Asher, on the other hand, never looked comfortable at the family gatherings he’d had to attend for the wedding.
I had to give the guy credit though; he’d been there for Cole.
He hadn’t let his reluctance steal his brother’s happiness.
Maybe that was why I was a little worried about Asher.
He’d hung in there, but he was looking a little more edgy every time I saw him.
“He looks really uncomfortable today,” I told Cole as I ate a piece of the cake we’d cut just a few minutes ago. “Maybe it’s because there are more people here today. Everyone I invited actually showed up.”
I hadn’t invited the whole town, but I’d included Silas, Charlie, Hannah’s mom, and some of the people who were always sweet to me and Cole.
He winked at me. “Did you really think they wouldn’t? Weddings have always been popular in Crystal Fork.”
I laughed. “Probably because social events are the most exciting things that ever happen here.”
“Asher’s doing okay,” Cole reassured me. “I’ve seen him a lot more uptight. I think the constant events are wearing on him, but he seems to be a little more at ease when Sierra is around. Thanks for inviting her.”
“Asher asked me to,” I reminded him. “And he never asks for anything. I was happy to have her here. She’s nice. And she’s really pretty. Do you think something is happening that we don’t know about?”
I’d gotten to know Asher a little better in the last four months. He had no problem stopping by to visit Cole and me at the ranch.
Like Cole, I hated how isolated Asher was sometimes, and I desperately wanted to see my new brother-in-law happy.
Cole shook his head. “Not romantically. I wasn’t kidding when I said that Asher doesn’t like to get physically close to people. But I think there’s something about her that makes him less irritated when he’s in public. He used to complain about having a housekeeper and having her underfoot all the time. Ithought he’d end up firing her, but he hasn’t. That tells me that he isn’t all that upset about having her around anymore.”
“Where is she from?” I asked curiously.
“She lives in Billings, but I honestly don’t know if she grew up there.”
“I’d really like to get to know her better,” I told him as we both put our empty plates on the table.
“That’s not happening for at least two months,” Cole reminded me. “We’re leaving for our extended honeymoon tomorrow.”
“I know,” I said with a happy sigh. “It’s going to be incredible. I’m going to get ridiculously spoiled being married to you.”
He didn’t limit our honeymoon to just Paris. We’d be traveling around the country and spending some time at the beautiful beaches in the French Riviera. After that, we’d jet over to Italy to see Rome, Florence, Venice, and several other cities.
It was just still so hard to fathom that I had a man who focused on my happiness and was willing to bend over backward just to see me smile.
I never thought something like this would happen to me.
I definitely never thought I’d be married to the most thoughtful man in the world.
Yet here I was, living a life I could only dream about less than a year ago.
My only hope was that I could always make Cole as happy as he made me.
He deserved a life full of happiness to make up for the crap he’d had to deal with in the past.
“I just want to make you happy, too,” I blurted out.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. “Angel, you make me happy every time I see your beautiful face. Hell, we’re bound to have some challenges in ourfuture. That’s life. We’ll handle the sad things when they come up, but I’m always going to be happy that you’re mine. I love you, angel. More than you’ll probably ever know.”
“I’m always going to be happy that you’re mine, too,” I said as I glanced at his left hand that now sported a gold band.
Therewassomething satisfying about that symbol of the commitment we’d made to each other just a short time ago.
