me from him and dragged me upstairs, ripping me into the bedroom. The dress left me breathless. A silken fabric that framed my curves perfectly and an intricate lace beading that fell all the way to the floor. Tears rose to my eyes. I couldn't believe it. Natasha sat me down on the edge of the bed and helped me with my makeup and hair, but only one thought kept running through my mind.
I’m getting married today.
Ryan had thought of everything. The marriage license. Small tuxedos for the boys. Beautiful outfits for Zoey and Hunter and Benjamin. And it seemed as if everyone else had outfits to change into. I quickly realized that everyone had been in on this. Everyone had come through to give Ryan and I this incredibly special moment that I couldn’t seem to find time in my schedule to coordinate.
I stood in front of the love of my life and recited my vows, surrounded by those I loved most.
Ryan kissed me so deeply that it swept me off my feet. Everyone erupted into cheers and whistles and the kids were running around screaming and yelling ‘yuck’. I felt into him. Melted into the arms of my husband. He held me closely to him, tightening his grip as if he never wanted to let me go.
“I love you, Ryan.”
His eyes sparkled with decadence as a smile crossed his cheeks.
“I love you too, Emma. But I have one last surprise for us.”
“You have something else?” I asked.
“And before you say anything, know that Carter and I are going to be dropping in on the kids while you guys are gone,” Natasha said.
“Gone?” I asked. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”
Standing in front of everyone with a bouquet of flowers in my hand, I watched Ryan reach into his suit pocket. He pulled out a small envelope and handed it to me, my eyes taking in the glistening paper. I furrowed my brow as I handed him my bouquet, and everyone laughed as he tossed it out into the crowd. Zoey caught the flowers and I laughed at Ryan’s facial expression.
“Not for many, many years princess,” he said to Zoey.
I gasped at the tickets. They were first-class flights to Tuscany. I pulled out the small folded up sheet of paper and gazed upon the most incredible place I’d ever seen. A beautiful villa that overlooked the marvelous sights of the city. It came with a personal chef, a private hot tub, and unfettered access to the vineyards on the hills behind it.
“Please don’t tell me you bought this place,” I said breathlessly.
“Not this time,” Ryan said with a grin. “But we are going there for two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“Our flights leave this Friday. I figured you wouldn’t want to leave the kids immediately, and it’ll give you time to reschedule things with the students you’re tutoring from Lawrence Day.”
“Two weeks in Tuscany?” I asked.