To Hate Adam Connor

He closed the distance between us and stopped me from moving backward—I hadn’t even been aware I was moving backward.

“I’ve been proposing to you every day with every kiss, Lucy.”

“You have?”

“It’s not my fault you took your time giving me an answer. Now you don’t get to ask for a proposal. It’s too late for that.”

“It is?”

“Yes, Lucy. I’m sorry.”

“But I want a proposal, Adam. I really, really want it. Propose. Please.”

He leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss on the edge of my lips. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“So no proposal? What does that mean exactly?

“It means we’re getting married.”

“We are? When?”

“Today.”

“What?” My voice was barely audible

Suddenly Olive came around the corner, and I froze in my place when I saw what she was holding.

A wedding dress. A fucking wedding dress, and I had to admit, a very fucking beautiful wedding dress.

My hands flew to my mouth, and I just stood there, taking it all in.

There were tears streaming down her face so, obviously, there were some streaming down my face too.

“I-I…” I stuttered.

Aiden moved, and I saw him reach for his father’s hand as he smiled up at me. I still had no words.

Then Olive was by my side.

“I wish you all the happiness in the world, Lucy. I wish you all the smiles, all the laughter, all the love.” She laughed and wiped away her tears. “You deserve so much, my beautiful friend. You deserve the best love story, you deserve the very best ending, and I’m honored that I’ll be standing right next to you when you marry the love of your life.”

I dropped my hands and a laugh escaped my mouth—but don’t worry, I was still crying. “Who said he was the love of my life?” He totally was. “And I don’t remember asking you to be my maid of honor either, my little green Olive.”

She handed the delicate dress to Jason and flung herself in my arms. “You don’t get to have a say. Try to remove me from your side, I dare you.”

Just as she finished speaking, Jason stepped in and pried her out of my arms, holding her against his body as Olive relaxed against him. Neither one of us looked all that pretty with our red, crying faces.

“And I guess, since you never asked before you started calling me Daddy, I’m not asking your permission to walk you to this guy,” Jason said before pressing a kiss on my cheek.

I laughed and looked up at his smiling face through my tears.

Aiden dropped his father’s hand and ran to my side. He was still in his Super Man PJs.

“Don’t cry, Lucy. Don’t you want to marry us?”

“Buddy, you can’t ask her that, remember?” Adam interrupted.

“But why? I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, I second that. I don’t understand either. Why can’t you ask me that?”

He walked to my side and cupped my face in one hand. I barely registered Aiden letting go of my hand and going to Jason’s side. Adam always did that to me, always made it impossible to look away from him.

“Because I don’t want you to think. Because I don’t want you to have the option to say no to me. You’re mine, Lucy. When there is only one answer to a question and you already know what it is, it’s pointless to ask it. You will get married to me today. You will become my wife and you will always be mine.”

His wife.

His fucking wife.

I gulped and nodded. “You’re right. It’s pointless to ask when you know the answer.”

His other hand came up, and he held me still. “So, yes? You’re going to do it?”

“I thought you said I didn’t have the option to say no.”

“You don’t,” he repeated in a low voice, his eyes moving over every inch of my face. “But I can never be sure of what you’ll do.”

“I understand. So…okay.” I lifted my shaky hands and put them over his. “Let’s get married. And why not today, right? It’s as good a day as any, and if all my favorite people will be there, well, that means it will be the best day.”

He smiled slowly, as if he had actually been afraid I’d say no, as if he didn’t already know I couldn’t.

Then as his smile got bigger, my eyes filled with more tears.

“That’s enough, Lucy,” he murmured, kissing my leaking eyes. “That’s enough, my beautiful warrior.”

My body shuddered, and Adam wrapped me up in his arms before I could slip away and meet the floor.

His whispers were the only things that were getting through to me.

“You’ll never be like them, Lucy. You’re not cursed, sweetheart. You never were. You were just waiting for me to find you.” His voice was so tender, so loving. “Who am I kidding? You couldn’t even wait for me to find you. You fell right into my backyard, got right up in my face.” Still crying in his arms, I held on tighter.

He had found me.

He’d never acknowledge it, but yes, Adam had found me.

“I love you,” I whispered into his now soaked shirt.

“And I love you, my Lucy.” I felt his lips on the top of my head and closed my eyes.

He was perfect. He was everything I’d always been afraid to want for myself.

Lifting my head, I looked into his eyes and managed to give him a shaky smile. “You are the hero of my story, after all, Adam Connor. You are my unexpected prince who broke my curse. Who would’ve thought, huh? I think I’m glad it’s you because I would’ve hated to start from scratch and teach someone else how to kiss properly.”

He laughed, his eyes going soft. “I’m afraid you’ll never get to kiss anyone else but me again. You okay with that?”

I nodded, my heart still feeling wonky in my chest. “I can live with that.”

“Good.”

“So, Lucy, will you marry us or not?” a voice chimed in.

I let go of Adam and leaned down to kiss Aiden’s cheeks. “Thank you for asking, my little prince. My answer is a definite yes.”

“Good. Now can we eat the pancakes? I’m really hungry, and I’ve been waiting very patiently.”

I laughed and straightened. “Yes. Yes, we can eat the pancakes.”

A now tear-free Olive sent me a quick wink and went to help Aiden and Jason with the pancakes.

Adam drew me back into his arms, and I welcomed his warmth and closeness.

“Thank you, Lucy.”

“For what?”

“For spying on me. For being mine.”

“That’s a lot to be thankful for.”

“And I plan on thanking you every chance I get.”

“You should do that. Three times every time, please.”

Adam smiled, and I melted.

He leaned down and whispered into my ear, “Thank you for trusting me with your beautiful heart.”

So that same day, after pancakes, I said I do to Adam freaking Connor with stupid, happy tears in my eyes.

After our shockingly gentle first kiss, I pulled him down and whispered a little secret into his ear.

I’d never forget the look he gave me…the one that said I was his world.

His hand resting on my stomach, on our little baby, he gave me another perfect kiss, another one I could add to the list.

That little girl who had spent her days crying, who had tried her very best to figure out why her mother couldn’t love her enough to hold on to her, who couldn’t understand why her grandmother would never love her like she needed to be loved…that same little girl who along the way had understood and accepted that not everybody gets to have their own happily ever after in this world…that girl in me…that hopeful little girl in me just smiled that day.