Dylan’s Redemption(107)

She descended the stairs. Dylan and Will stood at the bottom. Both dressed in gray suits with red ties, absolutely handsome. She beamed a smile at them as they smiled up at her. She reached the bottom and they both kneeled in front of her holding up black velvet jewelry boxes. She caught her breath and held her hand over her gaping mouth. Beyond beautiful, Dylan had to swallow hard when he caught sight of her coming down the stairs. His cousins’ wives, Rain and Claire, picked out the perfect dress and shoes. He’d called in reinforcements last evening and begged for their help. They’d come through big-time, not only for him, but for Jessie. A beautiful bride, and from the look in her eyes, she felt it.

“Jessie Thompson, will you marry me and be my wife?” He opened the box and revealed the diamond ring he’d bought her weeks ago.

Will bounced on his feet beside him excited to finally have a real mom. Dylan felt his enthusiasm, too.

“Mommy,” Will began, “will you be my mommy?”

He opened his box just like Dylan showed him, revealing the necklace inside. Then, he looked to Dylan to make sure he’d said and done everything just right. Dylan brushed his hand over Will’s head, and Will smiled hugely at him and Jessie.

Her eyes glassed over, Jessie pressed her fisted hands to her chest to still her pounding heart. Her tough guy with a touch of poetry, he’d pulled off the best surprise.

“You said as soon as possible. This was the best I could do in about twelve hours.”

That cocky grin again. Staring down at him and Will, this was perfect. Everything she needed.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” She ran her hand over his cheek and turned to Will. “Yes, I’ll be your mommy. Nothing would make me happier than for all of us to be a family.”

“Then come out back and let’s get married.” He stood and slid the ring onto her finger, kissing her knuckle to seal it in place. She held her hand in front of her and let the diamonds catch the light. He didn’t know what sparkled more: her eyes with delight, or the diamonds. He took the necklace from Will and went behind her and draped it on her neck and closed the clasp. His fingers caressed the soft skin at her shoulders. He turned her to him and touched each stone with his fingertip. “They’re Hope and Will’s birth stones, an amethyst for Hope and a peridot for Will.” The two round stones separated by a gold bead sparkled brightly.

“They’re lovely, and the sentiment means so much. You thought of everything.”

“I hope so. My brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders yesterday afternoon while I made phone calls. We’ll see how I did. Come with me.”

He took her hand and squeezed it to assure himself she was real. He’d dreamed of this day for a long time and wanted to savor every moment. He wanted to remember the smile on her lips and the surprise and wonder in her eyes.

“How did you get the ring and the necklace and the dress and, well, everything?” She glanced at the diamond on her hand again as he held it loosely in his grasp.

“The ring and necklace I’ve had for weeks. I waited for the right time to propose for real and make things official.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles again. “The rest was a lot of phone calls and help from family and friends.” He led her to the back door and showed her the small group of people gathered in the backyard on the patio.

John and Greg Langley were there, along with Andrea from her shop. James, her foreman, and his wife and daughters had come. Brian and Marilee and their little baby boy, Jesse, named for his aunt. The day he was born, Dylan accompanied Jessie to the hospital to see them and she’d cried and held her nephew, a huge smile on her face for her brother and his family and future, so bright now that he’d turned a corner.

Dylan invited Brody and Rain and their girls, Dawn and Autumn. Rain held their son, David, in her arms. Owen was here to take care of the paperwork. His wife Claire stood beside Owen, holding their son, Sean. Owen held his family close to his side.

He asked a couple of buddies from work, along with their wives. Lynn held a bouquet of red roses for Jessie to carry down the aisle. The preacher stood by to perform the ceremony. A photographer snapped pictures of everyone.

He didn’t invite his parents. They’d gone too far and forced him to push them out of his life. He hoped one day he’d find a way to forgive them for what they’d done. Today, he was marrying the only woman he’d ever loved. He’d have the happiness his parents had always wanted for him, even though their idea of his happiness differed from his own. Jessie and Will were everything he needed. As long as he had them, he would be happy the rest of his life.