Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
His right hand scrubs the back of his neck. “I’ve done good, haven’t I? I found the woman of my dreams, and anytime now, we’ll welcome our daughter into this world.”
“You’ve done great, Sean.”
He glances over his shoulder. “Where’s the food? I want to eat so I can get back to Calliope. I need to tell her how much I love her.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Declan
Maybe it’s true that a dream can come true when you least expect it.
Stetson was the first person that suggested that idea to my brother and me when we were kids. He did it right after Ava was born. That happened in London when my parents were on a babymoon vacation.
Ava arrived early. Since Sean and I were staying with Stetson at his home in Manhattan when it happened, he sat us both down to give us the good news. We both wanted a little sister, so we were overjoyed. He told us to honor her by keeping an eye on her forever. I’ve always done that.
I glance over to where she’s standing next to the man who will one day become her husband. My gaze drifts from the two of them to my brother and the woman making every single dream he’s ever had come true, including the one he shared with me less than two hours ago at the restaurant.
“It’s not a real wedding,” Callie says to everyone gathered. “We don’t have the marriage license yet, but this is our commitment ceremony. I want you all at our wedding. That’s happening on the day our daughter celebrates her third month birthday.”
I look to where my brother is standing. His shoulders are shaking, but he’s holding it together.
He’s done that since we walked into his apartment to find the people he considers his inner circle, including Graham Locke and his wife, Trina, Kavan and Juliet Bane, and of course, the third of his trio of best friends, Harry. His jaw dropped when he spotted them and Callie’s siblings. Seeing our parents brought tears to his eyes, and when he saw a few of his neighbors, he couldn’t control the grin on his face.
One of them, Mrs. Sweeney, is conducting the commitment ceremony.
She clears her throat. “We need to get started because babies work on their own schedules, and little Miss Wells may decide to pop in on this.”
Callie rubs a hand over her stomach. “I wish.”
“I wished for this,” Sean whispers. “I wanted us to be married before she gets here.”
Callie gathers his hands in hers. “I know. This feels real to me. I’ll wear your ring, and you’ll wear mine. I’m already yours forever, but I want our little princess in my arms when I walk down the aisle, and make this legal.”
A chorus of sighs fills the room.
“Shall we get started?” Mrs. Sweeney points at the floor in front of her.
She’s standing next to a bank of windows. The lights of Manhattan shine bright in the distance. It’s the perfect backdrop for a ceremony to bind my brother’s heart to the woman he loves.
“Come here, Decky. You too, Ava.” Sean beckons us both with a curl of his finger. “Consider this a trial run for my wedding day,”
Emotion boils inside me even though Sean had already asked us to stand by his side on his wedding day. “You’re sure about this, Saint?”
Sean glances at Graham, Kavan, and Harry. They’ve been his closest friends for years, so I was shocked when he told Ava and me over lunch one day that we’d be the “best people” when he wed the love of his life.
“I’m sure.” He points at me. “Get moving. I want to get my ring on her finger before it swells even more.”
Callie skims a hand over the front of her white knee-length dress. “My fingers aren’t that swollen. Now, my ankles are another story.”
As the room erupts in laughter, she shares a look with her sister, Naomi, who hurries into place next to her.
Ava rushes over with two small bouquets of red roses. She hands the larger one to Callie before offering the second to Naomi. “I picked these up at a flower stand on my way over.”
She shoots me a smile as she takes the spot next to me before she grabs my hand.
As the ceremony starts and I watch my brother pledge his undying devotion to Callie, I can’t help but think of the woman I wish was here with me.
I have no fucking idea what the future holds for Abigail and me, but I’m open to it. I’d be a fool not to be.
As I step onto the sidewalk outside Sean and Callie’s building, I suck in a deep breath.
I didn’t anticipate this evening being as emotional as it was. Watching Callie and Sean pledge their undying devotion to each other in anticipation of the birth of their daughter hit me hard. I’ve always wanted my siblings to find happiness, and knowing that the commitment ceremony was a prelude to Sean’s real wedding was humbling. The day they actually sign their marriage license and dance the night away at a lavish reception will overwhelm me in the best way possible.