“You know,” Dex said, leaning his head down toward me. “Your mom is still at the Mission, we could do a little fooling around, maybe rekindle that old flame from six years ago here on this couch of love.”
I laughed loudly at the thought of us being so brazen and bold, not to mention drunk as hell, six years ago on this very couch. I laid my head against Dex’s chest, feeling his breath and his heartbeat against my ear. I had never felt more comfortable with anyone in my life than I did right then in Dex’s arms. He set his glass down and pulled me into his lap, squeezing me tightly and gently kissing my lips. We stared into each other’s eyes for several moments until something popped into his head. He smiled coyly and moved me back next to him before standing up and walking toward the tree.
“I have a gift for you,” he said excitedly.
“But it’s not Christmas.” I laughed.
“You get to open one early,” he said, tossing a small wrapped box at me.
I caught it and smiled at the terrible wrapping. Dex made sure to get all the presents wrapped professionally, telling me how bad of a wrapper he was. I didn’t really believe him until looking down at this small box that had been wrapped tightly in too much red paper, taped up like a mummy, and had a crooked bow on top. It had to be my favorite thing to unwrap and I didn’t even know what it was yet. I shook my head, giggling as I pulled the bow off and fought the tape wrapped around it. I ripped the paper off and pulled the top off, looking down at another small box, this one a little more familiar. It was velvet and square and opened just like a ring box.
I slowly cracked it open, my hands beginning to shake, gasping as I looked down at the largest diamond ring I had ever seen. It sparkled in the light of the tree and I looked over to find Dex kneeled on the floor in front of me. Immediately, tears filled my eyes, not fully comprehending what was happening at that moment. There was a huge diamond ring shaking in my hand and the love of my life was down on one knee, it was all too real.
“Casey Nelson,” he said, reaching out and taking my hand. “You have given me a life that I never expected. You have filled my world with love, laughter, friendship, and the most amazing little life I could have ever imagined. Moving you into the penthouse was not enough. I want to know every day that I am waking up to my wife, the woman I vowed to spend my life with forever. I want to know that Seth can look at his mom and dad and see pure love, pure bond, and a strong unbreakable family. So, as I kneel here in front of you, I am asking you to please say yes. Say yes to spending the rest of your life in my arms, as my wife, and I as your husband. Casey Nelson, will you marry me?”
I clasped my hand over my mouth as tears rolled steadily down my cheeks. I nodded my head yes and smiled, laughing and crying at the same time. Dex took the ring from the box and slid it on my finger, pulling me to my feet and wrapping his arms around me. I could feel his heart beating fast in his chest and I could not even start to control my own. He pulled back and kissed me deeply as the sound of clapping came from the front door. We finished our kiss and looked over to find Andrea, Natalie, and Brandon standing in the doorway, holding a bottle of champagne and a dozen roses.
“Congratulations,” they all said in harmony.
I smiled big and looked back at Dex.
“What? You didn’t think I could ask you to be my wife without everyone did you?”
I laughed and pulled myself into him, feeling his warmth surround me. This was the best Christmas I had ever had and couldn’t wait to spend my life as Mrs. Dexter Canton, the happiest woman in the world.
Chapter 21: Dex
Standing at the front of the church, I couldn’t help but look around at everyone and wonder what they were thinking. I knew no one ever thought they would see the day when I settled down with a wife and family. Hell, I never thought I would see the day when I settled down with a wife and family but here I was, standing at the front of a church, holding my son’s hand and waiting for his mother to walk down the aisle. At first, Casey wanted to have Seth give her away but he said he wanted to be the best man, so her mom decided to walk her down the aisle. I couldn’t wait to see Casey in her gorgeous wedding gown. She had been so excited since the day it was delivered. She hid it in her walk-in closet until my sister could pick it up to keep at her house. One of the local designers offered to design and create the dress of Casey’s dreams and though she was shy about the attention at first, she quickly found herself excited by the opportunity.
The music began to play and I watched as the bridesmaids walked toward us, smiling and cooing at Seth in his little tuxedo. He looked like a little man standing beside me with his shiny shoes and perfectly done hair. As the music changed, the crowd in the church stood and turned toward the doors. The attendants pulled open the wooden double doors and I stared out at Casey, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her dress fit tightly on the top, draping over the edges of her shoulders like cloth blowing in the breeze. It then moved down to her waist where it shot out in a skirt of large billowing fabrics. She looked like a princess marrying into a royal family. Her veil was pinned gingerly in her hair which was piled high on her head in a mountain of delicate curls. She was looking down at her mother nervously as they took a step onto the red carpet lining the walkway. I watched her hands shake as she looked at the staring crowd. Finally, as her eyes moved forward, she met my gaze and all the nerves in my chest just fluttered away.
