Page 101 of Time To Live Again

“What do you think?” Leo brings me back to the present. “Should we keep this a secret?”

I bounce on my toes. “Ooh, yeah. I’m loving this idea. How about until the wedding reception? It shouldn’t be that difficult since it’s already September. I’d like to have this one thing for ourselves. It’ll be something special to tell our kids when they grow up.”

“Kids, huh?” He smirks, then kisses my hand. “I’m loving that idea even more. Can we start tonight? Or at least have fun pretending to start. Role play?”

God, I love this man. How did I get so lucky? Waking up next to him in the morning is the most amazing blessing. And, oh man, do I love how compatible we are in the bedroom. And on the kitchen floor and in the shower and...

You get my drift. Life is never boring with him.

“Olivia Hansen and Leonardo Forrest, you’re up,” the woman with overprocessed pink hair, sky-blue eye shadow, and hot-pink lipstick says. Is she chomping on a wad of gum?

“Ready?” Leo asks me.

“More than anything. Let’s do this.”

The organ plays the wedding march, and I giggle. It’s tacky, but I love it. Leo’s cheerful energy agrees with me, too, as we practically run down the aisle hand in hand.

We stand in front of the officiant, and she begins the vows. I focus on Leo and think about how he kissed me back to life. I’m so grateful for his kind heart, glowing personality, and the love he has for me.

“Do you, Leonardo Forrest, take Olivia Hansen, to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward…” The words blend into each other because I’m waiting to hear?—

“I do,” Leo exclaims, pushing a silver band onto my finger. He looks around like he’s ready to high-five someone. We already bought our official wedding bands. His is black, of course.

How am I going to keep this a secret? I want to scream it from the rooftops.

Leo

I can’t hold back. I lean in to kiss my wife, but someone clears their throat like they are a heavy smoker.

“Sir, we’re not finished yet. You’ll have to wait to kiss the bride. We need to move on. There are other couples waiting.”

Party pooper.

“Sorry, I can’t wait to kiss her as my wife for the first time. You know what I mean, right?”

“No. And she’s not your wife yet.”

Oops. Hard crowd.

“Babe, come on. It’s my turn. I wanted you to be my husband like six months ago. I can’t wait any longer.”

I glance at the lady. “Sorry. You may proceed.”

Olive chuckles. I can always count on her getting my humor.

Then I focus on Olive’s vows, and seriousness kicks in. Her soft brown eyes pull me in, and she’s all I can see. She’s the one who taught me how to live life to the fullest. She’s the one who encourages me to take chances no matter the outcome. I hold my breath, waiting to hear those two special words.

“Yes!”

Okay, one word.

She pushes the ring onto my finger. This is a temporary one. I can’t wait until she slides on the black one she insisted we buy for the ceremony in December. It’s impossible for me to say no to her. It was no hardship because I love black rings too. And I love her.

“Nowyou may ki—” the officiant begins, but I’ve already pulled Olive into my arms. Our first kiss as husband and wife is full of silent promises. There’s no need for words because there aren’t any to describe how happy we are. Our bodies blend together as I wrap her up in my arms.

She breaks the kiss, then whispers in my ear, “Does this mean I’m yourride or dieuntil the end?”

I pull away and cradle her face in my hands. “No. This means you’re my best friend and wife, andnothingcould ever beat that.”

“Not even themotherof yourchildren?”

“Ooh, maybe that. Now we really need to get back to the hotel. We have some lovin’ to do.”

I kiss her lips again, then lead her out the door into a world where we’ll conquer anything and enjoy every minute of it.

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