Page 44 of Wrecked (McIntyre Security Bodyguard #16)
Today is my wedding day . I never in my life dreamed this day would come—that I’d be lucky enough to be loved by a man like Sam Harrison. I don’t deserve him, but I’m a greedy SOB, and I’m keeping him.
We’re all at Kenilworth—all our friends and family. Sam’s mother, Michelle, is here, along with his sister, Rachel. The McIntyres are all here—including Hannah and Killian, who came all the way from Colorado for the event.
At the moment, I’m in the library with Shane and Tyler.
They’re supposedly helping me get dressed, which is ridiculous.
If a man my age can’t dress himself, he’s in trouble.
But, as Shane informs me, it’s tradition, so I have to suck it up.
I’m actually already dressed—it’s not hard to put on a tux—so we’re sitting around the poker table imbibing a tiny bit of whiskey.
Sam is upstairs in our suite with Beth, Erin, and Ian. They’re helping him get dressed as well. Again, he’s a grown-ass man. If he can’t dress himself by now, we’re in even more trouble.
When there’s a knock on the door, Shane says, “Come in!”
The door opens, and Shane’s father, Calum, pokes his head in. “We’re about ready. The chairs are set up and Jonah’s ready to start playing. We’re just waiting for you, son.”
He means Shane, of course. Shane is officiating.
Shane knocks back the last little bit of his whiskey and stands. He’s dressed in his typical garb—a charcoal suit with a white dress shirt and a gray tie. The only deviation is the little teal hanky poking out of his breast pocket—that was Beth’s idea, so he matches our color scheme.
“I’ll see you shortly,” Shane says, pointing directly at me. “Don’t be late to your own wedding.”
“Funny.” As if.
And then Shane turns his attention to Tyler. “Your job is to make sure he gets to the podium.”
Tyler chuckles. “I think I can manage that.”
Tyler’s dressed in his usual, too, a black suit, white dress shirt, and black tie. He graciously agreed to be my best man. Tyler and I bonded over the fact we’re both gay, and our much younger partners happen to be good friends.
As for Sam, Beth is his best woman , and Erin, Lia, and Ian are his attendants .
“Well, let’s go,” Tyler says as he sets his tumbler on the table and rises to his feet.
I follow him to the door, pausing briefly to study my reflection in the full-length gilded mirror hanging on the wall. I’m getting fucking married today . Reality still hasn’t sunk in.
Tyler clasps my shoulder. “You clean up well, man.”
My tux is black. My shirt is white. And my tie is teal. I’m also wearing a teal cummerbund. In case it’s not obvious to everyone, our colors are black, white, and teal.
We step out of the library and smack dab into the center of sheer chaos.
In the foyer, Jake’s wife, Annie, and Beth’s mom, Ingrid, are trying to corral the kids who are participating in the ceremony.
Jake and Annie’s twin girls, Emerly and Everly, are the flower girls.
Their son, Aiden, along with Beth’s son, Luke, are the ring bearers.
Now, this is not these kids’ first rodeos.
They’ve participated in a few weddings thus far, so they should do just fine.
Shane stands at the front of the room, up on the platform. He’s holding a small black leather notebook that contains the vows Sam and I wrote. He catches my eye and motions me forward.
“Ready?” Tyler asks.
“Are you having déjà vu?” It wasn’t that long ago that Tyler was here in my place, getting ready to marry Ian. Like me, Tyler was late coming out of the closet.
Tyler smiles as he nods. “Yeah. It seems like just yesterday we tied the knot.” Tyler gestures for me to proceed him into the great room. “Let’s go get you married.”
As I walk down the center aisle, with Tyler right behind me, I gaze out at the many familiar faces watching me. I see a lot of smiles, and even some teary eyes. What I don’t see is hatred and condemnation. My throat tightens at the sight of all this support.
I feel a sharp stab of regret—and not for the first time—for all the shit I put Sam through when we first met.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully make amends for some of my actions.
I hurt him, time and time again, not meaning to, certainly never wanting to.
I was paralyzed by my traumatic past and the fear of being discovered.
My trip back home to Sweetwater, and finally getting justice for Cody, put those fears to rest.
I reach the platform and take my place in front of Shane. Tyler stands at my side, a silent, supportive figure.
I’m not used to so many eyes on me. I swallow hard against the knot in my throat.
“Nervous?” Shane asks me.
I give him a curt nod. He can’t begin to imagine how nervous I am.
Shane pats my shoulder. “Just take a deep breath.”
