“Then let’s do this,” she said, a grin pulling at her lips.

He took in a deep breath, not really understanding how he got this lucky, when the preacher said, “Not to rush you two, but you only paid for an hour.”

Karson shook his head as he laughed, leaning back to look at Lacey’s shocked eyes. “Jeez, only an hour? Cheap bastard I’m marrying.”

He laughed harder, shaking his head. “I figured a quick wedding gave us longer in bed.”

Heat burned in her eyes as she nodded, her mouth curving up in a seductive way. Tearing her heated gaze from his, she looked at the preacher and said, “I retract my last sentence. He is the smartest man I know.”

“I’m glad. Please proceed.”

Lacey met his gaze and shook her head, a nervous laugh leaving her sweet lips. “I don’t know if I’m going to make it without crying!”

He laughed. “I might not either. You are so beautiful, Lacey. I’ve dreamed of this moment my whole life.”

Her eyes softened, and he could feel every ounce of her nervousness leave her body as she smiled sweetly. Taking a step toward him, she wrapped her arms around his waist as she looked up into his eyes. “I love you, Karson King.”

“I love you,” he whispered. “More than anything in this world. I promise to love, support, and be there for you, no matter what. It’s me and you, baby, to the end. And nothing, or no one, is going to stand in the way of that. I promise you, I’ll kill every spider you see… Wait, you’re still scared of spiders, right?”

She scoffed. “Is an ice hockey puck frozen?”

That had everyone laughing as he nodded. “I got you then, love. I’ll kill all those spiders and chase away every bad dream. I promise to love you with my whole damn heart and to always tell you you’re beautiful, even when you don’t think it. I’ll never go anywhere without promising to return, and even when I’m long gone, I’ll love and think about you constantly. I’m yours, Lacey. Always have been, always will be. So please, be my forever.”

Lacey was completely breathless as she got lost in Karson’s intoxicating caramel eyes. He looked dashing in a black dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the neck, his slacks hugging him in all the right places. His hair was brushed to the side, his eyes so full of love that it made her own heart ache with love for him. While a part of her couldn’t believe she was doing this, the other part knew there was no other way. She was his. Completely. And she didn’t want to wait to be his wife. She wanted him more than she wanted her next breath.

His eyes were swimming in tears, and she could see herself mirrored in them. She never really thought she was gorgeous, but that morning, she felt like she was. She had waited her whole life to wear her mother’s dress and standing in it felt right. Yeah, it sucked that her mom wasn’t there, but wearing her dress made Lacey feel her presence. It was a piece of her mother, and she had always known she would wear it when she married Karson. Even when she was going to marry Ethan, she had picked out another dress, saying that she didn’t want to wear something so old-fashioned, but it was a complete lie.

This dress was for Karson.

It was a masterpiece too. She’d always loved the ivory color of the dress. The way the skirt was draped to the ground while gathered tight along the waist to the bodice. It wasn’t flashy but still elegant, with crystals and lace covering her breasts and small, thin straps holding the dress up. It was stunning, and she knew that Karson loved it. His eyes spoke volumes; she always knew what he was thinking—when he was lying and when he was completely entranced by her love. Since the moment she’d appeared in the doorway, she’d seen that he was consumed by her, and she didn’t want anything else but that.

Reaching up, she slowly ran her thumb along his cheek to catch the tear that had escaped and smiled. She had waited for this moment for the last nine years, and there was no way she was going to allow it to be ruined with her nerves. She was ready.

She was ready to be his wife.

“I spent the whole ride here wondering what I was going to say as I stood here in your arms, looking into your eyes. All I could think was that I love you. That’s it. Nothing else. I couldn’t think of the pain, the emptiness I felt, or the anger that consumed me for the last nine years… None of that. Only love. I’ve loved you my whole life, and I never want that to stop. We’ve been apart for nine years, and I’m pretty sure this doesn’t happen, Karson. People don’t find their one true love again after being apart for so long, but we did, and I am convinced my mom sent you back to me.” She paused, her heart heavy with emotion as she swallowed around the sob in her throat. Taking in a deep breath, she said, “When I looked into your eyes, it was as if my love for you never went away, and I knew there was no other option but to love you again and for the rest of my life. I was made to love you, born to be with you, and I plan to never be apart from you. I’ve never loved anyone but you. You were my first real love, and now, you’ll be my last. So yes, I’ll be your forever because you are my forever.”

Cupping her neck, he leaned his head against hers as another tear slowly leaked out of his eye. The last time she’d watched tears rolled down his perfectly chiseled face was before she’d watched him walk away. But now, she knew they were tears of joy, happiness, and completion because they were about to become one.

“Okay, let’s get to the fun stuff, shall we?”