Kim Karr - Mended

I’m still tingling when we get in the car. He hits the gas and takes off, but instead of taking a right to head toward the studio he takes a left. “Where are you going?”

“I’m sorry, baby. I have one stop I have to make before the party.”

About thirty seconds elapse and he pulls over. “Oh, I forgot one thing.” He grins as he pulls out the piece of fabric from Garrett’s yoga swing that he used as a blindfold when he took me to Niagara Falls. “You have to wear this.”

I look at him in surprise. “Why? I can’t see where you have to stop along the way?”

“Just turn around,” he tells me with a smirk, and I do. He ties the fabric around my head and kisses my hair.

I’m not sure how much time passes before he parks the car and turns the ignition off. I rest my hand on the door handle and he says, “Wait for me.”

He quickly opens my door and guides me out. I have no idea where we’re going. Soon I hear the click of a lock and we seem to be inside somewhere, but then I hear another click and we’re back outside. When I hear another lock open, I ask, “Xander, where are we?”

“We’re home, baby,” he says, and his deep, husky voice resonates against my skin. He quickly removes my blindfold and opens the ornate etched-glass door in front of us. I stand in shock as my eyes roam the very familiar room. The built-in window seat, ceiling fan, light blue walls, and bamboo wooden floor are still the same. It looks just like it did the very last time I set foot in it, twelve years ago, except that the countertops seem to have been upgraded to granite and track lighting now glows from the ceiling. But even with the minor changes there’s no mistaking this place he just called home.

“Home!” I cry, turning around to throw my arms around him. “You bought your grandparents’ old house? But how?” I ask.

His eyes meet mine and he doesn’t answer. Instead he drops to one knee, and I swear the butterflies actually flutter out of my stomach. My heart pounds and I’m a little nervous—no, a lot nervous. Xander’s eyes take in every inch of me, but my full attention stays locked on his tranquil hazel eyes. His gaze skims over my dress to the sapphires that never leave my ears, and then it settles on my eyes. In that moment I have no doubts about this man, my life, our life. He pulls a velvet box from his pocket and holds it out. My pulse races as he slowly lifts the lid. What I see in the velvet cushion brings tears to my eyes. The ring flashing so brilliantly there is the ring that his father gave his mother. He’s offering it to me—he wants me to be his wife. It’s simple and perfect and I always thought it was the most absolutely beautiful ring I’d ever seen.

“Will you marry me, Ivy Taylor?” he asks with the slow and easy smile that makes my heart melt every time.

“Yes!” I cry without a second thought, and drop to my knees next to him before he can even take the ring out of the box. I cradle his face in the palms of my hands and tears stream down my cheeks. “Yes, I will marry you,” I whisper. Then I kiss him. I kiss my prince charming with a long kiss that is full of meaning. I don’t want to ever stop kissing him. When I lean back to catch my breath I ask, “You bought your grandparents’ old house for us? How?”

“Luck, fate, destiny.” He shrugs. “Are you happy?”

“Yes!” I say. “Yes, yes, yes!”

His smile is as wide as mine, I’m sure. He nibbles my lip one more time and pulls me to my knees. We kneel together and hold each other and before we stand up he says, “Give me your hand.”

I extend my left hand and as he slides the large pear-shaped diamond on my finger, my other hand flies to my mouth. It’s perfect. The brilliance of the diamond is just so stunning, I’m completely surprised and so overwhelmed. My tears are still flowing and he softly says, “Stop crying. You’re not supposed to be crying.” His eyes are gleaming and he kisses my fingers so gently I feel like I’m floating on a cloud. I just want to hold him, smell him, feel him—forever.

We walk into the building where the unveiling of my new album, My Mended Heart , is taking place. Both of us are literally beaming. We’ve decided not to mention our engagement until the end of the evening, so I turn my ring backward for now. We’re a little late, but not much, and surprisingly Xander hasn’t looked at his watch or even mentioned it. His hand is on the small of my back as we enter the gala, and before we greet everyone I turn to him and mouth I love you . This is the album I always wanted to put out but never had the courage to—until he came back into my life. I allow myself to just stare at him—he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.

I breathe in the scent of the flowers that fill the room and then shift my gaze to admire the glimmer of light from the crystal chandeliers. The room looks as magical as the night already has been. Amazing Grace has been transformed from a concrete hangar into a glittering nightclub. With six crystal chandeliers, dozens of round tables, and more than a hundred vases of purple dahlias and, of course, a splash of ivy, compliments of Xander, this get-together feels more like a welcoming party than a release party.

Bell planned the whole event. I would have thought she’d have been here for hours, but she actually walked in right before we did. Jack and Charlotte dropped her off and she got out of their car with a large bag hanging from her shoulder. We tried to catch up with her, but she was off fluttering around and making sounds that seemed incomprehensible. Xander had just shrugged his shoulders. But his cool facade seems to have evaporated now.

As we make our way farther into the room, his brow creases and I can tell he’s nervous. I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering if I should feel more nervous than I do. I decide to try to calm him instead of joining him in the nerves. “It’s the calm before the chaos,” I tell him, as he stands next to me gripping my hand tightly. Squeezing his fingers, I look around at all the people who are here for me and realize I may have misspoken about the calm. The mood in the room is anything but sedate. It’s full of such real positive energy that no forced smiles are necessary.

My stomach flutters when he kisses my forehead. “You’re going to be great. Don’t let my sorry-ass nerves get to you.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him to me. “Thank you.” Then I seal my mouth to his and kiss him in a way that lets him know that with him by my side I know I’ll be fine. Pulling away, we smile at each other. We have both been lavishing these smiles on each other. Smiles that make the world seem all the more perfect. And it is. His thumb traces my lips.

Over Xander’s shoulder, I catch sight of his brother. A minute later a chin rests on his shoulder and arms wrap around his waist. He too smiles. It’s contagious. I motion toward the door. “There’s River and Dahlia. Let’s go say hi.”

Dahlia looks amazing. She’s wearing a pewter-colored halter dress with a chain neck and a large brooch at the center of the deep V. River looks pretty good himself in a suit much like Xander’s, and he as well has opted for no tie. He and Dahlia are fashionably late as always, but since today is their one-year anniversary I think it’s perfectly acceptable. Their tardiness seems to always drive Xander crazy, and River seems to get a kick out of it every time. Over the past few weeks, Xander has ended up laughing along with us. I actually find his reaction pretty funny myself because for someone so much in control all the time, he seems to be letting some of his barriers down.

Xander and Dahlia have a bond that warms my heart. It seems that when Xander first met Dahlia he acted like a real ass. I’m glad to see that they’ve moved past their issues, especially since the day he met her was the day I announced my engagement to Damon. He told me he was pretty drunk by the time they were introduced.