My eyes filled with tears, and I blinked rapidly in a mad attempt to hold them back. When Merit looked at me, her violet eyes caught my green, and I gave up the attempt and let a tear fall. Quickly, I wiped it away as she started to walk toward me. She smiled, and I swore the Earth tilted slightly.
I took in every inch of her. She wore a white, two-piece wedding dress that showed off her midsection and made my knees weak. The fact that she was pregnant with my child and had left her stomach bare did something primal to me. I was already picturing what I would do once I took the gown off of her. The crystal beads on the straps of her dress caught the sunlight and made it look as if light bounced all around her. I saw the tips of her cowboy boots peeking out, and I couldn’t help but smile. Only my Bugs would wear cowboys boots on her wedding day.
Her hair was swept up in a pile of curls on the top of her head, with strands of curls framing her face and neck. A thin veil hung down her back and was held in place by a small diamond tiara that was tucked into her massive curls. She wore the slightest touch of makeup, and her lips were the sweetest shade of pink. I wanted desperately to kiss her. She was beyond beautiful.
She walked up and stopped in front of me, that sweet smile still on her face.
“You look…so beautiful,” I whispered.
“Thank you,” she replied. “You look handsome, as usual.”
It took everything I had not to lean down and take her face in my hands and kiss her. To hell with the wedding vows—I wanted her. Needed her. Wanted to strip her down and make love to her until we were both exhausted.
The pastor spoke, and Merit turned to look at him. I, on the other hand, couldn’t take my eyes off of Merit. She wore the pearl earrings we had bought yesterday while we were out shopping for wedding rings. Merit wanted something simple, yet vintage looking. The second jewelry store we went to had a ring Merit had fallen in love with on the spot. It didn’t even matter to me how much it cost; she loved it, therefore she got it. It was a princess-cut diamond that sat atop a beaded and ribbon-twisted white-gold band. It looked timeless. Just like our love.
I hardly heard anything the pastor said. I somehow made it through the vows, my voice cracking a few times. When he finally said I could kiss the bride, I gently cupped Merit’s face in my hands and kissed her. I wanted to make it last longer, but I was pretty sure the pastor didn’t want to see me deepen the kiss, so I pulled back and leaned my forehead against Merit’s, fighting to control my breathing.
One kiss, and she had me undone. Except it hadn’t been this kiss. No. It was the kiss we shared when we were ten years old and I knew that someday I’d make her mine.
“Mrs. Littlewood,” I said softly.
Merit reached up and held on to my arms as she chuckled. “I love the sound of that.”
I drew back and looked into her sparkling eyes. “So do I.”
Doug and Jill walked up and offered their congratulations, along with the pastor. Mary asked us to pose for more photos as the sun started to set, causing the lake to take on a purple color. The sky was filled with red, yellow, and blue as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains. The color reflecting on the lake made Merit’s eyes stand out even more. Mary gasped and positioned Merit off alone and must have taken a dozen photos of just her.
“Your eyes,” she kept saying as she clicked photo after photo. Finally, after what seemed like endless amounts of photos, we walked back into Doug and Jill’s house. Doug popped open a bottle of champagne and poured four glasses. Merit took the tiniest of sips as Doug offered up a toast.
“Well, we’re going to leave you to enjoy the house,” Jill said.
“Oh, no, we don’t want to push you out of your own house!” Merit said, even when I attempted to try and get her to stop talking.
Doug laughed. “Don’t be silly. There’s a guesthouse on the other side of the property. Jill and I are going to stay there for a couple of days, and then I need to get back. I can’t wait to tell everyone that Dirk Littlewood got married!”
I smiled as I held Merit against my body.
Jill walked up and kissed Merit softly on the cheek. “Congratulations!” She then whispered something into Merit’s ear that caused Merit to blush and nod. I gave them a quizzical look and started to ask what it was they were whispering about, but Doug pulled me off to the side.