43. Nolan

CHAPTER 43

Nolan

I climb down from the ladder and look up at my handiwork. This is going to be perfect. I hope.

“Code-man, will you plug the cord in please?”

“On it!” Cody does what I ask, making the patio lights illuminate. I exhale, happy that all the hard work was worth it.

“Wow!” Cody walks up next to me, his head tilted back. “It looks so good. Mom’s going to flip.”

I’ve spent the entire day remodeling our backyard to create the perfect oasis for us to spend our afternoons. What used to be a huge empty slab of concrete now holds a dining table, a sitting area, complete with couches, a hanging chair, rugs, and pillows, as well as a built-in grill. Surrounding the space is a pergola that has drop-down screens to keep the bugs away in the summer, and I’ve hung outdoor lighting across the ceiling to give it a cozier atmosphere.

Cody thinks I’m doing this as a surprise for Katie while she’s at her teacher training today. I have much bigger plans than that for tonight.

The past few weeks since we got back from our vacation have been insane. We’ve both been playing catch-up from being gone the whole week.

I was able to buy the bar outright from Jimmy after he drew up the papers. When I brought them to Adam to help me ensure everything was on the up and up, he said, “You know you have the money to just buy it, right?” I responded with an emphatic no . He then walked me through the accounts he helped me open when I first started working at the bar. Turns out, I’d saved a shit ton more money than I thought over the years. Adam’s always been the one who has managed this stuff for me because I worried that if I knew how much was in there, I’d spend it on dumb shit.

Since then, I’ve been able to reinvest some of our profits into hosting events to bring in new customers while also getting a bigger paycheck. It makes it much easier to spoil Katie and Cody whenever I feel like it.

I’ve been trying to come up with a fun event to have for the bar’s thirtieth anniversary this summer, but I have yet to think of any great ideas. Before I bought the bar, I thought I had been doing everything an owner does, but I was very wrong. There’s so much more I have to pay attention to now. It’s been an adjustment, to say the least.

Katie has been busy gearing up for state testing, which means she’s trying to do everything she can to get her students prepared. Teaching about subjects that may or may not be on a test is not easy to do. Especially given how little time she has to make sure all her students feel confident going into the exams.

I check my watch. “Okay, Mom should be here in about ten minutes. Do you think we’re ready?”

Cody nods. “I can’t think of anything else we could do to make it better.”

We head back inside to wait for Katie to get home. I’m nervous. The good news is, if she hates my idea, I can cancel everything. Something tells me she’s not going to hate it, though.

Katie walks into the house a few minutes later. She drops her bag on the floor and slips out of her shoes by the time Cody rushes toward her.

“Mom! We have a surprise for you.”

“Hey, baby. You do?” She looks up at me with tired eyes. I walk around the couch to kiss her hello.

“Hi, yes, we have a surprise. Do you want to go change into some comfy clothes first?”

Her shoulders drop. “Yes, that is exactly what I need.” She heads toward our bedroom, and I hear her murmur, “And a large margarita, but I don’t get one of those until…” The rest of what she says is too quiet for me to understand, but I can guess what the ending was about.

“Why has Mom been extra tired lately?” Cody asks as he flops back down on the couch. We still haven’t told him about the baby yet. I want to tell him tonight, but I’m not sure if Katie’s ready yet. Her doctor confirmed that she’s almost ten weeks along now. I’ve been dying to tell my whole family, but we haven’t had a chance to discuss it since she told me to keep it a secret for now.

I sit next to Cody while we wait for Katie to get changed. “She hasn’t been sleeping as well as normal.” It’s not a lie. She’s been waking up at four in the morning to throw up for a couple of hours. Then she’s good to go for the rest of the day. I think the copious amounts of peppermint tea she’s been inhaling has helped some.

“What’s this surprise you have for me?” Katie asks when she gets back to the living room. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and she has soft joggers and one of my old T-shirts on. I want to peel every layer off her, but I’m going to be good and wait until Cody goes to bed.

