Page 95

Gah, is your heart bursting into flames like mine?
River walks down the aisle ahead of us with the ring bearer, who happens to be Mila’s one-year-old son. River refuses to hold his hand, throwing black roses at the guests instead of the path before us. She’s apparently still upset about her dress color. She wanted to wear white, not black.
Everyone stands, and a darker version of your standard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” begins. Amberly giggles, nudging my elbow. “Look at Tiller….”
I do and smile. “He looks like he’s thinking about kicking over a candle and lighting the entire place on fire.”
She snorts. “Believe me, I wouldn’t put it past him.” I take notice of Shade’s appearance after that. Wearing his signature sunglasses, it’s clear he’s drunk. He has to be. Camden is holding him upright.
Ricky gives Scarlet away and into Shade’s hands. For someone who’s always so confident, I’ve never seen Shade like this. So… unsure and nervous. Though the ceremony itself is quick, Shade’s vows are beautiful. He says to her, his voice shaking, “Marriage isn’t an I promise to love you until I stop. It’s I promise to think of you before every decision I make.” And then he removes his sunglasses and places them on her face. “Thank you for showing me that love still exists.”
I think all the women in attendance gush over that line. And all the men whistle at their first kiss as husband and wife because Shade does a pretty good job at making it inappropriate. There’s tongue action, a hand on her ass. It’s enough that Camden’s face is red and Tiller tosses dollar bills at them.
The ceremony moves seamlessly into the reception. Leading me to the dance floor, Roan reaches for my hand, his grip so much more than everyone sees. It’s him telling me, this is us. This is what we have to look forward to. A future. Together.
On the dance floor, I notice I’m not the only one admiring him. Roan’s smile instigates the ones of every female he regards. Now is no different, regardless of me standing next to him. I roll my eyes at their attempt and Roan laughs. “Is it wrong that I wanna see you fight them?” he asks, nodding to the one who actually asked to cut in. Who does that?
“I’ll totally fight her,” I tease.
As we sway to the music, an older, drunk man corners Amberly, twirling a strand of her hair around his fingers. My heart jumps into my throat knowing what’s going to happen next. She’s either going to punch the guy in the face or Tiller will.
Sure enough, her jealous green-haired boyfriend finds them and shoves the guy into the brick wall, his hair falling into his eyes when he seethes, “Keep your hands to yourself, motherfucker.”
The man’s eyes widen, the opening notes of “Stranglehold” drowning out his response to Tiller. Either way, he backs away.
“You’re so manic,” Amberly tells him, smiling seductively at her boyfriend, her hands on his chest.
Grinning, Tiller grabs hold of Amberly, hauls her over his shoulder and carries her to the dance floor. She erotically slides down the front of him, laughing.
“That was surprisingly tame,” I note, tightening my hold on Roan. “I thought for sure there’d be a fight.”
He smiles. “I know. Disappointing.”
To our left, Roan notices Camden dancing with who the guys frequently refer to as Yamaha. That’s not her name. I’ve found out it’s actually Gia and she’s a factory motocross rider for Yamaha, hence the nickname. Anyways, look at the two of them awkwardly holding onto one another, swaying to the music. Aren’t they the cutest kids in the world?
She has long strawberry-blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. I can see why Camden likes her. Just then, Camden’s hand moves lower on her back, his mouth on her neck as he whispers something into her skin.
“Damn.” Roan chuckles. “Cam-man’s pulling out all the stops tonight.”
I gasp when Camden actually kisses her. Tiller is the one to interrupt it and slings an arm around Camden’s shoulder, separating the two of them. “Slow it down, boy. You can’t pop her cherry on the dance floor.”
Camden shoves Tiller away. “Maybe you should be more concerned with your daughter.” He motions to River with a smile. “She took her dress off.”
Tiller whips his head around and sure enough, River has removed her dress and she’s eating marshmallows in just her panties.
“River!” Tiller shouts, heading toward his daughter. “Where’s your damn clothes?”
Tiller chases after his daughter and Roan holds me closer. “I can’t say I’m surprised by anything that’s happened so far tonight,” Roan notes.
Staring at Roan and in awe of his dancing skills, and with hundreds of twinkle lights above reflecting off his beautiful face, I realize I need to tell him. Pent-up anxiety tightens my throat. My palms find his chest, warmth radiating through me. “I want to spend the rest of my life in your arms.”
His strong fingers carefully trace my jaw. Warm, tender, trustworthy. And then his voice drifts between the sounds of Ed Sheeran playing in the background. “Are you proposing?” His thumb strokes my cheek, his eyes devouring me.
I breathe in the smells of flowers and the man holding me. For a moment, I don’t say anything. Instead, I revel in his touch on me and the way his hand on my cheek makes me feel like nothing exists outside us. My breath is shaky as I exhale. “No, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you and if that means living with you and these lunatics.” I pause, my eyes drifting to Ricky holding Shade up as he does a keg stand. “I guess that’s what my life will be.”
Roan laughs, focusing on his brothers. He turns his head and whispers into my neck, “You’re probably going to regret it.”
“I know I will, a time or two, but that’s what makes life fun.”