Marrying Ember(25)

“Okay,” I whispered to myself. “Let’s go.”

As I made my way down the aisle of the RV, Monica stopped me. The tears were already forming in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around my torso. “Thank you for being her soul mate.”

“Thank you for letting me have her.” I squeezed her back and gave her a smile as she pulled away.

“Nervous?” Regan questioned, stepping aside so I could get to the stairs.

I looked him up and down. “You got your violin ready?”

He nodded.

“Then, no. I’m not nervous. Excuse me, guys. That’s my wife out there.” As I pushed my hand against the door of the RV, I took one more breath.

Then, the realization of all of my dreams came rushing toward me.

“Bo?” Ember stood as she watched me exit the RV, eyeing me from head to toe.

While I wasn’t in a tux, because that’s not what we were about, I was in pressed khaki’s and a black polo shirt. The nicest thing in my suitcase, and she knew it.

“Ember.” I smiled and took her hands in mine, kissing her softly on the forehead. “I see things are okay with you and your dad?” I looked between them, certain I’d read the body language correctly, but needing confirmation if any of this was to go as planned.

Ember’s chin quivered slightly as she smiled. “It is. We’re okay.”

I pulled her into a quick hug, savoring the scent of her hair for a second more.

“What is all of this?” she asked as she pulled away. “And where the hell is everyone?”

“We’re right here,” Raven answered as if this were all scripted. She exited the RV she’d been waiting in with the other band members.

“And here,” Monica chirped as she led the rest of our friends down the stairs of the vehicle I’d been in.

Despite the soft, full glow of the lights surrounding us, I reveled in the sight of Ember’s cheeks growing red as she tried to work out the scene. After looking at the happy—and somewhat weepy—faces of those around us, Ember whipped her head back around and looked at me, breathing heavily.

“Bo …” Her lips curled up at the edges. A hopeful energy begging them to curl the rest of the way.

“November,” I started, never breaking my gaze with hers, “what you and I have is something that I never knew was possible. Someone who loves everything inside me, including the things I didn’t know were there. Or the things I didn’t want to know were there. Someone who took each loss life handed to me and loved me through them, around them, and passed them. An actual mate to my bruised and battered soul.”

Ember shook her head. “Not battered. Perfect.”

I kissed her, our lips forming smiles against each other. “See?”

“What are you doing?” she whispered against my lips.

“Let me get to it,” I answered, making her chuckle and sniff.

“Ember,” I started again. “When I said it felt like I’ve loved you for a thousand lifetimes, I meant it. But, that’s not enough for me.” I placed my index finger under her chin and lifted her face. “I want one more.”

I want one more was the only cue I’d given Regan. At that, he softly started playing a piece he and I had been working on for a couple of weeks. Ember’s eyes filled with tears as they drifted to Regan and back to me.

A little over a year before, Ember walked in on me in my studio one of the first nights she stayed at my house in Concord. It was the middle of the night and I was having trouble sleeping, as usual. I’d gone into my studio to blow off some steam. Several minutes later, at Ember’s innocent request that I play the sheet of music that was left on the piano, we were wrapped in the only song I’d ever written for that instrument. A song I’d written to encompass how I felt after my parents’ death.

Regan and I transformed it. I wanted Ember to recognize it, and she did. I could tell by the way her hands tightened in mine and tears streaked down her cheeks. I wanted her, more than anything, to see how the song transformed from the darkness that was my life then, to the happiness it was now.

Because of her.

Ember and I had played a song in rehearsal a few times that we hadn’t perfected for stage yet. I worked those measures into the middle of the song, and as Regan glided beautifully through them, Ember spoke.

“What did you do?” She smiled and cried at the same time. The absolute most beautiful sight in the world.

“I asked your father for his blessing in me asking you to marry me.” I knew she meant the song. I answered the bigger question surrounding us.

“You … you what?” Ember sniffed and looked at her father, who walked over to us and put an arm around her.

Ashby mirrored Ember’s smile-cry. “This afternoon, angel, when you girls were downtown.”

“But the lights,” she gestured up, still smiling. “This was all done before …”

“Love,” I stepped back, placing my hands in my pocket, fishing for the ring box, “I knew things were rocky with you and your dad. I knew there are and were so many things to talk about. But, I knew you two would work it out, because I believe in love. And, I know you do, too. That’s the only reason we made it this far.”