Cody springs off the couch towards the back door. Cash jumps up from his spot on the floor, hoping he can go outside, too. Katie raises an eyebrow, but I hold my hand out for her to lead the way without saying anything.

As soon as Cody opens the back door, Katie gasps. “What the fuck is that?” She races down the steps of the deck toward the pergola.

Cody laughs as he chases after her. “Surprise! Dad and I set it up while you were gone.”

“This is incredible,” Katie whispers. Her back is to me as she takes in the space.

I pull the ring box from my pocket and drop to one knee. Then I wait for her to turn around. It feels like minutes when, in reality, it’s only seconds. When she does, her hands fly to her mouth. I hold my hand out for her to come closer to me. She doesn’t hesitate, making my nerves dissipate.

“From the moment I met you, I knew you were something special. The one thing I never prepared for was how special you’d come to mean to me .” I look over at Cody and hold my hand out to him. He should be part of this moment just as much as Katie. “There aren’t enough words to fully describe how much I love you. You’re my whole world, and I want nothing more than to make our family official. Katie, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

“Yes, of course. Yes.” Katie laughs through her tears. I take the ring out of the box and slide it onto her finger. The simple band and princess-cut diamond shine against her olive-tone skin. It’s perfect.

I look back at Cody. “I always wanted a family. Kids, the white picket fence, everything. You have surpassed every fantasy I ever had about what my future could look like. You’re the son I’ve always dreamed of having, and every single day that I get to spend with you is better than the one before. I want to make you mine officially, if that’s something you’d want, too. ”

Cody’s eyebrows scrunch. “What does that mean, exactly? Aren’t we already a family?”

The corner of my mouth quirks up. “Yeah, bud. We are, but I want to adopt you. I want you to have my last name the way your mom will after we get married.”

His eyes grow wide. “So, you’ll really be my dad, then?”

“Yes, if you want me to be.” I glance up at Katie. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. She’s nodding her head, knowing I’d need her confirmation that this is okay.

Cody slings his hands around my neck. “I want you to be my dad.” I hug him back, happier than I’ve ever been in my life. When he finally pulls away, I stand up with his hand in mine. I reach out for Katie’s to connect the three of us.

“Codes, there’s something else we’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Katie starts. I lead us over to the couch, knowing what she’s going to say. I’m glad I didn’t have to broach the subject on my own.

“There’s more news?” Cody’s exasperated tone makes me laugh.

Katie smirks at him. “How would you feel about being a big brother?”

Cody’s eyes grow wide as he stares at his mom’s stomach. “You’re having a baby?”

“Yeah.” Katie’s voice is thick with tears.

“We really are going to be a family now.” Cody’s reverence makes me tear up this time, and I have to give him a hug. “I think this might be the best day ever.”

Katie blows out a breath. “I’ve got a lot of planning to do.”

I look at her with a look that’s half grimace, half smile. “What would you say if I told you we could get married tomorrow?”

Katie rears back. “What do you mean?”

“We can plan a full wedding if it’s what you want. Hell, seeing you walk down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress would be a dream come true, but I’ve made all the arrangements to have a ceremony here in the backyard, tomorrow evening.”

“You’re kidding me,” she breathes out. I can’t tell if her reaction is good or bad. There are a million things I want to say, but I wait her out instead. She finally puts me out of my misery. “Apparently, a backyard wedding is going to be an Ellis family tradition.”

A relieved laugh falls from my chest. Last summer, Tilly and Matthew got married in their backyard, and then Sara and Ben proceeded to do the same thing. Ellie and Adam are the only people who didn’t get married at their house, but they had just as small of a wedding as the rest of us.

“I can’t wait to call you my wife,” I tease her. It’s one of her favorite romance book tropes.

“I better go call Ellie. We’ve got some last-minute shopping to do.”

“Ah, shit.” I sniff with a laugh. A hand slaps on my shoulder while I wipe my eyes. I need the tears gone so I can fully appreciate the sight of my woman walking down the makeshift aisle my family created in our backyard. Cody is escorting her, looking very dapper in his white button-down and navy blue tie.

