Writing On The Wall (The King Brothers Duology #2)

Chapter 49

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

ETHAN

“It says here you were supposed to fill out a pre-application.” I turn to Colton. “Did you do that?”

“Are you seriously asking me if I’ve done the admin part of getting married?” He snorts.

I roll my eyes. “Just doing my best-man duties.”

“Yes, I filled out the form. But even if I hadn’t, it’s a quick online application. The Marriage License Bureau just wants as much of the info ahead of time as possible to make things go quicker.”

“Then why are we here?” I grimace.

“Eth, can’t you give me a whitty pep talk or something? What’s with all the questions? We’re here to pick up the actual marriage license before going to the chapel.”

“Right.” I nod, pursing my lips as my eyes scan the halls. A rogue idea has been creeping in and stealing my attention all afternoon. And I just need to know if it’s even viable.

It’s too soon. Focus on your duty. You’re the best man. Do something best-manish.

I don’t even know what my best-man duties are, anyway. Do I need to prepare a toast? That would be weird with just four of us, right? Colton and I stand in the small foyer inside the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, waiting for Ember and Ivy to return from the ladies’ room. They’d made a dash over to powder their noses as soon as we’d arrived.

Colton paces before he pivots and abruptly shifts my way. “Did Ember seem okay when we got here?”

“You’re asking me if your fiancée seemed okay?”

“Fine. Nevermind.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. It’s just…she got a text in the car and seemed a little quiet after that. Then there was the rushing off to the restrooms…” He gestures in the direction in which our dearly beloveds disappeared to.

Dearly beloved? We only have two of those here, and that’s Ember and Colton.

Unless…

The restroom doors swing open, and a watery-eyed Ember emerges while Ivy and her furrowed brow follow close behind. Colton bolts forward, glaring behind Ember, probably looking for someone to punch for upsetting his fiancée. “Hey, what happened?”

Ember sniffs and begins chewing on her top lip before she finally raises her eyes to Colton’s. She steps into his arms, and they have some sort of silent exchange in which something important dawns on Colton. I watch as he relaxes his jaw and his expression softens. “You want our family with us,” he says knowingly.

“I do,” Ember admits with a wobbly chin. “I thought this was what I wanted. But then your mom texted about these adorable flowers she found for the centerpieces, and the guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. She’s so excited. And so is my mom. I can’t do this without them or Opal and Gail… I’m so sor?— ”

“Hey, Em, it’s okay. If that’s what you want—then that’s what we’ll do.”

“But what do you want?” She sniffs into the tissue Ivy hands her.

Colton smiles and brings his hands up to cup Ember’s face. “I want to make you happy,” he whispers, and Ivy sidles up beside me, hooking her pinky around mine. She looks so beautiful in her dress, and I remind myself to tell her so again later.

Colton leans down to plant a kiss on Ember’s lips, then he turns to us, still looking insanely happy. “Might as well make this trip count. Where’s the best place to have dinner?”

Colton and Ember link arms and begin walking toward the exit, but my heart is suddenly on board with a certain rogue idea that’s been swimming around in my head that my feet have become sluggish.

I glance down at Ivy, and she looks deep in thought, her steps slowing.

Man up and just ask her!

I drop my eyes to my feet, willing them forward again. This is crazy, right? It’s too soon. She’ll never agree to it. It’ll freak her out…. I’ll scare her away.

By the time I look up again, Ivy’s stopped moving, and Ember and Colton have turned to look at us questioningly. Ivy’s brows crease as her eyes fall to my wrist. She glances at me for a brief second before returning her gaze to my arm, reaching out to lift the sleeve over my left wrist. Her small smile grows into an ear-splitting grin as her thumb grazes the ribbon tied around my wrist. “You still have this…”

“Yup.” I swallow.

Do it.

Okay. If she thinks I’m crazy, we’ll laugh it off. But I’m going for it.

Ember is waving us over and smiling at us, probably wondering why we’ve stopped. I take a deep, fortifying breath, and just as I open my mouth to blurt out my question, Ivy beats me to it.

“Ethan, let’s get married!”

My jaw hangs open as I stare at the beautiful lips that just stole the words right out of my own mouth. Her eyes bounce between mine, and my face breaks out into an ear-to-ear smile.

“I know it seems soon,” she continues as Ember and Colton take tentative steps closer, “but I love you, Ethan King. And I kinda wanna spend forever together.” She pauses again, nudging her glasses up. “Don’t freak out,” she adds quietly.

I grab her hand in mine before I answer her. “Ivy June Marsh, since the minute I laid eyes on you, you’ve been driving me wild. You’re like springtime, a burst of life wherever you go. Maybe we haven’t been together for long, but I already know that you are my greatest adventure. And I kinda wanna spend forever with you, too.” Her eyes begin to water as I continue staring at her. “I can’t promise to make an earth-shattering entrance into every room, but I can promise to spend my life loving you and to never stop trying to sweep you off your feet for the rest of our lives.” I step back to get down on one knee. Because if I’m going to have to retell this story to my mama, she’s going to whack me in the back of my head if she hears I didn’t kneel before asking Ivy to be my wife. I clear the emotion from my throat before I go on. “Ivy, will you marry me, right now?”

“This doesn’t get you out of a few decades of stories about how I proposed to you. ”

“Will you just say yes and kiss me, already, woman!”

“Rule number three.” She smirks, folding her arms.

“Ivy…”

“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you,” she says before bursting out in laughter. I stand and catch her around the waist, kissing her deeply. When I lower her to the ground, I take hold of her hand and she does a full spin, making her dress and her hair ribbon flare out with her three-sixty twirl. I pull her close, curling my hands around her.

“Rosie Cotton dancing…. She had ribbons in her hair,” I say, pausing in awe of her beauty and strength. “If ever I were to marry someone, it would have been her.”

“More Samwise quotes, King? You do know how to woo a girl.”

“Maybe I’ll start calling you Rosie,” I mumble through my grin, nuzzling my nose against her neck and making her giggle.

When we finally pull apart, Ember and Colton begin to holler as the four of us garner a small applause from the handful of others in the room.

“You’re not worried about Mom?” Colton questions.

“Nah. She’ll forgive me. I’m the favorite, remember?”

Colton barks out a laugh. “You sure about that?”

“If she gets upset, I’ll just make it up to her the same way you mentioned before on the plane,” I tell him, winking at Ivy and making my brother chuckle loudly.

We get through the paperwork, and an hour later, Ivy and I are standing in front of Elvis and professing our love for one another, and then he pronounces us husband and wife.

I have a wife.

Out of all the risky ventures I’ve ever embarked upon, in all the exciting excursions I’ve taken, every challenge I’ve faced, nothing has ever scared me more or made me as unfathomably happy as the woman in my arms. Getting to love her and watch her become the beautiful force of nature that she is, all while cheering her on and supporting her—it’s the greatest privilege of my existence, loving Ivy King.