Chapter 42 Indie

Chapter 42

Indie

Forty-five minutes sounds like a lot of time until your husband insists on going down on you in the shower after washing your hair and takes his sweet ass time. Now I’m rushing to make myself presentable with the ten minutes I have left and I’m not convinced that one shower was enough to wash away the evidence of all the filthy things we did this morning.

After the last twenty-four hours—hell, after the last two weeks—we deserve mind-altering orgasms. Let’s just hope his family thinks the pink staining my cheeks is from the sun during yesterday’s afternoon game and not from the memory of him coming all over my chest.

I’ve read that the hormones for the egg retrieval can do funny things to your body like make you more turned on. It could be that or it could just be that I really wanted my newly outed husband to mark me in a very hot way. We’ll never know, but if anyone ever finds out, I’m blaming the shots.

With my hair still damp, I make my way back downstairs just in time to hear the front door open.

“Hey guys, come on in,” Dom says, holding the door for his dad, who’s got a carrier of coffee in his hand.

“Decaf? What the hell, Dom,” Daelyn says, shoving a bag of food at her brother’s chest.

“Oh, um.” Why is my voice coming out all quiet and meek? Clearing my throat I try again. “That’s actually my fault.”

“Leave your brother alone,” Kelly chides, following Dottie in.

Taking the bag from his mom, Dom glares at his sister. “You can set those down in the kitchen, Dad.”

We all file in through the kitchen and exchange a round of hugs. Nick and Dom pick through the food, distributing it at the table as Kelly and I grab napkins and the girls love on Ronnie.

“So . . . You’re like my sister now, right?” Dottie says, as she scratches the fur behind her ears. And then she looks over at me. “Or actually, you’re my sister and she’s like my niece or something. Right? Oh my god. I’m an auntie,” she gushes.

“Yeah, kiddo. I am,” I say, my eyes finding Dom across the kitchen. “And I’m sure you’re going to be an excellent aunt.”

“Are you going to make us eat before you tell us how this happened?” Daelyn huffs her arms crossed.

“What is her deal today?” Dom asks Kelly, who looks like she’s about ready to throw the roll of paper towels she’s holding at her daughter.

“You got married, and I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend. There was no wedding and the groomsmen would have been so hot in the tuxes. You basically robbed me of the best night of my life.”

“I’m sorry.” Dom snorts. “There definitely won’t be a big wedding now.” Then he freezes, turning to me. “Wait, did you want a wedding?”

I press my lips together, holding in my laughter at the look of panic that crosses his face and just shake my head.

Kelly sits and everyone picks up on the silent message, taking a spot at the table and passing out food from the pile in the middle of the table .

“So, no wedding. Anything else you want to tell us?” Nick eyes the decaf coffee in my hand.

Dom throws his arm around my shoulders in a protective gesture. “Indie’s not pregnant, if that’s what you’re fishing for.” And swear I see Kelly deflate just the tiniest bit at the news.

“But yeah, there is more to the story than just a quickie wedding.” Dom releases an exhale and looks at me for permission. After I cut his hair last night, we talked about how much we wanted to tell everyone. With the team going on the road for the postseason and surgery coming up, I know it’s time. All I need is Dom, but I want the support of our friends and family too now that I’ve had some time to come to accept everything.

“My mother died of ovarian cancer when I was in college.” A chorus of sympathies interrupts me. “Thank you. Recently, we found out through genetic testing that I inherited the mutated genes that make it more likely that I could get cancer. Dom and I had just started seeing each other, but he stuck by my side through it all.” I turn my head and find him watching me, his forehead creased with worry. “He’s been amazing.”

“Indie had to make a lot of decisions about what to do with that news and she decided to get surgery, but before she can do that, she needs to freeze her eggs if she wants to become a biological mom someday.” His eyes flick towards Dottie.

“Like how we had you, kiddo,” my mom says, ruffling my little sister’s hair. “Made with love and science.”

The reaction to the next part is what I’m the most worried about, but I swallow it down and pick up where Dom left off. “When I moved here a few months ago, I quit my job and have been working with non-profits since. The clinic I was going to is one of those, but with the test results, I was going to need a more extensive team and insurance,” I explain, glancing down at the table.

“There was no way I was letting her give up the work she’s doing. It’s too important. And I already knew she was it for me. So I convinced her to marry me.”

“You make it sound like it was easy.” I laugh remembering my initial response when he brought it up. “I thought he’d lost it and told him there was no way in hell I was marrying him just for insurance.”

“But you weren’t,” he reminds me.

“No, I wasn’t.” I sigh. “He asked me to picture my future. One year from now, five years, ten years, twenty. No matter how far out we got, he was still there by my side.”

“You tried so hard to resist me, but it’s just not possible,” he teases. “The day after we got her test results, we went to the courthouse.”

“I wish we could have been there,” Kelly says, a smile on face and her eyes glistening.

“That was the only thing I’d change,” Indie says, her hand covering mine. “But if you’d like, we can show you.”

“Indie brought a tripod, and we recorded the whole thing,” he says, his face lighting up the same way it did when I set it up in the courthouse.

Like he was shocked that it was something I wanted to be able to look back on. Dom wears his feelings on his sleeve, he always has, even when he doesn’t say the words, you can read it on his face. I knew he was coming for me after our first night together. He never let me forget it. But the way I fell for him—I didn’t see that coming. Sure, the banter was hot. And the sex was unbeatable, but I had myself so convinced that he wasn’t what I needed right up until he was the only thing holding me together.

