Face-Off at the Altar
Page 76
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“We can run,” River suggested, and Mark nodded.
“I can have a car in two seconds and divorce papers right behind that.”
Lucy choked on a happy sob as Mekena grinned. “I want to marry Benji. Again.”
“Good,” Mark said with a wink.
“Yeah, the dude’s already crying. I think he wants to do this,” River said, and Lucy smiled as Grace held up her fingers, counting down.
Right as the doors opened, Mekena heard the soft playing of a piano before she saw Avery at the instrument by the altar as she sang “I Get to Love You” by Ruelle.
But Lucy’s gaze wasn’t on Avery for long before she saw Benji’s face. It was full of pure bliss as he started to tear up, bracing himself against his thighs, his jaw essentially on the ground as Lucy started down the stairs. It was by far the sweetest thing Mekena had ever seen.
As Avery sang, the whole room was in tears as Lucy made her way down. The lights sparkled, and everyone was in complete awe of her. The dress she wore had a long train that added extra drama to the photos Mekena took. She wanted to say it was the moment that had her eyes misting, but it wasn’t. It was the lyrics to the song Avery sang that had Mekena struggling for breath as she snapped picture after picture. She wanted to look at Markus; she wanted to find him and wrap her arms around him because the song was everything she was feeling.
Because loving Markus was the best thing she could ever do.
She swallowed hard, hiding herself as she snapped pictures and the minister started the wedding. Benji was a mess, and it was a beautiful thing, especially when Lucy started to cry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and if there had been, that changed as soon as Lucy opened her mouth.
“I get to love you. For the rest of my whole life. That’s why I picked that song to walk down the aisle that brought me to the rest of my life. I never thought I would find someone who would love all this crazy, who would be so patient and understanding, but I did. I found you. And you love me, you love Angie, and you give us the world. I will never ever be able to thank you enough for all you do, for all the love you give. But I can promise you this,” she said, her voice breaking as Benji stared deep into her eyes. Wiping her own tears, Mekena held the camera up as she snapped a series of photos before Lucy continued. “I will love you unconditionally, even when you tell me I’m crazy. I won’t make fun of your collectibles, even when I know they’re just man toys.” He snorted with laughter along with everyone else in the room. “I’ll let you love me. I won’t fight what is perfect between us, and I will forever be yours. I love you, Benji Paxton, and in no way, shape, or form will that ever change.”
Squeezing her hands, Benji grinned as he cleared his throat. “Lucy Lane Paxton…God, I love saying your last name,” he said, his voice clouded with tears.
“Well, it’s yours, I’d hope so.”
He laughed. “I love saying it with your name is what I mean, and I know this isn’t a surprise, but I’ve had these vows written and memorized since the day I asked you to be mine.”
Lucy’s face broke into a grin as she nodded. “Nope, that is not surprising at all.”
It blew Mekena away. She knew she was supposed to be working, but it was hard. It was just so amazing witnessing this beautiful union between the two of them. It was like neither of them knew they were in a room full of hundreds of people. It was just them—Lucy and Benji—and that made Mekena’s heart flutter.
It felt like that when she was with Markus.
“But that all changed last night,” he said, and her brows came together. “I sat at the rehearsal dinner with our daughter in my lap as your father stood across from me, saying all these wonderful things. Like how I stood beside you through all the fire in your life and I make you this beautiful person. And don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciated everything he said and I took it all to heart. But I don’t think they realize how much you saved me.” When his voice broke, Mekena’s tears started to flow like a river, as did his own. “I was walking this earth because I had to. I had no purpose, I had no reason. I was a lost soul, lonely and pathetic, but then you looked at me, this passion and anger in your eyes, stubbornly telling me you didn’t need me because you had YouTube, and you brushed me off. I should have walked away, my tail between my legs, but I’d never wanted to be needed by anyone in my life the way I wanted you to need me. But truthfully, you still don’t need me. You’re the strongest woman I have ever met in my life, and I’m completely okay with you not needing me because, damn it, you want me.”
Lucy’s lip quivered as she nodded. “I do.”
Bringing her in closer, he cupped her face as his eyes bored into hers. “While I have stood next to you—and I will forever stand next to you—I need you to know I am in debt to you for saving me. For giving me a purpose in this thing called life. For giving me a chance to love you and be the father and husband you two deserve. I messed up the first time and lost everything. I will never, ever mess up with you. I doubt you’d let me, plus, I don’t want to fail either of you. I want to be a great father, someone Angie will love and look up to. I want her to see what love is, and I want her to know how to be treated by a man. But I also want you to know. I want you to wake up every day and be happy—even when it’s hard. I want you to know that I’ll always be there, that I will want and need you, both of you, because you both complete me. I love you, Lucy. I always will.”
Wiping her face, Mekena swallowed hard as Lucy leaned her head into his and Angie ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Daddy, I love you too.”
As an audible aww went through the room, Benji wrapped an arm around Angie, along with Lucy, holding his girls close to him as the minister said, “Beautiful just beautiful. Now, I think I know the answers, but it’s part of this, so Lucy Lane Paxton, do you take Benjamin Walter Paxton to be your husband? Again?”
“I do. A thousand times over, I do.”
Benji beamed as the minister turned to him. “And do you, Benjamin Walter Paxton, take Lucy Lane Paxton to be your wife, once more?”
“I always do.”
“I do too,” Angie said then, and everyone laughed as Benji hugged them closer.
With a wide grin and tears in his eyes, the minister said, “Well, all you gotta do is kiss the girl now—both of them. They’re yours, Benji.”
