Every Little Piece of Me (Orchid Valley 1)

He leans forward and whispers something in my ear the phone’s mic can’t make out, but I laugh, fist his shirt in my hand, and pull him down for a long kiss.

“It’s not time for that part yet,” he says, amusement in every word.

I look to the officiant, and when he nods, I take a deep breath. “Marston, you’re the first man I loved. When you came into my life, you saw me when no one else bothered.” I bow my head, and the sounds of my ragged breaths are clear even if the picture isn’t. “I’m not marrying you because I think it will be easy. I’m marrying you because I want to be the kind of mother who shows her children that the best things—the right things—are worth fighting for.” I take his hand and squeeze. “I’m sorry I didn’t fight for you sooner, but you’re mine now and will be for as long as you give me the honor of holding your heart. Wear this ring, and let the circle be a symbol of our love. Something that has no beginning and no end—just as what we feel for each other seemed to exist before we met. Even a decade apart won’t end or weaken it.”

“Mommy, who are you talking to?” Cami calls from the living room.

My heart skips a beat and I pause the recording. “Just watching a video on my phone, honey.”

“Sounds like you,” she says.

I swallow and lower the volume before pressing play again.

Marston looks into my eyes and shakes his head solemnly. “When I realized it was really you sitting at that bar tonight, Alec told me I should consider another night with you a gift. I told him that one night wouldn’t be enough. From the moment I saw you in that ridiculous tulle dress at your sweet sixteen party, I thought you were special. Then you smiled, and I knew you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I talked a big game, but back then I didn’t believe I deserved you. A lot has changed in the last ten years, and now I can finally take care of you. I can give you anything you need, buy you any luxury you want.”

I shake my head a half-second before the image of me on-screen does the same. “I don’t need luxuries.”

“I know. I see that. But I need to be able to give them to you. Because you’re what matters most to me.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it before sliding the ring on, and my heart tugs with longing. I want to be the woman who can wear his ring. I want to be the one who’s confident enough to promise forever. But the girl on that screen must’ve forgotten who she was and what scared her. “Wear this ring, and know that the diamond is a symbol of our love. It’s you and me. It’s what we have. We can withstand anything and come out on the other side stronger.”

I watch as I throw myself at him and bury my face in his chest.

“Brinley, do you take Marston to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the officiant asks.

Marston chuckles at my muffled “I do!”

“And Marston, do you take Brinley to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

He looks down at me, and I wish the angle of the camera allowed me to see the look in his eyes. Wish this video would let me zoom in all the way to what I saw in that moment, wish it could have recorded my thoughts and feelings so I could understand. “I do,” he says softly.

“For as much as Brinley Knox and Marston Rowe have committed to each other before myself and the witnesses here, Brinley and Marston are now husband and wife in accordance with the laws of the state of Nevada.”

The woman holding the camera cheers, and Marston cups my face in his hands and lowers his head. The video ends as his lips brush mine.

I turn down the volume and immediately push play on the video again, as if it might trigger a memory. I’m watching myself kiss him before our vows when a message from Julian flashes on the screen.

Julian: Running a little late. On my way.

The text is immediately followed by a knock on the door.

“Stella’s here!” Cami says, racing to answer. Because tonight, Julian and I have dinner with my parents and their best friends from Orchid Valley to celebrate our upcoming wedding. And I was so caught up in watching the footage of my prior wedding that I forgot.

I rush to the sink and brace myself on the edge as I run the water cold.

“Hey, kiddo,” Stella says. The click of her heels across the hardwood floor grows closer. “What are we going to do tonight?”