He’s my home plate. All the other reasons to marry him were non-existent when I walked into that courthouse with him last week. There were no other base runners forcing me home. It was just me and him, doing what felt right. For the first time in what feels like forever, I wasn’t running from something. I was running to it. So yeah, I wanted a video to share with everyone and to look back on when we’re old and gray, probably still bickering on the front porch surrounded by our grandchildren.

Kelly is the first to stand from the table, coffee in hand. “Thank you, Indie.” She walks around the table and wraps her arms around me .

“Let’s go to the living room and I can put it on the TV,” Dom says, joining his mom and standing to lead us all to the oversized couch.

Dom’s parents share the chaise at the end of the couch, his mom’s head resting on his dad’s shoulder. Daelyn takes the opposite side, her legs crossed as she scoots back into the corner. Dom pulls me down next to him in the middle of the couch so my legs are crossed over one of his muscular thighs. With everyone else settled, Dottie stands in the middle of the room, surveying her options. Ronnie circles the spot at Dom’s feet before plopping down and that does it. Dottie skips over snuggling up to Ronnie and Dom.

With everyone seated, Dom starts the video. Even with the awkward angle of the camera and my nose scrunched as I set it up, you can see the happy glow in my cheeks.

“I always knew we’d be here,” Dom says, coming up behind me.

I laugh. “You knew that you’d marry me in the courthouse?”

“No, I knew that it would be you, and I manifested the shit out of it.” His face falls for a second and now he’s thinking about how we got here.

Putting my back to the camera, I turn in his arms. “None of that exists today. This is about me and you.”

He kisses me softly, his lips brushing over mine, once, twice, before a throat clears behind us. The justice of the peace waits with a patient smile on his face.

“Sorry, I think we are ready to start,” I say, smoothing my hands down the white sundress I picked out for today.

“I’ve been ready for a year.”

“You have not, stop it.” I lightly smack him on the chest and he covers my hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing my palm. He shrugs and leads me to the center of the room. Taking our place in front of justice of peace.

“Dom and Indie, you’ve come here today to join two souls in a beautiful union, to build a life together on a foundation of respect, loyalty, and commitment to each other. This ceremony is a symbol of that bond and the shared vision you have for your future. Do you have vows you would like to read to each other? ”

“We do,” Dom answers, clearing his throat. Fingers intertwined between us, he looks at me with so much reverence that tears well in the corner of my eyes before he’s even said anything.

“Indie Jane, I’ve spent my entire life in awe of the love my parents shared. It’s one of the few things in life that’s evaded me. While other things have come easy, this tested my patience. The woman that lit up my soul wasn’t ready for the future I saw for us. But like all things worth having, working for your attention, and eventually admiration, was time well invested. I stand here today a better man because of the partner I found in you.”

He clears his throat before continuing.

“As your partner, I vow to nurture our bond, respect you above all else, and honor the path we walk together. Through the twists and turns life throws at us, I promise to be your compass through the unknown, offering you direction, or just a pat on the ass when the hill seems too steep to climb. I promise to be a stellar pool boy for years to come, and to pick up all the dog poop after the snow melts. To always stock cookie dough when it’s shark week and build a life filled with fun and laughter, even when things get hard.”

There’s so much love in his honey eyes when he looks at me.

“With every breath I take from this day forward, I choose you: as my wife, my lover, and my hiking partner.”

I’m not a crier, but there is no holding back the tears that spill over my lashes. Sniffling, I let them fall, focusing only on the man in front of me. The one my heart beats for.

“Dominic Duran.”

“Um . . . you know that’s not my name, right?”

“I think I know my soon to be husband’s name.” I wink at him.

“Dom, no one’s ever understood me to the depths you do. Since the moment we met, you’ve had the ability to read me. It’s impressive and terrifying, much like your tenacity. Standing here with you today I’m filled with immeasurable gratitude and joy, all because you refused to give up on us.”

Emotion wells up inside me, making my voice crack as I start. “I welcome your vows and accept them into my heart. Embracing not only your promises but every facet of who you are. Your optimism, loyalty, and kind heart won me over despite my best efforts to resist your charms. I vow to treasure the person you are now and always. The same way you do for me.”

Dom squeezes my hands reassuringly, and I continue.

“I can’t tell you what the future holds, but there is no one else I’d rather face it with, bad jokes and all. Inevitably, there will be times where life isn’t perfect, but with you as my husband and partner, it’ll be as dynamic and extraordinary as you are.”

His eyes are misty now as the Justice of Peace begins his part.

“Dom, as you place this ring on Indie’s finger, may it be a symbol of your enduring commitment and a reminder of the love and partnership you share. Let this ring serve as a daily affirmation of the promises you have made to each other, and may it be a constant reminder of the bond you are creating today.”

He repeats the same sentiment when it’s my turn to slide the simple golden band onto Dom’s finger. On the other side of her son, Kelly sniffles. When the Justice of Peace announces us as husband and wife and our kiss plays back, I join Kelly, my own tears landing on Dom’s shirt.

Damn, hormones.

“Thank you for sharing that with us,” Kelly says, pulling both Dom and I into a hug when we stand to finish breakfast. “It was a beautiful ceremony.”

After we finish eating, the girls take Ronnie for a walk as I get to know my new in-laws. It’s surreal. The morning flies by and before we know what’s happening, it’s time to say goodbye so they can catch their flight home.