Chapter Fifteen

One year later, Kauai, Hawaii

“Are you sure you want to go through with this? You can back out if you want.” Jace was dressed in light gray slacks and a crisp white shirt. Their attire was dressy casual, but on Jace, it looked like he was ready for a photo shoot.

Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed her future husband. “I’m not backing out if you aren’t.”

“There is no universe where I’d back out,” Jace growled at her. And, oh, what that voice did to her. Her stomach warmed as Jace squeezed her hips.

“Good. Now get out of here. You’re not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony. It’s bad luck.” She gave him another quick kiss on the lips before pushing him out of the room.

“I was checking to make sure you were still here.” Jace winked at her before she could shut the door on him. “If you run, you better expect me to chase you down. I’m not going to stand around twisting my fingers like some helpless idiot.”

She laughed. Jace had told her numerous times over the past year that the best day of his life was when she ran out of her wedding with Evan.

“Like I could hide on this little Hawaiian island.” She gave him one last push. “Now let me finish getting ready.”

Her simple white dress swished against her ankles as she moved to the dressing room to finish her hair and makeup. “Let me fix your hair.” Her mom’s nimble fingers twisted Hailey’s curls back from her face, and she pinned them into place. “Perfect.”

Jane stood back to observe her work. “I think forgoing the veil was a good idea.” She pulled a hibiscus flower from the table and pinned it in her daughter’s hair.

She was thrilled to not have to deal with one in the warm Pacific breeze. “Veils are the worst thing on this planet.”

There was a knock at the door, and her mom stopped pinning her hair as Aunt Mia entered the room, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Are you ready? Your father says ten minutes.”

“I’m ready.” Her heart pulsed in her throat, and she wished she had Jace next to her.

“I wanted to wish you good luck. You’re marrying one special man,” Aunt Mia said.

“I know I am.” Truly she did.

She turned to the mirror and slicked on a natural lip color. After she capped the lipstick with a shaky hand, her mom left to get her father.

“You look beautiful, hon. You’ve got this covered.” Mia hugged her and followed in her mom’s path.

This was it. She was finally going to walk down the aisle.

Nervous didn’t even begin to describe her state. The pins in her hair suddenly felt too tight, and her minimal makeup felt heavy on her face. Everything felt too heavy and too much all at once. She was about to face the rest of her life in only a matter of minutes.

She closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing under control. These were nerves. Nothing more. Jace was at the end of this journey, and she would never let him down.

A knock at the door.

“Hailey? It’s time,” her father said on the other side.

It’s time. Her heart thudded in her ears.

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the room, and met her father. His gray hair was slicked back handsomely, and he wore his favorite tie.

He kissed her cheek. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” It was hard to hide the tremor in her voice, and her hands shook as she wrapped them around her father’s forearm.

She could hear the strains of soft music as they set out into the bright Hawaiian sunlight. Her feet, encased in simple gold sandals, sunk into the velvety grass, and the scent of a lush paradise greeted her nose.

They followed a small gravel path that curved around the little house they’d rented for the occasion. Then the path straightened, and straight ahead was a small white gazebo. The gazebo she was to be married in. And standing in it, smiling like he had just won the lottery in life, was Jace.

At the very sight of him, her body relaxed. Her grip on her father’s arm loosened.

Jace was her future, her home, her safe space. The man she could rely on, through thick and thin.

She barely noticed the wedding guests as she walked down the aisle, and the music sounded far away. All she saw was the man she planned to share her life with.

And she couldn’t get to him fast enough.

When her father handed her over to Jace, her hand was steady.

“I am so happy to see you made it this far,” he whispered.

“And we have so much further in our lives to go.” She smiled at him.

When it came time to say their vows, Jace was ready. With a look on his face that dimmed even the bright sun above, Jace held her hand and spoke.

“Hailey, when you came into my life years ago, I always thought you were the one running, when really, it was me. You brought color into my bland life and showed me that success only has so much importance. You made me want to stop and enjoy the moments, to savor every minute that I have with you, and to appreciate all the small things I had already been blessed with. You made me realize as long as we run in the same direction, that’s all I care about. All I ever wanted, was you.”

Jace took a breath and brought her hand to his lips, so when he spoke his next words, they felt like whispered feathers against her skin. “If you ever feel the urge to run, go wherever your heart desires. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and back. I am your partner for life.”

The tears were threatening—the kind of tears that were as beautiful as a summer rain.

“Those were the most wonderful words ever spoken,” she whispered to him. “You are the love of my life, and I will stay with you from now until forever.”