Page 135 of Mr. Edwards

He slides his hand into his jacket pocket and pulls out a long, narrow white velvet box. “I have a gift for you.”

“Reece,” I gasp when I open the lid and see the pearl choker inside.

“They belonged to my grandmother, and I’d like you to have them.”

“Oh God, Reece. It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept this. It’s a family heirloom.”

“And you’re all the family I have left.”

“Reece,” I whisper, becoming all emotional. “You think of me as family?”

“Of course, I do.”

I place my hand over my heart. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” He takes the velvet box out of my hand and removes the pearls. “It would mean a lot if you wore this today.” I turn around so he can put it on. Once the clasp is fastened, I face him again. “Perfect. My grandmother would’ve loved you.” With that, he turns and starts walking toward the door.

“Hey, Reece.” He pauses, glancing over his shoulder. “One of the best moments of my life was meeting you. Words can never express how grateful I am for everything you’ve given me.”

He clears his throat and bows his head. “It’s been an absolute pleasure, kid.”

Facing the mirror, I finger the strands of pearls aroundmy neck. That broken little girl inside me is beaming, because she now realizes how wrong she’s been. It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from, or how shitty your circumstances once were, we all have the power to rewrite our own ending.

Grayson’s eyes are glistening as he smiles down at me like a goofball. We’re standing here in front of the marriage celebrant ready to exchange our vows.

“I, Grayson Robert Bad-Boy Edwards” He winks when he says the fictitious part of his name, and I swoon a little. “Take you, Carlee…”

He falters for a moment, and I realize he doesn’t know my middle name. Leaning forward I whisper, “Roxanne.”

Surprisingly, my mother gave me her name when I was born. I choose to believe that deep down, in her own twisted way, she loved me. She just didn’t know how to be a good parent. Going forward, I can only hope that I’ll learn from her mistakes and break that vicious cycle.

“…take you, Carlee Roxanne Just-Carlee”—we both smile at the last part—“to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to love and cherish you in sickness and in health, for all the days of my life.”

My heart is so full, it’s about to burst wide open, because I know Grayson will do exactly as he’s just promised.This man is life personified. Everything I’ve always wanted, but thought I could never have. I’m so glad I was wrong.

I frantically bat my eyelashes, trying to keep my tearsat bay, but one sneaky sucker manages to escape despite my best efforts. Of course, Grayson’s right there to sweep it away.

“I love you,” he mouths as he slides the wedding ring onto my finger. And when he’s done, he pulls my palm up to his face, placing a soft kiss on the tiny red heart that resides there.

I clear my throat before I speak. “I, Carlee Roxanne Just-Carlee, take you, Grayson Robert Bad-Boy Edwards, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to love and cherish you in sickness and in health, for all the days of my life.”

He holds out his hand a little too eager, making me laugh. Our eyes are locked as I slide the ring onto his finger and the love that gravitates between us is bottomless.

We’re still lost in each other as the celebrant finally speaks. “In the powers vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, you may kiss the bride.”

Grayson steps forward grasping me around the waist and lifting my feet off the ground, giving me an earth-shattering kiss that I feel right down to the tips of my toes. When he finally draws back, I’m feeling all kinds of hot and bothered.

He rests his forehead against mine. “Hello, wife,” he whispers.

“Hello, husband,” I reply as the smiles on both of our faces grow.

It took us a while to get here, going through a mountain of heartache in the process, but we made it in the end, and that’s all that counts.

Life isn’t about avoiding the punches, it’s about collecting the scars as you go along to prove you showedup for it. I have the wounds that say I did, but I also learned some valuable lessons in the process. Everything I’ve been through has helped shape me into the person I am today. A person I can be proud of.

I know firsthand what evil looks like, I lived it, but that life also helped me recognize the good when I found it. I’ve never been a half of a whole before, so that’s why from this day forward I’m reaching out with both hands, holding on tight to this beautiful man who stands before me. I won’t let go this time round. I now know what life’s like without him, and I don’t want to experience that kind of heartache again.

I’ve lived, I’ve loved, and I’ve conquered countless demons in my travels.