Page 50 of Bad Boy Husband

SADIE

The breeze shifted just as we reached the garden.

The scent of late summer wafted through the air.

It was all honeysuckle and grass, with just a trace of salt carried in from the coast. Somewhere in the distance, birds were singing, their song filtering in faintly above the gentle instrumental music playing in the tented reception area.

Guests were probably settling into their chairs under a cloudless blue sky, the sun warm, but not as blisteringly hot as it had been earlier in the season. Beyond an arch of wildflowers, not roses—CC’s nod to me growing up on a ranch—Jameson was waiting.

Excitement had me feeling like I was floating on Cloud Nine as we walked down the garden path around the house. Laney and Gwen were ahead of me, my father at my side.

His arm was solid under my own, his footsteps slow but steady. He’d barely said a word all morning, but as I glanced up at him now, there was no tension in his jaw. For once, I didn’t see tight-lipped judgment on his features either.

Up ahead, I knew the path would become lined with flowers and expectant eyes, but Dad brought us to a stop before we stepped into view. His gaze came down to mine. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I said softly but confidently. I looked up at him, this man who had raised me, adored me as a little girl, and then given up on me when I’d become a woman who hadn’t turned out the way he’d wanted me to. “I’m sorry about everything, Daddy. I never meant to hurt you. I just…”

I averted my gaze when I felt tears pricking the backs of my eyes. To my surprise, I felt his hand on my cheek a moment later, gently lifting my head until I was looking at him again. “You were just fighting to be accepted for who you are. Is that what you were going to say?”

I blinked at him. “Yes.”

Dad let out a soft sigh, a flicker of pain behind his blue eyes as they looked into mine. “You shouldn’t have to apologize for that, my love. I’m the one who should be apologizing. To you. Your mother and I, we got so caught up in societal expectations that we forgot what was really important.”

“What’s that?”

“You.” He smiled. “Your happiness. Your fire. Your vibrant spirit. I think we were just afraid for you, you know? We were so afraid the world would judge you, hurt you, that we wound up doing it ourselves.”

Hot tears welled on my eyelids. “Is this because of what Harlan and CC said last night?”

“They certainly helped me see things a little more clearly.” He flicked a glance up at their gigantic mansion before looking out at the grounds, their property probably not much smaller than ours despite not actually being a ranch.

“I’m just sorry it took other people, who own all this and still haven’t gotten as caught up in the noise as we did, for us to appreciate you. ”

“And Mom?” I asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

My dad let out a soft sigh. “She’ll come around. Your mama loves you more than anything, sweetheart. All she’s ever wanted was for you to be safe, happy, and fulfilled.”

“As long as my life looks exactly the way she planned it?”

“Not anymore. She’s learning. Just give her time, okay?” The music swelled and he cleared his throat. “That’s our cue. Shall we?”

He offered me his arm again and I took it, so surprised by everything he’d just said that for a moment, the world blurred a bit at the edges around me. But then we were walking, moving slowly down the aisle between rows of chairs occupied by carefully selected guests.

Laney was just ahead of me, already crying. Gwen was holding her bouquet like she might use it as a weapon against anybody who might be thinking about objecting. Trent stood proudly beside Jameson, beaming as if he was silently taking credit for making all this happen.

I didn’t really see any of them, though. While I was aware of their presence, Jameson was the only thing I could really focus on.

In a dark, tailored tuxedo that made him look unfairly handsome, his eyes were locked on mine like he couldn’t believe I was real. It took everything in me not to laugh, and cry, and run into his arms all at once.

Hooch and Winkle were there too, dressed in matching tuxedo harnesses.

Winkle looked mildly confused. Hooch looked proud as hell, tail wagging like he was the one giving me away.

They reached the altar before I did, the crowd letting out a collective aww when Jameson bent over to give them each a quick cuddle, his eyes never leaving mine.

I smiled so wide, I felt like my face might crack in half. All the while, my dad was a steady presence beside me, guiding me to my future one measured step at a time.

When we finally reached the altar, he turned to face me, kissed my cheek, and gently placed my hand in Jameson’s. And then suddenly, he was gone and it was just the groom and me.

