If Not for You (Completed)

Chapter 23: Kazzi

23Kazzi

Gabriel and I stood as the back door opened and Kale entered, pastor McCaelis on his heels. They were both fanning themselves with the collars of their shirts, their faces slick with sweat from the heat outside. Kale looked like he'd been balling. His eyes were red and swollen, but he was grinning in a way that I hadn't seen on him... ever. Made me wonder what they'd talked about. Their eyes lifted to us as they started in our direction.

"Hot as hell out there," Kale exclaimed, then offered a sheepish smirk to the pastor. "Sorry..."

He waved a flippant hand. "Trust me, Hell's quite a bit hotter." He continued fanning himself, and I arched a brow at his comment but didn't ask.

Kale came to me and let me slide in beside him. Looking up into his smiling blue eyes, my brows narrowed in curious concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and bent to kiss my forehead. "Better than okay."

His eyes slid over me to where the pastor had approached Gabriel, a grin on his face. "Gabriel... what are you doing here?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Just checking in. You doing alright?"

The pastor nodded and gestured with a hand to Kale. "Heaven gained a new soul today."

My lips parted in a gasp as my eyes shot to Kale, who was looking down at me with a smile as I touched a hand to his hot cheek. "Really?"

He nodded. "I gave my life to Jesus, which, I had no intention of doing, by the way." He passed a smirk to the pastor. "Silver tongue, that one."

I slid my attention to pastor McCaelis, then to Gabriel, who was grinning. "Told you he was persuasive." He clapped a hand on the pastor's shoulder as I returned my attention to Kale.

"Oh, Kale..." Tears filled my eyes and immediately started falling as I looked up at him.

With his arms wrapped around me, his smile shrank, one hand lifting to wipe a tear. "Why are you crying? I thought you'd be happy."

"Happy? I'm ecstatic! I'm so proud of you..."

His grin returned as I rested my head against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. "Kazz?"

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me now?"

I leaned my head away from him, meeting him with wide eyes as the tears started flowing again. He hadn't brought up the idea of marriage even once since before his coma in the hospital, and with how distant he'd been since he got home, I was afraid he'd changed his mind. Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I blinked another tear to fall, and he wiped it away.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

I didn't speak aloud my thoughts with Gabriel and the pastor at our backs, but I had a feeling he knew, and when he let out a breath and wiped my tears again, he nodded.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant. There was a hurricane going on in my mind that I didn't want to burden you with. But right now..." his eyes flitted to the pastor, who was grinning, then back to me. "I feel oddly at peace." He stepped back and took my hands in his, then looked at them for several seconds. "I want to marry you, Kazzi Inman, before God. I know I have nothing to give you... not even a ring, but I give you my heart, in all its broken pieces. It's all I've got left... if you'll have it."

I half choked/half laughed as I inched up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He held me tight as I became oblivious to the eyes that watched us, but at the sound of a throat clearing at my back, I leaned away, my eyes closed as Kale pressed his forehead to mine.

"Please marry me, Kazz." He breathed against me, and I grinned beneath him.

"I'll marry you, Kale."

All the breath he'd been holding whooshed out of him as he picked me up. He grunted slightly with his wound as he pressed me to him and spun me around, then set me down at my behest.

"Don't strain yourself," I warned, and he shook his head.

"Not possible. I'm on cloud nine right now." I laughed as he pulled away from me and turned to the pastor. "Elsewhere, will you do it for us?"

His name was Elsewhere? No wonder he never shared it... Pushing that thought aside, I watched as he smiled and inclined his head.

"I'd be honored. I'm going back to my family in Colorado a week from Monday, but say the word when you're ready, and I'll be here."

Kale nodded. "Thank you. For everything."

Elsewhere nodded again, then handed Kale a business card. "Keep in touch." He said, then turned with Gabriel to start walking toward the far side of the café, where they exited through a door labeled 'office'.

Alone, I rested my head against Kale's chest, so much love and gratitude pouring through me that I nearly wept again. Above me, Kale was chuckling, and I leaned away to fix him a sideways smirk.

"What's so funny?"

He shrugged. "Who would have ever thought that one day Kazzi Inman and Creepy Kale would be getting married?"

I grinned. "God."

He huffed and shook his head. "Yeah... can't wrap my head around all that just yet. You don't really think He orchestrated our entire lives to lead to this moment, do you?"

I shrugged. "I think He certainly played a bigger role in it than we ever could have imagined. Besides, who would have thought that Kazzi Inman would one day marry Creepy Kale?"

He laughed again as he pressed his lips to mine, and I closed my eyes as the world around us melted away.