Katie’s wearing a beautiful floor-length white dress. The sleeves fall off her shoulders, highlighting the heart-shaped neckline. It makes her glow brighter than when the sun reflected off the ocean in Puerto Rico. Finally, she steps up next to me. She hands her small bouquet of white flowers off to Ellie, who’s standing with my siblings and parents.

I grab her hand and bring it up to my lips. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She’s beaming at me, her smile wider than I’ve ever seen it. We turn toward Carter, who is standing in front of us, a big grin on his face to match ours.

“When Nolan asked if I would be willing to get certified to marry you two, I thought he’d tell me you’d get married this summer or in the fall or something, not in a week. Leave it to him to do things as differently as possible.”

Everyone laughs at Carter’s statement. It’s true. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum.

“As much as public speaking isn’t my forte, I am beyond honored to be the one to marry you. I’ve never met two people who are more deserving of a happily ever after. You both are the kindest, most loyal people on this earth, and I think I can speak for the rest of the family when I say that we are very lucky to have you guys in our lives. Knowing you’ll be bound in matrimony is just the icing on the cake.”

Cheers ring out around us at that. Carter then goes into the formalities of the ceremony until he asks Katie to start with the vows.

She blows out a deep breath before beginning. “This probably isn’t going to be the best I could do, given that I was only told about this wedding yesterday, but here goes.” She makes eye contact with me before pulling a piece of paper from her dress. “Nolan, by far, you are one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. It’s a little unbelievable to me that I could get this lucky twice in one lifetime. I thought having Cody was my miracle. But then you came along, and I was granted a second one. So, here is what I promise to you: I promise to always show up for you, even when things get hard. I promise to take care of you when you’re sick, as long as I don’t have to blow your nose for you.” A bark of laughter comes out of me at that one. “I promise to let you take over when I’m feeling overwhelmed. I promise to love you for all of my days, through thick and thin, laughter and tears, and rainbows and thunderclouds. You’re the light to my shadow, and I promise to stand with you forever and always. ”

I wipe under my eyes as tears threaten to fall for the second time. Katie pulls a tissue from her other pocket and hands it to me. “What else do you have in your magic pockets?” I ask with a huff of laughter. Katie just grins at me.

I take a deep breath now that it’s my turn to share. I pull my own paper from the pocket of my slacks. “What I’m about to say may sound insane, but I swear I wrote these four days ago.” I clear my throat. “Katie, to say I fell hard and fast for you would be an understatement. The minute you let me stay home with you and Cody the first time, I knew I’d never want to be anywhere else again. You’re the love of my life, and these promises are the easiest ones I’ll ever make.” A shocked laugh interrupts my vows. “This is crazy. Okay.” I take another deep breath to center myself and focus. “I promise to stand by your side, even when things get hard. I promise to take care of you when you’re sick in exchange for never making you blow my nose for me.”

“You’re kidding.” Katie giggles.

I grin, shaking my head. “I promise to be the steady ground when you’re overwhelmed. I promise to love you and Cody with everything I have inside of me. You are my guiding light, my voice of reason, and the love of my life. I promise to stand by your side, loving you, cherishing you, and worshipping you, until my dying breath.” I finally look back at Katie, her eyes glistening this time instead of mine. “Fuck, I want to kiss you so bad.”

“Nolan!” Mom scolds. It breaks the emotional bubble our vows had cast over us. It wasn’t my intention, but I’m glad it happened.

Carter distracts us by continuing the ceremony. “Based on your vows, I think you’re a match made in heaven.” He has us exchange rings. At first, Katie is a deer in headlights until Carter hands her the silver ring I picked out. Once it’s on my finger, something inside me settles. I’ve gotten everything I’ve ever wanted today. A wife who loves me whole-heartedly and a family to call my own. I couldn’t be happier.

Carter finally tells me I can kiss my bride, and without any thought of the people around us, I sweep Katie up into a kiss filled with every ounce of love and desire I feel for her. She’s my everything. The one I never imagined could actually be mine. Yet she was brave enough to jump off this cliff with me.

Surrounded by my family, I’ve never felt more full.

The rest of my life looks pretty good from here.