Page 17 of Moonlight & Matrimony (Oak Ridge #2)

With a resigned sigh, I follow my girls out of the dressing room.

I don’t protest when Paige pins me with a glare as she hands her credit card to the cashier.

I don’t fight them when they refuse to let me pay for my mani pedi.

And, when the time comes, I don’t even bother pulling out my wallet to pay for my hair and makeup.

“Go with it, babe,” Paige says. “This is your day, and we’re under strict orders to spoil the shit out of you. ”

Luca

“Are you sure about this?” Cade asks, eyeing me warily. “What do you even know about her?” I’ve been on edge all day, and I’m sure it has something to do with the impending marriage, and the carefully crafted web of lies that’s about to get exponentially more complicated as soon as we say ‘I do’.

“I know she’s the strongest person I’ve ever met.

I know she picks at her nails when she’s nervous, and bites her lip when she’s concentrating on her paintings.

I know she has three different smiles: one when she’s pretending, one reserved for her daughter, and one that only comes out when she lets her guard down — it can light up an entire room and bring a man to his knees.

I know she deserves far better than the shit she’s been dealt.

But more than that, I know she needs protecting, and I’m not about to sit back and watch her piece-of-shit ex hurt her repeatedly without stepping up.

” My tone comes off defensive, but I’m not the least bit apologetic.

I don’t like my intentions being questioned.

Cade studies my face for a moment, then nods, letting the conversation die.

I get the feeling I just passed some kind of test. “What do you think of these?” I hold up a simple premade bouquet as we browse the local flower shop.

Admittedly, I don’t know the first thing about flowers, but I was on the verge of losing my mind if I didn’t find something to do with my time.

The ceremony starts in an hour and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

I swore off marriage a long time ago, but this is different, I remind myself. It doesn’t mean anything.

“They’re okay,” Cade replies, pointing to the white roses I’m holding. “But they look like something you’d buy for a funeral.”

An older lady approaches from behind the register. “Hi there. Can I help you boys with something?”

“Yes, actually. I’m getting married today and I need a bouquet for my bride. It’s kind of last minute.” While I explain a bit about what we’re looking for, Cade pulls out his phone.

“Oh my, how exciting. Can you tell me about the ceremony? Is it formal, or perhaps more casual?”

I look to Cade for assistance, but he’s busy tapping away on his phone. I glance at the open text message thread and I’m not surprised when I see my sister’s name on the screen.

“I —”

Before I can finish, Cade holds out his phone with a close-up photo of what must be Ivy’s wedding gown. I only catch a quick glimpse, but it’s enough to know I’m in big trouble when she walks down the aisle.

“That’s stunning. You’ll definitely need something a little more whimsical.

” She proceeds to flit about the shop, grabbing various stems to match each color on the dress.

I watch in amazement as she meticulously crafts a beautiful bouquet on the fly, before wrapping the stems in ribbon and leading us back to the register.

I hand over my credit card and, with a quick thank you, we head out the door.

“The sooner I can get out of this tie, the better,” I say, adjusting the knot as we walk back to my truck, bouquet in hand.

“So why don’t you tell me why you’re really doing this,” Cade says, throwing me so off kilter, I nearly step into oncoming traffic.

If it weren’t for his arm being thrown into my chest, I’d likely be plastered to the asphalt, but Cade continues as if nothing happened.

“And don’t tell me it was love at first sight because I know that’s bullshit. ”

With a sigh of defeat, I recount the details surrounding our engagement, and the plan to keep Ivy and Rylin safe from her piece of shit ex. Cade listens attentively, not showing any sign of judgment or disappointment.

“Look, I know this is insane —”

“You’re damn right it is. I’ll admit, when Paige told me she thought this was all some elaborate scheme, I was skeptical, but my wife is perceptive as fuck and I’ve never doubted her before. Why did you lie to us?”

“Oak Ridge is a small town. Rumors spread quickly here. I didn’t want anything coming out that could cause problems for the court case.”

“That’s fair, but as a brother, I need you to understand that what's said between us stays locked in a vault. You have a thing or two to learn if you’re going to be a part of the elite 8.”

“The elite 8?” I ask curiously.

“It’s what Paige named the group chat. It just kind of stuck.”

