Chapter 133: Seen

NOAH

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Alison was replying even as my mind was rushing to catch up. "I'm not usually . . ." She swept one hand down her front, and her cheeks went rosy. It was enticing. "I don't usually fuss. But I was so excited about this wedding." She shook her head a little. "You probably think it's silly."

"No, I don't. I feel the same way. This . . . watching Emma and Deacon say I do, it was special. It's a day worth fussing for."

Her smile stretched wider. "Thank you for saying that."

We'd been together since later afternoon, catching up, talking about the ceremony, the music, the food. But it had taken me this long to say what had been playing in my head since the moment I'd first laid eyes on her today.

"Alison . . . you are beautiful." I repeated the phrase with that slight, important difference. It seemed essential, given what she had just said. "Not just tonight, because you fussed. You just are."