“I can have a car in two seconds and divorce papers right behind that.”
Lucy choked on a happy sob as Mekena grinned. “I want to marry Benji. Again.”
“Good,” Mark said with a wink.
“Yeah, the dude’s already crying. I think he wants to do this,” River said, and Lucy smiled as Grace held up her fingers, counting down.
Right as the doors opened, Mekena heard the soft playing of a piano before she saw Avery at the instrument by the altar as she sang “I Get to Love You” by Ruelle.
But Lucy’s gaze wasn’t on Avery for long before she saw Benji’s face. It was full of pure bliss as he started to tear up, bracing himself against his thighs, his jaw essentially on the ground as Lucy started down the stairs. It was by far the sweetest thing Mekena had ever seen.
As Avery sang, the whole room was in tears as Lucy made her way down. The lights sparkled, and everyone was in complete awe of her. The dress she wore had a long train that added extra drama to the photos Mekena took. She wanted to say it was the moment that had her eyes misting, but it wasn’t. It was the lyrics to the song Avery sang that had Mekena struggling for breath as she snapped picture after picture. She wanted to look at Markus; she wanted to find him and wrap her arms around him because the song was everything she was feeling.
Because loving Markus was the best thing she could ever do.
She swallowed hard, hiding herself as she snapped pictures and the minister started the wedding. Benji was a mess, and it was a beautiful thing, especially when Lucy started to cry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and if there had been, that changed as soon as Lucy opened her mouth.
“I get to love you. For the rest of my whole life. That’s why I picked that song to walk down the aisle that brought me to the rest of my life. I never thought I would find someone who would love all this crazy, who would be so patient and understanding, but I did. I found you. And you love me, you love Angie, and you give us the world. I will never ever be able to thank you enough for all you do, for all the love you give. But I can promise you this,” she said, her voice breaking as Benji stared deep into her eyes. Wiping her own tears, Mekena held the camera up as she snapped a series of photos before Lucy continued. “I will love you unconditionally, even when you tell me I’m crazy. I won’t make fun of your collectibles, even when I know they’re just man toys.” He snorted with laughter along with everyone else in the room. “I’ll let you love me. I won’t fight what is perfect between us, and I will forever be yours. I love you, Benji Paxton, and in no way, shape, or form will that ever change.”
Squeezing her hands, Benji grinned as he cleared his throat. “Lucy Lane Paxton…God, I love saying your last name,” he said, his voice clouded with tears.
“Well, it’s yours, I’d hope so.”
He laughed. “I love saying it with your name is what I mean, and I know this isn’t a surprise, but I’ve had these vows written and memorized since the day I asked you to be mine.”
Lucy’s face broke into a grin as she nodded. “Nope, that is not surprising at all.”
It blew Mekena away. She knew she was supposed to be working, but it was hard. It was just so amazing witnessing this beautiful union between the two of them. It was like neither of them knew they were in a room full of hundreds of people. It was just them—Lucy and Benji—and that made Mekena’s heart flutter.
It felt like that when she was with Markus.
“But that all changed last night,” he said, and her brows came together. “I sat at the rehearsal dinner with our daughter in my lap as your father stood across from me, saying all these wonderful things. Like how I stood beside you through all the fire in your life and I make you this beautiful person. And don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciated everything he said and I took it all to heart. But I don’t think they realize how much you saved me.” When his voice broke, Mekena’s tears started to flow like a river, as did his own. “I was walking this earth because I had to. I had no purpose, I had no reason. I was a lost soul, lonely and pathetic, but then you looked at me, this passion and anger in your eyes, stubbornly telling me you didn’t need me because you had YouTube, and you brushed me off. I should have walked away, my tail between my legs, but I’d never wanted to be needed by anyone in my life the way I wanted you to need me. But truthfully, you still don’t need me. You’re the strongest woman I have ever met in my life, and I’m completely okay with you not needing me because, damn it, you want me.”
Lucy’s lip quivered as she nodded. “I do.”
Bringing her in closer, he cupped her face as his eyes bored into hers. “While I have stood next to you—and I will forever stand next to you—I need you to know I am in debt to you for saving me. For giving me a purpose in this thing called life. For giving me a chance to love you and be the father and husband you two deserve. I messed up the first time and lost everything. I will never, ever mess up with you. I doubt you’d let me, plus, I don’t want to fail either of you. I want to be a great father, someone Angie will love and look up to. I want her to see what love is, and I want her to know how to be treated by a man. But I also want you to know. I want you to wake up every day and be happy—even when it’s hard. I want you to know that I’ll always be there, that I will want and need you, both of you, because you both complete me. I love you, Lucy. I always will.”
Wiping her face, Mekena swallowed hard as Lucy leaned her head into his and Angie ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Daddy, I love you too.”
As an audible aww went through the room, Benji wrapped an arm around Angie, along with Lucy, holding his girls close to him as the minister said, “Beautiful just beautiful. Now, I think I know the answers, but it’s part of this, so Lucy Lane Paxton, do you take Benjamin Walter Paxton to be your husband? Again?”
“I do. A thousand times over, I do.”
Benji beamed as the minister turned to him. “And do you, Benjamin Walter Paxton, take Lucy Lane Paxton to be your wife, once more?”
“I always do.”
“I do too,” Angie said then, and everyone laughed as Benji hugged them closer.
With a wide grin and tears in his eyes, the minister said, “Well, all you gotta do is kiss the girl now—both of them. They’re yours, Benji.”