I shake my head and chuckle. “Does Nana know?”

“Of course she does. She was the first one to call bullshit, but she loves Ivy. and she assumed your intentions were pure.”

“Fuck. Ok. I’m sorry, man. I guess we have some explaining to do after the wedding, but for now, let's just get over there so we can get out of these suits as soon as possible.”

The ceremony is quick and I zone out somewhere around ‘lawfully wedded wife’.

At some point we exchange simple gold bands and say ‘I do’, but I’m too busy salivating over my bride in her wedding dress to register anything else.

She has her dark brown hair pinned up in a complicated knot at the back; a few wavy pieces frame her face, exposing her slender neck right down to the swell of her generous breasts.

She’s wearing contacts for the first time since I met her, and I kind of miss the glasses, but her hazel eyes are warm and inviting.

I could get lost in them for hours if it weren’t for the distracting hue of her deep red lipstick.

I can’t stop my mind from wandering to thoughts of those plump lips wrapped around my dick. Down, boy.

Eventually, we make our way to the diner, where I stand on the sidewalk ogling my wife. Fucking hell. I have a wife.

“Earth to Luca,” Miles snickers. “You’re drooling, brother.”

“Ok, time for pictures!” Paige commands.

“Luca, Ivy, Rylin — you’re with me and Cade.

Everybody else can head inside and grab a table.

” I grumble under my breath, but I promised my sister I’d let her have her fun.

She insisted on an elaborate photo shoot so we would have something to show in court should they question the validity of our marriage, and I had to concede to her point.

Rylin tugs on Paige’s dress and, with a hand on her belly, my sister carefully crouches down so she can whisper in her ear.

Paige smiles and looks up at us with a wink.

“I’m sure your mommy wouldn’t mind if you went inside with Nana to grab a milkshake, sweetie, but let me get some pictures of you first, ok? I don’t want you to get all messy.”

“Okay, Auntie Paige,” Ry says as she rushes down the sidewalk, and, to my surprise, throws herself into my arms.

“Hey Bug, did you have fun playing flower girl?” Rylin wore her dress from Paige’s wedding, throwing dried petals down the short aisle at the chapel as Ivy trailed closely behind her. I’ll never forget the look of excitement on her little face.

“It was so fun!” She’s practically vibrating on the spot as she tells me all about her morning at the ranch with Evelyn, and how they painted her nails for the ceremony.

We take a bunch of pictures as a family and something stirs in my gut — a longing I can’t quite place. Paige has us walk hand in hand down the sidewalk with Rylin in the middle. We swing her in the air a few times, and she giggles. That sound could melt an iceberg.

“Ok, Ry. Why don’t you go inside so I can finish up with Mommy and Luca?”

“Okay,” she says, skipping off into the diner.

“Cade, can you run in and grab the milkshake? Rosie should have it ready. Two straws.” As Cade disappears inside, Paige continues to direct me and Ivy into various poses. “Take a seat on either side of the table in front of the window.”

The sun is setting over the town, casting an almost ethereal glow on Ivy’s face.

The light catches in her irises, illuminating the subtle flecks of gold along the inner circle.

She smiles her genuine smile — the one that actually meets her eyes — and my heartbeat quickens.

I don’t think it’s ever been directed at me before.

I’m so entranced, I almost miss the milkshake being placed on the table between us.

The moment Ivy takes the cherry off the top and takes it into her mouth, I nearly come in my pants like a goddamn teenager.

I subtly adjust myself beneath the table, and the photoshoot carries on as Paige directs us into several more positions.

It’s shockingly less awkward than I expected — it almost feels natural.

Once she gets all the photos she wants in front of the diner, she brings us over to a small park just across the square where the last light of the sun is peeking through the trees.

“Ivy, I want you to lean your back against the tree and put your hands around Luca’s waist. Luca, you’ll put your right forearm on the tree above her head, and lean in as close as you can without your faces actually touching.”

I do as I’m told, lest I incur the wrath of my very pregnant sister, and the whole world stops the second my nose accidentally grazes Ivy’s.

I watch as her breath hitches and her tongue sneaks out to lick her bottom lip.

Her eyes meet mine, and I can hear the faint clicking of the shutter as Paige walks around us, snapping photos.