Ryker was true to his word. There was no keeping him out of our bedroom last night, but I have successfully avoided him all day today.I purposefully planned an afternoon wedding because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay away from him until a sunset ceremony.
And I wasn’t wrong.
I’m in my pretty lace gown with short sleeves and a V neckline. It hugs my curves in all the right places. Ryker insisted that I go to Seattle to shop for my dress, and we made a week out of it, all three of us. Ry sold his penthouse, and I found my dress.
I would live in this dress if I could. I love it.
There’s a knock on the door, and I turn to find Gideon poking his head in.
“Are you ready, baby girl?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Gid’s walking me down the aisle, and he’s standing up with me. I cried like a baby when Ry asked Aiden to be his best man. Aiden asked if he could also change his last name to James so we’re all the same, and then I cried some more.
“He’s going to swallow his tongue when he sees you,” Gid says as he holds his elbow out for me to take.
“That was the goal.” We walk through the house and out the front door, toward the field that has the best views of the mountains. There are tents set up, ready for the reception with a ton of food and cake and drinks. Enough for all three hundred people.
“Do we have you here for a couple of weeks?” I ask him, to keep my nerves down.
“I’m here forever,” he says in that deep, rumbly voice. “I’m not going back, Wills.”
I stop and stare up at him. “What?”
“I talked with Ry about it last night. I’ll build a house over by the lake.”
“Gid, you love your job.”
“Yeah, well, the job doesn’t love me anymore. The leg will never be the same. Not good enough to protect the president or her family, and if I can’t do that, I might as well retire.”
I squeeze his arm. “I’ll selfishly be happy you’re home.”
“I know.”
We turn a corner, and there’s the aisle, leading me to my man.
He’s standing by the judge in his tux, my boy standing next to him. And when Ry’s gaze lifts and finds me, his lips press into a hard line, and I see tears in his gorgeous brown eyes.
“That’s what I wanted to see,” I whisper as Gideon guides me down the aisle.
“You’re happy?” Gid asks.
“More than I probably deserve.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shake his head. “No, baby girl. You deserve every minute of this happiness. You both do.”
We reach the men, and Ryker joins us. Gideon passes my hand over to Ryker’s, then kisses my cheek and moves to the other side of me to stand as my witness.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Ry says after swallowing hard.
“Hey, let me kiss her,” Aiden says, making everyone laugh as he leans in to kiss my cheek. “Love you, mama bear.”
Oh, God, my makeup.
“I love you too, baby boy.”
“We are gathered here today—”
The words are beautiful. We repeat solemn vows to each other, slide rings on our fingers.
Debbie’s and Ray’s rings.
Gideon had given us his blessing to use them, and the three of us finally went into the master bedroom, which had been closed up for the past year and a half, to find them. It was a bittersweet day.
“I’m honored to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Ryker’s smile is wide as he bends me backward and plants one on me that has the entire crowd applauding and whooping.
“Come on, wife.” He kisses the back of my hand. “Let’s go live this amazing life.”