From the smile that quickly developed on her lips, her nerves were cured as well. I grabbed Seth’s hand and looked down as he giggled at his mom walking up the aisle. I couldn’t believe just how lucky I was to be able to marry this gorgeous woman. She was the sweetest, kindest, sexiest, and most loving woman I had ever met, and I was going to get to call her my wife. She didn’t care about money or my name, she only cared about our family, our connection, our love, and our eternal bond. Her desire to grow our family was strong and determined. Just when I think I couldn’t be any more attached to this family, I find myself gazing down at them, my heart filled with love and admiration.
As Casey reached the front of the church, Andrea handed her over, kissing me on the cheek and lifting Casey’s veil. The two exchanged quiet words and I could see the emotion on Andrea’s face, thinking about her late husband. The ceremony was short and we opted for traditional vows since Casey was too shy to speak in front of such a large crowd. Everyone laughed as Seth pulled our rings from his little tux pocket and handed them to Natalie, who was the maid of honor. As I slipped the small diamond encrusted band over Casey’s fragile small finger, I looked up into her eyes to let her know how serious I really was. I would love this woman and our son more than they could stand. I would ensure they had everything in life that they needed and wanted. I would make sure that the things of the past stayed in the past, never disrupting our lives ever again.
“By the power vested in me by the state of New York,” the pastor said. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
We looked up at each other in excitement as I placed my hand around her cheek and pulled her in close, pressing my lips firmly against hers. As we turned, I picked up Seth and we raised our hands in the air in triumph. The crowd clapped and laughed as we exited the church and headed out into the city air. We did it. We finally got where we knew we should have been all along and it felt amazing.
After the ceremony, we took about a million pictures at the church before heading over to the reception at the hall inside Canton Commons. It was decorated so elegantly and I was really impressed with what Casey put together. The flowers were all a dusty pink, the tables were covered with lace and satin, and the whole place had a deeply romantic feel. Candles were strewn across all the tables and the main lights were turned down low. In the center of the room was a dance floor with our initials lit up across it. Seth immediately ran out onto the tiled floor and started to dance in his adorable four-year-old style.
As soon as we walked in, the festivities began and I swept my new bride o
ff onto the dance floor for our first dance. She looked up at me with her gleaming eyes and I couldn’t help but pull her close and kiss her lips. She grasped my hand tightly but I kept her attention on me and not the hundreds of eyes watching us. When the song was over, Casey had a special dance with Seth and the two dazzled the crowd with a sweet slow dance to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. There wasn’t a dry eye in the entire place, especially since everyone knew that dance was in place of her father-daughter dance. Then Andrea and I took the floor as she volunteered to stand in for my mother for the mother-son dance. To my surprise, the emotions weren’t easy to keep in and as soon as I saw Natalie begin to cry, tears overwhelmed me.
The rest of the evening was a blast with champagne flowing, music bumping, and good company to share our love and happiness with. Though I was having more fun than I could remember having in years, I couldn’t wait to leave and take my new wife on our honeymoon. She was absolutely stunning in her gown but I really wanted to get her out of it and make love to her. I watched her move across the room, greeting the guests, laughing at jokes, and snickering to Natalie about whatever it is girls talk about. She would gaze over at me from the other side of the room, lust covering her face. I knew then, she was just as ready to get to our honeymoon as I was.
About an hour before we were scheduled to leave, Andrea kissed us goodbye, holding on to a dead asleep little boy. He partied himself completely out and between the cake and excitement, he would have a good night’s sleep. I could tell Casey was struggling with leaving Seth and I hugged her tightly as she watched the limo pull off with them inside. She took a deep breath and turned toward me, her eyes twinkling in the city lights.
“I’m exhausted.” She laughed. “And I barely ate anything with so many people there.”
“Me too,” I said, pulling her in close. “But not too exhausted to get this dress off you and pull you into my bed.”
“Mmm,” she smiled, leaning up to kiss me. “That sounds like a perfect ending to a perfect day.”
“Just a little bit longer.” I smiled.
We went back inside and continued to dance and talk with the guests. From there on out, Casey stayed glued to my side, finally feeling free to let herself relax. Everyone was more than excited to talk to us but we were both so exhausted we could barely move. Finally, the coordinator came over and told us it was time to leave. We went back up to the apartment and changed into our honeymoon clothes, smiling at each other as we undressed. I wanted to take her right then and there but I knew the jet was waiting. When we got to the roof to catch the helicopter to the airport, everyone was standing up there cheering for us. I grabbed Casey’s hand as we walked through the crowd, stopping only for a moment to kiss and hug Natalie and Brandon before jumping in the chopper and heading off.