Page 28 of Kiss Me Softly
“I love you Aurora, more than anything, and while I can’t guarantee that I’ll never freak out again, you have my word that I’ll try to do better every day to be the woman you deserve. Because you’re it for me. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
I realized I was crying and smiling at the same time.
“I love you too Frankie. I think I have loved you ever since you gave me quarters at Bubbles & Brews, even though I didn’t understand it at the time. We just need to commit to communicating with each other and we’ll be all right.”
She popped up onto her knees and then straddled my lap.
“That’s not all I’ll commit to,” she whispered, her lips only an inch away from mine. “With you, I’ll commit to forever.”
“And so will I. So will I.”
Epilogue -- Frankie
Eighteen months later…
“Are you ready, Peanut?”
I smiled at my father. “Yeah, I really am.”
The music changed and I wrapped my hand around my father’s arm. Just like we’d practiced, Dad and I walked up the side aisle of the event center. On the other side, Aurora was walking up the aisle with her own father. While neither of her parents had been thrilled about their daughter marrying a woman, they’d put aside their prejudices to participate in our big day.
We reached the front of the aisle and turned to walk across the center towards the officiant. Across from me, Aurora and her father made the same turn, her eyes widening with surprise when she saw me.
My father chuckled softly as he saw my fiancée’s reaction.
“You wore a dress,” she whispered as we met in the center. “I thought you were going to wear a suit.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” I said.
“I would have happily married you if you were wearing sweatpants.”
“I don’t own sweatpants,” I reminded her with a smile.
I’d upgraded my wardrobe quite a bit since Aurora and I got back together. Not because I thought I needed to change for her, but because I realized I didn’t have to wear other people’s cast-offs to make a point. I’d never be fashionable like Aurora, but I definitely dressed more professionally than I used to.
Today I was wearing a simple off-white dress with short sleeves and a matching belt around the waist. It ended just above the knee. With it I wore the same black shoes I wore to the gala. No sense in buying another pair of dress shoes when I dressed up like once a year.
“You look beautiful,” I told her.
Aurora’s dress was white lace, cut low in the back and highlighting her cleavage in the front. The skirt flared out near her ankles. She looked like a princess, just like she’d always wanted for her wedding. Her blonde hair was up in some elaborate up-do, and she’d done something to her eyelashes that made them seem much longer than usual.
“Are we ready?” the officiant asked.
“Yes,” we said in unison. We turned our heads to share a smile.
“In that case, let’s get you two married.”
***