“Hi,” I whispered as he slid his fingers around mine.

“Hi,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “You’re beautiful. So fucking beautiful, Sadie.”

The officiant said something, but my heart was pounding too loudly to really hear any of it until it was time for us to exchange our vows. Jameson took both my hands in his and cleared his throat, those hazel eyes warm and full of emotion as they held mine.

“For the longest time, I didn’t think you and I would ever get here,” he said, speaking clearly even through the rasp in his voice.

“I didn’t think I deserved to get here with you, but this is all I’ve ever wanted.

I figured I was going to be that guy, you know?

The one who could have everything, get everything, except for the one thing he wanted most. It was kind of tragic, but yeah. ”

The guests chuckled.

“From the moment you and I first connected, you became my light in the dark, my sense in the chaos. You were the kindness in a world that always felt harder than it needed to be. I can go on and on, but the point is that you were everything I didn’t even know I was missing until that moment.”

My throat tightened, a giant lump forming. I looked up at him, knowing exactly what he meant because it was same way I’d felt. Back then and now.

“I promise to keep learning from you,” he said, his voice quieter now. “To fight for you no matter what. To love you through every storm. And I promise to let you have as many dogs as you want.”

He shot me a small grin. Laughter and sniffling came from the congregation. From the corner of my eye, I even saw CC dabbing at her eyes.

With tears glistening in my own, I smiled and waited for the officiant to nod at me.

“Jameson Westwood. If I could tell you how many of my notebooks have that name scribbled in them, I would, but I loved notebooks, so it must be at least a couple hundred and your name appeared in every single last one.”

Trent groaned through a chuckle, but I didn’t let him steal my attention from Jameson, even if I knew I would be getting an earful from him about it later.

“There was a time when you were such an enigma to me, the boy with the know-it-all smirk, but vulnerability in his eyes. The life of the party who’d so often break away from it all just to come sit with me quietly in the barn. ”

I knew I was giving away a few of our secrets now, but it was about time we got it all out in the open.

“I never expected to connect with you the way I did, and I was too young to realize that it was so rare, to find someone who understood things about you no one else did. Without words or explanations, you just looked at me and somehow you knew.”

“Over time,” I said after a brief pause to swallow past the emotion clogging my throat.

“I thought that connection would fade, but it never did. It was always there, just as strong and as real as ever, and I firmly believe that it’s because you have always been it for me.

There was never going to be another you.

No moving on. No finding someone as right as you. ”

I paused to swallow the emotion threatening to choke me.

“Neither of us waited patiently,” I said, smiling as I stared up into his eyes. “But neither of us settled for anything less either, and I’m so grateful for that. I promise to love you and to believe you. I promise to never run away again and to clean the kitchen after I’ve tried to cook.”

I leaned in, pretending to adjust the hem of his boutonniere, and whispered in his ear, “I promise to go to the AVS convention with you every year until our legs give out.”

He looked at me, grinning as his eyes searched mine like he was trying to make sure I meant it. “This is forever, then?”

I looped my arms around his neck. “Forever.”

The officiant cleared her throat, clearly moved herself. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jameson, you may?—”

He didn’t wait for her to finish the sentence. Pulling me to him, his head bent down and his mouth found mine. His kiss was warm, relieved, and certain. The crowd erupted in cheers. I heard Laney sobbing behind me and someone—probably Callum—whooping way too loud.

We turned to walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. Hooch and Winkle fell into step beside us like they’d rehearsed it. I half expected them to wave.

“I think even Hooch is crying,” Jameson murmured beside me, gripping my hand so tightly that I knew he would never let go.

“Who can blame him?” I laughed, lifting my free hand to swipe carefully under my eyes. “So am I.”

“I love you,” he said under his breath, just for me.

I glanced up at him as we reached the end of the aisle. “I love you more.”

Under the soft light of a golden afternoon, with dogs in tuxedos and champagne already chilling nearby, I knew, truly and deeply, that I’d won the lottery of life. This had never really been about the inheritance for me.

It was always meant to be him. The challenges we’d faced along the way and the pressure we’d been put under had merely been fate’s way of ensuring we knew we were always supposed to have ended up together. That was my story and I was sticking to it.