“This is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. I’ve never felt so loved or been so happy.”
Letting out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding in, I took her in my arms.
“I meant every word,” I whispered.
She held tight as I wrapped my arms around her.
“Do you know what would be the cherry on top?” she asked, as she pulled her head back to look at me.
“What?”
“Dancing our first dance as a married couple to Frank.”
I tossed my head back and laughed. “I can do that.”
I took my phone out of my pants pocket and found the song. I set the phone on the chair and pulled Amelia back into my arms.
I looked down into my beautiful bride’s eyes while we danced slowly.
“Are you happy, darlin’?”
“So very happy, cowboy.”
My heart felt like it would burst. Every ounce of fear, guilt, and sadness that was left melted away. I had said Trevor saved my life, but I was wrong. This woman in my arms was my savior. She was the reason I woke up and fell asleep every single day with a smile on my face.
“Now that we went off and got married, what do we do now to make the rest of our honeymoon exciting?” I asked.
She lifted her brow and tilted her head. “I want to get a tattoo!”
My mouth dropped. “What?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes! You’ve got that one your arm. I want something to look at that will remind me of this day.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes!”
“You want to get a tattoo? Right now?”
“Both of us. Yep!” she said, popping the p.
“There is a tattoo that I’ve been wanting to get on my side…”
Amelia jumped. “Let’s do it, husband!”
“Alright! Let’s do it, wife!”
I was on cloud nine as I ran into the house for my shoes. My stomach felt like it had been on a crazy thrill ride. With the surprise wedding, Wade singing to me, and a tattoo to mark this day, nothing could bring me down.
“Amelia, are you sure you want to do this?” Wade asked. “Do you even have an idea of what you want to get?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yes, I’m sure, and I’ll have to think about what I want. Did you call your friend, Sam, and ask him where we should go?”
Wade had gone to school with a guy who was from New Orleans. “I did. He gave me the address.”
I did a little hop and clapped my hands. “I’m staying in my wedding dress! Once we get our tats we can go dancing.”
“Tats?” Wade asked with a chuckle.
“My father is going to freak! Oh, my gawd. Cord is going to flip! He’s been begging me to get one ever since I turned eighteen. My father told Cord he forbid it, and if I had it done it would be on my conscience when he fell over dead!”
Wade frowned. “I might be wrong on this, darlin’, but it shouldn’t make you excited to know that getting a tattoo could cause your dad a heart attack.”
I waved him off. “Please! Do you know my father has them? Yep. He tries to hide them, but he has them. And so does my mom! On her ankle!”
“Really? I’ve never seen it.”
“It’s a little bitty heart,” I said. “But enough about them. Did you call an Uber? Let’s go before I change my mind!”
Wade laughed. “Yes, he’s almost here.”
I grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door. “Let’s go!”
As we walked into the tattoo shop, I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. I was really going to do this.
“Hey there,” Wade said as he approached the guy behind the counter. “Sam gave me your name.”
The guy smiled. “Hell yeah. Wade?”
“That’s me.”
“Yeah, Sam called and told me you guys were on your way. Perfect timing. We’re super slow right now. Do you know what you want?”
Wade faced me. “Do you know?”
I grinned. “I want to get a little giraffe with a heart on my wrist.”
“I can do that,” Sam said.
Wade smiled hugely.
“And, Wade, I want you to get a little giraffe on your wrist!”
His smile dropped. “Huh?”
The guy behind the counter laughed.
I nodded.
“Wait, you want me to get giraffe on my wrist?”
“With a heart,” I added.
Wade stood there with a stunned look. He turned to the guy behind the counter, who lifted his hands and took a few steps back.
“I am not touching that with a ten-foot pole, dude.”
Focusing on me, Wade tilted his head and pulled his brows together. He opened his mouth and then shut it.
I slowly pouted. “You don’t like my giraffe idea?”
“It’s, um, it’s a great idea, darlin’. I’m all in.”
My heart felt like it would burst knowing that Wade would get the giraffe. But I also wanted to laugh my ass off. The idea that he would go through with it made me realize how much this man truly loved me.