Seated on a stool at the edge of the room, Jonah starts playing some pretty classical music on his acoustic guitar. That’s the signal for the kids to start down the aisle.
First up are the little twin girls with their white wicker baskets of teal rose petals.
I didn’t even know roses come in teal, but damn, they do.
The last wedding these girls were in didn’t go so well.
Their daddy, Jake, had to stand at the front of the room and encourage them to come to him.
Jake’s quietly in position again, in case he’s needed, but this time, the girls are all gung ho, practically running down the aisle and tossing rose petals every which way.
Sam’s attendants—Beth, Erin, and Ian—are next down the aisle. Beth and Erin are wearing matching pale teal gowns. Ian’s wearing dark gray trousers with a matching pale teal silk shirt.
Finally, Sam appears in the doorway with his mom, Michelle, at his side. Their arms are linked. They make quite a pair, with their matching red hair. It’s clear to see where Sam gets his hair color—Rachel, too.
Michelle’s long, wavy hair is up in a fancy twist with curling tendrils hanging down at her cheeks. She’s wearing a stunning pale teal silk gown.
But Sam is the star of the show. He’s breathtaking.
His suit matches mine, minus the tie. His shirt collar is unbuttoned, and he’s got a boutonnière made of teal and cream roses pinned to his lapel.
His red hair is down for a change, instead of up in his characteristic manbun.
He has a fresh undercut, and the rest of his hair falls in waves just past his shoulders.
His eyes are locked on mine, and the smile on his face says everything .
Part of me feels like an imposter, because I do not deserve this guy. Why he put up with me for so long, I’ll never understand.
My chest tightens as Jonah starts playing the wedding procession, and I watch my fiancé walk toward me. Each step Sam takes brings me closer to a future I thought I’d never have.
When they reach us, Michelle lays Sam’s hand in mine. I clasp it tightly as he steps up onto the platform and turns to face me. Michelle takes her seat in the front row of guests.
Last, but not least, are the ring bearers—Aiden and Luke—who walk down the aisle, proud as punch as they both hold onto the ring pillow. When they reach us, they hand me the pillow so I can remove the rings and slip them into my pocket.
“Hi, guys,” Luke whispers loud enough everyone in the room can hear him. “We brought your wedding rings.”
Sam winks at the kid. “Thanks.”
“Good job, buddy,” I say.
All attention is on us now. Shane makes some opening remarks.
“I’ve lost track of how many weddings Cooper has officiated for us. I figured it was time for me to repay the favor.”
The guests chuckle.
“Truthfully, though, this is a great honor and a real pleasure to facilitate the wedding of my business partner and best friend.” He lays his hand on my back. “I’m happy for you, Cooper.”
All I can do is nod because there’s a huge knot in my throat, and I’m struggling to maintain my composure. My gaze is locked on Sam, and his is on me.
After Shane says a little bit more—the part required of him by the state—it’s my turn.
“Cooper has something he’d like to say,” Shane says, as he nods to me.
My pulse is thudding, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life. But now’s the time. This is the moment.
When I drop down on one knee in front of my soon-to-be husband, Sam’s eyes widen in surprise. “What are you—”
“Sam Harrison,” —my voice cracks— “I do not deserve you.”
Our guests respond with a chorus of aww’ s.
“Cooper, no,” he says, reaching for my arms and trying to make me rise. “You don’t—”
“Sam, I know I’ve disappointed you many times. I’ve let you down. I hurt your feelings. I ignored you when I shouldn’t have.”
Sam’s eyes fill with tears, and he tries once more to get me to stand up. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No, baby.” My voice breaks as I hold off tears of my own. I need to get this out. “Let me say what needs to be said.”
Sam wipes his damp eyes.
“I was afraid,” I admit, not just to him, but to myself.
“But that’s no excuse for my behavior. Why you stuck with me in the beginning, I’ll never understand.
” I stop to clear my throat, which is clogged with tears.
“But when you left me, when you went back home after the accident, that’s when I realized I didn’t want to live without you.
I swore then and there, I’d do anything —whatever it took—to become the type of man who did deserve you. ”
With a shaky hand, I reach into my pocket and pull out Sam’s wedding ring—a thick gold band with a single, perfect diamond embedded in it. “Sam Harrison, will you do me the honor of taking me as your husband? Will you give me a chance to prove that I finally do deserve you?”
I already asked him this, of course. And he already said yes. But I feel like I need to say it again, in front of all those we hold dear. I want everyone to know how much he means to me and how grateful I am that he gave me another chance.