Wild Tendy (IceCats 2)

“The couple has written their own vows, so Amelia, please declare your love for this man.”

Amelia clears her throat and then presses her lips together as she stares up into Chandler’s eyes. It’s easy to see she is struggling and that the emotion is too much. She blinks away some tears and then brings their hands to their chests. She takes in a deep breath. “I found you young, but it didn’t work out. I went another way, and you did too. I always think about how life would have been if we had tried to make things work, but I now know that we had to take our separate paths to find each other again.” She sniffs, and soon, my tears are flowing faster. “I was bruised and broken when you found me. I felt as if I wasn’t worthy of anyone’s love, not even my own. I hated myself. I hated life. I hated everything. I was trying so hard to rebuild my life, but what I didn’t realize at the time was I needed a partner to do it with.”

Yup, pretty sure there isn’t a dry eye on this beach.

“Chandler, not only did I fall head over heels in love with you, but I fell in love with myself. I love who I am because of you. You give the gift of your love and your support daily. Carter and Hannah don’t even know how lucky they are to have you as a father yet, but I know how lucky I am to have you as my husband.”

Chandler closes his eyes and drops his head to hers.

“I will love you until the day I die, Chandler Moon.”

Oh, my heart. I watch as Chandler gathers her in his arms, holding her so close, but then my gaze falls on Nico. He is watching them with a dreamy look on his face, and he makes me feel what Amelia is speaking of. I want to love myself. I want to believe I’m the perfection he speaks of. I want to love my life the way Amelia does, and lately, I feel I have. So much is changing, and it’s all because of that man right there.

As Chandler clears his throat, Callie cuddles deeper into me. “Do you remember the first time we kissed?” he asks Amelia.

Amelia grins. “I do. In a dark corner of the Bellevue Bullies’ house.”

“Behind my back,” Ryan calls out, and I snort with laughter. Apparently Ryan had said that Chandler couldn’t date Amelia. I’m guessing that memo was ignored, but I don’t think Ryan can be upset. Their love is overwhelming.

Everyone laughs softly as Chandler nods. “It was so loud in there, but I heard everything you said. That moment is when I knew I loved you, and every moment since we met back up has felt like that moment. There is no one in the world I want to live life with but you. I want to pull the car over and dance with you to every song that reminds us of us. I want to raise our babies and show them what true love is. Because, Amelia, what we have is the real deal,” he says, his voice breaking. “I will always be there for you, supporting you and loving you, so that you know your worth.” He gathers her face in his hands, and his voice is so low as he says, “I love you, Amelia. Let’s do this life together.”

When they kiss, the beach erupts with cheers and applause, which wakes up both babies, and they start wailing. Chandler and Amelia part, laughing before grabbing their babies from Nico and Shelli. When they come back to each other, my heart aches with happiness. Chandler kisses Amelia, and I swear someone better have gotten that picture. But even with the gorgeousness that is their love, my attention drifts to Nico. He’s grinning so widely as he claps, and he doesn’t look too nervous. I can tell he doesn’t want to be there, but he loves Chandler and Amelia. When his eyes meet mine, he winks, sending my gut into a fit.

I love you, he mouths, and my heart soars.

I love you too, I mouth back, and I’ve never meant four words as much as I do those now.

I wrap my arms around Callie and kiss her head. “Hey.”

She looks up at me. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She beams up at me, and soon, I feel that overwhelming love. “I love you too.”

As I stare into my sister’s eyes, I don’t want this feeling to end.

When I notice Nico walking toward us, I stand up, and Callie does too. He comes right for us, wrapping his arms around us both. “Big crybabies.”

“Shut up! It was beautiful. I bet you’ll cry at your wedding,” Callie teases, and Nico snorts.